Chapter 2: “ Play dead.”

“Hey, sir.”

Dorian ignored the person poking him and kept still.

“Hey, sir. Sir” 

Dorian turned his head slightly with a frown on his face.

“What?”

The thin male sighed and frowned.

“I was asked to come see if you’re dead. I’m with the security team. You just slammed into the oak tree on our company’s grounds. Is… is your spine broken in any way?”

Dorian frowned and let his mind roam. Maybe he was dead.

His body felt numb all over and he could barely feel a thing. People who were dead didn’t feel things, did they? 

“Is there blood on my body?”

The frail-looking guard nodded and gulped worryingly.

“A lot. It formed a small pool around you.”

He was going to die.

“Leave me to die in peace please.”

Dorian averted his eyes and stared at the skies again, looking at the clouds roll by as the sound of a police siren and people murmuring played in the background.

Life was a joke. 

So the police were here and they hadn’t even looked his way. Weren’t they supposed to call an ambulance to rush him to the hospital?

The thin-bodied guard poked him again and this time the look on his face was one of extreme worry.

“Actually, I can't do that sir. The car that just hit you belongs to the young master of some top family in the city. The police are trying to pacify him but he’s angry that someone stepped in front of his car. He’s looking for you, and my boss wouldn’t like it if he found you here, on our company’s property I mean. He asked me to move your body to the sidewalk and clean the blood on the grass.”

Dorian felt himself almost spit up blood in bitter amusement. He cocked an eyebrow and looked at the guard.

“Really?”

The younger man nodded and Dorian sighed.

There really was no fairness in this world. What kind of people would make such a request?

“Hey. Play dead.”

Dorian heard the panic in the order and did so immediately. Sure enough, a voice reached his ears a second later.

“Where is he!” The voice sounded angry “Where’s the wretch that hit my million dollar car?” 

Dorian felt a frown begin to line his face but he repressed it quickly. Weren’t you the one who hit me with your million-dollar car?

~Hey, Host~

No.

~I know you can hear me~

Dorian schooled his features into a rigid stillness as an argument ensued in the background. He could hear the young guard trying to save him from some kicks and beating. They really wanted to beat a possibly dead body

~Don’t you want to know what I am?~

Dorian’s brows creased together slightly and he resisted the urge to frown harder.

~Shut up. I’m trying to play dead here~

“What… is the corpse frowning?”

Shit. Dorian smoothened his face out and lay still like his life depended on it. He heard an exasperated sigh from the voice in his head.

 ~Aaaanyway…… I’m your new system~

Oh for fuck’s sake.

“Beating up a dead body would reflect badly on your image, Lord Grey. People would say you’re giving your much-needed attention to a dead body. That’s going to be a waste of time.”

A slap rang out and Dorian felt his body go rigid.

“Don’t tell me what to do you fool.”

Lord Grey sounded every bit the pompous arrogant windbag he probably was. Dorian felt phlegm hit the side of his face and he shivered.

“My father will hear about this. Let’s go.”

The sound of footsteps receding wafted into Dorian’s ears and he didn’t dare move a muscle. Someone sighed heavily close by and a harsh order was given out.

“Well don’t just stand there, cover the body!”

“Yes, sergeant. Right away sergeant.” 

The sergeant stalked off and after a while, Dorian moved his eyes. Only the security guard was still there, and blood oozed from a nasty tear on his cheek. Sensing Dorian’s area of focus the guy simply shrugged and leaned down. 

“He was wearing his ring when he slapped me. But no worries, you’re safe now.”

Dorian felt emotion clog his throat and he didn’t know what to say. Or what to do. He should probably get up now.

The guard retreated as Dorian pulled himself up with ease and he hissed at the slight pain behind his head. When he touched it, the area simply throbbed a bit but there was no severe pain.

“Your shirt’s ruined.”

Dorian checked the arms of his shirt and it was soaked with blood. His blood.

How was he even alive?

“Hey! What’s going on over there?”

The guard shouted a very loud and confident “Nothing!” and Dorian found himself trying to gather the facts in his head and set them straight.

He was hit by a car. He slammed so hard into a tree that his skull probably cracked, hence the blood, but he wasn’t dead. He…. actually he felt okay and that was strange.

Normal people didn’t survive being hit so hard by a car they went flying into a tree. Unless….. 

~Now you’re ready to acknowledge me?~

The voice in his head wasn’t just a voice after all.

“Take this and go. No one’s watching, I'll take care of the blood.”

Dorian accepted the package with little to no enthusiasm and nodded, walking away immediately. People gasped as he passed by and they squealed in shock but ultimately they did nothing. For all they knew this could be a costume. Dorian frowned.

“What did you say you are again?”

Hells, he was talking to the voice in his head.

Like the voice wanted to spook him it didn’t respond for a while, but the world suddenly burst into a bright halo and Dorian found himself surrounded by energy, a pure bluish-white energy that revolved around him one moment and was gone the next.

The voice announced itself with an air of wonder and enthusiasm.

“I, am the Infinite Skills System. Source code 966857. Influence level: Cosmic/Interdimensional.

I am the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that beings of power beyond your wildest dreams would give anything to get.

I am freedom! I am advancement! I am…. Going to convince you that I'm not talkative and hey, that’s offensive of you to assume okay?”

Dorian entered a park and sat down on a chair in a secluded area.

“So you can do more than just talk?”