System Within: Rise Of Frank Williams

CHAPTER 1: THE THING IN THE BOTTLE

Rain pelted the half-collapsed rooftop, dripping through holes that turned the dusty floor into patches of dark mud.

Frank Williams sat on a broken wooden beam, chewing the last piece of his biscuit. The wind outside howled like a starving animal.

He whispered to himself, “Another day, another storm. Guess even the sky hates me.”

A bottle rolled near his foot, clinking softly. He picked it up, frowned, then sighed. “Empty. Just like me,” he muttered. “Talking to yourself again, Frank?” a mocking voice called from the doorway.

Three silhouettes stood there Roderick and his gang, faces half-lit by lightning. Roderick smirked. “What’s the genius up to this time? Counting raindrops?” Frank didn’t answer. He’d learned silence hurt them more than words.

Roderick kicked over his meager belongings a torn blanket, a notebook filled with strange sketches.

“What’s this crap? Still dreaming of being somebody?”

Frank stared at the ground. “Dreaming’s free. You wouldn’t understand.”

The gang laughed. “You’re right,” Roderick sneered. “We don’t dream  we live. You should try it, freak.”

They left him bruised, his biscuit crushed in the dirt. When the echoes faded, Frank wiped blood from his lip and sat again, forcing a smile that fooled no one.

Then clink. A faint sound behind him. He froze, Another clink.

From the far corner of the room, under collapsed shelves and rusted metal, came a pulse of light  faint, bluish, and rhythmic, like a heartbeat.

Frank squinted. “What the hell…”

The light flickered again, then steadied. A glass bottle lay half-buried under debris, glowing softly. Frank’s mind raced  phosphorescent reaction? Trapped lightning bug?

 But no, this light moved. He crept closer, heart pounding. Inside the bottle  a creature no bigger than his palm.

It had wings, shredded and dimly glowing, and eyes like molten silver. It flailed weakly against the glass. Frank blinked. “That’s… not real.”

The creature turned, locked eyes with him and spoke. “Please… help me.”

He stumbled backward, nearly tripping. “You talk?!”

“I will die soon,” it whispered, voice trembling like air itself. “Set me free…”

Frank hesitated. He’d seen many strange things in his short, miserable life, but this “Why are you in there?”

“Trapped,” it gasped. “A long time… too long.”

Frank swallowed hard. Logic screamed walk away. But his loneliness was louder. He twisted the cork open.

Light burst out blinding, hot, searing through the shadows. Frank shielded his eyes as the air shimmered and the creature rose, wings unfurling in golden brilliance.

It hovered before him, fragile yet divine. “You… freed me,” it said softly.

“I guess I did,” Frank whispered. “What are you?”

It tilted its head. “Hungry.”

Frank blinked, then chuckled nervously. “I don’t have much… just this.” He held out a broken biscuit.

The creature sniffed it, then nibbled and smiled. “You are kind, human.”

He shrugged. “Kind? No. Just… lonely.”

The creature’s glow dimmed to a warm pulse, almost comforting. “Then we share the same wound.”

They sat in silence for a long while boy and being, two forgotten things bound by emptiness.

Then Frank asked quietly, “Will you stay with me?”

The creature looked up. “If you wish. I owe you my life.”

He nodded. “Then it’s a deal.”

Days passed,  For the first time in years, Frank wasn’t alone. He named the creature Luna, after the moonlight that often spilled through the broken roof when they talked.

He spoke to it about everything  his unknown parents, the bullies, his dreams of escaping the city. Luna listened, curious and calm.

One evening, Frank walked home through the rain, Luna hidden inside his coat pocket. The same bullies cornered him again.

“Well, if it isn’t the ghost-boy,” Roderick jeered. “Still talking to your imaginary friends?”

Frank said nothing. His silence angered them, A punch landed. Then another. He fell to his knees, rain mixing with blood.

“Don’t look at me like that!” Roderick shouted, kicking him again. “You’ll never be anything!" They left him broken on the sidewalk.

Back in his room, Frank stared at the cracked mirror. His face was swollen. His eyes empty. “I hate them, Luna,” he whispered. “I hate this city. I hate everything.”

Luna hovered near his shoulder, trembling. “Frank…” He slammed his fist on the table. “Why can’t I fight back? Why can’t I be… more?”

The creature floated closer, its glow deepening into crimson. “You wish for strength?” ,“Yes.”

“Then take it.”

Before he could speak, Luna darted forward straight into his chest. rank gasped. His body convulsed.

Light seared through his veins as a voice echoed inside his skull clear, mechanical, cold.

[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION…]

Celestial Echo System Activated.

Host: Frank Williams.

Primary Directive: Ascension.

He collapsed, gripping the floor as streams of energy crackled across his skin. Visions flooded his mind codes, symbols, whispers from miles away.

He heard Roderick’s laughter echoing in the distance… then the thoughts behind that laughter. He’s pathetic. He’ll never fight back. Frank gasped. He could hear them. Their thoughts.

[Mission Unlocked: “Prove Your Worth.”]

Reward: Cognitive Boost + Mental Clarity.]

He stared at the glowing blue text hovering in front of his eyes. “I’m… seeing things,” he muttered. “I’m losing it.”

The voice whispered again, colder now. “No, Frank. You’re only beginning.”