2026-07-16 18:36:37Darkness.
Absolute, suffocating darkness.
Derrick Stones felt himself sinking, as if the restaurant floor had opened up and swallowed him whole. There was no pain at first — only a strange, floating numbness. Then the pain arrived, sharp and throbbing at his left temple where the wine bottle had connected.
What the hell just happened?
Memories flashed in fragments: Lena Brooks’ furious eyes, the arc of the bottle, the sickening crack of glass against bone. The shocked gasps of his employees. The metallic taste of blood in his mouth.
He tried to move, but his body refused to obey. His limbs felt distant, like they belonged to someone else. The sounds around him — panicked voices, overturned chairs, someone calling for an ambulance — grew muffled, as though he were underwater.
This can’t be happening. Not to me.
Derrick Stones did not lose. He did not fall. He was the one who broke others, not the other way around. A pathetic intern had dared to strike him, and now…
His heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears. Thump… thump… Slower. Weaker. Each beat felt like it required monumental effort.
Thump…… thump……
Blackness pressed in tighter. He could feel his life slipping away, thread by thread. Regret? No. Mostly rage. Rage at Lena for daring to fight back. Rage at his employees for their weak, fearful stares. Rage at the universe for allowing this indignity.
They’ll all pay for this. Every single one of them.
The last beat came.
……thump.
Then nothing.
Silence.
Derrick waited for the end. For the nothingness he had always secretly believed waited for everyone. Instead, a brilliant blue light exploded across his consciousness.
[DING!]
A crisp, mechanical notification rang inside his mind — clear, emotionless, and impossible to ignore.
[BORROWED TIME SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
Host Identification: Derrick Stones
Age: 30
Occupation: Operations Manager, Horizon Dynamics
Status: Clinically Dead — 47 seconds
Derrick’s consciousness jolted. The darkness receded slightly, replaced by a glowing translucent interface floating directly in his field of vision. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie — clean lines, blue holographic text, and a small countdown timer already ticking in the corner.
What is this? Am I dreaming? Hallucinating from the head trauma?
He tried to speak, but no sound came out. The system continued relentlessly.
Final Lifespan Assessment Complete.
Remaining Lifespan: 45 Days
Current Sincerity Level: 0.00%
System Purpose:
You have spent your life stealing time from others through cruelty, manipulation, and fear. Time is now a finite resource for you. Every action will be judged by its sincerity and positive impact. Genuine good deeds may extend your borrowed time. Malicious or insincere behavior will accelerate the countdown.
Warning:
Reaching 0 days = Permanent Termination.
No appeals. No second chances. No negotiations.
Derrick would have laughed if he had control of his body. This had to be a hallucination. A dying brain playing one final cruel joke. There was no such thing as a “Borrowed Time System.” He didn’t believe in karma, divine intervention, or mystical nonsense.
Yet the interface remained, perfectly crisp even in the void.
[Host attempting denial. Common first reaction.]
Demonstration Initiated.
Suddenly, a flood of memories assaulted him — not his own, but vivid scenes of the damage he had caused:
Richard Kline crying in his car after being humiliated, wondering how to tell his daughter they might lose their home.
Emily Torres skipping meals to save money after her overtime was cut.
Multiple employees crying in bathroom stalls, praying for Derrick’s downfall.
A former staff member who had attempted suicide after public degradation.
Each memory came with a timestamp and a cold calculation of “time stolen.”
Total Time Stolen from Others: 4,872 Days (approx. 13.3 years)
The numbers hit like physical blows.
You owe a debt, Derrick Stones.
The system does not forgive. It only offers a chance to repay.
The interface pulsed once.
[Revival Sequence Initiated]
You have been granted 45 days of Borrowed Time.
Use them wisely.
A massive jolt of energy surged through his body. Derrick gasped violently, his eyes snapping open back in the physical world.
He was lying on the restaurant floor. Paramedics had just arrived. Blood and wine stained his expensive shirt. Employees stood in a wide circle, staring in horror — and, he realized with dawning fury, a few with visible relief.
Lena Brooks stood near the wall, face pale, still in shock.
Derrick sat up slowly, ignoring the paramedic’s protests. His head wound had mysteriously stopped bleeding heavily. The pain was there, but manageable. As if the system had patched him just enough to continue the game.
One of the paramedics frowned. “Sir, you were unresponsive for over a minute. We need to get you to the hospital for scans. You should have—”
“I’m fine,” Derrick growled, pushing himself to his feet. His voice was hoarse but strong.
His eyes locked onto Lena across the room. She flinched.
The blue interface reappeared in his vision, visible only to him.
[Remaining Lifespan: 45 Days]
[Sincerity: 0.00%]
A new notification popped up:
[Malicious Intent Detected Toward Victim]
-1 Day
Remaining Lifespan: 44 Days
Derrick’s stomach dropped.
This wasn’t a hallucination.
This was real.
And his time was already running out.
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Chapter 12 – Echoes of Pain
The following weeks blurred into a painful rhythm for Derrick Stones. Mornings began with the relentless ticking in his head, a constant reminder that every choice carried weight. Evenings ended with him sitting alone in his apartment or the empty office, replaying memories he had once buried under layers of ambition and arrogance.Remaining Lifespan: 29 Days 14 HoursHe had clawed back some time through small, mostly anonymous acts, but the sincerity meter moved like molasses — 21.7% now. The system had grown quieter, appearing only for significant moments, as if waiting to see whether he would sustain the change when it stopped feeling novel.One rainy Thursday afternoon, the past came knocking in the form of a woman named Carla Ruiz. She had been a logistics coordinator three years earlier. Derrick remembered her vaguely — efficient, quiet, someone he had fired after a missed deadline during a particularly brutal quarter.Carla stood in the lobby, soaked from the rain, holding a fo
Chapter 11
The rain fell in heavy sheets against the windows of Derrick Stones’ apartment, mirroring the storm raging inside him. He sat on the edge of his expensive leather couch, elbows on his knees, staring at the glowing blue interface that refused to grant him mercy even in the quiet hours of the night.Remaining Lifespan: 31 Days 8 Hours 17 MinutesTick… Tick… Tick…Each tick felt heavier now, like a hammer striking the inside of his skull. The donations, the volunteer events, the forced policy changes — they had bought him some time, but at a cost that went far beyond money. Every insincere act left him feeling more hollow than before.He picked up his phone and opened the banking app again. His finger hovered over another large transfer. Ten thousand more to a different charity. His thumb pressed down before he could talk himself out of it.The confirmation screen appeared.Nothing from the system.Derrick waited, heart pounding. Still nothing.“Come on,” he whispered. “That has to count
Chapter 10- Public Performance
Derrick stood in front of the mirror in his luxury apartment bathroom, practicing smiles again. Not the desperate, toothy grimaces from before — he was trying for something that didn’t make children cry or employees reach for the panic button. The blue timer hovered persistently in his reflection.Remaining Lifespan: 37 Days 4 Hours 22 MinutesTick… Tick… Tick…The weekend volunteer event at the city food bank was scheduled for tomorrow. This time, he had gone all-in. He had personally called the local newspaper and a business magazine, tipping them off about “Horizon Dynamics’ Operations Manager giving back to the community.” He had even prepared a short speech about corporate responsibility.If sincerity was the currency, then visibility would multiply the reward. At least that was the new theory.Saturday morning arrived under gray skies. Derrick showed up at the food bank warehouse wearing jeans and a Horizon Dynamics polo — the first time in years he had dressed down for anything
Chapter 9- The First Punishment
The fragile progress from the previous day shattered the moment Derrick Stones stepped back into the office the next morning.The old instincts returned like a drug he couldn’t quit. The sight of his fearful employees, the smell of tension in the air, the power he had wielded for years — it felt comfortable. Safe. Like slipping back into a well-worn pair of shoes.Remaining Lifespan: 41 Days 17 HoursTick… Tick… Tick…He ignored the timer and went straight for blood.Richard Kline was the first victim. The analyst had submitted the revised report — the one Derrick had demanded after humiliating him publicly.Derrick read the first page and threw the entire document across the conference room table where half the department was gathered.“This is still garbage, Richard!” he roared. “Are you incompetent or just trying to sabotage me? I want this redone by lunch. And if it’s not perfect, consider your position here terminated.”The room went dead silent. Richard looked like he might actu
Chapter 8 – Reality Hits
Derrick Stones sat in the private examination room of the city’s best hospital, staring at the MRI images on the screen. The doctor, a middle-aged neurologist named Dr. Patel, looked visibly confused as he pointed to the scans.“Mr. Stones, this is… unprecedented.”Derrick leaned forward, the blue timer still glowing in his peripheral vision.Remaining Lifespan: 41 Days 22 HoursTick… Tick… Tick…“What do you mean?” he demanded.Dr. Patel adjusted his glasses. “The trauma from the bottle impact should have caused a severe subdural hematoma. Based on the paramedic report from the restaurant, you were clinically unresponsive for over a minute. By all medical logic, you should have suffered significant brain damage — possibly permanent. Or worse.”He paused, gesturing at the clean images.“Yet here you are. The scans show only minor swelling that is already resolving at an abnormal rate. Your vitals are stable. It’s as if your body received some kind of… intervention.”Derrick’s mouth we
Chapter 7 – Mission Failed
Derrick Stones arrived at the office on the third day after the incident with a new strategy and a pounding headache. The blue interface had become his constant, unwelcome companion.Remaining Lifespan: 42 Days 8 HoursTick… Tick… Tick…He had spent the previous night researching “how to smile sincerely” on the internet like a desperate man. Articles about genuine facial expressions, eye contact, and positive body language stared back at him mockingly. He practiced in the mirror until his face hurt.Today I will beat this stupid system.The moment he stepped onto the twenty-third floor, the atmosphere shifted. Employees who had grown used to his usual scowl now watched him with open suspicion. The “brain injury” rumor had evolved overnight into wild speculation.“He smiled yesterday. I think he’s dying.”“Maybe it’s a tumor. That would explain everything.”Derrick ignored the whispers and zeroed in on his first target: the receptionist, Sarah. He approached her desk with deliberate ca
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