Rowan's eyes widened as he scanned the words that ran through his mind, their strange appearance both jarring and surreal.
At first, there was only shock. Then came a flicker of dread, "Am I possessed by something?"
The sudden notification flashed before his eyes, its cold, matter-of-fact tone throwing him completely off balance.
He recoiled as if the words themselves carried the same stinging burn as the sunlight.
"Wait… what? You want me to spend thirty minutes in the sun? Are you insane? I almost just got fried alive!"
His voice rose in disbelief, but as the echoes of his outburst faded, the weight of the situation had just truly begun to sink in.
"Hold on... how? Why did I suddenly become susceptible to sunlight? It's not like this before! How could the sun have that kind of effect on me now? What even is this?"
The questions tumbled from his lips like an unraveling thread, one after the other in a growing tide of frustration and fear. His mind reeled as more and more pieces of the strange puzzle seemed to fall out of place.
"Dhampir? What does that even mean? I'm a human, at least I was... right? And what the hell is Krist?" He stumbled over the name, his voice laced with confusion.
"Who is Krist? What is Krist? Is that supposed to mean something?"
The realisation of the changes finally hit him like a crashing wave. His chest tightened, his breaths growing shallow.
The world he thought he knew, the life he had lived, had it all just been a façade, hiding something far more terrifying beneath?
"What's happening to me?" he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his words.
His outburst was met with the calm silence of the voice, beautifully interconnected with the peaceful ambiance of the environment, which he now perceived with a newfound clarity.
His gaze snapped back to the spot where the crack had once been, his fists clenching tightly at his sides.
"Is this it? Pushing me into a world where I've been stripped of my identity? Who am I now? What am I now? And how am I supposed to navigate all of this without answers?"
But as much as he wanted to dismiss it all, the memory of the sun's burning sensation still lingered sharply in his mind.
He couldn't just throw his hands up and spend his entire day holed up indoors. That wasn't an option.
The absurdity of his situation gnawed at him. What kind of madness was this? A task that would have been as natural as breathing just a day ago now filled him with a deep sense of unease.
Walking in the sun, something so simple, so fundamental. Who wouldn't enjoy the warmth of the morning sun on their skin? Yet, here he was, dreading it as though it were a looming trial.
He mulled over the situation, frustration and resignation blending in his expression. He knew he couldn't delay much longer.
The herbs needed watering, and if he didn't tend to them, they'd wither and die.
With a heavy sigh, Rowan stood, his resolve flickering but still intact. "Alright, let's get this over with," he muttered under his breath, stepping toward the door.
Convincing himself it was for the herbs, not for him, gave him just enough of a push to move forward.
His fingers gripped the door knob tightly before turning it, and the door swung open, welcoming him with the dazzling brilliance of the morning sun.
<50% temporary debuffs on your stats>
The familiar sting of the sun's rays kissed his skin, but this time, it didn't hit him with the brutal intensity he feared.
It was uncomfortable. Yes, his skin prickled, and a dull burning persisted, but it was manageable.
Rowan took his first step outside, and almost immediately, his body protested.
His limbs felt sluggish, weighed down as though gravity had increased. Even the watering can, which had always been a trivial burden, felt impossibly heavy in his grip.
Each step felt like wading through quicksand, his body screaming with exhaustion. Yet, Rowan clenched his jaw, his determination unwavering. He wasn't going to let this sudden vulnerability define him, no matter how dire it felt.
He moved methodically, pouring water into each pot with shaking arms. Sweat beaded on his forehead, stinging his eyes, but he kept going, driven by sheer willpower.
The task stretched on, minutes feeling like hours, as the debuffs took a toll on his strength.
Normally, watering the plants wouldn't have taken more than fifteen minutes. Yet, the sluggishness forced him to move at a snail's pace, drawing the ordeal out to what felt like an eternity.
Finally, after what seemed like an uphill battle, he set the watering can down, the final pot watered. His chest heaved as he caught his breath, his arms trembling like leaves caught in a storm.
The notification echoed softly in his mind, a small reward for his effort.
Relief flooded through him, but his legs felt too weak to carry him far. Staggering toward the door, he pushed it open and stumbled back inside the apartment, slamming it shut behind him to cut off the sun's relentless rays.
Collapsing onto the couch, he wiped the sweat from his brow, the cool air of the room offering some comfort.
Despite the aches that wracked his body, a faint smile tugged at his lips. He'd done it. Against all odds, he'd pushed through and completed the task.
"System, show me the inventory," Rowan muttered with anticipation.
The virtual screen materialized before his eyes, displaying a neat grid of empty slots, save for one item glowing faintly.
His eyes widened slightly at the description, and despite his lingering fatigue, curiosity bubbled to the surface.