February 10, 1991
Today is another ordinary day. An early rise, breakfast with the other residents of the shelter, working as a newspaper seller, and then sleep. Reading books has become an unattainable luxury for me; the last book I read lingers in my memory like a shadow, and I finished it a week ago. The bitterness of being a Muggle has almost dissipated. All my thoughts are now focused on everyday, non-magical things. Lately, I've been recording my memories of the future in a small notebook I bought with my first paycheck from selling newspapers.
- February 7: Remembered the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1995.
- February 8: Nothing new.
- February 9: The World Cup in 20XX was won XX.
- February 10: I didn't recall anything, went to bed early. Sleep is the only place where I have no worries.
"Ah, I suppose I'll end here" I say, setting the notebook aside. I climb up to the second tier of the bed, wrap myself in a patched blanket, and almost instantly fall asleep.
"Hahaha, bow before me, worthless wizards! My name is Morpho, and now I am the dark lord of this generation!" — playing the role of a typical terrible dark lord, I take a deep breath, speak in a raspy voice, casting "Crucio" left and right. At this moment, I don't notice how my dream world begins to crumble. If I weren't asleep, I would see the clock hands crossing midnight, marking the start of a new day.
"What!?" — I notice a change in the space around me, something not typical of an ordinary dream. I look around: all the people have vanished, and the space has transformed into black and white cubes of various sizes. Suddenly, I feel someone touch my shoulder. I turn around sharply.
Before me stands a figure clad in a strange black-and-white jester's costume. I catch a glimpse of his eerie white mask: eyes that resemble two tiny black holes, a grin stretching ear to ear, and two streaks that are likely tears. Behind him float four cards, each with a different suit, but all in black. Instead of hands, he has two pairs of claws.
My heart stops at that moment, my pupils constrict to the maximum, and my breathing becomes erratic. A primal fear overtakes me. I don't have time to react as all four cards behind him merge in white light, transforming into… "A gift box?" — what I intended to think slips out loud. I freeze, waiting for his reaction, but the black-and-white jester simply nods and hands me the box.
Carefully taking the box in my hands, I admire how it shimmers with various textures: golden scales, a phoenix feather, matches, Little Red Riding Hood, and the wolf. "Is this for me?" — my voice trembles slightly, whether from fear of this entity or excitement over the first gift I've received in this life. When I look at the jester again, he disappears with a "POOF" and in his place appears the inscription: "Happy birthday!"
Processing what just happened, I slowly unwrap the gift box, which at that moment is adorned with a yin-yang design. But as I pull the last knot, it changes texture. And now, opening the coveted box, I see inside a joker card. Cautiously taking it in my hands, I feel it slowly merge with my body. Reflexively, I say, "Open interface." And before my eyes appears a black-and-white screen:
The anomaly embodiment system welcomes its master.
Current model: [The Jester of Nihil] . Do you want to receive a task for system binding?
P.S. After binding the system, you will receive a starter gift.
"Could it be that I have a chance? After three damn months!?" — emotions once again overwhelm me, but I quickly suppress them. Now I have a chance to fully experience this magical world. Who am I to say "no"?
"Iaccept the task" — this time I respond mentally, and to my relief, it works.
```
[Task accepted]
[Obtain 5 enkephalins: 0/5]
Tip: Enkephalin is pure energy extracted from anomalous objects. To obtain enkephalin, try to elicit as many emotions as possible from the abnormality. For non-anomalous beings, enkephalin can only be obtained during very strong emotions: betrayal, death.