Cherreads

My Hollow System

Apple_Phoenix
7
chs / week
The average realized release rate over the past 30 days is 7 chs / week.
--
NOT RATINGS
105
Views
Synopsis
I don’t know how much longer I can keep moving. The wraiths are still out there—circling, whispering, waiting for me to slip up. Every step echoes in this hollow city, and every sound feels like a death sentence. I shouldn’t be writing right now… but if I die again, I want someone to know what happened—why the world became what it is. It started when the sky cracked. One shattering moment that tore through the heavens like broken glass, and then monsters began pouring into our world. Cities burned. People screamed. I remember the smell of smoke and metal before everything went dark. I died that day—along with everyone I knew. But somehow, death wasn’t the end. The gods must have heard our cries, or maybe they were just curious about our suffering. Blessings rained down across the earth, strange systems awakening inside the survivors. I was one of the unlucky few who received one at the last moment. My system saved me… and cursed me. Now, I walk as something else. Once human, now one of the many corrupted souls that haunt this wasteland. My reflection flickers like smoke, my heartbeat replaced by static. I’m not sure I can still call myself alive. Maybe that’s why the wraiths hunt me—they can smell the fragments of humanity I still have left. Still, I refuse to fade. If the gods want a monster, I’ll become one of my own making. I’ll learn to control this system, to use it instead of letting it use me. I’ll grow stronger, find a place to build from—something stable amid the chaos. A base. A foothold. Maybe even allies who haven’t completely lost their minds. Together, we might be able to claw our way back to the physical world—the real one. The one we were stolen from. Every night, the city grows quieter, emptier. The wraiths hunt, the ground hums with divine energy, and somewhere in the distance I can hear laughter—maybe human, maybe not. My system hums in my mind, offering quests, power, and lies. I don’t know if it’s trying to save me or finish what death started. All I know is this: I won’t stop. Not until I take back what was lost. Not until I find a way to return—no matter what I have to destroy to get there. If someone finds this journal, know that I tried. That even in the ruins of our world, one ghost still fought to live again. [System Alert] New Evolution Quest Unlocked: Evolve Combatant Form Designation: !94:8, )9@@92 Protocol — Phase II Objectives: – Consume and Assimilate Resonant Souls to Fortify Core Structure – Reap Your Own Soul: Sever the Mask of Mortality and Forge a New Vessel – Achieve Arran-Type Variant State – Stabilize Form Between Death and Divinity Warning: Soul integrity failure rate—47%. Status: Transformation Sequence Awaiting Consent…
VIEW MORE

Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: Bound Soul

In this world. It was the same as yours, and for every being that exists. Well… let me not lie. It's a bit crazy. But that's life. Chaos, peace, and then repeat. But now we have a new sort of chaos facing our world… and now I have one question. Is this the end? Armageddon!!

"SHRRNK!" A tear ripped through the sky. Tearing from the heavens and clawing down to the ground, metal shrieked as the orphanage split apart. A thick steel bar from the ceiling pierced through my stomach, pinning me to the cold floor.

Frozen in place, my eyes stayed locked forward—watching the monsters with razor claws and twisted faces rip through my siblings as the sky bled red into the room. The pain burned through my body until, appearing before my eyes, a voice older than the world itself echoed from beyond the veil.

"Fear not, children of Midgard. The All-Father has heard your cries. Though the fires of war consume Asgard and bind our hands, we—the Aesir—shall not abandon you. From the ashes of our fallen kin, their strength shall flow into your realm. Take it, shape it, and let it become your own. In time, perhaps you will return the favor. For now… fight back against the corruption that seeps through your world. All that is required to receive this gift is your will—and a wish born from the depths of your desire."

But what was the point of such a strange message? I'm dying. I know it. Everyone in the orphanage is going to die. And our world, as we know it, is going to die too. I feel hollow. We're all going to be hollow. Ha, funny. If only I had someone I could scream for help to. Like Orihime. In a world like this, maybe someone like that would actually come. Ha. But no, this is the end for me. Bye, world. I can proudly say I'm dangling from this rebar. Wow. I couldn't even die to a monster. How lame…

.

.

.

Huh. I'm still conscious? I thought I passed out. I don't feel any pain anymore. Were we actually rescued? No. Was I rescued? They… definitely couldn't have made it. Right? Opening my eyes—"Ahh!" A bloodbath. There's no other word for it. Standing stiff as a board, I'm surrounded by the blood of my siblings. Roaming nightmares lick the crimson walls, sniffing around the halls for anyone left alive. But… what about me? Unless…

Reaching out my hand, it looked normal. My hand is normal. I'm… normal. Then, dangling in the corner of my vision, a chain. "A chain!" I couldn't contain my panic. "There's a freaking chain hanging from my chest!" Calm down. Calm down. Taking a deep breath, I knew what had to be behind me if things were like this. And I'm sure of it—because if those man-eaters aren't trying to eat me, then I'm no longer a man by their terms. Seeing as I'm pretty sure I'm dead, this means I'm a ghost. And behind me… I'm assuming it's going to be my body. Ha… ha… ha…

Looking back, yeah. A messy sight, even without the monsters. "Guess this confirms my afterlife theory though." And through the veil, the messenger of the Aesir was still speaking. "But I guess that's more for the living now? Also, Aesir… that's Norse mythology, right? Didn't they already end? Guess that's a thought for another time. Should I head outside? But isn't somebody supposed to get me? Like an angel, or… those hawks, or the grim reaper now? Well, guess they're busy right now…" Looking around, I didn't feel afraid anymore. Well, not much of anything in fact. But anyway, let's not think like that. Let's leave here. I really don't want to be here anymore.

Not wanting to see my own body again, I walked around, making sure to pass through each bloodstained nightmare—phasing right through them and watching them freak out a little. It gives me this frizzy, goofy feeling honestly. So, ha, take that! But looking to the front desk, I guess I won't need to check in with Aunt Mina. She was nice, one of the only good things in this hell. I guess this building needed someone like that if they didn't want us to riot in this prison-home.

This place always felt like a cage. I'm glad I can finally leave. Hah, never thought it would be as a ghost though. Guess my siblings were right when they said this place would eventually come with us to our graves. How true they were. I wonder if they already left. Guess I woke up last… even after death, huh.

Heading for the broken doorway, not looking back, "Bye everyone. Let's meet again sometime," I said with a cheerful smile. "I know I'll run into some of you again. You can't have gone far yet." But as I grabbed the doorframe, ready to leave—[ACCESS DENIED].

A small yellow screen manifested in front of me, glowing faintly, as a strange force shoved me back. And I'm not sure, but it felt like shackles pulling tight around my limbs, dragging me toward—you know what. Guess I'm a bound soul to my corpse… Uhh, NOOOOOOO!!!