"Show me my status, Nancy."

"Affirmative, host."

​​

"DING!"

* * *

Host: Clark Colter

Power Systems Conquered: 3/50

* * *

"Good. Take me to the next world, partner." Our bored gamer said after he was satisfied with this new information.

He had already sent Yvon's soul to Earth where she would be reborn anew. It would be a lie to say that he has not come to love the woman. He did and very much so.

This was expected because they had been together for almost 5 thousand years already. It took him that long to conquer this world even with a system helper in tow.

The hidden experts in this dimension were nothing to scoff at.

"FLASH!" Clark's vision blurred and when it refreshed, he was already seeing the next hapless victim in the list.

* * *

"FAILED!" a word that was rarely liked by all. This may even alter one's state of being and make him wallow in tears and denial.

But those feelings were a tad tame in comparison to what Kira felt at the moment.

He wished that the earth would simply open up to eat him whole in order to save his loved ones from knowing that he was a disappointment once again.

This had happened before, not one time but it felt like forever for Kira. A curse of endless failures that he can't seem to get rid off.

"I'm just a dumb and useless piece of shit!" Kira cursed inside.

"Brother!"

"Brother! Let's play?" Two cute kids called for the young man. One boy and another was a girl. They were twins and were 10 years of old already at the moment. A gap of 8 years may have been substantial for the three butt that did not hold them for playing amongst themselves as they only had each other because their neighbors were ways away from their home.

"Annie, Jason..." Kira muttered. He did not know how he got here but when he noticed the crushed paper on his left hand, reality came rushing back into his mind.

"Hermm..." he cleared his throat before continuing. If not, he was not sure if he could keep the tears from falling from his eyes. Kira most did not want to break down in front of his younger siblings.

"Where's mom and dad?"

"They're inside, brother." the older one, Annie, answered.

"Yup, yup, mom and dad is in there, brother!" Chris nodded excitedly.

"Can we play now? Let's play!" the youngest among the three jumped in anticipation. He even brought out a handful of colorful marbles for them to use.

They would usually have fun with this in hand and only the dry dusty grounds as their playing field.

It was a favorite pastime of theirs because they really could not afford the expensive gadgets like computers and mobile phones.

"Maybe later, okay? I need to see mom and dad first." Kira replied to his siblings and he would be lying if he had not noticed that disappointment that crossed their gaunt innocent faces.

"If only I... Sorry..." Kira had this thought in mind before he turned his back to enter their home. It was a humble house particularly made of scavenged wood and nature's blessing.

Their house having located at the mountainous portion of the town had Kira walking up and down the stony roads in order to reach anywhere else.

Of course this was not to say that they were alone in this insect infested area, they were not. They had neighbors that same as they were, could not afford to live down the plains of civilization.

The cost of an acre of land would have probably been more than what his parents had seen in their entire lives.

The last time Kira checked, the cheapest house and lot was available at a thousand Spectral Coins.

He could only lament at their poor situation as his heart still continued to wish for more than what they had right now.

He wanted to give his family everything that life has to offer. But alas, it seemed that the high heavens was still too far from his reach. Like always. He sighed deeply when he entered their house.

Behind him, Kira could audibly hear the laughter that rang from his brother and sister. The previous woe forgotten as the both of them was now enjoying their company together.

Sometimes Kira dreamed that he could go back to the time when his innocence had shrouded him from this stark reality.

Unlike today when all he could feel was the shadow of expectation and responsibility that loomed so keenly ever since that day.

"What's the result, son?! Did you pass the test this year?!" a short bony man woke Kira from his daydream. This was the question that he dreaded the most to answer.

"Where's mom, dad?" Kira asked. He wanted to say this to them just once and hide the rest of the afternoon in his room. Or maybe the rest of his life, he corrected.

Perhaps even cry himself to sleep and wish that he never wake up in the morn at all.

"Delia! Kira is back! Come here quick!" Kira's father called. His excitement was obvious enough that further killed the heart of his son.

"Be right there, Juan!" Delia shouted back. Though the family looked malnourished but the same could not be said to their voices.

It was loud and high pitched as if people who were always angry at each other. Perhaps this was a peculiar trait of those who used to appear timid in front of other people.

Especially to those of the rich and them lofty people who loved to take offense at the slightest grievance. Kira could only think of it as an outlet of their emotions.

An unconscious rebellion for the world that was very much unkindly to their own. Maybe one day, I too, shall sound like my parents, Kira thought in surrender.

"CREAK!" one of the two rooms in the house opened to bring forth the tall figure of a woman.