[Ding Ding! Congratulations!!! Congratulations!!!]

[You have completed the Main task of: Become King!]

[Transferring soul to Home Base.]

The mechanical voice immediately took Elliot out of his drowsiness. He suddenly felt everything around him pull away as if he was falling through a pool of water. The ripples brushed against his skin, chilling his body while he fell past the throne. His body was weightless, yet heavy enough to fall into the depths of the ground. 

His vision went dark as terror filled his face. The safety of the sturdy floor turned into nothing, leaving him to plummet into the darkness. Elliot instinctively grasped around him. He tried to catch himself from falling but was greeted with cold air.

Soon, the sound of static along with a flurry of white light, danced around Elliot, making him squeeze his hands over his ears. He shut his eyes and pressed down, trying to block out the familiar sound, but it echoed in his brain. He could only curl into himself, hoping that this insanity would end.

The annoying ringing made a final burst before it completely went silent. His falling body halted to a complete stop.

Elliot slowly opened his eyes, gently letting his hands go. He waited for a moment, making sure the sound wouldn't come back before checking his surroundings. His eyes slowly widened with awe. He was surrounded by billions of stars, giving the illusion that he was floating in space. His body didn't feel heavy anymore, but he found it hard to move around. It was as if he was pushing against a current. 

He simply let himself float along before noticing that the wounds and pain he felt before had left him. All the burdens and negative emotions seemed to have disappeared. As if left behind in the world he was once in.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a star. It was brighter than the others as it slowly glided through the space and rested before his eyes. It was the size of a marble. Its colors looked dull and were hard to distinguish.

Elliot felt a strange melancholy as he stared at it. He lifted his hands to grasp it, but before his fingers touched, the star's light snuffed out like a candle. The smoke flowed in ribbons ahead into the deep abyss.

Elliot felt his heart twinge at the sight. He couldn't help reaching out, but it felt impossible to move forward. He could only look on as the wisps disappeared. 

Elliot stared for a long while before the mechanical voice rang around him.

[Congratulations to the player for completing the tasks on time! The player will now receive the benefit of Tasks Reader! (yay!)

[Task Reader will allow the player to see the tasks given in each world before entering the said world! (how great!)]

[I hope the player appreciates this new helpful benefit!]

Elliot coldly listened to the disembodied voice as he floated in the world. Was that it? Shouldn’t this be included in the system already?! He took a deep breath. No, this was better than nothing.

He balanced himself in the space before finally deciding to interrogate the system.

“What is this place?”

[System: This is Home Base. Each player has their Home Base to rest in between worlds. Rest is required for each player after completing a world. After providing rewards or punishments, players then proceed to the next world on file.]

Elliot lifted a brow as he looked around, did every ‘home base’ have the same look and feel? Why did this place strangely feel familiar? He faced forward toward the abyss before quickly asking, “What are you?"

[System: I am a system to guide all players through their journey between worlds. I assist, inflict punishments, and grant rewards under the Stellar Code.]

Elliot paused, "stellar code?" 

[System: The Stellar Code is a set of rules. Any more information is restricted.]

“Restricted? Why?” 

[System: Players do not have the power to access this information.]

Elliot felt at a loss, "What is a player?"

System: A player is a volunteer soul given to the system to complete world tasks.

A soul? Was he dead? Though, he somehow felt this wasn't right. Still, he felt his throat dry up. He swallowed before asking, “Am…am I dead?”

[System: Players do not have the power to access this information.]

A chill ran through his body. Something didn’t seem right. No, he can’t be dead already, can he? If so, then what is the point of all of this? Was he being punished? Is that why he can’t remember anything? Eliot felt his thoughts race through his brain, but he still couldn’t figure it out. It took him a moment to collect himself. He realized…there had to be something more to this.

If there’s information that players cannot access, then that means there needs to be someone to regulate that. Someone had to have created the Stellar Code and the system. Elliot cooled himself, finally feeling at ease. It didn’t last long until he heard that resounding Beep! Ring around him.

[Player has used up their rest time. Time for a new world! (how exciting!~)]

[Loading…]

[Loading…]

[Loading…]

[[ ERROR// ]]

The loud error code made Elliot flinch as a red flash through the space. To his illusion, it felt like the once expansive abyss was instead a tiny white room. But when his surroundings calmed again, he was back to floating in the air.

A familiar blue pop-up screen showed in front of him with a gentle ding!

[Congratulations! Congratulations!]

[Thanks to the player for c0mple-tNG¿ th3 S¡de-Ta$k !of:?ELil;L_LL!! ]

[The player may choose a benefit to take to the next world!]

> Antidote. 

Uses 1. World Carryovers 2.

Use internally. A fast-acting antidote to all poisons regardless of a world's science or beliefs. Use on any person.

> Prince's Tear. 

Uses 3. World Carryovers 2.

Use externally. Can heal minor to severe injuries. Cannot heal life-threatening injuries. Use on any person.]

Elliot stared at the screen. Was this because he completed the side task? So killing Mathew was a loophole. His eyes drifted to the broken text. Was the loophole hard on the system, creating a slight error? Either way, he was grateful. These items could be useful in the next world. He kept these in mind and contemplated on what to choose when the system interrupted itself.

[ Ding Ding! ]

[ World loading complete! ]

[ May the player proceed to the next world! ]

Elliot noticed a small star approaching him. It was also the size of a marble, but the colors on this one were so vibrant. It nearly resembled a nebula with purples, blues, and reds. The colors circulated each other creating different colors with their blend. White glittering lights brushed past the clouds like stars. It resembled a small galaxy.

Elliot lifted his hand to touch it, making a small pop-up.

[ File Name: Dream Catcher ]

[ Task: fulfill the prince's last wish. ]

[ Enter ]

This must be the new task reader that the system had granted him. Again, he felt tricked, this feature should have already been part of the system! Elliot stared at the task, ‘fulfill the prince’s last wish’? Did this mean he had to be a prince again? He didn’t have to kill someone again, did he? He felt a chill down his spine as he recalled the events in the castle…that was something he did not want to experience again.

[ding ding!]

[May the player hurry and enter the world! Players that do not enter before the countdown ends will be forced in! ~]

Why didn’t he feel surprised? Elliot let out a sigh, before glancing at the two benefits in the other window. He had to choose quickly.

[Comment below which benefit you want!]

> Antidote.
Uses 1. World Carryovers 2.
Use internally. A fast-acting antidote to all poisons regardless of a world's science or beliefs. Use on any person.

> Prince's Tear.
Uses 3. World Carryovers 2.
Use externally. Can heal minor to severe injuries. Cannot heal life-threatening injuries. Use on any person.