A haze covered Amber's mind. As it slowly receded she became more and more aware that something wasn't quite right. When she completely gained consciousness she quickly realized what part of that something was. She couldn’t breathe. Helplessly she tried to open her mouth to suck in life giving air. She became increasingly frantic as she found she couldn’t. She couldn't move. Anything. She couldn’t see. Couldn't hear. Couldn't feel her own skin. Seconds, then minutes passed by and she once again realized something; she didn’t feel the need to breathe. 

I'm dead!? Was her first thought. But that didn't feel quite right. She could think after all. And as a bonafide atheist with not much trust in the institution called "religion" she wasn't about to find faith now. At least not until all other options had been explored in excruciating detail.

Her first discovery came only moments later. She could seemingly sense something. It was like all her physical sensations at once. Yet muted. Like she was looking through a thick fog or was still half asleep. 

But it still seems different somehow. I can't really put It into words, but it's like an extension of my mind rather than my body? Amber reeled at the idea mentally. So far from anything she'd ever even considered real that she couldn't wrap her head around it. And even more upsetting was the following realization that her body was nowhere to be found. Instead she was encased in crystal. In ROCK.

Calm. Calm. I am calm. This is not the time to have an existential crisis, Amber. No. It is not. Deep breaths– She screamed internally in frustration and confusion. BUT I CAN'T FUCKING BREATHE!? Fuck. Shit. Tits. Fuck. FUCK! A plethora of explicits on repeat later and she finally collected herself enough to realize how ridiculous she was being.

A fucktacular situation to say the least. Amber let her reservations go for now and began tapping into her newfound mental sense. Trying hard not think about the 'lack of body'-thing. Admittedly she couldn't sense much apart from this weirdly dampened reality, even still.  She began poking at the fog with her mind. Yes! The fog receded as she let her mind spread further from herself. Pushing through the surrounding air. Far enough to sense that she was completely confined, from all sides, by MORE ROCK. 

She descended into another minor meltdown. 

#

Once again somewhat calm, Amber let her mind wander. she thought of home. Of all her pretties that were probably collecting dust about now. About Tammy, who had likely already knocked on her door too fucking early and found her either dead or missing. And about her sweet and caring dad. He'd already lost her mom down the bottle... And now he'd probably lost her too.

Why is this happening to me? Amber asked the universe - or anyone really. She was subsequently thrown out of her thoughts when she heard a mechanical voice answer.

"Error. Invalid question."

who's there? She shot back shocked.

"Error. Invalid question." It sounded again.

Who are you? She tried instead.

"Error. Invalid question."

What are you? Then. She tried again. This time it responded differently.

"I am the System. The part that you are presently engaging with is your Personal System Voice." It paused slightly before both “system” and the last three words to emphasize in a machine-like manner. 

"The system"? And "your personal system voice"? It sounds like something out of a game... She considered what to ask the voice next. Her frayed nerves were were not having it, however. I must be dreaming. I must be! I'm going to wake up any minute now to Tammy pounding on my door. 'Cause this can't be fucking real! Get me the hell out of here! She screamed internally. 

This can't be real... She knew that it wasn't the time for another tantrum however and began backtracking her line of thought. You don't have time for being childish right now! She collected herself slightly. She was once again back on track. As much as she could be.

What's the function of "the System"? She worded her question carefully.

"The System makes a record of the world and all living beings within it. The system engages with living beings by Guiding, Granting and Giving access to the Record." 

Well, that's food for thought I guess. Amber thought to herself. How about... What's the function of the "Personal System Voice" specifically?

"The Personal System Voice engages the Sapient by responding to authorized vocalizations and surface thoughts. It allowes the sapient to gain access to their Personal Status and the Record. Access to the record is limited to within the sapient's personal authorization." The voice responded. 

This seems a bit more useful. Let's start with the essentials. Which kinds of wordings are "authorized surface thoughts"? She asked.

"Authorized vocalizations and surface thoughts for engaging with the Personal System Voice is limited to commands or questions specifically targeting the System."

So I stumbled on the right answer purely by chance... That makes me feel like shit. That's such a fucked up way it's set up. When you don't know the System even exists.

What about my Status? She asked a bit more freely. 

"Would you like access to your Status?"

Yes! Amber would have yelled if she had been able to. The voice immediately began to impart her status with an monotonous tone.

"Name: None, Race: Dungeon core, Age: 5 days, Rank 1, 1% mana satur–"

Um, could you show it to me instead of telling me? 

Instead of answering, a screen suddenly appeared to her inner eye.

And that's how her day went from a complete disaster to cataclysmic. 

Amber's gaze was still stuck on the top of the board. 

So. Not a rock or crystal or whatever. But a dungeon core? She knew what the words indicated but she couldn't quite comprehend them. I'm really not a human anymore. Not human at all. She let the words slowly sink in. Sink all the way to the bottom of her metaphorical stomach, where it lodged itself and began grinding away at her guts. So I'm really dead? This isn't some wild nightmare? And I think it's safe to assume that this isn't Earth either. At least not my Earth. She felt numb.

A sudden lethargy swept over her. She felt detached from it all. None of it was real. It was like a glass wall had slipped between her and the world. 

Does it even matter? 

The world distorted and the blue hue of her crystal self split into overlapping red and green. As if she was watching a movie in 3D without the glasses. 

She was just a spectator.

How long have I been here? She wondered. It felt so long ago that she was home in her bed. In her own body. 

The calmer she got the more clear everything felt again. Not unlike adjusting a camera lens. Everything had just been slightly out of focus until it was fine-tuned to this version of reality instead. 

But the lethargy persisted. Her energy spent. 

She fell into a deep slumber.

BreezyMind

 So… That was the first chapter. It was kind of short but I think the pacing was alright?