"I can put an end to that, if you wish," the man seated at the centre of the room said, his tone calm.
Sunny had been through the torture for what felt like eternity. It was a loop. After a forever in that state he would find himself back in the same position, writhing in anguish, watching the him in the following room vanish and return, giving way for another him to be tortured, until it looped back to him.
"Please," Sunny groaned, trying to catch his breath after what he would swear was the millionth time he faced the torture.
Tears freed themselves from his eyes, seeking freedom down his pearly cheeks.
"I offer you my aid, my protection, my guidance. You choose this fate for yourself. This pain is of your doing," the man said, an eerie calmness accompanying the echo of his voice– an echo coming from the infinite continuation of rooms interlinked by the doors.
"System," Sunny begged, hoping that it could at least do something– anything.
It could decline death, it could oppose a law of existence, a power granted form by a god. It surely could do something about this.
"Submit to me, and it shall end."
Sunny clutched himself on the floor. Something was happening, the one window on one of the walls flooded with a golden light, brighter by the second.
Cracks formed in the air. If Sunny saw what was happening, he would deny the one truth that the priests and even the Grand Bishop would have concluded. He, however, did not see anything. He was in a state of borderline collapse. A state he was not allowed to cross due to the power forcing him to remain conscious for him to feel everything.
"No, no, no, no! You don't get to do this!" The man roared, his calmness fading as he realised what was happening. He rose to his feet, roaring, attempting to stand his ground. "I am allowed tribulations of my will! You cannot break my domain! This is law!"
"He's up!" A voice called out as Sunny burst into a loud scream, curling up on the bed he lay on.
His body was in no true pain. He soon realised this. It was as though the unbearable anguish he was in was almost imaginary–a dream of sorts.
But it couldn't be. It felt all too real.
Was he going mad? Sunny wondered, clutching his head, remaining curled on the bed, his heart racing, his head throbbing with thoughts and his breaths deep and rapid.
The fog finally faded, bringing him and the bed he lay on into a white conference room.
Everyone was clapping.
"Petit Sunny, you wake," Areste's voice called out with a familiar accent, forcing a jolt out of Sunny who quickly sat up.
"Two weeks, four days, three hours and forty seven minutes. Impressive for the first tribulation, it usually lasts longer," Luna's voice filled the room before she arrived by the fog.
Were they real or was this something else by that twisted man? Sunny wondered.
He thought of asking the system but it answered before he asked.
Location:S.A.G.S. awakened conference room.
Congratulations:First tribulation successful.
Anomalfication: Nil.
Reward: Full Zero.
What a reward, Sunny thought sarcastically.
"What was that?" He managed between breaths, his whole body shaky.
"You encountered a moderator. Self proclaimed mad wannabe gods. With your attaining a system, they will try to approach you and coerce you into servitude," Luna paused, gazing at Sunny with a look of part concern and part fear before she continued, " I hope...your success so early doesn't mean you agreed to servitude, right?"
Sunny looked at her for a moment, and at Areste, ignoring everyone else in the room, his eyes watering. His mouth shivered before he could speak.
" You knew that I would go through that and didn't tell me? You send me to fight demons without telling me, and you didn't even bother to tell me that that would happen?" Sunny got off the bed. His whole body was weak, his knees shook, almost giving out on him.
"Do you know what I went through in there?" He roared with a new found strength, "I was...I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, I couldn't–" His statement broke off as he let out a yell, clutching his head.
To think they had the nerve to celebrate and greet him so casually after telling him that there were more such things to come, and he had done no wrong to be subjected to the tribulations.
" There is nothing to be done–" Areste began, before he was cut off.
" A warning! You don't even give me a warning that I'll be stretched out and torn apart until all I feel is pain? What did I do? Just because I have a system I didn't ask for?" Sunny looked around the room, veins forming on the sides of his head before continuing, "and what is everyone celebrating for?"
"Sunny–" Luna placed her hand on his shoulder before he swatted it away.
"I want to go home," he said, clenching his fists so hard his nails almost tore through his skin.
"Sunny–" Luna tried approaching, holding a hand out as one would while approaching an injured animal.
Sunny backed away before he spoke again, "Home."
With a sigh, Luna turned, a darkness forming on her hand, materializing into a crystal similar to the one Moonlight had and stuck it into a wall opening a portal.
"Petit Sunny, you know anomalies love you, they will follow you home. Will your family be able to handle them?" Areste's voice pierced through the air, overcoming the whispers from the people in the room.
Sunny froze for a moment.
Areste had a point. If the anomalies showed up at the cathedral then they could potentially murder everyone.
Runners were supposed to be weak enough to be handled by new system users, yet they caused so much chaos.
The vision of the tentacles tearing from the sky that his system had called 'one of the weakest' flashed before his eyes. If that appeared at the cathedral there would be nothing he could do.
Still, he was angry.
He couldn't afford to think logically.
"Fuck you."
He walked through the portal, refusing to look at Luna as he walked past her.