Curse the Mainframe! 9 Annalise's Worries

Alec woke up, feeling hazy and disorientated. The last thing he remembered was the little girl's worried cry. What he saw was the vast expanse of the blue, free sky.

He abruptly sat up, only to lose his balance, crumbling back to the ground. He was indeed not inside the room, nor was he within the line of trees, so meant that he was back at the starting point.

That's right! Alec couldn't help but panic slightly, knowing that he had failed the first 'test' that their Teacher had given them. Whilst he knew that his body should not have been made to do that in the first place, he still couldn't help but feel disappointed that he hadn't finished both rounds.

"You're awake!" he heard, causing Alec to turn.

He was greeted with the stares of four children, plus their Teacher. While three of the other boys, as well as the little girl he had helped before looked worried about him, he caught sight of the look of disdain on the last one. Their Teacher had his face set into a mask of indifference, which gave him no clues about how he did.

"Hmph," Evin said, his expressions unchanging. "Took you long enough to wake up. You should thank Tatiana for bringing you together with her on the run."

Ah, so that's what happened. Indeed, he had a debt to Tatiana now. "Thank you, Tatiana," Alec stood up and bowed clumsily, making sure to maintain his 'gentle' appearance.

Inwardly, the poor boy was crying foul. What was this character type anyway! Detestable mainframe!

Tatiana resisted the urge to hug the small baby. So cute! Such gentleness. He wasn't anything like her sibling at all!

"Dismissed for the day. Report back here tomorrow, same time. You may go. Except you, Alecris."

The four boys left without another word, and Tatiana visibly hesitated before Alec nodded at her. She left too, but kept glancing back, missing Evin and Alec's bemused looks.

"Teacher?" Alec said once Tatiana was gone. He made sure to avoid lisping, enunciating every word clearly. It wouldn't do for his 'image' that had been set from the Mainframe to be broken.

He took a brief second to curse the Mainframe in his mind again.

"Alec," Evin said, crouching down.

Alec appreciated it. It was tiring to keep having to look up at the adults. His neck got sore all the time. No wonder toddlers were always cranky. He suddenly felt like he understood their pains much too well.

"Although you passed, it was only on a mere technicality. At this stage, I don't think your body can handle the running yet. Until you are at least five, I will not push you as hard physically. Do you understand?"

Alec couldn't help but feel the frustration that he had been feeling earlier well up again. Truly, being in this body was so inconvenient in so many places. But he understood. He didn't want to harm his foundations just for short-term gains.

Alec nodded to indicate he understood. "Yes, Teacher."

Evin nodded, satisfied.

Just as he was about to disappear, Alec stopped him. "Teacher, what exactly will we be learning?"

Evin paused, looking at the toddler's smiling face. "Knowledge. Before you leave the Clan, we will stuff you full of everything you need to know. We will break down the lot of you to build you back up again."

Alec stared at the man, baffled, but he disappeared before Alec could open his mouth again.

Stunned at the quick disappearance, Alec could only start making his way back to his residence. All he could think about now was heading back and collapsing onto his bed.

His body was aching in ways that it never ached before, stretched beyond their limit. It felt like every muscle was burning, overstretched and pushed beyond limits.

It didn't help that Alec's body was only a year old. At this age, he didn't even have much experience walking much, let alone running. Everything adding up together was the cause for his excess fatigue.

Even now, he was just barely keeping his eyes open.

The only thought that was keeping him going right now was the damn Mainframe's bullshit Sub-Mission. He couldn't afford to lose any points right now, since he had a big fat zero points.

Alec wanted to swear. When would he meet the damn Main Character? The specifications of the Mainframe told him nothing!

Most likely, the Main Character was not in the Neil Clan, which meant that he had to leave to 'explore'.

Alec groaned. He didn't have much time. Before he left, he would have to make sure his body and knowledge was up to par. He was still frighteningly weak, as could be seen from how he fell into a dead faint just from running.

No one ever thought about how much a little body like this used up energy to quickly that it was almost alarming.

Then, as Alec was walking back, his mind couldn't help but think about those moronic transmigrators who obtained cheats from the bunch of incompetent Systems, making them strong from their birth, and resisted the urge to suddenly roar in anger.

He refused to be like them. So what if this body was inconvenient right now? He would work hard for what he had, unlike them. Everything that he achieved would be due to his own hard work.

Running on the fumes of anger, the pure anger that burned bright within him sustained his weary body. Alec made it back to the building he lived in, spotting his mother outside.

"Mother," he greeted.

Without saying another word, she swept him into the house, causing him to miss the torn expression on her face.

Annalise started fussing over her son, seeing the state he was in. Looking at her poor, grumpy baby, who was trying so hard to smile just because she told him to, she couldn't help but feel her heart break.

He was so young, but the damn elders in the Clan insisted that he start just because he already showed signs that he was smart enough for it.

If Annalise ever caught the elders leaving their house, she would deck them right in the face, poise and elegance be damned. Her reputation as the Clan's young mistress meant nothing to her. If it wasn't because of her brother, she would have already gone and made a racket in front of their doors. Nothing stood in the way of a wrathful mother. Her baby was so young. Not even her brother went through it this early!

Alec couldn't even muster up the strength to ward off his mother's fussing, unwillingly letting himself be babied for today. His eyes drooped, shutting. His breathing evened out, deep asleep.

Annalise bit her lip as she carried her baby back to his bed. She hovered at his bedside for moments, thinking about whether or not she should tell him.

Certainly, he was smart, but was it time to tell him? He was only one year old. No matter how smart he was, would he be able to understand?

There were reasons why she hadn't let him meet too many people, and everything tied back to a single reason. His father…

Worry swum in Annalise's eyes. Not yet. What if…

The worried mother breathed out, stroking her son's hair. She cracked a smile when she saw how his previously smoothened expression morphed into something distinctly annoyed. Really. No matter how he was able to hide his expressions under the mask she had forced onto him, in sleep, he showed his real personality.

When he was seven, she would tell him. Annalise silently made the promise in her heart, words unspoken. No matter how smart he was right now, he had such few experiences that she was afraid he would make a hasty judgement.

Chapter end

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