Rise Of The Hoarder

I was mesmerized by the sights surrounding me—especially the boxes that floated above me.

'What the...'

The items within the various transparent cubes were suspended—devoid of any motion or activity.

It was as though they were stuck in time.

I could also see information about them by the side—like System stats.

This feeling felt awfully familiar.

And so, as I witnessed a seemingly unlimited array of cubes floating in the air—like stars in the night sky—I had fleeting thoughts.

These items that were fixed within the endless cubes dominating the boundless ceiling called for me, yet I could not explain it.

I could only stare with my mouth agape.

"Can you see me?" The voice from earlier called out to me.

What a useless question.

How could I see a single person among an unlimited cluster of cubes?

However... just as I was having these thoughts, one of the transparent infinite boxes descended from above.

It glimmered white, and a certain entity was within. As I stared at the being inside, my heart raced and my body froze.

'Y-you are—?!'

The lady within gave an observant gaze. Her silver-like eyes pierced my every being and I shuddered in her presence.

"It seems you still remember me."

How could I forget?

She was a major source of my trauma. Her clear skin and beautiful face—her silver armor and devastating power.

And, the most distinguishing aspect... her pure white wings.

Yes, this was without a doubt the Angel that nearly ended my life back then.

"Why... why aren't you suspended like the others?"

Even though I was utterly confused about what was going on, my sharp mind had been able to pick up a few things.

'It seems I'm inside [Subspace]... I think...'

The Items littering the ceiling were all placed into [Subspace] by me. Plus, the fact that I could see their information further confirmed my suspicion.

'But why here? How can I be here?'

I was just about to be killed by the other Angels when I felt a strange sensation of being pulled.

'Could it be... did the (G) Factor pull through at the last minute?'

As I was still in deep thought, I returned my gaze to the Angel.

"Why am I not frozen, uh? That's an odd question."

I couldn't comprehend it. There was a lot I didn't know, but the Angel seemed to have everything all figured out.

'At the very least she isn't attacking me...'

No, it was probably that she couldn't. After all, she was still stuck in the cube—an item within [Subspace].

"So, you really don't know anything. This whole situation is strange." The Angel kept muttering to herself.

As much as I was scared of the being before me, I had to eventually figure out what was going on. That meant I needed to confront her.

'Relax, Jeremy. She's in a Cube. She can't hurt you.' An image of the other three Angels that nearly killed me—perhaps they even succeeded—popped into my head.

This one, unlike them, still seemed more reasonable. However, there was no guarantee about that.

'Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained!' With my eyes lit with resolve, I forced myself to speak.

"Who are you? Where is this place? Why am I here? Why does your kind want to kill me? What the heck is going on?"

I didn't know when I began making more inquisitions than I initially intended.

Fortunately, the Angel lady did not respond in anger. I probably would have wet myself if she did.

She simply looked at me with a face of total calm. My multitude of questions did nothing to faze her in the slightest.

"Haa... Haa..." After exhausting myself from speaking in such a rushed manner, I paused to catch my breath.

"Are you done?" The Angel asked me, staring as though she was bored.

'I know this is kind of how she usually looks, but...'

The fact that I was desperate for answers and she was simply staring with disinterest was getting on my nerves.

I had no idea when my fear transformed into anger. But...

"Yeah. I'm done."

... There was no way I could act on it.

'Even if she's trapped there, it's not like I can do anything either.'

I could feel my body's current state clearly. I was back to my initial height, and my stats had been reset to normal.

No, it was more accurate to say that I didn't have any Stats, to begin with.

I was no longer a Gifted, most likely. I was simply just an ordinary person—plain old Jeremy Lewis.

"You want answers. I can understand that, Singularity."

"Why do you call me that?"

"Because that is what you are... though even that is sketchy now. What would you prefer I call you?"

"Jeremy. Jeremy Lewis."

The Angel bobbed her head in a slight nod and sighed.

"Very well. That is fair enough, Jeremy Lewis."

I heaved a little, surprised I was able to complete a back and forth with a being of mass destruction.

Images of how she totally schooled me back then flashed in my mind.

"My name is Sariel. I am an Archangel—Executioner of Sector A-67."

Of course, none of those things made sense to me in the slightest.

"I see..." I was forced to say.

"I can tell that you do not understand."

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment, causing me to stiffen up.

"Jeremy Lewis, you seek answers, do you not?"

I nodded in response, gulping as her lovely eyes locked with mine.

'She's pretty...' I had no idea why that thought popped into my head, but it did.

"I also want the same thing."

I kept nodding like a fool.

"So, I have a proposal for you." The Angel called Sariel spoke with the grace and poise expected from someone of her caliber.

I listened in silence, waiting for what she would say.

According to Sariel, she too required answers. While she knew some things I didn't, she didn't know enough.

We were both stuck in a weird situation.

"Release me from my confines. Once you do, we will both learn what we desire."

For a moment, there was silence.

I stared at her, and she stared back.

An Angel was offering a proposal, but why did it feel like a deal from the devil?