Minutes passed until I lost all sense of time; the sensation of floating in the void was one I thought I would never know, and now that I was experiencing it, it was worse than I had imagined.
I was practically like a fumigated cockroach trying to understand what it was that I had just lived through and how everything had disappeared in an instant.
I tried to cling to the last bit of sanity I had left, repeating in my mind over and over what had just happened—Jeanne d'Arc and Heracles, did they… save me?
—So, Mister Nobody? —a shrill voice said behind me.
Instinctively I tried to turn around, but gravity was so strange that I ended up spinning on my own axis until something, as if I had hit a wall, stopped me abruptly, and in front of me was a strangely cute and disturbing creature. In appearance, it was an axolotl with a pair of small little horns on its large head, smiling at me from gill to gill. Its body was small and light blue, glowing with its own light; its pink gills matched a small pair of membranous wings at its sides, and as a tail, a fin of the same color.
"What an adorable little creature," crossed my mind. I quickly remembered those classic anime companion animals, where the more adorable they are, the more evil they turn out to be.
—What… are you?
I managed to stammer. Clumsily, I tried to move back, which made me lose my balance; within seconds I was spinning through the air while the damn axolotl burst out laughing, until with a gesture of its little paw it stopped me abruptly…
Face down.
—I am Axio, guide of the Nexo —proclaimed the little creature, doing an acrobatic spin in the air, disappearing into tiny bubbles and reappearing at my side with them—. And you… are one of the many anomalies that arrive here. Little whiny human, welcome to Nexo 0.1.
—Nexo?
Axio crossed its little front paws and swayed its tail.
—That's right, welcome to the magnificent place where the greatest heroes in history, champions of legends and accomplished myths, fight to earn the honor of becoming constellations in the Filament.
—Wait… What madness are you talking about, is this real? —I said incredulously.
—Of course —Axio replied with a mocking wink—. And if you're here, you must be another great man born in the folds of history. Let's see what you have to offer… —the little creature's face changed from a wide smile to a look of confusion and desolation instantly— how strange...
The little thing began spinning on its tail, rummaging through the air. Quickly its face turned perplexed as it whispered.
—Those…
The little one turned to look at me, with critical eyes, as if inspecting every corner of my being.
—Does this out-of-shape specimen, without skills or character, really have a link with "Those"?
—Those?…
—Yes, the most curious thing is that they've left you a gift.
—A gift? —I asked, not knowing whether I should be excited or worried.
Axio snapped its fingers, the world spun again and in front of me appeared a floating screen, bright and translucent, that followed my gaze. Doubtful, I looked at the luminous sign that read "Welcome," which I slowly pressed.
The interface unfolded instantly like the HUD of some video game.
[Name: Mr. Nobody][Class: Hacker][Level: 1][Rank: Metal]
—But… why does the system insist on calling me that? I have a name, you know?
—That must be how important you are, for the system not to even register your name.
Below that data, a neural network was drawn, showing more than a dozen unlit nodes interconnected with icons that somehow felt familiar to me.
Puzzled, I extended my hand to reach the virtual keys, which emitted a soft "click" at the touch.
"It's like a game," I thought.
The conclusion was obvious, but all the icons were locked and released no information whatsoever.
—That's your gift —Axio explained—. Your control interface. For now you can only look; but when you enter the Nexo you'll be able to buy upgrades and things like that, of course, if you survive long enough to learn how to use it.
—And why don't you just explain it to me? —I shot back, already irritated.
—We don't do that here —it replied playfully, slipping around my neck—. Let's see what it says… Your class is curious… "Hacker." I've never seen anything like it. To begin with, what is a hacker?
—Perfect! —I spat, ignoring the axolotl that went flying—. I get the job of my dreams and… a damn drunk pushes me…!
—Yeah… yeah, human, if you want to go back home so badly, there's an exit.
—An exit? Can you take me back?
The axolotl shook its head, enjoying the moment.
—More or less. You can return right to the moment before the train runs you over. You just have to lose in the next round. Easy, right?
My body began to tremble, my vision blurred and my breathing grew heavier and heavier. I couldn't go back; if I went back… I would just be run over…
"I'm screwed."
—Is this hell?
—It's not hell, it's the Nexo. If you don't want to give up and die pathetically, you can always climb through the constellations.
—You've got to be kidding me —I exploded at the animal that wouldn't take its eyes off me— how am I supposed to compete against...
Axio let out a long sigh, and with a gesture of its tail made a star map appear before us, which gradually expanded around us until we found ourselves inside a great stellar dome.
Each constellation was represented by its respective zodiac sign, twinkling in space.
—Look —the little one began to speak—, each level is a sign and thanks to your teammates, you survived. Pathetically, I must say, but you did.
I could feel how each word from the creature further inflamed my worn-out patience.
—If you're here, it means you must have been someone important in your world. If fewer than a million people know your name, the Nexo doesn't even bother preserving your soul. So stop crying and show me your potential.
—What potential?
—With that attitude, none.
I took a deep breath, turning my gaze away from the animal.
"Come on, Tristan, calm down," I repeated to myself. Eleven constellations twinkled above me and below there was a great ram bound by golden chains; all of this was ridiculous.
Deep inside, I couldn't deny that in my adolescence I would have killed for this kind of experience—traveling to another dimension where I could become the hero of a new world—but right now, I just wanted to go back to Ale.
—You know? —I said in a fragile voice, as brittle as glass about to shatter—. I don't understand anything. I don't know what the hell is happening. But if my only hope is to play your stupid game… I'll do it!
—That's the spirit! —Axio celebrated, clapping with its tiny little paws—. There's no time to lose. Taurus awaits you! I promise it'll be fun… at least for me.
With one last gesture from the axolotl, a gigantic Taurus symbol fell over us, enveloping us in a blinding glow.
The last image I managed to glimpse was that animal smiling with sadism.
—Welcome to the Nexo, Tristan.