The day had been exhausting. When I finally reached my bed, even though physically I was as fine as someone who couldn't feel fatigue could expect, the truth was that my mind was anything but at peace. I just wanted to disconnect from the Nexus for a while.
Geronimo had already said his goodbyes, and everyone had returned to their respective rooms—empty spaces with nothing but a bed not much more comfortable than cardboard. I threw myself onto it, hoping to pass out as soon as possible… when the system screen unfolded in front of me.
—Now what…?
On the translucent screen, a familiar icon pulsed—recognizable both here and back on Earth: a new message. My eyes widened. I didn't even know that was possible. Without hesitation, I opened it, and in golden letters it read:
[01010100 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100101 01111000 01110100 01110010 01100001 11110001 01100001 01100100 01101111 00101110 ¿????????]
—What the hell…?
At first, I thought it was a system error. A bug. It wouldn't have been impossible—it had already happened once when I received [Search V]. I figured that if I closed the message, they'd compensate me with a shiny new [Pause V]. But that didn't happen. The message stayed there; even if I closed the system and reopened it, the binary digits remained unchanged.
Like an idiot, I stared at the combination of ones and zeros until I finally gave up and summoned the only one who could get me out of this mess.
—Axio.
It was the first time I had called him myself. The unfortunate creature appeared floating beside me, formed from bubbling particles, wearing that eternal look of boredom in his round little eyes.
—What is this?
—Well, a message… have you never received one? Were you really that lonely? —he replied rudely, without even looking at me.
—I'm not talking about that.
After a long sigh, the axolotl disappeared again, only to reappear perched on my shoulder, scanning my system continuously.
—Well, that looks like a message from "Those Who Watch." I still wonder how you managed to catch the interest of one of them, but yes, they tend to do things like this from time to time.
—If you don't know, I know even less. I'm not even sure who you mean by "Those."
—You should be grateful —Axio replied in his acidic tone, dragging out the syllables like a teacher tired of repeating the same lesson—. Not even Silver-rank heroes usually get their attention before clearing Sagittarius. You? A Metal rank fresh out of Aries, and you already have one breathing down your neck. What's more, they send you a gift on day one, and now direct messages. You must be someone important's favorite pet up there.
I frowned at the word "pet."
—Favorite pet? That doesn't sound reassuring at all.
Looking over the ones and zeros again, I reached the obvious conclusion: it was binary. Anyone with a middle school education would recognize it. But knowing what it was and actually decoding it were two very different things. Yes, I had studied machine language during my degree, but without practice, that kind of knowledge doesn't stay fresh.
—Do you know anything about binary, Axio?
—Of course I do. But if your question is, "Dear Axio, would you translate the message for me?" the answer is no —he said, doing a somersault like a circus clown.
—You couldn't be just a little nicer?
—Come on, Mr. Nobody. Don't tell me you can't distinguish a couple of digits.
That hit my pride, and I won't deny it. Cracking my knuckles, I brought up the digital keyboard and started calculating.
In fact, [Search V] once again proved that I could calculate at the speed of a computer in mere moments. With additions, subtractions, and multiple conversions, I finally managed to decode the secret message.
What I read left an unpleasant hollow in my stomach:
"You've been missed."
—What's wrong? —Axio asked.
—The message… it says it misses me.
—Who could possibly miss Mr. Nobody? Your parents? Hahaha.
Who could it be?
Ale? Dad? Someone from the real world?
Are the messages prayers from Earth?
Or… are "Those Who Watch" playing with me?
In a fit, I closed the panel and threw myself back onto the bed.
—I don't know who it is or what they want…
—Welcome to the club —Axio replied, as dry as ever—. The Nexus isn't exactly transparent with its rules.
Staring at the ceiling, I voiced what had been circling my thoughts:
—Axio, who are "Those"?
Axio's face changed. His mocking expression turned into a somber mask, stripping away what little friendliness he usually showed.
—You're trying to ask the right question, but I won't give you the answer you're looking for.
His words sent a chill down my spine. Thinking of Lovecraftian horrors, I rephrased:
—What… are they?
Axio smiled with that twisted grin that never meant anything good.
—When you reach Silver rank, they might start talking to you. For now, just train, die a couple of times, and try not to fade into nothingness.
I glared at him.
—You're a terrible support pet.
—And you're a terrible hero —he shot back—. Yet here we are.
Everything sounded like a damn video game. Except here, losing wouldn't give you a simple "game over" screen, but a bullet train straight to the face.
I sighed, and like a fool who thinks opening and closing the fridge will magically produce something new, I checked the message again. And against all logic, this time there was another section—equally incomprehensible:
[456c206d6973746572696f2064657472c3a1732064656c20706164726520646520746f646173206c617320636f6d756e69636163696f6e65732c206573746120656e206c6120637265616369c3b36e206465206c612049412071756520756e696669636f206c6f73206d756e646f732e]
—If you're a programmer, you should be able to read that, right? —Axio said shamelessly.
—You've got to be kidding… I don't think even a machine could solve that easily.
Axio, as if he'd found a new toy, lit up again with mischievous delight.
—Alright, Tristan. I'll propose a game —I sincerely wanted to refuse before hearing it, but I could only nod—. If you win the Taurus challenge, I'll translate it for you.
The capricious axolotl promised, theatrically raising one tiny paw toward me.
—Consider that your motivation.
—You're a little manipulator, you know that? —I said with an uneasy smile.
—And you're a rather unremarkable nobody —he replied.
Shaking his tiny paw, I made my decision: tomorrow, I would face Taurus—no matter what.