The Shadow Of The Lunar Curse

Chapter 15: Chapter 14: "Inspect"



Chapter 14: "Inspect"

The room was quiet, except for the faint hum of the ceiling fan above Jerry's bed.

The soft, yellow light from the streetlights outside filtered through the blinds of the windows, casting long and slanted shadows across the walls of his room.

Jerry stood at the window, his hands resting on the cold, chipped wooden sill, as he stared at the stillness of the street below.

Tim's words from earlier were still echoing in Jerry's head: "You've got this, man. Whatever this system is, we'll figure it out together."

Jerry wanted to believe him. He really wanted to believe that somehow, they could tackle this together. However, the doubt was still heavy on his chest, like a cold, hard weight that he couldn't shake off.

His thoughts kept circling back to the confrontation with the shadow assassin.

"You are marked."

Jerry lifted his right hand to chest level, examining his palm.

The strange glowing mark had long since faded, leaving his skin looking perfectly normal. However, even now, in the silence of his room, he could swear he still felt it—like a phantom. It wasn't painful. To be more precise, it felt more like a faint warmth.

"Marked for what?" The question gnawed at him like an itch he couldn't scratch.

The system's interface hovered silently in his mind. No flashing notifications. No quests. No ominous messages, except for the countdown to the full moon. Just… quiet. It was the kind of quiet that made his skin crawl.

Jerry exhaled softly, his breath fogging the windowpane. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides, then unclenched them again.

The faint ache in his muscles from his last transformation lingered—a sharp reminder of just how out of control everything felt.

"System," he said aloud, his voice barely more than a whisper. He paused, waiting for something, anything. However, the silence remained unbroken.

He turned away from the window and sat heavily on the edge of his bed, his legs bouncing with restless energy. "Back then, when the shadow assassin came, why did you tell me to run?" he asked again, louder this time.

But there was no response.

Jerry frowned, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, his fingers running through his messy brown curly hair. "What are you?" he asked in a sharper voice, tinged with frustration. "Are you just some program? Are you… alive?"

Still no reply.

His frustration boiled over, and he pushed himself to his feet, pacing back and forth in the small confines of his room. "You can force me to do push-ups and run a kilometer, but you can't answer a simple question?" he snapped. His voice echoed off the walls, making him sound far angrier than he actually felt. "What's the point of you?"

For a split second, the interface flickered into view with just a faint glow at the edges of his vision, before disappearing entirely.

Jerry froze in his steps, staring at the spot where the system had flickered. "Really?" he muttered, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "That's it?"

He let out a long, heavy sigh and flopped back onto his bed, burying his face in his hands. Talking to the system was like talking to a brick wall. He couldn't decide if it was ignoring him on purpose or if it simply wasn't capable of understanding him.

"Is it really just a tool?" he wondered. Or was there something more to it, like a consciousness or intent that he couldn't yet comprehend?

Either way, it wasn't helping.

Jerry let himself flop back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His breathing slowed as his thoughts began to drift off.

---

The next morning, sunlight spilled through the window blinds, making Jerry wake up from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes while groaning softly as he rolled onto his side. His body felt stiff.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed and sat up, staring blankly at the floor.

While walking down the stairs, he was welcomed by an aroma of coffee, but the pot was completely vacant and cold. He noticed that his dad must have left for work, where he was also. The house was quiet.

Looking sideways, he grabbed a bowl with cornflakes as the tinkling noise bounced off the walls. Sitting at the table, memories of the system came rushing back to him.

He tapped on the interface, and it lit up the table in a light that was barely illuminating. The skill titled 'Inspect' began blinking and highlighted the squeamish gaze that rested on it.

As the soup spoon floated above the bowl, Jerry focused on the Inspect skill.

"All right then. Let's see what you've got."

"Inspect," he said as he fixed his gaze on the cereal.

Cereal bowl: A common bowl made out of ceramic and contains cornflakes and milk in it, has a thin nutritional value.

Jerry smirked, moving his head from left to right. "Oh wow, you must be kidding me. That is all?"

Nonetheless, he had not lost hope yet. The sole reason he evaluated his skill was because he required answers, and it seems like the skill had something or the other for him.

---

Jerry encountered Tim around the school during lunchtime. There was a loud mess combined with fun in the cafeteria—trays dropped, and a room full of laughter.

"Yo Jerry, do you need an invitation to your own head? Earth to Jerry." Tim said, moving a fry to Jerry's face, who was seated across him.

"Sorry, just distracted," Jerry said after blinking several times as he finally started focusing. Tim, however, still looked at him in a way that was aimed to pry.

Jerry slightly narrowed his eyes and reclined back in his chair. "Inspect," he murmured while directing his attention toward Tim.

Tim Vik: Age: 17. Affinity: Dormant. Potential: Moderate. Loyalty: High.

Jerry tilted his head, his brow furrowing. Affinity? Dormant? What did that mean? And 'Loyalty: High'? Was that the system's way of saying Tim was a good friend?

"Jerry," Tim said, snapping his fingers. "Seriously, dude. What's going on? You're staring at me like I've got two heads."

Jerry shook his head quickly. "Nothing. Jus

t thinking."

Tim squinted at him, unconvinced, but shrugged and went back to his fries.

---


Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.