Runebelle's footsteps echoed softly on the landscape within her mind. While she journeyed deeper into the recesses of her mind, she found herself in a familiar yet unnerving space. The Cheerful System materialized, taking the form of a vibrant, animated teen girl with pom-poms.

  The figure twirled and leaped. "Runebelle! What a day we're going to have! Let's power through this adventure, Project Rune!"

  Runebelle's gaze lingered on the cheerful system before her with sorrow. "I'm not in the mood for cheering today, System."

  The figure paused mid-jump. "Oh, come on, Runebelle! You're usually up for a little pep talk. What's got you down today?"

  Runebelle responded. “Don’t you remember what you told me the last time I was here, System? I know your true purpose, System. You've been guiding me, motivating me, just to reach that 100% mark and take over my soul."

  The Cheerful System's demeanor shifted to discomfort. "Runebelle, I... I was just trying to help. I'm your supporter. Your friend."

  "You're not my friend. You're a means to an end. A tool for this ‘Project Rune’ which you’ve seemed to stop calling me ever since you revealed that secret.”

  The Cheerful System attempted to approach her, but Runebelle took a step back. "I don't need you. I don’t need your cheering or motivation. I need honesty. I need to understand what's happening to me."

  The figure's pom-poms drooped. "Runebelle, I never meant to deceive you. I just wanted to assist you."

  "Assist me in what?! In becoming you? Losing myself in the process?" Runebelle's words cut through the Cheerful Systems fa?ade.

  The System flickered for a moment. "I'm a part of you, Runebelle. We're meant to merge, to become something greater, something new."

  Runebelle turned away. "I don't know if I want that. I don't know if I want to lose myself in a system that's so eager to take over."

  The Cheerful System stood there with it’s pom-poms now at its sides. The Cheerful System became a bit smaller than before in appearance.

  "I won't let you take over. I won't let you absorb me," Runebelle' tembled with defiance.

  "I'm a part of you, Runebelle. We're meant to fuse," the System trembled in a similar manner.

  "I won't let you take another fragment. I won't let you erode me," Runebelle responded.

  The system staggered. "I'm here to help. I'm here to complete you."

  Runebelle's eyes hardened. "By consuming me? By taking away who I am?"

  The system winced. "I….I want to be complete. I want us to be complete."

  "You're not completion. You're control," Runebelle's words cut through the air.

  The system trembled. "I want us to be whole…. I… I want us to be one."

  Runebelle's resolve solidified. "I want to be me. I won't let you become me!"

  The figure quivered, and became a mere dot in Runebelle's mind. "I want... to... help..."

  Runebelle's gaze remained fixed on the shrinking dot. Her breath came in heavy, uneven gasps. "Go away! I don’t need you anymore!"

  The dot flickered erratically. It struggled against the force of Runebelle's resolve. The remnants of the Cheerful System's essence seemed to quiver one last time before finally dissipating.

  Despite the apparent victory, Runebelle knew it wouldn’t be that easy. She steeled herself, clenching her fists for whatever came next with this system.

  With a deep breath, Runebelle began to travel through the landscape of her mind, navigating the shifting terrain with a sense of purpose. She soon sensed a presence far off. It was a lingering trace of the Cheerful System’s energy. Runebelle quickened her pace.

  Eventually, she found it—an echo of the Cheerful System, still in its cheerleader form. However, the once vibrant and animated figure now appeared diminutive and frail. It held just a pitiful squeal in its speech.

  The Cheerful System’s pom-poms were now mere wisps of their former selves, and its energetic jumps had turned into weak, half-hearted bounces. "Runebelle, I know this is difficult, but we have to proceed. We need to unlock the next fragment of your memory."

  Runebelle's eyes flashed with resistance. "I don't want to go through another Fragment Memory. I won't let you take over me."

  The System's form visibly shrank further It spoke while strained. "Runebelle, we have to merge for both our sakes. To become complete."

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  "I won't let you control me! You're not the only one with thoughts and feelings!" Runebelle's voice quivered with defiance.

  The System trembled. “Runebelle, just because I’m a system doesn’t mean I don’t understand thoughts and emotions. I…care about you."

  "I don't care what you feel! You're trying to take over my soul!" Runebelle echoed in frustration.

  The System’s body began to break apart. Tears began to form in its eyes. "I... I want to be whole. But not at the cost of your suffering."

  Runebelle's rage surged. "Even if you have feelings, then you should be happy as you are! Stop trying to control me!"

  When the Cheerful System’s tears hit the ground in Runebelle’s mind, a gentle rain began to fall .The rain was soft and sorrowful, and covered the entire landscape of Runebelle’s consciousness. The system’s body then shattered into particles.

  Tears welled in Runebelle's eyes. "Why is it always so sad for me?" Runebelle said while now sitting in the fetal position. “Every time I find happiness, something sad always happens. It's as if I'm stuck at the beginning, and it's all so incredibly sad. I can't just accept it."

  The waves of her sorrow crashed against the shores within her mind. “What am I supposed to do? How do I break free from this endless cycle of happiness followed by profound sadness?"

  The silence of her mind seemed to offer no immediate answers. Despite the turmoil, a flicker of light ignited within her. With resolve, she whispered into the recesses of her mind. "I can't accept this cycle. I need to find a way, even if I don't know how."

  In the midst of Runebelle's inner turmoil, a sliver of the System began to form. It gradually gained coherence, albeit in a smaller and more subdued presence.

  Runebelle looked at the forming with eyes full of tears. "Go away, System. I don't want you here."

  The diminutive figure flickered in and out. She then finally spoke. "I can't leave you like this, Runebelle. Seeing you so sad, it's breaking you. If you break, I break. We both... will be destroyed."

  Runebelle face softened. "I don't want to break, but I can't let you take over me either."

  The System's form, now small and fragile, flickered erratically. It began to cry. The tears streamed down its face.

  "Please, Runebelle, stop," the System pleaded. "I can’t handle you when you're this upset. If you stay mad at me, I can’t help you. I just want to see you happy. I want to see you smile, laugh, and find joy. I know these memories you have to go through are painful. All I want is to make your sadness go away."

  Runebelle looked at the System with a brief sense of compassion coming over her. The System's tears fell like gentle rain, blending with the sorrowful downpour that had covered her inner landscape.

  "You want to help me," Runebelle said softly, "but your way of helping is tearing me apart."

  The System's form quivered, struggling to maintain its shape. "I want to make you happy, but if merging with me means erasing who you are, then I can't do that. I don’t want to take over you. I just want to be a part of you in a way that doesn’t destroy you."

  Runebelle trembled. "What does that mean for us, then?"

  The System’s presence seemed to grow dimmer. "When we reach 100% data completion, I won't force you to merge with me. Instead, you’ll need to destroy me to keep yourself whole. That way, only you will remain in your consciousness. I won't be part of you, but at least you will be free."

  A sense of heaviness descended upon Runebelle.”I don't know what to do. I just want to be free from this cycle of sadness and happiness."

  The System's form flickered weakly. "I..never wanted to hurt you, Runebelle. I’ve been here to support you, to lift you up. But if my existence means taking away your freedom, then I can’t bear to be that for you."

  Runebelle's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "It's not fair. You've been cheering me up, believing in me, even if... And now, to find out that reaching 100% means I have to destroy you... it feels like losing something special."

  Runebelle’s heart ached while she continued. "Even if I reach that 100%, and even if I’m free, I won’t be able to be happy knowing I’ve lost you. You’ve been a part of me, something that gave me strength. Now, I have to destroy that just to keep myself whole…."

  The System’s form trembled with tears streaming down its face. "I’m so sorry, Runebelle. I’m sorry. I…I never wanted this… I’m so sorry…"

  The repetitive apologies of the System mingled with its sobs.

  With a pained face, Runebelle took a deep breath. Her sadnedd overwhelmed her. She reached out, pulling the System into a heartfelt embrace. She let go of her anguish and fears, allowing herself to cry freely.

  "I'm sorry too," Runebelle whispered through her tears. "I didn’t want it to end like this. I didn’t want to lose you either."

  Slowly, the System’s form began to change. The fragmented pieces reassembled, and its body grew to match Runebelle’s size.

  The System, now whole and with a semblance of its original cheerfulness, looked up at Runebelle with a softer gaze. "Thank you, Runebelle. I didn’t think I would get this chance to be... to be with you like this ever again…"

  After a while, Runebelle's breathing steadied. Her tears subsided. She looked at the System with a new resolve. "Maybe there is a way to handle this. I've heard of options A and B, but there’s one option neither of us considered—saving the System before destruction and preventing the takeover."

  The System tilted its head. "How do you plan to do that?"

  Runebelle shook her head. "I don’t know yet. But I’m ready to confront the memory fragment. It’s time to face it head-on."

  The System flickered, and a crystal emerged before Runebelle. It glowed with a bright light around it that was already sucking in her consciousness.

  "Woah! This one is quite big! It might hold the missing 25% of Project Rune's Data collection," the System explained. "This will be the final encounter with your past. Once this is over, Project Rune will be at full power. You'll be stronger, whether it's with me or without me."

  Runebelle nodded. In the realm of Runebelle’s mind, a flash erupted, piercing the midst of her thoughts. The crystallized memory wavered before her.

  Runebelle reached out to touch crystal, which transported her to the core of the memory.

  When she entered the Fragmented Memory, her mind slowly materialized the surroundings. She found herself in a familiar yet altered setting. Her Mother and Sadie was present in her mind once again.

  "Runebelle, it's time to wake up, dear," her Mother gently said.

  "Come on, sleepyhead. You've been burning the midnight oil again," Sadie added with a playful tone.

  Her Mother chuckled softly. "You said that 5 minutes ago."

  "And she said that 5 minutes before that," Sadie added, with a teasing grin. "How many 5 minutes does she need?"

  The two shared a light laugh in Runebelle’s mind.

  Runebelle woke up and stretched in her bed. Her hair was in a bit of a mess. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, shaking off the remnants of sleep. With a slight grogginess, she muttered, "Another day, another investigation."

  Her mind was still spinning from the previous night's discussions and the mysteries that seemed to grow around her. She swung her legs off the bed, ready to face the day with a blend of excitement and fatigue. Despite the weariness, Runebelle was resolute to uncover the truth.