I Became A System

"What's your name?" Ellena asks while the shopkeeper prepares the artifact for making a pact.

"I'm Thalia," she answered.

Thalia has long hair that reaches her waist. Also, it is ash blonde. Her height was about 5 feet and her body proportion was almost the same as Ellena, slim.

"Okay, Thalia, tell me. Why did you kill your parents?"

"You're still asking that? Did you really buy me to know the answer?" Thalia asked ridiculously.

"Yes, I am. Now, tell me, why did you kill them?"

Thalia just glared at Ellena before answering. "Because of my rune. I was a late bloomer and before I could activate it, my parents almost sold me as a sex slave to another wealthy family."

The words... are just dark for her. While Thalia was saying it, her eyes were just blank. There is no particular emotion, nor sympathy from remembering why she killed her family.

And personally, I think this reason is too absurd. Not the killing, but the rune part. This world is just too unreasonable.

Imagine selling your child because he or she wasn't able to activate their rune. Where's the logic there? How could they be so narrow-minded?

I have already forgotten those trashy parents of Ellena. However, after hearing Thalia's story, I almost cursed the world again.

I... don't have any ability to curse this world. But for heaven's sake! Why do people think that runes are everything?!

Abilities aren't just what makes people human. As this world becomes crueler to my eyes, it also becomes illogical to the core. Just why?!

Ha... this is overreacting at some point. But for me, who has been raised by loving parents in my past life, I just can't forgive those who don't love their children.

I looked at Ellena and noticed her fist clenching. It was trembling in fury, but she wasn't making it noticeable to Thalia.

"How did you kill them?" Ellena asked.

"Using this." Thalia lifted her right hand, where her rune is imprinted.

"What's your ability?"

"I can make people cough up blood by touching them."

"And how do you activate it?"

"I... don't know. It just happened when I was enraged at seeing how my parents were happy when they accepted the money from that fatty bastard."

Strong words.

Thalia's aura became darker, but it wasn't towards Ellena. It was because of remembering what she had experienced.

Her experience is somewhat similar in some aspects to Ellena's. The only difference is that, since Ellena was born, her parents became trash and useless.

And judging from Thalia's rage, she must have activated her ability on a whim. Powered by her rage, she must have activated it with the wish to kill her parents.

Now, what can I say about it? Her ability is just strong from my perspective, but the fact that she doesn't know how to activate it makes it useless.

Even with the fact that she has a dampener choker, it won't remove the knowledge of how to activate her ability.

There are different ways of using abilities. It can be manual or 'called' that automatically activates the ability. It can also be controlled, like having the proficiency of the ability.

"I see. If you don't know, I won't ask it again." Ellena said.

Then, she continued. "Do you really know how to operate a carriage? You know how to drive it?"

Thalia nodded.

"How? I mean, it's easy when observed, but it's not that simple when you're on the seat."

"I am from a family who does horseback riding as a hobby. So, I know how to drive one."

That makes sense.

Moments later, the shopkeeper came back with an artifact in her hands. It was two different objects, a stamp, and a paintbrush.

"What's that?" Ellena asked.

"This is the slave stamp, and this one is the owners' brush." The shopkeeper answered.

Hearing it made Ellena ponder. Her question was supposed to be the purpose, not the name. But talking about asking vaguely isn't the best, Ellena.

"So, what does it do?" she asked, clarifying her first question.

"This stamp puts a mark on the slave using your blood, and the brush was for you, imprinting the ownership to your rune. The slave can't harm, disrespect, nor disobey you, and if even she did, an unbearable pain will strike her mind until she surrenders."

"While having the slave's crest, she can't use her ability without your permission, not even do self-harm. Even if she just thinks of it, the pain will activate."

"If you want to free the slave, you can think of it by taking blood from you and her, dropping it on your rune and her slave crest. After it, the seal will be removed and she'll be free."

"Did you understand it, esteemed customer?" The shopkeeper ends her explanation.

Ellena nodded and glanced at Thalia, who was nervous after hearing from the shopkeeper.

She's still a child after all. We can't deny it.

"I understand," Ellena said.

"Then, I will do the pact." The shopkeeper said before slitting a small wound in Ellena, enough to make a drop of blood touch the stamp. After that, she stamped the crest on Thalia's chest.

A light with a small crest softly illuminated her chest. It glowed for a few seconds, and after that, the shopkeeper slit her a small wound to Thalia and used it as ink for the brush.

She reached Ellena's rune and drew the blood on her rune.

"Now, she's finally your slave. Thank you for your patronage."

Because Ellena already paid her before making the pact, she just bowed then left the both of them without making any fuss.

Ellena looked at Thalia. "You are my slave now," she said.

Thalia bowed to her after hearing it. "Thank you for buying me, master."

"Master?"

"Yes, you are now my master," Thalia said.

Ellena shook her head. "Don't call me master. I prefer if you call me by my name or with another address."

"But... Argh."

Has the pain already struck her? That's fast! Wasn't she just arguing with her?

"I see... So that's the reason why you can't disobey me?"

"I'm sorry, Big Sister. I don't know your name, so can I call you Big Sister?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm 13," Thalia answered.

"You're just the same age as my sisters." Ellena smiled after saying it.

"Do you have a sister?"

"Yes, but they are at home right now. I'm on an adventure, so they can't follow me."

Thalia didn't respond anymore and just nodded after Ellena's words.