Chapter 22: Rain in the Margins
The rain began softly, just after dawn.
A gentle patter on the tin roof above Abid's room, like fingers tracing old memories on a dusty window. The kind of morning where the city moved slower, wrapped in mist and the scent of wet earth. Traffic horns sounded like distant foghorns, muffled under the weight of the clouds.
Abid hadn't drawn yet. He sat cross-legged on the floor, a steaming mug of tea cradled in both hands. No music played. Just the occasional drip from a leaking spot in the corner and the whir of the ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead.
He reached over to pick up a slim notebook—the kind with coarse paper and a fabric spine. The cover bore faint smudges, his own fingerprints over time. Inside were half-thoughts, panel layouts, story titles that never matured past a sentence.
On page fourteen, he'd written:
"Rain is memory falling again."
He stared at that line for a long while.
[System Notification:
Mood Stability Detected – Calm/Reflective
Creative Environment Bonus: +10% Inspiration
Suggested Action: Freeform sketching or letter writing]
Instead of heading straight to his drawing tablet, Abid stayed put and opened a drawer. From it, he pulled out one of the oldest tools he owned: a mechanical pencil with a worn-down grip, the lead tip slightly wobbly. It used to be his favorite before he moved to digital work.
He took out a blank page from the notebook and began to sketch—not for publishing, not for the system, not for the fantasy world. Just for himself.
A street corner he remembered from childhood: rows of bright umbrellas, a puddle where a paper boat floated, and an old man selling boiled peanuts under a plastic tarp. The memory wasn't important in any dramatic way. Just peaceful. Whole.
As he drew, the rain thickened outside, now beating steadily against the windowpanes.
[System Passive Activated: "Tranquil Practice"
Minor XP gained through reflective sketching
+1 to Artistic Foresight
+2 to Emotional Resilience]
The system quietly faded back into the background.
Abid yawned, stretched, and finally stood. His knees cracked—a reminder he'd been sitting still too long. He wandered into the small kitchen nook and poured more tea, then checked the small tin of biscuits he'd bought the night before.
Half were gone. He didn't remember eating that many.
There was something strangely satisfying about days like this—where nothing needed to happen, but something still quietly unfolded.
Back at his desk, the tablet blinked with a new system prompt.
[Incoming Message – Subject: Bookstore Owner's Update
Sender: Rafen (Manager, Liora's Nook – Elderwin Realm)]
[Dear Creator Abid,
The new delivery of "Detective Conan" was a grand success. Two villagers have already begun forming theories and arguing over the smallest clues. A schoolteacher told me she's using it to teach her students about logic and observation.
Also, a child named Imin tried to draw his own detective. I've enclosed the sketch. It's messy but enthusiastic.
We all hope for the next volume soon.
Warmly,
Rafen]
Attached was a scanned drawing—crude lines, a little detective with a magnifying glass and a bowtie far too big for his head.
Abid couldn't help but smile.
He sent a reply immediately.
[Reply Sent: "Tell Imin his detective is very sharp. Maybe too sharp—he'll solve crimes before they happen!"
+10 Relationship Points – Rafen
+15 Motivation – Imin
Fantasy World Literacy Rate Tracker: +0.03%]
The system chimed again, but this time it was from a different module.
[New Optional Challenge Available – Rainy Day Release
Theme: Solitude, Memory, and Comfort
Time Limit: 24 hours
Reward: Rain-Ink Brush Pack + Reader Sentiment Boost]
Abid stared at the prompt.
He didn't need to take every challenge the system offered. But this one felt… fitting.
He accepted it without hesitation.
[Challenge Accepted: Begin creative draft when ready]
Pulling up a new digital canvas, Abid paused for a moment and just listened—to the rain, to the hum of the city, to the faint flutter in his chest that came when a story was about to begin.
He began drawing.
Not a dramatic story this time.
Just a small scene: a tailor's apprentice in a mountain village sitting by candlelight, mending a scarf while reading a love letter. Outside, snow fell, and inside, her cat slept on an unfinished coat.
Each panel flowed quietly, without pressure. The narrative formed gently, like the mist curling through alleyways.
Halfway through, the system prompted him.
[Emotional Sync Detected – Level 71
Current Project Sentiment: Gentle Longing
You are on track to exceed reader connection benchmarks]
He didn't answer.
He just kept drawing.
Hours passed unnoticed. The rain eased. Sunlight tried breaking through, silvering the wet glass of his windows. The city began moving again—street vendors shouting, rickshaws rattling, people returning to the flow of things.
Abid saved the final panel.
The scarf, now fully repaired, hung on a hook. The girl smiled faintly. Outside, a letter arrived by bird, unread—for now.
[Challenge Complete: Rainy Day Release
Reader Sentiment Score: 92
Reward Granted: Rain-Ink Brush Pack
Unlocked Style Variation – Mist Lines
+500 XP
Memory Room Archive Updated with New Work]
Abid leaned back, stretched again, and exhaled.
He wasn't trying to build an empire. Not today.
Not every day had to be growth or expansion or change.
Some days were just about the quiet in-between—the way rain paused everything just enough for you to hear your own breath.
He glanced down at the floor. The drawing he'd done earlier, the one from his childhood memory, had dried. He picked it up and pinned it to his corkboard beside the messages from the other world.
No caption needed.
Just presence.
Just peace.
[System Passive: "Ink and Silence" Active
+10 Recovery
+1 to Slice-of-Life Resonance]
As night fell, Abid lit a single candle near the window.
He didn't reach for his phone, or the remote, or even the tablet again.
He just sat, sipping the last of the tea, watching the street below as the world slowed once more.
And somewhere, in a bookstore across realms, a group of children huddled by lantern light, waiting for the next manga to arrive.