The Awakening Hall was silent.
Too silent.
Hundreds of students stood in rows, facing the great crystal that hovered in the air. It shimmered faintly with power, humming with the energy of destiny. One by one, names were called. One by one, systems were granted. Some cried in joy. Others laughed, screamed, or fainted.
But not me.
I stood there, back straight, fists clenched, waiting for a miracle I knew wasn't coming.
> "Jin Ravel," the instructor finally called.
The hall quieted again.
I stepped forward.
My heart beat faster than it ever had. Maybe… maybe this was it. Maybe the world hadn't completely forgotten me. Maybe this broken city had one more miracle left in it.
I placed my palm on the crystal.
Cold.
Empty.
Silent.
A few seconds passed. Then a minute. Then—
Laughter.
First a chuckle. Then a wave. Then full-blown howling.
> "System: Not Detected."
> "Candidate Status: Rejected."
Those words burned across the air in glowing red letters. Just like that… my fate was sealed.
"No way, he really didn't get one?"
"Even the trashy Luck System would've been something!"
"Man's gonna be cleaning toilets while we're flying on dragons!"
I didn't respond.
I didn't cry either.
I just stepped back and returned to the line, heart hollow, soul colder than the air around me. The instructor didn't even look me in the eye. I was already invisible to them.
That was how it worked in Nova City.
If you weren't chosen by a system, you didn't just fall behind.
You were erased.
---
That night, I sat alone on the edge of the academy rooftop. The wind was sharp. The stars refused to shine.
Below me, the city lights twinkled like false hope. Cars moved like fireflies. Neon signs blinked promises I'd never afford. I wondered how many kids were crying in joy tonight — chosen ones, rising stars.
And me?
I was born nothing.
Lived like nothing.
And now, I'd die like nothing.
Every child in Nova City dreams of getting a system. You can train your whole life, but if the crystal doesn't mark you, that's it. You're left to rot in the slums, scrapping for food, dodging night gangs, and praying demons don't find you first.
Me? I had no family. No friends. No power. No future.
A voice buzzed in my head — not real. Just a memory.
> "You were born unlucky, Jin. Don't expect the world to catch you if you fall."
My father said that to me before he vanished. He wasn't wrong.
I stood up.
The wind pushed harder now. My academy robe fluttered behind me like a ghost giving up.
Maybe if I jumped, I'd be reborn in a world where I mattered.
One step closer.
Just one.
---
But then…
A sound. A whisper.
So soft I almost didn't hear it.
> *"…You were never meant for them."*
I froze.
The rooftop was empty.
> *"You were never rejected… You were hidden."*
Then everything went dark.
---
## \[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.]
## \[WELCOME, CHOSEN OF THE FORSAKEN.]
A black screen appeared before my eyes. Not blue like the others. Not gold. Just… black, with red dripping letters like blood.
My knees buckled. Pain slammed through my chest — like my heart was being broken open from the inside. It wasn't just physical. It was something deeper. Like my soul had been split and stitched back together with thorns.
> \[System Name: FORSAKEN PATH SYSTEM]
> \[Tier: Unknown]
> \[Core Directive: Survive. Grow. Take Back What Was Denied.]
> \[System Activated: By Rejection.]
"Wh-what is this…?"
> \[Your pain will be power.
> Your loneliness will be weapon.
> Your betrayal will be evolution.]
Then one last line burned into my mind:
> \[The more they cast you aside…
> The stronger you become.]
And with that, the rooftop faded. So did the stars, the wind, and the cold.
I was falling — not into death, but into something darker.
Into *awakening.*
---
I woke up on the academy's outskirts, covered in dust, blood dripping from my lip. I had no idea how I'd gotten there.
But I didn't care.
Something had changed.
I could feel it in my bones — a sharp, humming pressure beneath my skin. My senses were clearer. My body lighter. My vision sharper.
The world that rejected me had triggered something even it couldn't control.
> \[New Trait Unlocked: Adaptive Resilience]
> \[Condition: Pain Threshold Breached]
> \[Effect: Physical attributes increased by 2% during mental breakdown.]
Even my despair had a stat now.
---
> "Are you alright?"
I turned.
A girl stood nearby, partially hidden by a tree's shadow.
She wore the academy uniform, but not properly. Torn sleeves, mismatched boots. Her silver hair danced in the moonlight like it didn't belong in this world. Her eyes… glowed faintly — silver too, with rings like broken clocks.
She stepped closer. Her voice was calm, but her gaze was sharp.
> "You felt it too, didn't you?"
"Felt… what?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she studied me. Not like a curious stranger — more like someone reading a puzzle only they could solve.
Then she nodded to herself.
> "You were chosen. Just not by the system they wanted."
My mouth went dry.
"What do you mean?"
> "The real systems don't come from crystals," she said. "They come when you break."
> "You broke tonight. That's why it found you."
Her words cut deeper than she knew.
> "My name's Kaelara. When it starts hurting — and it *will* — find me."
I opened my mouth, but she was already walking away. Her figure faded into the trees like a ghost. No footsteps. No goodbye.
Just… gone.
---
I stood there, heart pounding, breath shaky.
I had no idea who she was.
I had no idea what this system really meant.
But for the first time in my life, I didn't feel empty.
I felt dangerous.
I looked at my reflection in a broken window nearby.
Same face.
Same eyes.
But the boy staring back at me?
He wasn't waiting anymore.
He was going to take everything this world refused him.