The sky cracked at 11:47 a.m.
It wasn't thunder.
It wasn't lightning.
It was the sound of something breaking as if reality itself had been struck from the inside.
Kael froze mid-step on the pedestrian bridge, one hand still gripping the strap of his backpack. Traffic below screeched to a halt. People looked up instinctively as the clouds above the city twisted into an unnatural spiral.
The air vibrated.
Then the light descended.
It wasn't blinding. It was precise. Controlled. A pale blue glow swept across the skyline, passing through buildings, vehicles, and people as if none of them were solid.
Kael felt it pass through his chest.
Cold.
Not painful just present.
Phones slipped from hands and shattered on concrete. Digital billboards flickered, then went dark. For a brief moment, the entire city fell silent.
And then!!
Panels appeared.
Translucent screens materialized in front of every person Kael could see. Floating rectangles of pale blue light, perfectly aligned to each individual's line of sight.
Text scrolled.
People screamed.
"What the hell is this?"
"Is this some kind of AR prank?"
"Mom..can you see this too?!"
Kael swallowed and stared at the panel hovering inches from his face.
[System Initialization Complete]
Welcome.
His breath hitched.
This wasn't a projection. It didn't flicker. When he reached out, his fingers passed straight through it, yet the panel remained perfectly in place.
More text appeared.
Global Integration Event: CONFIRMED
Designation: The Convergence
Kael's heart began to race.
All around him, identical messages were being displayed. People waved their hands frantically through the panels, shouting questions at no one.
A man near the stairs collapsed to his knees, laughing hysterically.
"This isn't real. This can't be real."
The system didn't respond.
Beginning Individual Assessment…
The panel shifted. Bars and numbers replaced the welcome message.
Subject: Kael
Biological Status: Stable
Mental Integrity: Within Parameters
Kael forced himself to breathe slowly.
Initializing Attribute Framework…
Pain surged through his body not sharp, but compressive. Every nerve screamed at once before releasing.
He clenched his teeth and stayed upright.
Others weren't as lucky.
Someone vomited over the railing. A woman fainted and nearly fell into traffic before strangers caught her.
The pain faded.
Attributes Initialized.
STR: 10
AGI: 10
VIT: 10
INT: 10
Average.
Kael didn't know why, but seeing those numbers steadied him.
Skill Allocation: Pending
Class Assignment: Pending
The system paused.
Around him, voices rose.
"My strength is eighteen!"
"I got a fire skill!"
"Why does mine say healer?!"
Kael glanced at other panels glowing with icons and effects.
His remained blank.
Then new text appeared.
Warning.
Classification Incomplete.
Kael frowned.
"What?"
The message vanished.
Standard Archetype Matching Failed.
Adaptive Logic Engaged.
His pulse spiked.
The panel flickered for the first time.
A second interface unfolded beneath the first.
Unique System Detected.
Designation: Omni Fusion System
Kael's breath caught.
Unique.
Compatibility: 100%
Status: Active
Before he could react, another tab appeared.
[RELATIONSHIPS]
— Initialized —
"…Relationships?" Kael muttered.
The system continued.
Function Overview:
Omni Fusion System enables fusion-based growth across multiple vectors.
Available Fusion Categories:
Skill Fusion — Unlocked
Relationship Fusion — Unlocked
Situational Fusion — Locked
Kael stared.
This wasn't normal.
The interface collapsed into a compact status screen.
Name: Kael
Level: 1
HP: 200 / 200
MP: 100 / 100
STR: 10
AGI: 10
VIT: 10
INT: 10
Free Stat Points: 0
Active Skills: None
Passive Effects: None
Beneath it, faint and translucent, the Relationships tab hovered.
Kael looked up.
The city had descended into chaos.
People screamed, laughed, cried. Some ran blindly. Others stared at their panels with manic excitement.
Sirens wailed.
A young woman near the bridge stared at her hands in shock.
"I… I have fire," she whispered as flames flickered across her palm.
Then the ground exploded three blocks away.
Concrete shattered. Cars flipped.
A massive armored creature clawed its way out of the street.
Monsters.
The Convergence wasn't just screens and numbers.
It was rewriting reality.
Kael's panel pulsed.
Initial Integration Phase Complete.
Recommendation:
Seek Safe Zone.
Kael didn't move.
He opened the Relationships tab.
No active relationships detected.
Slots Available: 1
That was it.
No explanation.
Kael laughed quietly.
"Fuse my relationships… seriously?"
Another roar echoed through the streets.
Gunfire erupted. It did nothing.
People scattered.
Kael turned and ran.
Not toward home.
Not toward safety.
Toward the stairs leading into the old industrial district.
His panel updated as his feet hit the pavement.
Zone Detected:
Grayline District
Recommended Level: 1–20
Threat Rating: Low–Moderate
Compared to the monster behind him?
That sounded survivable.
Kael tightened his grip on his backpack and sprinted.
The world had changed.
And somehow
so had he.