The heavy iron gates of the Adventurer's Guild groaned as they swung shut, a sound that felt like a death sentence to Kael.
In a world where every child was born with a "Soul Rank" etched into their status, Kael was an anomaly. While his peers flaunted Silver and Gold ranks, his own status window remained a cold, mocking blank.
[Name: Kael Thorne]
[Class: None]
[Soul Rank: Unranked (0)]
"Move it, Zero!" a voice barked. A large recruit in polished bronze armor shoved Kael aside, sending him sprawling into the mud. The crowd laughed. In the Kingdom of Aetheria, being unranked didn't just mean you were weak—it meant you were invisible.
Kael wiped the grime from his face, his fingers tightening around the hilt of a rusted dagger—his only inheritance. He wasn't here for glory. He was here to survive.
The Guild Master stood on the podium, his voice booming over the courtyard. "Today, you enter the Shadow Caves. Those who return with a Mana Stone will be branded as True Adventurers. Those who don't… well, the monsters always need a snack."
Kael looked toward the dark, jagged mouth of the cave. Most saw a trial; he saw his only chance to change his fate. He didn't know that deep within those ruins, something ancient was waiting for a soul just like his. A soul that was empty.
A soul ready to be filled with the power of the Void.