"I disobeyed the system, huh?" The words sat bitter in my mouth. I clenched my fist.
Around me, a sea of bodies-all in identical white overalls-shuffled into formation. Each bore a number in bold black across their chest. I looked down.
333.
That was mine.
We stood in a massive white chamber. The ceiling stretched so high it vanished. The air was cold, sterile, despite no vents.
At the far end, a man stepped onto a podium. His military uniform glinted with medals. His voice echoed with authority.
"Greetings, fellow warriors."
He paused, letting silence settle like dust.
"You are no longer citizens. The System has selected you as warriors."
I felt hundreds of heads lift, eyes gleaming with programmed pride.
"The number on your chest is your Warrior Status Level. Your starting point."
333. My throat tightened.
"You each have seven days. If, by then, you haven't reached a level of at least 499, you'll be transferred to Ecardwark."
Gasps. Then-cheers.
Cheers?
They praised the system. Thanked it for the opportunity."
My stomach twisted.
Was this my punishment? Or mercy? Did the system want to break me slowly-or give me one final chance?
Either way, it felt like abandonment.
I took a breath. It didn't help. But I took it anyway.
They stared at someone ahead. A figure surrounded by admiration. Level 700.
Lucen.
I clenched my fist tighter.
So the system had found my replacement.
Was I really this disposable?
It had always watched over me. At least, that's how it felt. Like a silent presence above. Cold, constant. I convinced myself it was love-that it saw something in me. That if I just worked hard enough, it would smile.
I wanted to make it proud. Like a child performing tricks for a parent who never clapped.
Now? I couldn't feel it watching anymore.
And that absence hurt more than anything.
That night, as I lay staring at the ceiling, I whispered to no one, "It's cold."
Though there were no windows, I closed my eyes.
"My son... be strong."
Training became my world.
While others laughed and feasted on processed food, I ran. 500 meters became 5 kilometers. 30 push-ups became 250.
No audience. No applause.
I trained alone. Ate alone. Not because I was noble.
But because I was afraid.
Afraid they'd see how weak I really was.
Still, I told myself:
I will gain the system's approval again.
Even if it kills me.
I would survive.
I would not die in a place like this.
I would meet my mother.
Seven days later.
A silver orb hovered in the courtyard. One by one, the trainees stepped forward.
They touched it.
The orb pulsed. Their level appeared in red light above it.
The boy before me was Lucen. My "replacement."
Girls whispered his name.
He stepped forward. He placed his hand on the orb.
Level: 1000.
Roars. Applause.
Of course.
I closed my eyes. I had bled for this.
I stepped forward. Heart hammering.
My hand met the orb
Level: 400.
Silence.
Then-laughter.
"Trash."
"Unblessed."
I dropped to my knees. My aura-gone. Like it had been wiped clean.
No one cared. Their eyes were on him.
"Lucen! How did you reach such a level?!" a woman cooed.
Lucen.
Perfect stance. Sharp jawline. That infuriating smile.
He walked past me like I wasn't even real.
Something in me broke.
I snapped.
I grabbed his collar. Yanked him back.
"You think this is funny?! I trained. I bled for this. What did you do?! Smile?!"
Lucen looked at me. Calm. Detached.
"You're angry," he said, voice soft. "Because you gave everything and still feel empty."
"Shut up!"
I swung. My fist connected.
Nothing.
He didn't move. Didn't blink.
He raised a hand. Tapped my shoulder.
Weight.
It dropped me.
I gasped. Not from pain. From shock.
Lucen walked away, unbothered.
"Try again, 333," he said.
Not mockery. Just truth.
The world blurred. The air turned static.
I ran.
Through corridors. Up stairs. To the rooftop.
Wind hit me like ice.
Below, the crowd roared at the gate.
I reached out, and my vision blurred.
My hand shook.
"I love you," my mom's words came like a whisper
Stupid.
Stupid dream.
"She's dead! Mom's dead! And I was a fool to believe..."
I slammed my head against the rails.
Blood mixed with tears, it had a bitter sweet taste as I cried out.
My voice broke into the void.
"Why did I believe in her voice?! Why!? WHY!?"
Then
A voice behind me.
"If dreams are stupid... then what does that make us? A reflection of nothing?"
I turned.
He leaned casually against the railing. Hands behind his head.
I chuckled bitterly.
"I disobeyed the system. Threw away a perfect life... for a lie."
He shrugged.
"Life's a game. You don't choose the rules. But you can break them. Me? I'll hack it. Face the creator. Flip the table."
He stepped up onto the ledge.
"If this is your limit, kid... maybe you really weren't built for this."
And he jumped.
I froze.
What the hell?!
But in that moment, I saw myself in him. Like when I jumped from that bridge.
I reached out.
"Wait-!"
He grabbed my wrist. Grinned.
"You want to prove your worth? Then do it."
He swung us up onto the steel beams above the gate.
Chaos below.
Screams. Sirens. Officers scrambling.
He laughed. A wild, unfiltered laugh.
"Fly, my little raven." I remembered the c0old soft voice .
Dark wings erupted around us. Ravens scattered into the sky like living shadows.
A breeze swept my face. Blood and tears vanished in the wind.
For a moment, I closed my eyes.
And I saw her again.
My mother.
She smiled.
Then I stepped onto the beams.
And jumped.
Straight into the gate.