Rain tapped gently against the windows. The sky outside was dark and cloudy.Just another boring day at school.
Rei sat at the back of the class, an old hoodie pulled over his uniform.His hair was messy—like he hadn't even brushed it. His eyes looked tired, lifeless.
No one really noticed him.He was just... there.Like air.
Not smart. Not athletic. Not rich. Not funny.
Just a quiet boy who rarely spoke.
Some classmates didn't even know his name.
"Hey, freak," someone whispered behind him.
A pencil case smacked the back of Rei's head.
He didn't react. He just kept staring at the blackboard.
The guy behind him smirked. "You don't even fight back, loser."
A few nearby students snickered, but Rei stayed silent.
The teacher didn't notice. Or maybe she just didn't care.
At lunch, Rei sat under the stairs behind the school.Cold concrete. No one around. No one to bother him.His usual spot.
He opened his lunchbox: cold rice, half an egg, and two pickles.
He took a bite.
Suddenly—a foot kicked the lunchbox.
The food spilled across the dirty floor.
"Oops," a voice laughed. The guy was tall, wearing expensive shoes. "Didn't see you there."
Rei stared at his ruined food, saying nothing.
He bent down to pick it up.
The guy leaned in. "Still eating garbage? You really are poor, huh."
Rei slowly picked up the half egg. It was cracked and covered in dirt.
"Still gonna eat it?" the guy mocked, sneering.
"Food is food," Rei replied quietly.
The guy paused, caught off guard for a second.
Then he scoffed, kicked the wall next to Rei's head, and walked away.
Rei sat back down and kept eating.
It didn't taste good. But it was better than nothing.
After school, Rei walked home in the rain.No umbrella. Shoes soaked. Cold socks.
He passed a car showroom.
Through the window, a sleek black sports car stood on display.It looked like something from a dream.
"Price: $1,200,000," the tag said.
Rei stared at it for a moment.
"I'll buy one someday," he whispered. "No matter what it takes."
Then he kept walking.
His apartment was small and quiet.He lived alone.
At night, Rei lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
He wasn't tired. But he didn't want to think, either.
He closed his eyes.
That's when he heard it.
Initializing...Initializing...Initializing...
A soft voice echoed in his mind.
Rei's eyes shot open.
"What… was that?"
Searching for compatible host…Match found. Searching for compatible host… Match found.
Suddenly, strange glowing symbols appeared above his chest, spinning in a slow circle.
His body froze. He couldn't move.It felt like gravity had tripled.
Chaos Crown System…Installed. Chaos Crown System… Installed. Chaos Crown System…Installed.
A low hum filled the air.
Then, silence.
The lights vanished. The pressure faded.
Rei gasped and sat up.
His heart was racing.
"What the hell was that…?"
He looked around.No lights. No symbols.Just his dim, quiet room.
He grabbed his phone.Nothing strange on it.
He lay back down, still breathing hard.
"Maybe I was just tired… maybe it was a dream."
But then…
A voice whispered in his head.
"Find me… Chaos is calling you…"
Rei froze.
"What?"
He sat up again—but the voice was gone.
No system window. No mission. No interface.Nothing.
But deep inside…
He could feel it.
Something had changed.
He didn't know what it was.Not yet.
And neither did the strange thing that had just awakened inside him.
End of Chapter 1