Rain fell like whispers from a mourning sky, soaking the cracked stone and rusted metal of Arkvale's outer ring. Buildings leaned against one another like wounded soldiers, their bones exposed where walls had given way to time. Vines crept up broken balconies. Burned-out lamps flickered with dying energy cores, casting long shadows through alleyways lined with the ghosts of a war no one wanted to remember.
To most, the ruins beyond Sector Twelve were nothing but dead ground.
But to Lyle Greenbottle, they were the only place left with any meaning.
He walked in silence, the hood of his longcoat pulled tight against the wind. Rain trickled down his face, mingling with the sting of sweat and the faint ache of uncertainty. His boots splashed through puddles laced with dust and oil, the sound lost in the hush of the crumbling world around him.
New Arkvale had been built on the ashes of the old world. After the beast wars. After the invasion. After the treaties.
But some parts of it—like the broken cathedral ahead—had never been rebuilt.
They'd been buried.
He came to a halt beneath the ruined archway of the cathedral's outer entrance, the massive double doors long since broken from their hinges and lying in shattered pieces across the threshold. The building itself had once been beautiful—gothic towers, arched windows of colored glass, and carved stone gargoyles meant to ward off evil.
Now?
Moss covered the gargoyles' faces. The windows were shattered, the spires cracked. The once-grand roof had caved in at the center, leaving an open wound that let the rain bleed into the sanctuary.
Lyle stood beneath the arch, heart thudding in his chest.
He shouldn't be here.
The cathedral ruins were off-limits. Dangerous. Unstable. Off-grid.
But the letter had told him to come.
He reached into the inner pocket of his coat and unfolded the aged parchment. It was yellowed with time, the edges curled. The wax seal had long since worn away, but the ink was still visible—six words scrawled in tight, deliberate handwriting:
> Bring the locket. Find the book.
No name. No signature. No context.
He didn't know who had sent it, or why.
But he had dreamed of this place before.
And he had nothing left to lose.
He stepped inside, boots grinding against gravel and debris. The cathedral's interior was a skeletal echo of its former glory. Shattered pews. A collapsed choir loft. Broken chandeliers tangled in vines. Moss climbed the walls like scars left unhealed.
The stained glass, once vibrant with scenes of ancient legends, now hung in fragmented shards along the far wall. One piece caught his eye—a shard that showed a figure cloaked in red, holding out a book that bled light.
He froze, breath catching.
Was it coincidence?
Or was this part of something much older than he realized?
> [System Status: Dormant]
[Ability: None]
[Vitality Score: 17]
[Combat Evaluation: Non-threat]
[Awakening Potential: 4%]
[Soul Pressure: Unmeasurable]
The faint overlay of the academy scanner shimmered in his peripheral vision—nothing official, just a public tool that students used to compare themselves. He hated looking at it. The numbers never changed.
They only reminded him how far behind he really was.
No awakened ability. No system. No bloodline. No sponsors.
Just Lyle Greenbottle. Orphan. Nobody.
He crossed the main hall slowly, rainwater dripping from his hood.
The altar was ahead, partially broken, but still standing. Behind it, the wall was different—older, less weathered. It was marked with faded symbols he couldn't read, arranged in a circular pattern that pulsed faintly when he came near.
He pressed his palm to the center.
Click.
The stone slid inward, revealing a hidden stairwell—narrow, steep, and dark as pitch.
Lyle stared down into it, breath shallow.
He felt no fear.
Only pull.
He descended.
Each step creaked beneath his weight, and the further he went, the colder it became. Dust filled the air, tickling his throat. Water dripped somewhere deep within the stone. The scent of old parchment and forgotten secrets grew thicker with every level.
After a full minute of descent, the tunnel opened into a circular chamber.
The walls were smooth, etched with runes and symbols he didn't recognize—some glowing faintly, others dead and cracked.
In the center of the room stood a pedestal.
And atop it—
A book.
Lyle approached slowly.
The book was small, wrapped in pale leather. No title. No lock. But a single crimson tear stained the center of the cover, vivid against the pale hide, as though freshly bled.
It shimmered faintly. Alive.
Lyle's pulse quickened.
He knelt before it, removing the locket from around his neck. It was silver, simple, old. Inside was a photograph—a woman holding a child, her eyes soft, tired. Her smile was faint but real.
He didn't remember her.
He had tried. He'd closed his eyes every night and tried to summon her voice.
But nothing came.
Except the dreams. The ones with the book. The ones where he bled for answers.
He clutched the locket, head bowed.
And a single tear rolled down his cheek.
It fell silently onto the book.
The crimson stain rippled.
And the book opened.
---
> [Initializing…]
[Trigger: Emotional Resonance – Tier 1 Qualified]
[Unknown Core Detected – System Ready]
> Wizard System – Awakening Sequence Initiated
User: Lyle Greenbottle
Compatibility: 91%
Bloodline Status: Dormant
Magic Potential: Latent
Ki Channeling: Unbound
Soul Weapon: Locked
---
Light surged from the pages, swirling around the chamber in graceful arcs.
Symbols danced in the air—clean, deliberate, not chaotic like glyphs. Real magic. Script born of will and earned power.
It burned into his arms, his chest, his spine.
Not pain.
Purpose.
He staggered back, gasping, eyes wide with wonder and disbelief.
The book closed with a quiet snap and dissolved into motes of silver light, sinking into the floor.
And then—
From above the pedestal, a ring appeared.
Floating.
Waiting.
It was black metal braided with silver, etched with runes that shimmered between violet and crimson. At its center, a gem pulsed—beating like a heart.
A voice echoed within the chamber. Deep. Resonant. Neither young nor old.
> "You are not the first to awaken here. But you may be the last."
Lyle's breath caught.
He reached out.
The ring dropped into his palm.
It was cold.
And then it wasn't.
Power flooded him—wild, sharp, but not uncontrolled. It didn't offer gifts. It didn't offer shortcuts. It offered rules.
> Wizard System Activated
Version: Legacy Hybrid Core
Status: Locked – Initiation Trial Required
Skill Tree: Empty
System Shop: Offline
Soul Weapon Access: Locked
Beast Crystal Link: Pending
Quest System: Initializing…
Lyle fell to his knees, breathing hard.
The ring slid onto his finger and sealed itself.
And for the first time in his life…
He felt real.
Not powerful. Not invincible.
Just real.
The moment the ring locked onto Lyle's finger, the world shattered.
There was no sound. No violent force.
Only the sensation of falling—sideways.
The chamber around him dissolved into strands of white light, stretching like threads being unwound. His limbs refused to move. His thoughts became static. Even the weight of his body felt like it had been peeled away.
He wasn't in the catacombs anymore.
He wasn't anywhere.
> [Dimensional Rift Detected]
[Stabilizing Core: 42%...]
[Error – External Force Interference Present]
[System Lockdown: Overridden]
[WARNING: Soul Core Unprotected]
[Enter Trial Mode?]
> [Yes] ← Automatically triggered.
Lyle's eyes flew open as he slammed onto a hard, crystalline surface.
He rolled once, groaning from the impact, and looked up.
The sky above him was a swirling mess of color and void—a sunless expanse where rivers of stars bled sideways, where gravity bent like water and islands of fractured stone floated in endless procession.
He stood on one of those islands now. A disk of violet crystal, fractured at the edges, suspended in a storm of light and silence.
> Location: Dimensional Rift – Anchor Node
Status: Initiation Trial (Locked)
Trial Guardian: Manifesting...
Lyle pushed himself up slowly, hands trembling. His fingers brushed against the ring, still embedded on his right hand. The gem was glowing faintly, resonating with something far above.
He turned—and saw it.
Floating at the edge of the platform stood a man.
Or what had once been a man.
His body was wrapped in crimson robes, long and tattered, the hem torn by wind that didn't exist. His face was obscured by a hood. His arms were crossed, and around his wrist were the same runes as the ones that had etched into Lyle's body.
The figure spoke without opening his mouth.
> "Another one chosen by tears…"
Lyle swallowed hard, eyes locked on the stranger. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head slightly. "A shadow. A leftover. A choice once made and sealed. You do not need my name. Only the trial."
> [Trial Guardian Identified – "The Hollowed Echo"]
Tier: Unknown
Level: ???
Classification: Soul Fragment (Former System Holder)
Estimated Threat Level: Fatal
Survival Odds: 3%
Lyle flinched.
Fatal?
"I don't even have an ability yet," he said out loud.
The Hollowed Echo floated closer. "Then earn one. That is the nature of the Wizard System. You gain what you take. Not what you are given."
The space behind the figure opened like a rippling curtain of silver fire.
And from that fire stepped a creature.
It looked vaguely humanoid—seven feet tall, cloaked in writhing shadows. Its face was featureless save for glowing cracks of violet light, and its limbs were too long, its joints slightly wrong, as if it had been built from memory rather than bone.
Its claws scraped across the crystal.
And it smiled.
> Trial Beast: Rift Revenant
Tier: 1.5
Level: 7
Attributes: Agility, Psionic Pressure
Crystal Yield: 2
Drop Chance: Basic Spell Scroll – [Shadow Grasp]
> System Combat Functions Unlocked (Trial Mode)
– Stat Display: Enabled
– Dodge Assist: 30%
– Survival Shield: One-time Activation (40% HP loss)
> Combat Initiated...
Lyle didn't run.
He couldn't.
Not because of bravery—but because his legs wouldn't obey.
The creature lunged.
And the world exploded.
---
Pain ripped through his shoulder as the beast's claw raked him. He fell hard, tumbling across the crystalline platform and nearly slipping off the edge. The void howled beneath him, daring him to fall forever.
> HP: 72/100
Status: Minor Bleeding
He gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, vision spinning. The creature circled him slowly, tilting its head like a predator amused by its prey.
No weapon. No skill scroll. No system store. No chance.
And yet…
His heart didn't shrink.
It burned.
A pulse erupted from the ring.
> [System Tip – Trial Protocol: Enemies in Rift Realms drop ability scrolls. Defeat one to earn your first active skill.]
"Then I guess I don't get to lose," Lyle hissed, lowering his stance.
The Revenant struck again—fast.
Too fast.
But Lyle twisted his body at the last second, letting the blow graze him, then hurled a chunk of broken crystal at the creature's exposed jaw.
The impact cracked something.
The Revenant hissed.
And Lyle moved.
No training.
No technique.
Just instinct.
He grabbed a shard from the ground and drove it up as the beast lunged again, striking the creature beneath its chin.
It screamed—a soundless pressure that blasted into Lyle's skull.
> HP: 63/100
Status Effect: Psionic Burn (Minor) – Willpower Check Passed
> Beast Staggered...
Now.
Lyle roared, diving forward with both hands wrapped around the shard, driving it into the Revenant's chest.
It convulsed once, then dissolved into a shower of violet mist.
Silence returned.
And at the center of the mist… floated a single, glowing scroll.
He picked it up.
It burned in his hands.
> Skill Scroll Acquired – Shadow Grasp (Rank F)
Description: Summons spectral hands from the ground to bind or trip a target within 10 meters. Duration: 3 seconds.
Type: Utility/Control
Mana Cost: 5
Status: Unlearned
> Use now?
Lyle didn't hesitate.
> [Yes.]
The scroll dissolved into violet light and etched itself into the inner surface of the ring.
And just like that—he had his first real power.
Not a gift.
Not a memory.
Earned.
---
The Hollowed Echo watched silently.
"You are not strong," it said. "Not yet."
Lyle stood tall, breathing hard.
"But you survived."
The figure raised a single hand.
> [Trial Complete – Initiation Passed]
[System Integration Finalizing…]
[Store Functions Unlocked]
[Skill Tree Interface Enabled]
[Beast Crystal Collection: Active]
[Soul Weapon Slot – Locked]
[System Status: Stable]
"You walk the path of blood and will," the Hollowed Echo said. "Not prophecy. Not destiny. You earn what you take. And what you take... will change you."
The rift tore open again—this time, beneath Lyle.
And the world fell away.
---
He awoke back in the catacomb chamber, gasping, heart pounding in his chest.
The rain still fell above.
The book was gone.
The pedestal empty.
But the ring was still on his hand.
And he could feel it now—its interface, its hunger.
And its rules.
> [You are now a Wizard-Class Hybrid Awakener.]
[Progression Path: Earned Power Only – No Passive Gains]
[System Guide: Quinn's Legacy Variant]
Lyle rose slowly.
Wet.
Shaking.
But alive.
And no longer empty.
The catacombs were silent again.
Lyle leaned heavily against the wall, the taste of iron sharp on his tongue, breath coming in slow, ragged pulls. His coat was damp, rain still dripping from the fractured ceiling far above, but he didn't feel the cold anymore.
He felt something else.
A pulse beneath his skin. A subtle hum at the edge of his thoughts.
The ring.
Now more than just a relic—it was the heart of the system sealed inside him. And that system, even freshly awakened, felt... real. Alive. Not a voice in his head, not a hollow narrator, but a force that pulsed with rules. Logic. Order.
> [Wizard System – Legacy Hybrid Core: Active]
Class: Wizard (Variant – Hybrid Initiate)
Base Skill: Shadow Grasp (F)
Mana: 24/30
EXP: 0/100
Skill Tree: Locked
Soul Weapon: Inaccessible
Beast Crystal Capacity: 0/10
System Guide AI: Pending Activation
> Reminder: To grow stronger, hunt beasts and earn Skill Scrolls or Crystals.
No echoes. No handouts. Only earned ability.
That last line wasn't just system doctrine. It was truth.
Lyle touched the ring again, marveling at the warmth it emitted—like a heartbeat. He could feel the dormant magic within it, but also... something else. A shadow beneath the surface. A presence, watching.
Not hostile. But waiting.
The echo from the trial—the Hollowed Guardian—had mentioned Quinn.
Not by name. But it didn't need to.
Quinn. The name carried power, even in whispers. Everyone at the academy had heard rumors—of a system user who'd vanished years ago, leaving behind a path soaked in blood and mystery. Some claimed he'd died saving a planet. Others whispered he'd become something more than human.
A force.
And now Lyle had touched a part of that legacy.
But the weight of it was heavy.
He wasn't a legend. Not yet.
He was just a boy with a ring and a sliver of magic, standing in the dark with more questions than answers.
Still… it was a beginning.
---
He ascended the stairs slowly, retracing his path up from the sealed chamber into the ruin of the cathedral.
The storm outside had calmed. The wind still howled through the holes in the stone, but the rain had thinned to a mist. Light filtered through the clouds in pale gold slivers.
As Lyle stepped into the broken sanctuary, he paused at the altar again.
There was something different now.
The shard of stained glass—the one that had depicted a robed figure offering a bleeding book—had shifted. The glass was the same, but the figure now wore a ring.
His ring.
He took a step back.
Was it an illusion?
Or a message?
> [New Notification – Hidden Trait Activated]
Trait: Dimensional Anchor (Dormant)
Description: Presence within fractured worlds may cause visual echoes or symbolic overlap between dimensions. Trait will awaken upon second rift exposure.
Lyle's heart pounded.
Whatever this system was… it wasn't just about magic or combat.
It was something deeper. Interwoven with the fabric of space, time, and memory.
And he was in the middle of it.
---
Meanwhile, not far from the cathedral ruins...
Beneath the marble-and-glass spires of the new district, far from the rain and the shadows, a man in a black coat stood atop a crystalline tower with a metal rod embedded in his left arm. His eyes were sharp and glassy, scanning glowing symbols projected from a hovering array.
The symbols pulsed violently for the first time in three years.
> [Dimensional Breach – Class 1 Signature Detected]
[Rift Stabilization Core Used – Artifact ID: Q-223A]
[User Classification: Unregistered System Awakener]
[Location: Outer Sector 12 – Cathedral Catacombs]
The man narrowed his gaze.
"He's here," he whispered. "After all this time…"
Another voice crackled to life over a wrist-link communicator. Female. Cold. Sharp.
> "Is it him?"
The man's lip curled. "No. It's not Quinn. But it's someone connected."
> "Then what are your orders?"
He stared into the horizon, watching the storm roll over the distant ruins.
"Send a Hunter."
---
Back in the ruins, Lyle pulled his hood up and stepped into the open air. His system interface faded into the corner of his vision—still there, but not in his way. He liked that. It didn't try to control him. Just… guide.
He made his way back toward the city outskirts, following cracked roadways that had been overtaken by roots and vines. His thoughts drifted as he walked.
The academy entrance exam was in five days.
He had no ranking. No public power level.
But now, he had something else.
A ring.
A system.
And the will to use it.
> [System Reminder – Beast Zones within City Range: Tier 1–2 Available]
Suggested Action: Hunt, acquire crystals, gain XP, unlock first system shop slot.
> Optional Quest – "First Blood"
Objective: Defeat a Tier 1 Beast in a Wild Zone without external weapons.
Reward: +5 EXP, 1 Beast Crystal, Unlock: Mana Detection (Passive)
He accepted the quest without hesitation.
The only way forward was through effort.
And blood.
He wasn't afraid anymore.