Stars scattered outside his window, a gentle reminder of the world's vastness beyond the quiet walls of Starfall manor.
Ethan lay awake, long after the birthday festivities had faded into memory, the sweet taste of honey cakes lingering on his tongue.
Fifteen years old. In the ordinary eyes of the Drake family, it meant only that he was closer to adulthood. But Ethan's reality far outstripped the mundane. Tonight, the system pulsed within him, whispering promises of a gift as momentous as the milestone itself.
He waited, letting the night deepen, until even the birds had quieted and the moon was high.
Finally, he sat up, breath steady for what came next. This was his secret space, a world beyond the reach of even his parents' watchful eyes—the space where miracles awaited.
He closed his eyes, focusing on the crystalline sensation that marked his connection to the system. Reality shivered. Then, as it always did, the world fell away in waves of blue-white light.
