The sun blazed like a merciless god in the sky. Its light was blinding, its heat unbearable. Below, in the heart of an endless desert, the land shimmered with waves of heat. And in that vast emptiness, a boy lay unconscious small, fragile, and broken.
his name was kaal.
Clad in worn-out, dark-colored clothes and a full black desert pant, his body was half-buried in the sand. His skin was cracked and dry, and his breathing-barely visible.
suddenly, his eyelids twitched.
and then-his eyes opened.
Beautiful, deep brown eyes, glowing softly like molten bronze under the sun.
There was something divine in them, something ancient. A reflection of the world, the pain, the rage-all wrapped within.
Kaal blinked. His throat was parched. He tried to sit up.
" AAAHHH!" he cried out.
every muscle burned, every bone shivered. It felt like his very soul had been crushed and scattered. He scattered again, this time louder, echoing across the empty desert.
And then the memory returned.
His mother.
Her warm smile.
Her protective voice.
Her body... falling... lifeless... before his eyes.
"No... Maa..." he whimpered.
His voice cracked. Tears poured down his dusty cheeks. He cried, not like a warrior or a hero-but like an lost, shattered child.
He dug his fists into the sand, tried to hit something, anything-but even that hurt too much.
A pulse.
It started from his heart-hot, red, furious.
Anger. Hatred. Rage.
"I won't let that man live... the one who killed my mother..."
His breathing grew heavy. sand rose around him in a whirlwind as if reacting to his emotions.
Then-
"[sacrifice complete]"
A cold, emotionless voice rang in his ears. it didn't come from outside-it come from within.
"[You have lost what was most precious to you. in return, you are granted the System.]"
Kaal's eyes widened.
"Who's there?! Who's speaking?"
"[System initializing... Beginning body reconstruction]"
A shockwave of pain exploded through him.
His body twisted violently. Veins bulged across his arms. Bones cracked-then healed-then cracked again. His spine arched unnaturally as if something divine was being forced in to mortal shell.
"aaaghhh"
Kaal tried to scream, but his voice was trapped in his throat. His mouth opened wide, but no sound come out.
It felt like centuries passed inside a second. Like he was dying and being reborn... again and again and again.
His skin peeled, reshaped, then hardened. muscles realigned themselves. His heartbeat roared like thunder inside his chest. And them- silence
The pain disappeared.
Kaal gasped, falling forward onto his hands. He was sweating, panting, trembling.
He opened his eyes again-this time, clearer, sharper.
Slowly, he pressed his palms into the sand and tried to stand. But the push he gave was so powerful that his body shot backward, flying through the air before landing hard onto the ground again.
"What... just happened to me?"
Just then, a glowing blue screen appeared in front of him, floating mid-air. It was translucent, yet solid. It blinked twice-and them lines of text formed:
"[System-k status ]
level: 1
* Name: Kaal
* Age: 17
* Skills.
. Ashtbhuja.
.God Eyes."
Kaal stared at screen, stunned.
Confusion swirled in his mind like a storm.
"What is all this? What kind of system is this? And these skills... God Eyes?"
He was still processing the information when a voice echoed nearby.
This time -not robotic.
Not divine.
But... human.
Casual. Familiar. Young.
"What's wrong, man? Are you scared?"
Kaal turned his head sharply.
But no one there.