The first sensation was not light, nor the warmth of air, but water.
Cold, dense, suffocating his lungs screamed as though he had been dropped into the abyss itself. Darkness pressed down on him, his heartbeat hammering in a body that did not feel like his own.
Then, abruptly, air filled his chest. A ragged cough tore through his throat as he opened his eyes. He was lying on rough wooden planks, his body soaked. The scent of salt stung his nose, the cries of gulls pierced the air, and beneath him came the gentle sway of waves.
"…Where… am I?"
His voice was weak, almost foreign. Slowly, he pushed himself upright, small hands trembling as though they weren't his. He blinked at them thin, pale, calloused fingers that could not belong to the man he once was. The realization seeped in like seawater through cracked wood:
This was not his body.
He had died. He remembered that much. The fragments of his previous life slipped away like shattered glass in a current, but the memory of the end sharp, cold, and final remained vivid. The crushing weight of regret, the helplessness. Then… nothing.
And now, he breathed again.
Around him stretched a village built upon the sea itself. Wooden platforms lashed together with thick rope, floating houses patched with tarps and salvaged metal sheets, nets hung drying in the open air. The entire settlement drifted upon the vast ocean, anchored by chains to massive pillars that descended into unseen depths. Children ran barefoot across the planks, their laughter carried by the wind, while adults hauled in nets brimming with silver-scaled fish.
A floating village. A city without land.
The boy no, Ren Arclight now, for that name came unbidden into his mind rose unsteadily. His clothes clung to him, ragged linen patched at the knees and elbows. He was small, barely thirteen by the looks of it. His reflection shimmered in a puddle on the wood: black hair plastered to his forehead, sharp gray eyes that carried a heaviness beyond his years.
A stranger's face. His new face.
"Ren," a voice called out. A woman with weary eyes approached, carrying a basket of dried seaweed. Her gaze softened only slightly. "You fell asleep out by the docks again. Be careful if you slip, no one will come looking."
She passed him by without another word. Ren watched her go, a strange hollowness in his chest. There was no warmth in her tone, no sense of family. And as the days trickled forward, he understood why: this boy, Ren Arclight, had no family at all.
An orphan of the sea.
The world itself was alien yet familiar. On the seventh day of his new life, sitting on the edge of the floating deck as the sun bled into the horizon, he overheard the elders' tale again the story they told to remind children why land no longer existed.
The sea had not risen naturally.
"It was the Pulse of the Abyss," croaked an elder, voice gravelly as waves crashed in the distance. "A wound torn open deep beneath the ocean floor. They say the gods themselves fought and fell into the chasm. Their power leaked, bleeding into the water, corrupting it, twisting it. The seas rose and drowned the world, swallowing nations whole."
Ren listened in silence, his sharp eyes fixed on the horizon.
"The gods' radiance lingers in the depths," the elder continued. "Their power seeps into creatures of the sea. Fish grow fangs, shells harden like iron, leviathans rise from trenches. And sometimes, the ocean gifts us treasures pearls that shine with unnatural light, stones humming with power. They are our only hope of survival."
He pointed at the children gathered. "And when you reach thirteen, the ocean tests you. Your soul awakens. The creature bound to your blood reveals itself. From then, your strength is your life. Fail to grow stronger… and you will be swallowed by the tides."
The children nodded, some fearful, some eager. Ren said nothing. But inside, he felt it a pulse in his veins, a whisper calling from the deep.
It was then, exactly one week after his reincarnation, that the System awakened.
That night, Ren dreamt of drowning again. The darkness pressed down on him, heavier than before, as though an ocean rested upon his chest. But instead of panic, he heard a voice clear, mechanical, yet strangely soothing.
[System Awakening… Binding Host: Ren Arclight][Initialization Complete. Welcome, Pioneer.]
His vision flooded with blue screens of light.
Status Window Unlocked.
He blinked, and words arranged themselves before his eyes:
[Status Window]
Name: Ren Arclight
Age: 13
Awakened Creature: None (Unbound)
Level: 1
Statistics:
HP: 100
Power: 5
Agility: 7
Speed: 6
Defense: 4
Luck: 3
Unique Function: Abyssal Tracker – Can locate sea creatures aligned with awakened essence.
Ren's breath caught. It was not a dream. He could feel the interface, could summon it at will. The system was real.
And as though to confirm, another message appeared:
[Quest Generated: First Hunt]Awaken your creature by consuming the essence of the sea. Hunt a beast and claim its power.
Ren's hand clenched. The elders had spoken of awakening at thirteen, but none mentioned this. None had a system guiding them.
He was different.
The following morning, the village bustled with preparation. Children of his age gathered on the wide platform, anticipation and fear mingling in their eyes. Today was their Awakening Day. The ocean would decide what lived inside them.
Ren stood apart, watching silently as one boy screamed, collapsing as gills tore open on his neck, his power resonating with the essence of a shark. Another girl wept as luminous fins sprouted faintly along her arms, her creature revealed as a manta.
When Ren's turn came, he stepped forward calmly. He knew his body was shaking, but his eyes remained steady.
He placed his hand upon the carved stone at the center of the platform a relic said to connect to the ocean's will. Cold seeped into his bones. He braced himself.
Then, silence.
The stone did not respond. No markings glowed. No creature emerged. The crowd murmured. A failure.
Ren lowered his hand. On the surface, his face was calm. Inside, he was already reading the faint blue letters only he could see:
[Awakening Deferred. Awaiting First Hunt.]
A small smile tugged at his lips. He turned away from their pitying stares.
They thought he was powerless.They thought he was nothing.
But Ren Arclight knew the truth. His awakening was yet to come one that required him to dive into the abyss itself.
And when he rose, it would not be as prey.It would be as a hunter.