The sky was grey with the promise of rain, but Kai didn't bother with an umbrella. He couldn't afford one anyway.
He kept his head down as he walked the cracked sidewalk home, his backpack light—too light. He hadn't eaten lunch today. Again.
Just one more year, he reminded himself. Just graduate, and then maybe... maybe something better will come.
But fate doesn't wait for convenience.
The gunshot rang out like a firecracker, sharp and sudden. Kai turned instinctively—too late.
Pain tore through his chest. Heat, then cold.
He hit the ground. The world blurred. Footsteps pounded past. Screams echoed. His vision tunneled as the sky darkened.
He died.
Or... he should have.
When Kai's eyes opened again, he was alone.
Lying in his bed.
No blood. No pain. Just... silence.
Then, a voice.
> [SYSTEM INITIATED]
Bloodline recognized: Origin Seed—Tier Ω.
Initializing Inner World…
Universe created. Time Flow: 1:36,500 (Inner:Outer).
Welcome, Architect. You are the first of your kind.
Kai shot up, gasping.
A dream?
But deep inside, he knew. Something had changed.
Then came the window. Floating in his vision like a transparent screen:
> [UNIVERSE CORE ACTIVE]
Age: 0 Years
Lifeforms: 0
Energy Flow: Stable
Awaiting initial input…
Create Life? [Y/N]
He hesitated.
Then, cautiously, he pressed [Y].
The void trembled.
Kai felt something shift within himself—deeper than his body, past his bones, past his soul.
A spark.
Mountains formed. Oceans boiled. Clouds drifted. Time flowed at a pace his mind could barely comprehend. One second here, a decade inside.
He watched as microbes multiplied, evolved. Primitive lifeforms emerged. Then tribes. Then fire. Then war.
And with each moment, something fed into him. Strength. Awareness. Presence.
He wasn't just controlling the universe.
He was it.
And he could shape it however he wanted.
But he wouldn't rush. He'd take it slow. Grow it carefully. Strategically.
Because in the real world, awakeners existed.
And sooner or later, they'd come looking for him.
Kai stood barefoot in his room, the silence around him broken only by the soft hum of the system interface in his mind.
The glowing screen faded briefly, replaced by a slow-motion panorama of the inner universe forming within him. It was still small, no larger than a continent by Earth's standards, but already...
Forests flourished. Rivers slithered across fertile land. Volcanic mountain ranges belched plumes of smoke while primitive creatures migrated through untamed wilds.
In the center of the world, a humanoid tribe had begun to form crude shelters—stones stacked into walls, fire sparked from flint.
He could feel their heartbeat. Their confusion. Their awe of the skies.
> Inner Civilization: Stage 1 — Tribal Age
Population: 43
Average Intelligence: Developing
Evolution Rate: Accelerated
Faith Generation: Active
Kai blinked. "They… revere me."
> Correct. You are the source of their reality. You are God to them.
He shivered.
Then the interface shifted again.
---
> [NEW ALERT]
System Message: Origin Host Protocol — Disclosure Required.
Subject: External World Structure
The voice in his head—calm, synthetic, yet strangely comforting—spoke once more.
> "Kai, what you know of the world is false. Awakeners exist."
His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
> "Individuals gifted with supernatural abilities beyond mortal comprehension. Governments serve them. Wars are orchestrated by them. History is altered to suit their rule. The world is shaped from behind the curtain."
> "You've walked among titans and never known it."
Kai's breath caught.
He thought of the sharp-eyed businessman always watching from across the street. The way certain news stories vanished from the internet. The time his orphanage manager suddenly stopped talking after receiving a single phone call.
"They've been hiding in plain sight."
> "Correct. But more importantly—during your awakening, your presence was hidden."
> [Stealth Protocol: Active]
Energy Signature: Masked
Awakeners' Detection: 0%
> "Had your energy spiked without suppression, they would've found you. And taken you."
Kai clenched his fists.
> "You are the first of your kind, Kai. Your race has evolved."
---
> [RACE EVOLUTION COMPLETE]
Human → Origin Race [Primordial Class]
You are no longer fully human. You are the seed of creation."
Kai staggered back from the screen. His reflection in the window caught his attention—and he froze.
He was... taller. His skin, clear and smooth. His previously wiry frame had become lean, athletic. His dark hair now shimmered faintly with silver strands under the light. His once dull gray eyes now gleamed with iridescent gold.
He looked like someone from a movie.
Like someone divine.
> [Appraisal Eye Unlocked]
Analyze lifeforms, objects, abilities, and energy flows at will.
> [Displaying Stats]
---
Name: Kai
Race: Origin Race (Unique)
Level: 1
Universe Core: Active
Inner Time Ratio: 1 Day : 100 Years
Energy Signature: Masked
Titles: [Godseed] [First of Origin]
Abilities:
[Creation Command – Rank SSS]
[Universal Evolution – Rank SSS]
[Obsidian Eye – Rank A]
[Time Sovereign Core – Rank EX]
[Faith Absorption – Rank A]
[Soul Link: Inner Civilization]
[Reality Interface Access]
---
Kai's mind reeled. "I'm… a god in training?"
> "You are more. You are the foundation. The one who plants the tree of all futures."
A knock at the door jolted him from the system trance. He paused.
Someone's here...?
But when he opened the door—no one.
Except… a faint silver envelope on the floor. No address. Just his name in black ink.
Inside, a card:
> "We saw the threads shift. Be careful what you build, Origin."
—The Obsidian Eye
His blood ran cold.
> "They're watching the world. But they didn't see you awaken… yet."
Kai closed the door quietly.
He looked up at the interface, then at the primitive people still dancing around a fire in his inner world.
He had to grow stronger.
Before they came knocking again.