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Event Horizon

The day began like any other. Kael moved through the narrow alleyways, eyes scanning for anything valuable. Broken neon signs flickered overhead. The stench of burnt circuits and decay filled the air. He adjusted the strap of his worn backpack and kept walking. Survival was simple in theory: find, take, and escape. In practice, it was a constant gamble.

A low hum began under the city streets, vibrating through his boots. Kael paused. Around him, street vendors froze mid-motion, pedestrians stared at the sky, and even the scavenging dogs hesitated. The hum rose, sharp and electric, like the air itself had come alive. Lyra tugged at his sleeve, her eyes wide with unease.

Then the sky tore. Not physically, but with light. White, blinding, like the city had been plugged into some impossible machine. Kael raised his hands to shield his eyes, but the light seeped past his fingers, straight into his chest. His vision fractured with shapes he could not comprehend. The hum became a roar, reverberating in his skull.

When he blinked, the world had changed.

Floating panels appeared in front of him. Numbers, words, and icons hovered in mid-air. Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence. Skills, inventory, quests. A blue prompt blinked insistently: Player registered: Kael Ardyn.

Kael staggered back, tripping over debris. Lyra's voice was distant and muffled. "Kael, what is..." The words never reached him clearly. He was staring at his own stats, scrolling infinitely like they were alive.

Curiosity overcame fear. He reached out, fingertips brushing the glowing panel. The stats shifted, numbers increasing before his eyes. A pop-up appeared: System Error Detected.

Confusion warred with exhilaration. Kael flexed his fingers, watched as small sparks of light danced along his arms, tracing lines of energy he had never seen before. The streets around him were still, but he felt power thrumming in his veins.

Monsters appeared. Not natural animals, but twisted forms of steel and shadow. Their eyes glowed, reflecting the same white light that had filled the sky. Kael's heart pounded, but instinct kicked in. He grabbed a fallen pipe and swung. His strike landed, and numbers flashed above the creature: Damage 23. Another strike, another number: Damage 42.

It made no sense and yet it did. The System was a game, and he was playing.

Lyra screamed, snapping him back to reality. He grabbed her hand, yanking her behind a toppled vehicle. Above, more panels and prompts scrolled, notifications of quests, skills, and achievements. Kael realized he was seeing the rules of the world for the first time. The city, once chaotic and cruel, had become a structured battlefield.

The hum persisted. The light faded slightly, leaving a pale, electric glow over the ruins. Monsters circled, waiting. Kael's eyes swept over his stats again, lingering on the System Error alert. That error was his advantage. He did not understand it yet, but he would learn. He had to.

The streets were alive. The System was alive. And for the first time, Kael Ardyn understood that survival meant more than food or shelter. It meant mastering a world that had become a game he did not yet know the rules to.

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