Daniel had just leveled up. It was a little victory, but it mattered in the desperate war he was fighting.
Each monster he cut down got him a step closer to attaining the power he needed to set his mother free from slavery and to bring his little sister back from captivity.
The Academy uniform he wore was ripped open in several places, its fabric stiff with dried stains and darkened by the blood of his enemies.
He sat on a stone at the base of a giant tree whose old branches stretched out, reaching towards the sky.
Every single muscle in his body hurt so badly, the exhaustion of his countless encounters settling deep in his bones. He was bruised, hungry, and very tired.
Daniel closed his eyes, letting the harsh reality fade away, holding tight to the only memory that still gave him comfort.
He began to daydream, picturing his mother's comforting hug as she stood over a bubbling pot of soup.
The aroma of the soup, smell of herbs and her tender love filled their small kitchen. Her perfect dentition made her smile even warm and perfect.
Immediately, another image came to him, just as dear as the last—his younger sister.
He remembered how they used to play around the house, even disturbing the peace of their neighbors, how they would stay in the sitting room during holidays to play games and watch movies together.
These were the moments he missed, the pieces of his old life he was desperate to get back, no matter the cost.
A sudden, loud alarm rang out from his Nexus interface, breaking the silence. The past faded quickly, as he sat up, rubbing his palm across his face.
A blue translucent screen appeared in front of his eyes, but this was no ordinary notification—at least, not the kind he usually got.
It had a weight to it, sending a chilling shiver down his spine.
[Cosmic Imbalance Detected]
A voice, empty of any emotion, echoed not in his ears, but directly in his mind. It was a voice without warmth or malice, a voice of pure logic.
[Primary Mandate Violation: You have created a cosmic debt. The scales are broken. Balance must be restored.]
Daniel's blood ran cold. The Primary Mandate? He'd heard whispers about it, some fundamental law of the universe that governed everyone blessed, or cursed, with the power of the System.
But he'd never really understood what it meant. Now, it looked like he was about to get a crash course.
"What… what did I do?" he whispered, his voice hoarse with exhaustion and a growing sense of dread.
[A debt of life has been incurred. Only death can pay for life.]
The words hung in the air, heavy with a meaning he couldn't quite grasp but that terrified him anyway.
Before he could even process the chilling verdict, the Nexus interface shimmered and two options appeared, both presented with the same cold indifference.
[Option One: Power Nullification. All levels, all abilities, all skills acquired within the Verge will be stripped. You will be returned to the state of a Level 0 human.]
Daniel's heart clenched. A Level 0 again? Helpless, powerless, just another face in the crowd of the oppressed? That would be a fate worse than death.
It would be the end of everything he was fighting for, the end of his family's hope. His strength wasn't just a part of him, it was him.
It was the armor he wore against a cruel world, the sword he used to carve out a future for his loved ones. To lose it would be to lose himself.
The interface pulsed, drawing his attention to the second option, a choice that seemed to offer a tiny sliver of hope in the darkness.
[Option Two: Undertake the Trials of Penance. Seven trials to restore the balance you have shattered.]
A spark of defiance flickered inside him. A trial. A chance to fight, to prove himself, to make up for a sin he didn't even know he'd committed. But as he read the rest of the text, that spark was nearly snuffed out.
[Warning: The Trials of Penance are designed to test beings of a cosmic tier far exceeding your current level.
Each trial is deemed "Impossible." Survival is not a guaranteed outcome. Failure at any stage will result in the immediate and total execution of Option One.]
Despair, cold and suffocating, wrapped its tendrils around his heart. "Impossible." The word resonated in his mind.
The System, in its infinite, cold logic, was telling him he was going to fail. It was a cruel game where the odds were so stacked against him that even trying seemed insane.
This wasn't a choice; it was a death sentence in disguise.
A wave of defiant rage surged through him, a white-hot fire that burned away the icy grip of despair. A cosmic injustice.
That's what this was. He had fought, bled, and sacrificed everything for the power he now had.
He had clawed his way up from the very bottom, dedicating every waking moment to becoming strong enough to protect his family.
And now, some unseen, unknowable force was threatening to take it all away, to throw him back into the abyss he had barely escaped.
He wouldn't let it happen.
Daniel's hands, calloused and scarred from countless battles, clenched into tight fists, his knuckles turning white.
He pushed himself to his feet, his weary body screaming in protest, but his spirit, now blazing with a fierce and unyielding defiance, refused to be broken.
He would not give up his strength, his very identity, without a fight. He would not choose certain oblivion when there was even a tiny chance, no matter how small, to defy the odds.
"I accept the trials," he growled, his voice laced with a grit and determination that surprised even himself.
He spat a mouthful of blood and dirt onto the ground, a symbolic act of defiance against the cosmic forces that wanted to break him. "I will face your 'Impossible' trials."
The Nexus interface shimmered, the two options fading away, leaving only a single, final message.
The System's voice resonated one last time, as devoid of emotion as the empty space between stars.
[So be it. The First Trial begins now.]