The great hall of Slivercrest Academy was filled with the quiet excitement of students, each carrying their own hopes and fears. Sunlight shone through the tall windows, making the dust in the air sparkle like tiny stars.
Standing in the middle of the hall, on a raised platform was the reason everyone had gathered: the Crystal of Revelation. It was a tall, shining piece that glowed softly, said to reveal each person's true potential and show the world their worth.
Edward Ross stood at the back of the crowd, quiet and apart from the noisy voices around him. His hands stayed deep in the pockets of his old school uniform, trying to look calm even though he wasn't.
Today was the day, the day the System, the powerful system that had saved the world long ago, would look at him and decide his fate.
He was an orphan, the last son of a fallen noble family that most people had already forgotten. His father was remembered only as a knight who had died on a dungeon raid gone wrong.
His mother, a healer, had disappeared when he was still a child, leaving him with nothing but questions and an empty space in his life.
For Edward, this ceremony wasn't just tradition. It was his one chance to fight for a future.
A small cough pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Nervous, Edward?"
He turned and saw Caroline Corin standing next to him, her gentle smile bringing a bit of comfort to the tense hall. She came from a minor family.
She had always been kind to him, sharing notes or giving him quiet encouragement when others only mocked his worn-out uniform.
"Something like that," Edward said quietly. "Just want to get it over with." He had a habit of speaking in short and direct sentences.
"I'm sure you'll do great," she said. Her words were honest and calming.
Edward's eyes moved to the front of the crowd, where Micheal stood surrounded by admirers. With his neat blond hair, perfectly fitted uniform, and the easy confidence of someone who had never struggled a day in his life, Micheal was the academy's golden boy.
He was heir to a powerful ducal house, and people said his talent was unmatched.
"The strength of this kingdom is built on order," Micheal said to the group gathered around him, his voice loud and confident enough for half the hall to hear. "The Crystal only shows that order. It divides the strong from the weak; those who will lead, and those who will follow."
His eyes flicked toward the back of the hall and met Edward's for a moment. A smirk crossed his lips.
Edward's face stayed calm.
The headmaster stepped onto the platform, his voice magically echoing through the hall.
"The Revelation begins now!"
One by one, the students were called. Each walked up, placed a hand on the Crystal, and waited for their fate.
"Luke of House Thorne!"
A tall, skinny boy placed his hand on the stone. It lit up with a steady blue glow. [B-RANK KNIGHT], the headmaster's voice echoed in the hall. It was a good, reliable rank. The boy let out a sigh of relief and stepped away, his future safe.
"Jenna of the Ironside!"
A girl with red hair stepped forward. The Crystal flared with a blazing orange light. [A-RANK PYROMANCER]. The crowd gasped. An A-Rank was rare proof of great talent.
And so it continued. C-Ranks came, then a few B-Ranks, each met with polite applause or hidden envy. Then, it was Micheal's turn.
Micheal walked to the platform with the confidence of a performer. He didn't just touch the Crystal, he pressed his hand against it like a king taking his throne.
The Crystal burst into a blinding golden light, so bright the students had to cover their eyes. The headmaster's voice that followed wasn't a gentle cheer, but a booming declaration.
[S-RANK SWORDMASTER].
The hall erupted in thunderous applause. An S-Rank. A prodigy bound for greatness, a future legend of the kingdom. Micheal basked in it all, a triumphant grin on his face.
His eyes moved over the cheering crowd until they landed on Edward again, he smiled with cruel satisfaction.
The names grew fewer and fewer. At last, only a handful were left.
"Caroline Corin!"
Caroline gave Edward a quick, nervous smile before stepping onto the platform. She placed her hand on the Crystal, and it glowed with a calm green light. [C-RANK HEALER].
It wasn't the most impressive result, but relief spread across her face. She was useful. She had a place. As she returned, she caught Edward's eye and gave him a small, encouraging nod.
"Edward Ross!"
The hall grew silent. The last student. The orphan from a disgraced family. Every eye turned to him.
Edward walked forward, his footsteps loud in the hush. He ignored the pity and scorn in their stares, keeping his focus on the glowing Crystal.
This was it, the moment of truth. He placed his hand on its cool, smooth surface.
He waited.
And waited.
The Crystal's light flickered. It sputtered, flashing between dull grey and harsh red. A low hum spread through the hall, a sound of confusion.
A sharp crack split the air, like ice breaking. A fissure ran across the Crystal, spreading fast in a web of fractures. The headmaster's eyes widened in horror.
With a final, explosive pop, the Crystal shattered at the top, scattering glittering shards across the platform. The voice that followed was flat, broken and utterly damning.
[RANK… UNDEFINED. CLASSIFICATION: RANKLESS].
Silence. Heavy, absolute silence. It was worse than mockery. The System, the perfect god of their world had looked at Edward Ross and found nothing. He wasn't even worth the lowest rank. He hadn't just failed the test; he had broken the Crystal itself.
The silence was broken by Michael's laughter.
"Rankless," he said, stepping forward, his voice dripping with mock pity. "I have heard tales of such failures, but to think I would see one in the halls of this prestigious academy. You are not trash, Edward Ross. You are a void. A mistake. An error in the System."
He turned to the other students, his voice ringing with false righteousness.
"Let this be a lesson to you all! This is what happens when the unworthy try to rise above their place. They don't just fail, they shatter what is sacred with their own worthlessness!"
The crowd, which had been in shock, now found its voice. Laughter and mockery erupted. "Rankless!" someone shouted. "He broke the Crystal!" yelled another.
The words hit Edward like stones, but he stood firm, his face unreadable. Inside, he felt everything and nothing at the same time. A deep, hollow emptiness had opened up, and humiliation poured in, filling him completely.
Edward slowly lowered his hand, turned his back on the shattered Crystal, and walked out of the hall. He didn't run. He walked steadily, each step a quiet act of rebellion against the crushing weight of his humiliation.
As he stepped through the grand doors into the city, the neatly kept lawns gave way to cobblestone streets. Then a sound tore through the sky, a high-pitched, shattering scream.
Alarms blared across the city. High above, a black tear ripped open the sky; an Oblivion Rift. From it, monstrous creatures poured out.
Panic erupted. The city turned into chaos. Merchants abandoned their stalls, guards scrambled to form lines, and people ran for their lives.
Edward was swept along with the crowd, his own troubles forgotten for a moment, replaced by the primal instinct to survive.
Then he saw her.
In the middle of the chaos, Caroline had been knocked to the ground. Her ankle was twisted, and she looked up with wide, terrified eyes as the stampede surged around her.
Worse, a Gutterfang, a low-level dungeon beast, had broken from the pack. It was sleek, fast, and its eyes were locked on Caroline.
There was no time. The guards were too far away. The crowd was a wall of mindless fear.
Edward didn't think. He didn't weigh options or calculate risk. He just acted. A life was in danger, and he could do something. It was that simple.
With a surge of adrenaline, he pushed through the crowd, shoving people aside. He reached Caroline just as the Gutterfang lunged, claws out. No time for speeches, he shoved her hard, sending her tumbling into the safety of a recessed doorway.
He caught a flash of surprise and gratitude in her eyes. That was the last thing he saw clearly.
Then, impossibly sharp, cold steel pierced his chest. He gasped, looking down to see the Gutterfang's claw, slick with his blood, sticking out of his chest.
He fell backward onto the cobblestones. His vision blurred, panicked faces streaking into color. He saw Caroline, her face in horror, screaming his name.
So this is it, he thought, a strange calm washing over him. He was a Rankless failure, a mistake. But in his last moments, he had done something that mattered. He had saved someone. In a world that called him worthless, he had made his own worth.
A faint, ironic smile touched his lips as darkness crept in.
Then, something flickered in his fading vision. A screen appeared, glowing crimson and hovering just inches from his face. Text began to form, sharp and clear against the darkness.
[System Notice: Candidate Selected.]
[Oblivion Core Override Activated.]