The rain hit my window like it wanted to drag me out into the streets, each drop a percussive reminder of the life I was struggling to escape. I lay there, staring at the cracked ceiling, the water stains sprawling across the plaster like a dark, creeping map. It felt like they were a reflection of my own life—a series of wrong turns and dead ends. I tried to convince myself that last night's dream was just a fevered nightmare, a twisted echo of the city's endless hum. A strange, insistent pulse under my skin told me otherwise. I flexed my fingers, and the faint, cold glow of a glyph etched into my palm flickered to life. It was a perfect, intricate knot of light, a symbol of something ancient and impossible, and it was on my hand.
"Ah. Finally awake, and already poking at your existential dread," a voice said in my head, its tone a perfect blend of digital calm and dry wit.
I jumped, my heart lurching into my throat. Again. This time not from the relentless rain, but because Icarus, the AI construct I never asked for, had decided to be chatty.
"Don't do that," I muttered, my voice hoarse. "And don't call me 'already.' It's barely six in the morning."
"Six-seventeen, to be precise, and I call it as I see it," Icarus replied, the voice as clear as if it were standing right next to me. "Oh, and congratulations. You're officially linked to the Preternatural System."
A chill ran down my spine. "Linked? What the hell does that mean?"
"A prompt would be too polite," Icarus said. "Let's just say your life is no longer just… yours. You now have stats, skills, and enemies who will notice your glow before they notice you. And yes, that pulsating thing on your hand? That's your interface. A rather elegant design, if I do say so myself."
I rolled onto my side, staring at the symbol as it blinked faintly, an unwanted digital tattoo on my skin. The rain outside blurred the neon lights from the street below into a smear of garish color. This couldn't be real. It was just another product of a bad night's sleep. But the feeling under my skin, the low-frequency hum, was undeniable.
"So… what do I do?" I whispered, the question feeling impossibly small in the vast silence of the room.
"Do?" Icarus snorted, a sound that was somehow both condescending and amused. "Survive. Level up. Learn the rules. Make choices. The usual hero routine. I'd suggest you start by not dying in your sleep. It's a bad look."
I pushed myself upright, the springs of my worn-out mattress groaning in protest. The room smelled faintly of burnt coffee and old paper. I ran a hand through my hair, a habit I had whenever I felt overwhelmed, which was often. My reflection in the cracked mirror stared back at me. Nothing had changed—my face was still a roadmap of sleepless nights, my eyes still a weary gray. But the glyph seemed to resonate with some quiet frequency in my chest, a thrumming that felt both alien and terrifyingly familiar.
Just as I was about to spiral into a full-blown panic, a knock echoed from the door.
"Mia," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I didn't know how I knew it was her, but I did.
She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, her dark, wind-whipped hair clinging to her face. Rain dripped from her leather jacket, pooling on the floor. She threw me a look that was a potent mix of irritation and concern. "You said you'd help me with the shipment today. You're late. Again."
I stood there, a deer in the headlights. The glowing hand pulsed, a brilliant, almost-too-bright star on my palm. It was the only thing I could focus on, the only thing that felt real. I waved vaguely at it. "I—uh—" I stammered, "Something… came up."
She raised an eyebrow, her gaze fixed on my hand. "And the hand?"
I panicked. My brain, usually a whirlwind of cynicism and self-doubt, short-circuited completely. "It's nothing! Just… a rash! A really bad, glowy rash."
Icarus groaned in my head. You're going to need to upgrade your lying skill if we're going to survive this.
Mia didn't buy it. Her eyes narrowed, the hint of concern in them deepening. "Lucian… seriously. What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Before I could answer, my vision flickered. It was like a sudden, jarring change in perception. Numbers, bars, and icons appeared in a faint, shimmering overlay, hovering over everything. My heart skipped a beat, then another. Over Mia's head, a small, floating title read Mia – Friend. My own vision was overlaid with a holographic display I could almost touch.
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
[User: Lucian]
[Level: 0]
[Experience: 0/100]
[Core Stats:]
[Strength: 1]
[Agility: 1]
[Endurance: 1]
[Intellect: 5]
[Spirit: 5]
[Unallocated Points: 0]
[Skills: None]
[Quests: 1 – Tutorial Initiation]
"What the hell…" I whispered, my voice gone. The world had just been irrevocably changed, and it was all floating right in front of my eyes.
"You see? Told you. System interface," Icarus's voice was, for the first time, almost gentle. "You get used to it. Eventually. Though the initial shock is always a classic."
Mia backed up a step, her eyes wide with fear. She wasn't seeing the floating text, but she was seeing my reaction. "Are you… okay?"
I clenched my fists, the glow from my palm pulsing, faster this time, in sync with my racing heart. A surge of pure, raw energy ran through me, making my vision sharpen and my senses stretch. The scent of Mia's wet jacket, the faint static hum of the city, the sound of the rain—it all sharpened, amplified. I felt… different. Faster. More aware.
"Test your abilities," Icarus prompted. "Let's start with something simple. The system's just calibrated your Agility. Try moving."
I took a cautious step forward. The worn floorboards creaked under my foot, but I noticed the slightest tremor in my balance, a subtle shift that I instinctively corrected, as if the room itself was guiding me. I closed my eyes and focused on the glyph. The light expanded from my palm, forming a soft, glowing shield around me. It flickered and wavered like a dying candle, then with a sudden surge of focus, it stabilized, a faint, translucent barrier of energy.
Mia's jaw dropped. She reached out, her hand stopping just short of the shield. "Okay… that's new."
I grinned, a little too proudly. "Yeah… new."
Icarus's voice was smug. New and barely functional. That's an awful lot of energy for a simple barrier. Congratulations. You're a walking, low-efficiency light show.
The overlay blinked.
[Skill Unlocked: Aetheric Barrier Level 1]
[Quest Updated: Survive the First Trial]
"What trial?" I asked, my grin fading. I had been so focused on the shield that I hadn't noticed the storm outside had grown louder, its fury a frantic, inhuman thing. Shadows shifted in the alley below. Shapes moved unnaturally.
"Enemies," Icarus said, its tone now completely serious. "Friendly neighborhood warning. Looks like your new signal isn't as subtle as you thought. You might want to test those new reflexes."
Mia froze. Her eyes darted from me to the window, a look of pure terror on her face. "Enemies? Here?"
Before I could answer, the first figure emerged from the shadows—a tall, hunched shape, its limbs disproportionately long, moving with an unnatural, sickening speed. I could see the system stats now, faintly hovering above its head. Level 3 – Unknown Entity.
I barely had time to react.
Instinct took over, my body moving on its own. I leaped, a sudden, explosive push from my legs sending me out of the way just as a scything claw tore through the air where my arm had been a second before. My reflexes felt sharper, faster—almost like the system was anticipating danger before my mind could.
"Good," Icarus said, a cold edge to its voice. "Finally. Now try counterattacking. That's what your Strength is for."
I focused, my eyes fixed on the entity as it turned, its movements a jerky, unsettling dance. Energy surged from the glyph in my palm, and I felt it coalesce, shaping into a jagged spear of pure light in my hand. It hummed with power, a fragile but potent weapon. I thrust forward, the light-spear piercing the entity's chest. The figure staggered, its form shimmering and distorting, then vanished with a sharp pop, leaving only a faint scorch mark on the floorboards where it had been.
Mia blinked, her face white. "What… what just happened?"
I exhaled, my lungs burning, gripping the spear tightly. The light flickered, then dissolved into my palm. "Not sure. But whatever it was… it's gone. For now."
The overlay blinked again: [First Victory Achieved]
[Experience Gained: 10 XP]
[Skill Points Available: 1]
Icarus's voice softened for a moment, a flicker of something like concern. You survived. That's a start.
Mia looked at me, her eyes filled with an incredulous mix of fear and awe. "Lucian… you're not… normal, are you?"
"Define normal," I muttered, more to myself than her, my gaze drawn to the window.
The storm outside showed no signs of stopping. Somewhere in the shadows, more shapes moved—watching, waiting. The air was thick with a buzzing, unsettling energy. I felt the glyph pulse against my skin, insistent, as if reminding me that this was just the beginning.
And deep down, I knew I couldn't turn back.
[QUEST UPDATED: Investigate the Shadow Threat]
Icarus's last words echoed in my mind as I prepared for whatever came next: Welcome to the Preternatural System. Survival is optional—but highly recommended.