The night was quiet, but Kael's head wasn't. The city still smelled like smoke and iron, but under the rust of the streets, the new fire in his chest refused to let him rest.
He sat on the rooftop of a broken inn, legs dangling over the edge, and whispered:"System."
The world answered.
[ SYSTEM ONLINE. USER: KAEL KANE. ]
The cold-blue pane unfolded again, more vivid than before. Branches stretched into the dark like a tree made of fire and ash—some glowing, some greyed out, some pulsing faintly like heartbeats waiting to wake.
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Alright, no more jokes. What are you really? You don't sound like any system I've ever seen."
The voice that came wasn't cold code this time—it was calm, patient, with something ancient under the words. "Names do not matter. You call me system, but I am not born of men's machines. I am something older. I was forged before your world's first dungeon cracked open. I do not serve; I bind. I guide. I remember."
Kael's throat felt dry. "Then what the hell are you doing inside me?"
"Not inside. Aligned. You touched the ashes and swore to climb. That oath lit the thread between us. You are the wielder, but you are also the fuel. As you grow, I grow. As you burn, I blaze."
The branches on the glowing tree shifted, lines flaring, revealing text like scripture:
[ Active Functions ]
Skill Tree Management → Fuse or evolve skills into higher-tiered forms. Sacrifices the weaker ones to strengthen the fused result.
Status Display → Monitor rank, health, current skills, and attributes.
Quest Integration → Missions tied to dungeon survival, growth, or special world events. Completing them grants System Points and rare rewards.
Core Absorption → Absorb beast cores to increase EXP and level up. Higher cores grant exponential growth.
Memory Archives → Store experiences, manuals, and techniques for instant recall.
[ Locked Functions ]
Bloodline Path → Status: Sealed.
World Anomaly Detection → Tracks dungeon instability, rift surges, and "Apocalypse Events."
Pocket World – Sanctum of Ash → A personal dimension tethered to Kael's existence. Locked.
Time Dilation → Train for weeks while only hours pass outside.
Resource Garden → Cultivate cores, fragments, and rare drops.
Absolute Control → Shape terrain, elements, and gravity within.
Sanctum Trials → Face constructs to refine skills.
Kael exhaled slowly. "A world of my own? Time bending? Training grounds? You're telling me all this is mine?"
The voice answered, low and almost amused. "Yours, or perhaps you are mine. Power is never free. Each lock will demand something of you. But the path you carve will decide which doors open."
Kael rubbed the scar on his arm. "So no clean answers. Figures."
"Clean answers belong to children. You are stepping into a world where every truth is layered in blood. Walk the path, and the features will awaken as you earn them. Not before."
Kael let out a short laugh, ugly and raw. "Good. I hate being handed things. If I'm climbing, I want to know it's me, not charity."
The System was quiet for a heartbeat, then: "Your fire burns hotter than most. That is why I chose you. Or perhaps… why you called me. In time, you'll learn which it was."
The branches of the glowing tree pulsed once, sealing themselves back into blue light.
Kael leaned back against the stone, the weight of it pressing on him like the future itself. He didn't understand what the Codex truly was—not yet—but he understood one thing: this wasn't just survival. This was a climb into something much bigger than him.
The voice left him with one last whisper before fading: "Grow, Kael Kane. The higher you rise, the more of me you'll remember."
The night wind caught his hair, carrying the smell of rain and iron. Kael clenched his fists and smirked. "Fine then. Let's burn until there's nothing left to hide."
Far away, deep within the unseen locks of the Codex, something stirred.
[ EXISTENCE VALUE: +1 ]