Vale leaned back in his old office chair, the one that creaked every time he moved. It had been through countless late nights with him.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose, eyes dry and heavy. The code on his screen wouldn't fix itself.
"Just one more hour," he muttered to the empty room, fingers brushing over the keyboard as he hunted the stubborn bug in the program he'd been working on for weeks.
At first it was faint—a low hum from the computer tower, like it was clearing its throat. Vale barely noticed, still staring at the flickering lines of code. Then the fans started spinning faster, filling the room with a heavier, hotter air.
He frowned and glanced down as the desk began to tremble under his elbows, like when the old building's heating system rattled awake.
"What the…?" he murmured, hitting the spacebar to save his work.
Before he could react, the hum escalated into a roar. The PC screamed, fans spinning impossibly fast, shredding the air like jet turbines. Sparks danced along its edges. Vale's fingers froze over the keyboard.
A blinding crimson flash burst from the screen. The room seemed to stretch and twist. Monitors shattered inward, glass raining down. The desk lurched beneath him, and a shockwave of heat and light slammed him back into the chair.
"Ahhh—!" Vale barely had time to scream before the world detonated around him. Pain and light and sound collided into a single, unbearable pulse.
And then… nothing.
...
Vale stirred. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused and heavy. Warm sunlight poured over him, soft and golden, brushing against his face. He groaned and shook his head, trying to clear the fog in his mind.
He sat up slowly. His limbs felt stiff. The light was almost too bright. Around him stretched a vast, open world—rolling green hills, scattered trees, and a river that caught the sun like liquid silver. The air smelled fresh, filled with grass and wildflowers. Vale took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Was this a dream?
He turned—and froze.
On a nearby hill stood a towering statue, carved from stone and glowing faintly with light. Its arms were raised, and a soft blue radiance pulsed from its core. Vale's heart skipped. He knew that figure. He had seen it countless times before on his screen.
The Statue of The Seven.
">>??"
Vale blinked, still staring at the statue, when something strange happened. A faint shimmer appeared in front of him, like a hologram made of light. A panel slowly materialized, floating in the air.
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
[PLAYER NAME: Vale]
[WORLD: Teyvat]
[ABILITIES UNLOCKED: Predestined Shadow]
He frowned, rubbing his eyes. "…Okay… that's… new."
[ABILITY DETAILS: PREDESIGNED SHADOW]
"The user exists one step ahead of any action directed at them. All attempts to harm, trap, or manipulate the user are rendered ineffective. The universe subtly shifts to favor the user's survival and advantage. Probability, fate, and the flow of events bend around the user's existence."
Vale stared at the glowing panel, his mouth slightly open.
A system. A literal system. Stats. Abilities. The whole cliché.
He almost laughed. "You've got to be kidding me… This is like every forum post I've ever read."
He reached out, half-expecting his hand to pass through it. Instead, the holographic interface rippled like water at his touch. Cool blue symbols shifted, displaying more menus and empty slots waiting to be filled. It even had the faint, crisp ding sound he remembered from his computer.
His heart started hammering. The statue, the world, the system… it wasn't just a dream. This was Teyvat. This was real.
Memories of the countless hours he'd poured into the game flooded his mind. The characters. The regions. The hidden quests. All of it, right in front of him. And him—Vale—the random nobody from Earth—standing here with some broken-sounding ability that could bend fate itself.
A grin began creeping across his face. He couldn't stop it.
"Oh, man…" he whispered, breathless. "This is actually happening."
He pushed himself to his feet, brushing off bits of grass that clung to his hoodie. His knees felt shaky, but excitement was replacing the dizziness now.
"Heh…" His grin widened, teeth flashing. "Heheheh…"
Vale tilted his head back and let out a short, incredulous laugh. The kind of laugh you make when you've been given the winning lottery ticket of the universe.
"Alright then," he said, fists clenching as the wind brushed past his face. "Let's see what Predestined Shadow can really do."
The shimmering panel pulsed once, as if in response.