I gripped the edge of the bed as if it was the only thing keeping me grounded in reality.
"…Reborn?"
The word echoed in my head.
I looked around the room again, more carefully this time. It was small, simple, and unfamiliar—but not hostile. No guards. No fire. No chaos.
Just silence.
Too much silence.
I raised my hand slightly, and the translucent screen flickered again in front of my eyes.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE ACTIVE]
I froze.
It wasn't a hallucination.
It responded to me.
"…So this is real…"
A faint pulse of light spread across the screen, followed by another line of text.
[Welcome, User Kael.]
I leaned forward, my heart pounding.
"Welcome…?" I whispered.
This was impossible.
Systems were gifts from the Gods. That was common knowledge. Only Awakened individuals received them after passing divine selection.
But I had never awakened.
I had never been chosen.
And yet…
I had one.
My fingers tightened.
"Status."
The moment I spoke, the screen changed.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Kael
Level: 1
Class: Unassigned
HP: 100 / 100
MP: 0 / 0
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 7
Endurance: 5
I stared at the numbers.
They were… real.
But they were also weak.
Painfully weak.
"…This is a joke," I muttered under my breath.
Compared to Awakened individuals, these stats were barely above average for a normal human. No magic. No class. No skills.
And yet… I had access to a System.
That alone didn't make sense.
I tried to focus again.
"Skills?"
The interface shifted.
[No Skills Available]
"…Quests?"
Another shift.
[No Active Quests]
I exhaled slowly.
"So what can you do…?" I asked, more to myself than the System.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
[…]
A pause.
And then, unexpectedly—
[Processing…]
My eyes narrowed.
That wasn't a standard response.
It felt… delayed. Like something behind the System was hesitating.
A second later, a new message appeared.
[Warning: System Origin is not registered in divine registry.]
[Warning: Core authorization mismatch detected.]
My heart skipped.
"…Not registered?"
That meant this System wasn't recognized by the Gods.
Which should be impossible.
Every System came from them.
Every single one.
Unless…
A chill ran down my spine.
Unless this wasn't given.
Unless it was taken.
I swallowed hard.
"Explain origin."
The screen flickered violently for a split second before stabilizing.
Then a new line appeared.
[Access restricted.]
I clenched my fists.
"Of course it is…"
But just as I was about to continue, something else happened.
A faint whisper.
Not from the screen.
From inside my head.
"…You're awake."
I froze.
My entire body stiffened.
That voice… wasn't mine.
I looked around the room instinctively.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Then again—
"…You can hear me now."
I stepped back from the bed.
My pulse quickened.
"Show yourself."
There was no physical presence. No shadow. No movement in the room.
Only the same quiet space.
But the voice remained.
Calm.
Clear.
And unmistakably real.
"…I am not something you can see," the voice said.
I gritted my teeth.
"Then what are you?"
A brief pause.
Then the answer came.
"…I am the part of the System that was never meant to exist."
My mind went blank for a second.
"…What?"
The screen in front of me suddenly flickered again, as if reacting to the voice.
At the same time, another message appeared.
[Unknown Entity Detected Within Host Mind]
My eyes widened.
"Host…?"
The voice spoke again, quieter this time.
"…Relax. If I wanted to harm you, you would not have survived your death."
My breathing slowed slightly, but my guard remained up.
"Then why are you here?" I asked.
Another pause.
This one longer.
Heavier.
"…Because you were chosen."
"Chosen by who?" I demanded.
No immediate answer.
Instead, the System interface shifted once more.
A single line appeared.
[Answer not available.]
I clenched my jaw.
"Everything is 'not available'…"
The voice returned.
"…You are asking the wrong questions."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"…You should be asking why you were killed," the voice said calmly.
That question hit harder than expected.
I fell silent.
Images from that night resurfaced in my mind—fire, screams, accusations.
And the man who executed me without hesitation.
"…I was framed," I said quietly.
"…Yes," the voice replied.
I looked up slightly.
"So you know something."
A faint pause.
"…I know enough."
My grip tightened.
"Then tell me."
Another long silence.
Then—
"…Not yet."
I exhaled sharply.
"Not yet?"
"…You are still too weak to carry the truth."
My expression darkened.
Weak again.
That word followed me everywhere.
Even now.
"…Then I'll get stronger," I said firmly.
The voice didn't respond immediately.
Instead, the System interface lit up once more.
A new notification appeared.
[New Objective Generated.]
[Survive.]
[Grow.]
[Uncover the Truth Behind Your Death.]
I stared at the message.
Simple.
Direct.
And yet… impossible.
"…So this is my path," I murmured.
The voice spoke one last time.
"…No."
I blinked.
"What do you mean?"
The reply came slowly.
Almost like a warning.
"…This path belongs to something that was taken."
The room felt colder after that.
And for the first time since waking up—
I realized that whatever System I had…
was not just unusual.
It was dangerous.
To me.
…and to the world that tried to erase me.