I walked into my mother's hospital room. She was awake, propped against a pile of pillows, her smile gentle but tired.
"How was your day, Mom?" I asked, pulling a chair closer to her bedside.
"The same as always, darling," she said softly, that same calm warmth in her tone.
She always carried that quiet joy with her, no matter what the day brought. The only time I'd ever seen her truly break was when Dad passed away. Even then, after a week of tears and silence, she forced herself to smile again — for me. I knew she was still hurting, but she stayed strong, and I loved her all the more for it.
"How was yours?" she asked, turning her head toward me.
"I'd like to tell you it was the same as usual," I said, pretending to sigh. Her eyes narrowed with playful suspicion. Then I added, "I got a red shard today."
A flicker of surprise crossed her face. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"Well, yeah, technically." I grinned. "But it drew a lot of attention. I think I'm about to be famous — an almost-unique card came out!" I puffed my chest out proudly.
"This is your third 'almost unique' in ten months," she said, shaking her head with a soft laugh. "Some people pull those every week."
"Maybe," I said, smiling back. "But for me, that's a record worth bragging about."
My other two had been:
Amplify — increases attack damage by 2.2× for 2 minutes, and
Heavy Thrust — a piercing strike with 2× damage, that has the probability to stun the enemy for 3 seconds.
Not bad for someone who started as a scrap collector 10 months ago.
"It's getting late," Mom said after a moment, glancing at the window where the sky was dimming violet. "Shouldn't you be heading home?"
"I was thinking I'd stay with you tonight," I said, giving her my best puppy-dog eyes.
She chuckled. "Not tonight. Tomorrow you turn sixteen — you know what that means."
Her words sent a spark through me. I'd been waiting for this day my whole life. "Yeah," I said with a small grin. "I do."
"Good." She smiled, a glint of pride in her eyes. "Go on, then."
I hesitated at the doorway. "I'll tell you everything tomorrow."
"And don't forget to eat something tonight!" she called as I stepped out.
At the front desk, I settled her bill — ten thousand ques a week. My chest tightened a little as I signed the transfer but this is why i was working to lessen the load on mom.
Mom had Sanguinal Dissolution Syndrome, or what most people called the Michealson Curse. It was in her family for generations, but after mana entered the world, it changed. Her red blood cells ruptured before their time, releasing stored mana into the air instead of her veins — leaving her weak, cold, and constantly drained.
She needed weekly transfusions of mana-rich blood from high-level awakened donors to stay alive. Mondays were her treatment days. She'd be fine until Sunday.
Tomorrow, though... Tomorrow was my birthday. My sixteenth.
And when the clock struck twelve, I'd be teleported to the Tower by Gaia's Calling to face the Ordeal of Ascent.
It was said that the Tower tested all things — strength, skill, and will. Each floor was a trial, but the beginning of it all were the Ordeal's of Ascension , starting with a lone goblin and rising endlessly beyond. The furthest anyone had ever reached was the fortieth ordeal, where a Bone Wyvern awaited.
Those who cleared an ordeal could choose to leave safely. Those who failed everything they'd gained for the Ordeals except their levels— before being sent to the 0th Floor.
I grabbed some takeout — stir-fried noodles from the restaurant near my apartment — and ate quietly. My mind kept drifting to tomorrow, to what I might awaken as.
More than anything, I hoped I'd inherit Dad's trait — Blood Manipulation.
He'd used it to strengthen Mom's blood with my own mana, letting her live normally for years, like my dad had done before he passed, now the illness was back, fiercer than before. Traits often ran in families, so maybe there was still a chance.
Eventually, my thoughts blurred, and I drifted into sleep.
Then came the light.
Weightlessness swept over me as a soft green glow filled my vision. The world fell silent — no sound, no breath, just the pulse of light and a voice echoing deep in my mind:
> [Will you answer the Call of Gaia?]
I tried to speak, but no words came. Yet somehow, it knew my answer.
Yes.
The light surged brighter, washing over everything.
When it faded, I was standing in an endless white expanse — the Room of Ascension.
I swallowed, steadying my breath, and whispered, "System."
A green screen blinked into existence, jagged and unstable.
Only one line appeared:
[ &#₦&-Error????? ]