Kael found himself adrift in an endless void of darkness. No sound, no sensation—just an overwhelming nothingness stretching infinitely in all directions.
He turned, trying to grasp some sense of his surroundings, but there was nothing. Just blackness. A cold, detached part of him observed the nothingness, devoid of fear or concern.
He tried to remember the last thing he saw, his parents, the beast, the power, but they all felt distant, like memories of a dream.
'So this is death, huh?' he mused, his voice swallowed by the abyss. The thought was strangely comforting. A final, eternal sleep. No more pain, no more loss.
Strangely enough, he didn't feel fear or panic. In fact, he welcomed it. After all, this meant he could finally rest without worries, without burdens. For once, he didn't have to do anything. He could just... sleep.
The void was a soothing balm to his weary mind. He closed his eyes, surrendering to the nothingness.
Time lost its meaning in the void. Minutes? Hours? Days? He had no way of knowing. He just kept on drifting.
But just as he was ready to surrender to this eternal slumber, something changed.
A dot of golden light appeared in the distance. Small, almost imperceptible at first, but it grew. Brighter, larger, more intense. It pulsed with energy, a familiar yet alien sensation, like the echo of a forgotten song. It was like a beacon, calling him, pulling him in.
He felt his body—or whatever remained of it—drifting toward it. The light enveloped him, growing so blindingly bright that he had to squeeze his eyes shut, a searing pain behind his eyelids.
Then, suddenly—
Thud.
He felt something solid beneath him. The sensation was foreign, jarring after floating in the void for so long. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself lying on a wooden floor.
The rhythmic creaking of wheels and the subtle rocking told him he was in a moving carriage.
The scent of polished wood and expensive leather filled his nostrils, a stark contrast to the blood and ash he remembered.
'What the hell…?'
He sat up, groggy, his mind clouded. Nothing made sense. How did he get here? Where was here?
He rubbed his temples, trying to clear the fog in his mind. The last thing he remembered was the beast, the fight , and then… nothing.
Looking around the carriage, he realized it wasn't the normal one which was used to transport loads around the village, it was far more luxurious.
The interior was lined with plush velvet cushions, the dark wood polished to a mirror shine. Ornate lamps cast a warm, golden glow, illuminating the intricate carvings on the walls. It was like a room on wheels, a stark contrast to his humble home.
'It even has chairs'
Now he was really confused. Who would own such a thing? And why was he here? A sense of unease settled over him, a feeling that he was being watched, studied.
Before he could try to piece things together, a familiar yet unfamiliar sound rang in his ears.
Ding
All of a sudden, a translucent blue screen flickered to life before his eyes, making him flinch in surprise. The screen flickered, displaying a series of error messages before stabilizing. The text shimmered with a runic light, pulsing with the same energy he felt in the void.
…
[Archive synchronization complete.]
[Would you like to see your status window?]
[Yes] [No]
…
Kael blinked at the glowing text hovering in front of him.
'Archive....how?'
That wasn't supposed to be possible, he hadn't completed his first trial yet.
His father had educated him on almost everything he could about the soul connecting to the Archive, and he was pretty clear about the fact that the only way to access it was by passing the trial. And all those who failed would live the remainder of their lives as 'The untouched'.
But he hadn't even attempted to take the trial yet.....so how?
He felt a cold dread, a sense that something was deeply wrong. His instincts were usually always right, and right now they were screaming at him something unnatural had happened to him. And he had no idea weather it was good or bad.
Pushing his confusion aside, he instinctively selected 'Yes,' mentally confirming the prompt.
Instantly, a detailed panel of information materialized before him, the text shimmering and flickering. He squinted, trying to decipher the strange symbols and numbers.
...
[Status Window]
Name: Kael Darven
Race: Human
Age: 16
Level: 0
Class: None
Rank: Unassigned
Attributes:
Strength: 37 (Average: 10)
Agility: 29 (Average: 10)
Stamina: 43 (Average: 10)
Health: 31 (Average: 10)
Mana: 2 (Average: 10)
Luck: 10 (Max)
Skills:
\Wrath of a Dying God (Demi-God) (New)/
Skill Effects:
Grants the user unparalleled power but at a cost. Activation level determine the severity of the trade-off.
Activation Requirements:
*First Activation (Loss of a Loved One):
-All stats increase by 210%
-Pain tolerance enhanced
-Sanity reduction: 15%
*Second Activation (Brink of Death):
-All stats increase by 330%
-Pain receptors disabled.
-Sanity reduction: 40%
-Bloodlust.
*Third Activation (?????):
-All stats increase by ?????
-????
-Complete loss of sanity
-Extreme bloodlust
Titles: None
...
"..."
'What the…'
Mike stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
His mind raced as he absorbed the amount of information that was thrown at him.
It was like trying to read a foreign language, a jumble of words and symbols that made no sense.
His stats were absurdly high for someone who was still just a normal human.His strength and stamina were on another level.
His father had told him that an average human would have stats ranging from 7 - 10, and at their peak would have stats ranging from 19 - 23, and this was mostly for people that had consumed a lot of potions or herbs to increase their constitution.
Shifting his eyes towards his mana, his lips couldn't help but twitch.
'Two?...Like Seriously'
Even a kid would have at least ten. I mean don't get me wrong, i knew i sucked at magic, but this is ridiculous.
'Guess my magic potential really is garbage…'
His gaze shifted towards the skill section, and his brows furrowed. When did I get this skill? I just got the Archive right? so how the hell do I already have a skill?
I thought this things were supposed to be difficult to obtain?
If i remember correctly my dad had just two.
And how high is Demi-God in ranks, it sounds high.
And what's with these activation requirements…
'Death of a loved one?'
When Kael saw this requirement, a bad feeling weld up in his heart. He felt like he was forgetting something very important.
But he managed to push the thought aside and continued reading.
'Brink of death?'
The words echoed in his mind, a dark, foreboding whisper. Now he was pretty sure he was missing something.
He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming, his thoughts churning were.. There were too many questions and not a single answers. But ultimately…
'Eh, thinking is a stressful. I'll figure it out later.' He closed his eyes, surrendering to the fatigue, but the questions still lingered in his mind, unanswered.
He was definitely Confused and many thoughts clouded his mind, but he wasn't in the mood to analyze anything now. Thinking too much was a hassle, and frankly, he was too exhausted for that.
And just when he thought he couldn't get any more confused, fate decided to play another trick on him.
The string of text on the screen shifted to a new set.
...
[It has been noticed that you have fulfilled the requirements required to become a Novice Sigil.]
[Would you like to advance now?]
[Yes] [No]
...
"..."
'Ok what's going on?...I thought...Wait a moment...Now that i think about it, wasn't i suppose to advance to Novice Sigil before linking to the Archive?'
His father had made i very clear that ordinary humans could not access the Archive.
To access the Archive you have to be at least a Novice Sigil, again which can only be attained by competing the trial that would be giving to you. So how...? Was he going insane? Was this some kind of sick joke?
Now that he thought about it, his Level was literally 0 which was wrong, and he didn't have a class nor rank which was supposed to be selected after completing the trial.
"..."
'Ok..... I think mine might be broken.' Or maybe, he was broken.
But still unwilling to think to much about it, he just selected [Yes].
...
[Congratulations! you have successfully completed your first trial and have gained honour of becoming Novice Sigil.]
[ Which path would you like to follow?]
[Mage] [Knight]
...
Kael smiled bitterly at the options presented to him.
'Do i even have a choice?'
With a mana of two, he had no hopes of becoming a mage... Not that he cared anyway.
Just as he was about to send a mental command to select Knight, the screen suddenly twitched a couple of times and a new message popped up.
...
[Warning! Warning!]
[Changes are being forced upon the Archive by an unknown force]
[Congratulations the path of knighthood has been forced upon you]
[You have ascended to the rank Novice sigil]
[All stats except 'mana' have been increased by 10]
[Mana has been reduced by 2]
[Your status has been updated]
...
Name: Kael Darven
Race: Human
Age: 16
Level: 1
Class : Knight
Rank: Novice Sigil
Attributes:
Strength: 47
Agility: 39
Stamina: 53
Health: 41
Mana: 0
Luck: 10
Skills:
* Wrath of a Dying God (Demi-God)
Title: None
Tasks: None
...
'...'
'Yep definitely broken.'
At this point he wasn't feeling bothered anymore, just amused.
'So does means i now have 0 mana? And i didn't even get to choose my own path, what the hell do they mean the path of knighthood was forced upon me. It's not like i was planning on picking anything else!'
In the middle of his complaining a sudden wave of power surged through his body. His muscles tensed as raw strength coursed through his veins, and for a moment, he felt invincible. The blue screen flickered, a faint error message flashing for a moment before disappearing, leaving behind a lingering sense of mystery.
He clenched his fist, flexing his fingers as a satisfied smirk formed on his lips.
'well whatever, at least i finally advanced and that's all that mattered.'
But just as quickly as his excitement spiked, fatigue crashed into him.
'Ugh… I'm tired. Too much drama for one day. I just want to sleep.'
Yet, something nagged at the edge of his consciousness. A feeling that he was forgetting something—something important. It was there, but at the same time not.
And then—
Like a broken dam, memories surged back into his mind.
'No… Dad… Mom…'
A wave of grief slammed into him, his body trembling uncontrollably. The weight of realization crushed him. His parents—his only source of warmth in this world—were gone. Forever.
They were everything to him. His only attachments to this world apart from sleep. And now…
The emptiness swallowed him whole. A cold, hollow emptiness, like the void he had just escaped.
As if sensing the shift in atmosphere, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.
The heavy wooden door swung open with a slow, deliberate creak, revealing the sunlight of midday. The air within the carriage shifted, a subtle change in temperature and a faint, almost metallic scent filling his nostrils.