Kael Riven woke to the sound of his alarm blaring. Groaning, he reached over and shut it off, then glanced at the time—9:00 AM.
He'd picked late classes for a reason. Mornings weren't his thing.
The dorm was quiet. His roommate was already gone, probably at class. That was fine. Kael liked the peace.
Life hadn't been bad lately—not if you ignored the fact that he was born in a war-torn country, forced to flee across the sea just to survive. He was lucky to get an F Visa and a scholarship at a college on the coast.
Thanks to that, he had a shot at something most people back home couldn't even dream of: a future. He was studying accounting—simple enough, portable, and stable. Not glamorous, but it paid well enough that he could live the way he wanted.
Of course, not everything was perfect. He hadn't seen his family in years. The last time he'd heard anything about his parents was two years ago. Whether they were dead or alive… he had no idea.
Still, despite the uncertainty of his past, Kael's present was steady. School was going well. He had plans. He had peace.
And like any other morning, he pulled the curtain aside to catch a glimpse of the sunshine.
Only—
There was no sunshine.
His eyes widened.
"…What the hell?"
Kael's face twisted in confusion, mouth falling slightly open.
The sun—the bright, beautiful light that greeted him every day—was gone. In its place was something black. Black and red, seething like a wound in the sky. The warm rays he had grown used to were replaced with something dark, cold, and wrong.
It looked like hell.
Then he saw something.
A tiny speck against the dark sun.
At first, he thought it was just a shadow—but it grew larger. Closer. Fast.
His breath caught in his throat.
It was coming straight toward him.
CRASH!
Before Kael could react, a winged creature burst through the window in an explosion of glass and light.
Kael Riven stumbled backward, heart slamming against his chest as shards of glass scattered across the dorm floor. A surge of heat and light rocked the room like an earthquake.
A figure lay amid the wreckage—wings cracked and smoking, her body clad in scorched armor etched with faint golden script. She was bleeding light—divine, yet tainted.
Not human.
Not even close.
Her skin was as pale as frost, marked by wounds that pulsed with dying energy. Silver hair, matted with blood, framed a face whose eyes—purple, burning, ancient—locked onto Kael with the weight of countless lifetimes.
He could neither speak nor move.
Slowly, the being stirred. With a groan like shattered glass, she pushed herself upright on a trembling arm. When she spoke, her voice was jagged glass wrapped in silk.
"You… You're unbound. Good. Listen—there isn't much time."
Kael blinked in disbelief. "What are you?"
A soft, bitter laugh escaped her. "I'm Seraphiel. Once a Warden of the Burning Choir. Now…I am that which He forbade."
Her gaze swept toward the window. Outside, the once-blue sky was laced with veins of golden light; clouds twisted into unnatural spirals as divine pressure filled the air.
"God is abandoning this world," she continued. "He'll ascend—and leave us to burn. The others… they don't yet know."
Kael took an unsteady step back. "You're insane."
"No," she replied quietly, "just dying." With trembling determination, she reached out, her fingertips dancing with coiled flame.
"Bind with me, Kael Riven. Let me pass what remains of my power to you. If I perish now, my light dies with me. But if you accept this pact… you'll have the strength to face what comes."
Kael hesitated—his instincts screamed to run, yet her purpose resonated deeply. "…Why me?"
A tragic, faint smile touched her lips. "Because your soul was untouched by His design. You were never meant to be part of the System. You are the only one I can reach."
Thunder rumbled—not from the clouds, but from above—as the heavens split. A colossal light descended from the sky. God was coming.
"There's no time," Seraphiel's voice sharpened. "Once He speaks the Words, it's over. I won't survive the System's activation. And neither will you." Gritting her teeth, she extended her hand fully. "Accept the pact, Kael. Let me live through you. Let me help them."
Kael's breath trembled. In a defiant whisper, he muttered, "Fuck it—you only live once." Then, with a resolve that surprised even himself, he reached out and took her hand.
A searing flash erupted between them. Ancient symbols ignited in the air as their souls collided—a power so old it felt older than the Earth itself.
[Warning: Unauthorized soul-binding in progress…]
[Error: Subject "Seraphiel" is forbidden by divine classification.]
[Error: Entity expunged from System records. Forceful override initiated.]
[Class Assigned: Pactbearer of the Forsaken Light]
[Inherited: Forbidden Divine Fragment.]
Kael screamed as raw energy surged through his body. Divine fire raced through his veins, making them glow white-hot. Visions—wars in heaven, betrayal, and light turning to ash—flashed before his eyes. Then, silence.
Seraphiel collapsed—not as a body, but as her essence, absorbed into him. She was gone, but not dead… not yet.
And then, a voice echoed across the cosmos:
"Today marks the day I must leave you, my children. But do not despair
I leave behind a final gift.
Survive... or perish.
No matter your path, know this:
My light shall always remain."
Kael opened his eyes to a sky ablaze. Across campus, students crumbled to their knees as divine glyphs scorched their foreheads.
[System Activation Complete.]
[Classes Assigned. Stats Generated. Evolution Begins.]
Yet Kael stood apart. No glyph marred his skin. No standard class defined him—only the echo of something greater, burning within. He clenched his fists as deep inside, Seraphiel stirred once more—a forbidden spark in a world reborn outside the System's balance.
Feeling the weight of the pact etched into both flesh and soul, Kael staggered as he rose to his feet. Each movement felt heavy, like reality itself had thickened around him.
And yet—he felt it. A warmth. Like being wrapped in a gentle embrace, as if something, or someone, was telling him everything would be okay.
"Good. I thought it would've taken more out of you. Seems your soul's a bit stronger than I expected," came the voice of the fallen angel, echoing through his mind—softer than thunder, yet just as commanding.
"I'll need to fix the System. It's refusing to latch onto you... probably because you lack a seed of Spark."
Seraphiel's tone shifted, more curious than concerned, as if she were poking through his soul the way someone might rummage through a stranger's garage—half-invested, half-impressed.
"Hey—what are you doing?" Kael asked, wincing as he felt something prodding at his insides—like someone was poking around with a needle in places they definitely shouldn't.
"Don't worry. I'm just enabling a few features."
As soon as Seraphiel spoke, glowing words flickered into existence before Kael's eyes, hovering in the air like a translucent hologram.
A status sheet had just appeared.
[STATUS — Kael Riven]
System Integration: Corrupted / Rebuilding…
Override Source Detected: Seraphiel, Warden-Class Entity [Expunged]
Initializing illicit Class framework...
Class: Pactbearer of the Forsaken Light
Race: Human (System Anomaly)
Order: —
Level: 1
Titles: [???]
Bound Entity: Seraphiel [Warden Fragment – Active]
[ATTRIBUTES]
Vitality: 12
Strength: 10
Agility: 11
Endurance: 14
Focus: 16
Willpower: 20
Divinity: ??? (Locked – Requires Divine Fragment)
Note: Attributes are stabilized via Seraphiel's override. System cannot enforce correction protocols.
[SKILLS]
[???][???][???]
Warning: Skill framework corrupted. Data inaccessible.
Awaiting system patch or further soul synchronization...
[CURRENT STATE]
System Sync: 3%
System Stability: Fragile (Stable under Pact Shield)
Corruption Risk: Low (Neutralized via Bound Flame)
Divine Hostility: EXTREME
[EVOLUTION PATH: UNRECOGNIZED]Subject lacks a Seed of Light. Not eligible for Sparkborn Ascension.
Class path diverges from Divine Framework.
Evolution dictated by Pact resonance and Seraphiel's progress.
[WARNING]
Subject is outside the System's jurisdiction. Tracking impossible. Angels assigned to purge on sight.
Continue at your own risk.
"What the—? Isn't this the System? Why does it have a crack in it?" Kael says, looming over the holographic screen.
"And what's this about 'unknown information'? Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Kael asks, already having second thoughts about accepting the deal with Seraphiel.
"I assure you, this is just how things are right now. I won't be able to do much unless you get me the necessary materials. Still, that's not the most urgent issue. What you need to focus on now is dealing with that."
And as she said those words a heavy knock slammed against the door to his room.
"Uh… should I answer that? Is that what you're saying, Seraphiel?" Kael asked skeptically, glancing toward the door as the banging grew louder.
"You were going to have to face them eventually," she replied calmly. "Might as well do it now."
"Face what?" Kael annoyed at her not giving straight answers.
"Okay, listen to me, Kael. Behind that door—how do I put this—it's a zombie. That thing outside? That's what you would've become if I hadn't intervened."
Kael's breath hitched.
"But we don't have time to go over the intricacies. What matters right now is this—you need to use my power to kill it."
He blinked. "Okay, but… how?"
"Picture your soul as a core. Wrapped around it is the power I gave you—sealed, for now. What you're going to do is open it. Just a crack. Imagine tearing a hole in that seal. I'll guide you through it. This first time, at least. You'll need to get used to this, Kael."
Kael frowned. "Not really sure what you're saying…"
Another violent slam cut him off. The hinges of his dorm room door groaned as they bent under pressure.
Knowing he was out of time, Kael did as she said.
He closed his eyes… and looked inward.
"Breathe," Seraphiel whispered into his mind. Her voice was steady, low, like distant thunder muffled by clouds. "Let go of the noise. Feel your body—not just the flesh, but the space within."
He focused. His breath slowed. His thoughts narrowed.
"Now reach down," she said. "Deeper. Beneath thought, beneath bone. Where your soul rests."
Kael searched—through his mind, his chest, his very being—guided by her words.
"There," she murmured. "Do you feel it? A weight that doesn't belong to your body alone. A gravity drawn inward."
He paused.
He did feel something. A single point, heavier than everything else. It pulsed near his heart, like a burning knot—dense, pressurized, ancient.
"It's like… a ball," Kael whispered. "Locked up."
"That's your core," Seraphiel said. "My flame wrapped around your soul, bound and sealed. It's not dangerous—not if you're careful."
"And if I'm not?"
"Then we both burn. Now focus."
In his mind's eye, Kael saw it—an enormous gate, ten feet wide, forged from black iron and encircled by silver-grey flame streaked with violet. Chains coiled around it like serpents, pulsing with faint energy.
"Reach for it. Not with your hands—your will."
He visualized his presence moving closer, pressing against the gate.
"Now grip the edges," Seraphiel instructed. "Both hands. Anchor yourself."
He imagined it: two hands—his hands—locking onto the seam of the gate.
"Don't pull all at once. Just crack it open. A sliver. Let the light bleed through."
Kael pulled.
At first, nothing.
Then—resistance.
Then—heat.
A rush of warmth trickled through the crack, silver-grey and tinged with dark violet. It curled through him like a second heartbeat, subtle and yet… infinite.
Kael's face tensed.
Opening his eyes, the sight in front of him is one that could only be seen in movies. Along the fringes of his hands, wisps of silver-grey flame danced, their heat radiating like that of a warm mug—comforting, yet alive.
CRASH!
The door exploded inward, torn off its hinges in a single, violent slam.
The zombie stumbled into the room—its body hunched and twisted, skin pale and sagging like melted wax. Its eyes were glassy, lifeless… but locked on Kael. A low, guttural hiss rolled from its throat as it dragged itself forward.
Kael froze.
His breath caught. Muscles tensed. He couldn't move—not out of fear, but paralysis. The moment was too unreal.
"Punch it," Seraphiel said.
"What?" he whispered, still rooted in place.
"NOW, KAEL—PUNCH IT!"
He obeyed.
Kael surged forward, fist swinging low and upward in a wide arc. His knuckles met the zombie's jaw—and silver-grey flame burst to life. The corrupted flesh blistered instantly, fire coiling and hissing across its face.
The creature staggered, shrieking, half its jawbone exposed and burning.
"Again!" Seraphiel commanded.
Kael gritted his teeth and struck again—his fist driving into the creature's chest. The impact flared with more heat this time, and the flames tore through decaying ribs. The zombie screamed, smoke pouring from its torso, but still it moved, swiping at him with mangled fingers.
"One more!" her voice pressed like thunder behind his ribs.
Kael brought his fist down hard on the thing's skull. The flames exploded in a violent surge—twisting silver with a dark purple edge. The zombie collapsed, engulfed in the fire, crumbling to blackened ash before it even hit the floor.
A second passed.
Then a soft clink echoed in the room.
From the ashes, something small and solid dropped onto the tile—a faintly glowing grey object shaped like a six-sided crystal.
[Item Acquired: Tier 1 Hexagon Cube – Corrupted Essence]
Kael stared at it, panting, the flames around his hands fading to faint wisps.
"Congratulations," Seraphiel murmured, her voice softer now. "That was your first kill."