"Phantomborne?"
Yuki sat on the rooftop of the orphanage. The cold tiles pressed against his legs, but he didn't care. His eyes were glued to the strange interface floating in front of him—a translucent screen filled with symbols and words.
[CLASS: PHANTOMBORNE (RANK F+)]
Description: Born of shadow, grief, and forgotten potential. Wields the essence of the soul, binding echoes of death and pain to forge weapons, illusions, and shields.
Core Attribute: Soulforce
Unique Trait: Dual Identity – Manifest a soul shadow that acts independently.
Skill Tree Paths Available:
Shadowcraft (Manipulate light, stealth, illusions, shadow movement)
Soul Weaponry (Manifest weapons based on memories, emotions, past selves)
Eclipse Requiem (Locked)
Yuki exhaled slowly. "This... doesn't sound like a normal class."
Ame no Kuro, who sat beside him with her legs dangling over the edge, smiled faintly.
"That's because it's not. Most people are assigned elemental paths—like fire, wind, or kinetic force. But you... your class is a manifestation of what you are."
Yuki looked at her. "And what am I?"
She didn't answer right away. She turned her gaze to the stars instead, voice low.
"A child touched by death, shaped by loneliness, and reborn in shadow."
He stayed silent.
Then: "Sounds edgy."
Kuro laughed softly. "You're not wrong."
The First Manifestation
"Try activating Soul Weaponry. Focus on a memory. Any one. Then channel it into your hand."
Yuki frowned. "What kind of memory?"
"Pain works best."
He swallowed.
The first thing that came to mind was being locked in the basement of the orphanage for three nights by one of the older boys. No food. No light. Just his own breath and the sound of rats.
Yuki clenched his hand.
[Skill Activated: Soul Weaponry Lv. 1]
[Weapon Manifested: Shadow Fang – Grade F]
Darkness coiled around his palm, forming a jagged dagger made of twisting shadow and faint blue light. It pulsed with his heartbeat. The weapon felt like holding a shard of memory.
Yuki stared at it. "This is... mine?"
Kuro nodded. "It's your pain given form. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the weapon."
He gripped it tightly.
"Then I'll use everything they've ever done to me as fuel."
Meanwhile – Elsewhere in Japan
Deep within the ruined district of Old Shibuya, a man stood atop a broken radio tower surrounded by flickering neon glyphs.
He was tall, cloaked in torn black armor laced with red veins. His eyes glowed yellow, and a cracked mask covered half his face.
This was Reiji Tsukuma—an S-Rank rogue awakened, and wielder of the Nightmare Seed, a class forged in blood.
He smiled as the sky above shimmered.
[Alert: Unauthorized Protocol Awakening Detected – Coordinates: Restricted Sector 17]
"A new player," Reiji murmured. "Unregistered… and unstable."
He turned to his companion—a floating, eyeless spirit with jagged teeth.
"Send a scout. Let's see if this Realmbreaker is worth the title."
Back at the Orphanage – One Hour Later
Yuki sat alone in the courtyard, trying to summon his shadow again. His soul form—his "phantom"—could move independently, but only for a few seconds at a time. He was frustrated.
"It's like trying to run a marathon with half a lung," he muttered.
"Because you're still a beginner," Kuro said, now leaning against the tree.
"I know, but… there's this part of me that remembers. Like I've done this before."
She watched him carefully.
"You have."
Yuki looked up.
Kuro stepped forward, eyes serious now.
"You weren't born with this power, Yuki. You were reborn into it. Something happened in that forest when you were a baby. Something no one remembers—not even you."
He felt the eclipse mark burn faintly on his chest again.
"…Tell me."
"I can't," Kuro said. "Not yet. Your soul is sealed in layers. Each trial you face will unlock more. But know this—" she leaned in close, her eyes glowing slightly, "—you are not the only Realmbreaker."
He froze. "There are others?"
"Some… want to protect this world."
She paused.
"And some want to burn it to the ground."
The Scout Arrives
The streetlights outside the orphanage flickered.
A presence slid across the edge of the city—a blur of motion, black and fast like a shadow on fire. It stopped just short of the orphanage, crouching on a telephone pole.
A humanoid figure made entirely of stitched skin and wires. No eyes. Just a mouth stitched into a smile.
Its voice was radio static.
"Target locked… Realmbreaker confirmed… Send coordinates to Reiji."
Then it leapt—aiming for Yuki's window.
But it never made it.
Because Kuro was already there.
She appeared midair, slicing with a glowing fan of silver light, cutting the creature in half before it could scream.
It disintegrated into smoke.
Yuki rushed to the window, eyes wide. "What the hell was that?!"
Kuro floated down like a falling petal, her white kimono stained with black ash.
"Your first enemy," she said softly. "And just the beginning."
End of Chapter 3