Lucian pushed the door open and stepped into the dim room.
The light above buzzed softly. Mana circuits embedded in the walls gave off a faint blue glow. The room smelled of fresh linen, sealed wood, and the faint metal tang of mana purification runes.
He didn't even bother taking off his boots.
He just dropped onto the bed face-first.
And stayed there.
The mattress gave a tired whump, and the springs beneath creaked faintly as he rolled onto his back, one arm flopped across his face.
"How?"
That's all he'd been thinking since the ceremony.
How did Evelyn awaken his ability?
Wasn't awakening supposed to be soul-deep? Something unique to the core of who you were? All the lectures, all the books—everybody said it. Your ability was yours. Buried inside. Just waiting for the right spark to pull it out.
But today?
That rule shattered right in front of him.
And now…
He had nothing to show for it.
Indefinite.
Lucian chuckled weakly. It wasn't a happy sound.
"I really thought I'd be the one comforting her today…"
The ceiling stared down at him, cracked faintly near the corner. A bit of dust floated lazily past his face. He let out a slow breath.
'What if my ability really is garbage now?'
'What if I came back… and I'm just empty?'
He closed his eyes.
No. That couldn't be it.
He refused to believe it.
"I'm not ready to watch Lucy die again."
His voice was quiet. Raw.
He clenched his fist on the blanket beneath him.
"I'll do anything. Even if I have to start over from zero…"
And then—
The lights flickered.
Mana circuits along the wall froze—then surged.
Lucian sat up.
"What the—?"
Then he felt it.
Like pressure being sucked out of the room. Air collapsing inward. Time slowing.
And then—
A soft ding echoed in his mind.
And a voice.
[System Initialization Complete.]
Lucian blinked.
"…System?"
A translucent blue screen blinked into view, floating gently in front of him.
[Welcome, Lucian Black.]
[You have awakened: The Infinite System.]
His breath caught.
Lines of text scrolled slowly.
[This system contains no class.]
[No restrictions.]
[No limits.]
[You have been granted Infinite Stat Points.]
[You have been granted Infinite System Points.]
[You possess Infinite Mana.]
Lucian stared at the words.
They didn't flicker.
They didn't glitch.
They were real.
And then—the voice came again.
But this time, not flat.
Not robotic.
It had personality.
Calm. Confident. Smooth. A little amused.
[Hello, Lucian. I'm your system. And before you ask—no, you're not dreaming.]
Lucian's heart was racing now.
"…What are you?"
[I'm the Infinite System. A fully sentient progression interface built around your soul's return from a terminated timeline.]
Lucian's eyes widened.
[I am not an ability. I am a construct. You did not awaken me from the crystal. I came back with you.]
Lucian stood from the bed now, breathing hard.
"Then why didn't the crystal say anything?"
[Because it couldn't understand me. I am not within its limits. Your presence is anomalous—even to this world.]
Lucian ran a hand through his hair, still trying to process it.
"So… what do I even do with you?"
The screen shimmered.
[Would you like to open your status?]
He nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
The screen changed.
[Status Window – Lucian Black]
Level: 1
Title: Returned One
Race: Human
System Type: Infinite
Mana: ∞
Stat Points Available: ∞
System Points Available: ∞
[Stats]
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 10
Endurance: 10
Perception: 10
Luck: 10
Lucian exhaled.
This wasn't like before.
Before, Infinite Replication was powerful—but it had to build. It had a structure. A limit.
But this?
This was something else entirely.
No class. No form. Just… infinity.
"Why me?"
The system paused for a moment, then answered.
[Because you died. And you weren't supposed to.]
[Because the timeline broke when you fell.]
[Because now, you're not just part of the system—you are the system.]
Lucian sat back on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands.
Evelyn awakened his old power.
But this?
This wasn't a downgrade.
It was a rebirth.
And now…
He just had to learn how to use it.
Lucian stared at the blue screen floating in front of him.
Still.
Alive.
Real.
He slowly brought his fingers up, hesitating just for a second before tapping on the part that said:
Title: Returned One
The screen pulsed once—then expanded.
[Title: Returned One]
Description: You are a soul out of time. A dead man walking the path twice. The world has changed around you—but you carry memories, pain, and purpose no one else can see.
Effect 1: Timeline Instinct – Instinctively sense key future turning points.
Effect 2: Temporal Echo – You retain 10% passive resistance to time-based abilities.
Effect 3: Broken Fate – You cannot be bound by prophecy, fate, or soul contracts.
Effect 4: ??? – Locked.
Lucian's eyes narrowed. His fingers curled slightly as he read through each line.
"Timeline Instinct… Temporal Echo… Broken Fate…"
He laughed quietly.
"That last one's poetic."
But his smile faded fast.
That wasn't just a fancy description. That meant something. Something big.
He couldn't be predicted. Couldn't be controlled. Not by the System. Not by fate. Not even by the world.
And that meant—
He was free.
But it also meant…
He was alone in it.
Lucian closed the screen, but before he could breathe again—
A soft pulse rolled through the room.
And the System spoke.
[Based on host's soul depth and prior experience, granting initial ability.]
[Ability Generation in progress…]
The blue screen turned deep violet, then started shifting.
Patterns formed. Symbols blinked in and out like collapsing stars. Runes twisted and burned across the interface like etchings across a cosmic veil.
Then—
[Ability Acquired: Spacetime Manipulation]
[Rank: SSS]
[Category: Core-Type Ability]
[Classification: Reality Layer Control]
Lucian's breath caught again.
The screen shimmered and shifted into a detailed breakdown.
[Spacetime Manipulation]
You have unlocked access to the interwoven layers of time and space. Reality bends at your command—not by force, but by structure.
Current Functions Unlocked:
– Fold Step: Instantly blink across short-range distances (up to 50m).
– Temporal Slow: Create a localized time delay field for up to 10 seconds.
– Spatial Lock: Prevent movement or teleportation within a targeted zone.
– Chrono Sense: Perceive events up to 3 seconds into the future (passive).
Note: This is only the beginning.
Evolution paths: Infinite.
Lucian blinked. Twice.
He stood from the bed slowly, his hands shaking just a little—not from fear.
From the weight of it.
He exhaled sharply and opened his palm.
Mana pulsed through his body like something ancient had awakened from sleep. The air around him shimmered faintly—like the room didn't know if it wanted to hold still or breathe.
He raised his hand just slightly—and the air tore.
A black line opened in the middle of space, bending like someone twisted the edge of reality itself.
Lucian stepped forward—and appeared across the room in an instant.
He didn't walk.
He folded.
"…Fold Step," he whispered.
Then reached for the side table, and with a flick of thought—Chrono Sense activated.
Time slowed.
The dust particles floating near the lamp seemed to freeze.
He blinked.
Everything snapped back.
His heart raced, but his breathing was steady now.
This wasn't just overpowered.
It was surgical.
Lucian slowly sat back down on the bed, still letting it all settle.
"Spacetime…"
His fingers curled.
This wasn't like Infinite Replication. That was about cloning, copying, duplicating.
This?
This was about rewriting.
The System didn't just replace what he lost.
It gave him something he never had.
Something beyond replication.
Control.
Of time.
Of space.
Of where things should be—and when.
The Infinite System didn't just want him to survive this time.
It wanted him to reshape it.
Lucian grinned now.
The first real grin he'd worn since coming back.
No limits.
No bindings.
Just infinite tools.
And a world that didn't know what was coming.