The sky above Lower Virdane Manor looked like spilled ink on a gray canvas.
No sun. No color. Just clouds that seemed too depressed to move.
Planet Myrevalis was known for its "endless fog"—a poetic way of saying "nature gave up here."
Kael Virdane, ninth son of House Virdane, stood alone on a crumbling balcony, wearing a faded cloak that once belonged to a brother who was (allegedly) dead.
He sighed.
> "I woke up today. Still alive.
The world: still unimpressed."
As always, he opened his status window, not because he expected anything to change—but because he had a bad habit of checking for disappointment.
[Status]
Name: Kael Virdane
Level: 1
Class: Undecided
Physical State: Normal (lazy)
Skill: [Instinctive Caution Lv.2]
Mood: 63% pessimistic
Reputation: "Oh, he's still around?"
His only skill?
It manifested when he almost got eaten by a sand worm while napping at age five.
Helpful in combat? Not really.
Helpful for sensing overly dramatic doors about to slam? Absolutely.
> "If a door creaks, I know someone's about to insult me."
---
Inside the manor: shouting. Then glass breaking.
Maybe a party. Maybe a duel.
Maybe a party that turned into a duel. Again.
Kael wasn't invited. Never was. Didn't care.
Then: soft footsteps. A familiar voice.
"Kael."
Meliora, fifth sibling. One of the rare few who treated him like a person, not a potted plant.
She approached with a bowl of soup and the tired patience of a sister who's given up on motivational speeches.
> "You haven't eaten?" she asked.
Kael:
> "I'm considering becoming part of this balcony.
Like... spiritually."
Meliora sat beside him, sighing. "If you keep doing this, you'll never get a class."
Kael looked up. "Perfect. I'll become nothing. The world will rejoice."
"And what about us?" her voice softened. "Those who care about you?"
Kael said nothing. But his fingers closed around the old ring he always wore.
Vaerin's ring.
The eldest. The strongest. The kindest.
The one "dead" in a family accident filled with more politics than sense.
> "He's not dead," Kael whispered.
Meliora's eyes shimmered. "I hope you're right."
---
That day, something felt... off.
The air heavier.
The soup saltier—maybe due to actual salt. Or tears.
And then, in his head:
> [Notice: New class available.]
[Requirement: Refuse one fate.]
Kael froze.
Fate?
Refuse?
> "What kind of cosmic nonsense is this now...?"
---
Far away, in a dimension not his own, Vaerin Virdane opened his eyes.
Bleeding. Broken. But alive.
And he remembered only one thing:
> Kael is being watched.