The screen didn't go away.
It hovered there like a mosquito you couldn't swat, blinking with a dull red glow. Kael waved his hand through it—nothing. He tried ignoring it, but it kept following his vision like a dead pixel in the middle of his eye.
> [ERROR CLASS DETECTED]
[Beginner Tutorial Initiated.]
[Initializing… Fatal Exception. Retrying.]
"Tch." Kael spat into the mud and leaned back against a rusted-out car. "So even my glitch is glitched."
The crater behind him hissed with steam, the armored body already dissolving into motes of light. Gone, like it had never been there. Just a broken stretch of asphalt and one very confused 17-year-old who'd never passed a gym test in his life.
He stared at his hands.
No electricity. No flames. No glowing runes or demonic eyeballs. Just cold fingers and dirt under his nails.
> [You have gained: Unknown Trait – VOID ECHO (Sealed)]
[Skill: ??? – Locked]
[Status: You shouldn't exist.]
"Well that's comforting," Kael muttered.
He stood, wiping his palms on his soaked jeans. The city around him was waking up—sirens in the distance, the low hum of drones flying toward the disturbance. He didn't have time to stand around waiting for someone in a government jacket to shove him into a van.
So he ran.
Fifteen minutes later, Kael was climbing the fire escape of his busted apartment complex. Fourth floor, no elevator, and one flickering hallway light that made everything look like a horror movie.
He kicked open the door to 4C and collapsed onto the couch. It let out a groan that sounded as tired as he felt.
"You're late," said a voice.
Kael glanced at the kitchen. His roommate, Dren, was sitting on the counter, chewing on uncooked ramen like a psychopath. He was Level 9—Kael had seen the glowing screen once when Dren had been drunk and bragging.
"What happened to you?" Dren asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Fell in a hole."
"You look like you fought a bear."
Kael shrugged. "Worse. I think I'm a bug now."
Dren tossed the ramen aside, suddenly alert. "Wait. Did you awaken?"
Kael didn't answer. He just stared at the cracked ceiling, the glow of the screen still hovering faintly in his peripheral vision.
[You have 1 unread message from: SYSTEM.]
"Kael?" Dren pressed, stepping closer. "Don't mess with me, man. Did you awaken or not?"
Kael closed his eyes. Took a breath.
"Yeah," he said softly. "But I think I broke it."