Elric threw his phone to the edge of the bed that night, laughing to himself at how weird it all was. A Bible app? He thought it was just some glitch. Maybe his fingers slipped. Maybe it was just some random download that would disappear tomorrow.
He buried his head into his pillow, headphones still blaring music. In his mind, flashes of wild parties played like music videos. He saw Mabel's daring smirk, the boys yelling over each other, and himself at the center of it all, laughing and feeling like a king of his little world.
Eventually, he drifted off to sleep. But sleep didn't bring rest.
That night, he found himself standing alone in a long hallway. The walls were smooth and endless, stretching far beyond what his eyes could see. Dim lanterns hung above, giving off a dull glow. Every few steps, the lights flickered as if they were struggling to stay alive.
At the very end of the hallway, a huge door waited. It was tall, ancient-looking, with strange symbols that seemed to move like they were alive. A heavy energy pressed on Elric's chest, making it hard to breathe.
Then he heard a voice. It was deep and calm, but somehow it felt like it was everywhere at once.
"Elric Thorn, your soul has been measured."
Elric's heart pounded. He tried to move his feet, but they felt like they were glued to the floor. He opened his mouth to call out, but no sound came.
The door began to open slowly. Light spilled out, almost blinding him. Suddenly, images shot through his mind one after another. He saw himself laughing after cheating on tests, tossing paper balls at teachers, sneaking out of classrooms with Delvin. He saw himself at wild parties, his face lit up by neon lights, Mabel's hand on his cheek, his own grin wide and careless.
Then everything went black.
Elric was no longer in the hallway. He was floating in a huge empty space, white and endless. In front of him, a small screen appeared, glowing softly.
It read:
Sin Points: [9,876. ]
Virtue Points: [24. ]
Rank: Sinner - [Level 1 ]
Elric felt like he was going to faint. He lifted his hand to swipe it away, but it followed him wherever he moved.
A new voice spoke, quieter but closer.
"From now on, every choice will shape your score. Every act, every word, every thought. Sin will weigh you down. Righteousness will lift you up."
Elric fell to his knees. He felt his entire body shiver.
In that moment, he woke up, gasping for air. His shirt was soaked in sweat. His heart felt like it would break out of his chest.
He turned to the side and saw his phone glowing faintly.
The Bible app was open on its own.
A message blinked at him slowly, each word feeling heavier than the last.
"Welcome, Elric. Your Sin Slayer System has been activated."
Elric's hands shook as he reached for the phone. He tried to delete the app, tapping again and again, but it didn't work. No matter what he pressed, it stayed.
The next day at school, everything felt different. He couldn't look at his friends the same way. When Verde cracked a joke about stealing from the cafeteria, Elric's eyes immediately flicked to an invisible screen that seemed to hover in his mind. When Josiah teased a teacher to her face, Elric felt a sharp stab of guilt shoot through him, as if he had been the one who did it.
It didn't stop there.
When he cursed under his breath, the counter ticked up. When he told a small lie to get out of trouble, it spiked higher. But when he picked up someone's fallen books and handed them back, a tiny spark appeared on the virtue side. Just one point. But it was something.
The world around him started to feel unreal.
Sometimes he would catch strangers staring at him, their eyes blank and cold. Shadows seemed to move at the edge of his vision. Late at night, he would hear his name being called faintly, but when he turned around, no one was there.
His friends noticed the change.
"Yo, Elric, why so quiet these days?" Josiah asked, slapping his back in the hallway. "You look like you just saw a ghost!"
Elric forced a laugh, but inside, he felt like he was crumbling.
He wanted to tell them, to explain how every single thing he did now had a price. How every joke, every lie, every touch, every secret thought was no longer just a part of growing up but a point on a score that only he could see.
But he couldn't.
He didn't know if they would believe him. Or worse… what if they did?
Every day felt heavier. Every small action felt like a step either up or down a giant staircase he didn't even know he was on before.
And for the first time in his life, Elric started to see the true weight of his choices.
It scared him more than any punishment at school, more than any fight, more than any angry parent.
This wasn't detention.
This wasn't a scolding.
This was something bigger. Something cosmic.
Now, every moment was a test. Every heartbeat, a chance to rise or fall.
And deep inside, he knew…
There was no going back to the boy he used to be.