Russ Talen hated birthdays. Especially his own.
While other 16-year-olds were celebrating with cake or system upgrades, Russ was running through the rain-soaked alleyways of New Lumen City with two drones on his tail and a dead bounty hunter slumped over his shoulder.
"Russ Talen," the drone's metallic voice echoed behind him, "surrender the corpse and submit for identity verification."
"Hard pass!" he shouted, leaping off a dumpster and grabbing a loose fire escape ladder. The weight of the corpse made the climb awkward, but he gritted his teeth and hauled himself up.
He didn't even know the guy's name. The bounty hunter had ambushed him outside the Academy dorms, whispered "Heir of the Void…" and then collapsed—chest shredded by black claws that disappeared before Russ could react.
Now, authorities thought he killed him. Classic.
Russ reached the rooftop and dumped the body. "Sorry, friend. I need answers, not jail time."
The drones ascended after him. Before they could fire, a shadow flickered across the sky, and both machines were sliced in half by a blur of claws and violet light.
A girl landed next to him, dark cloak billowing.
"Minny," he groaned. "Of course."
His sister looked irritated. "You promised you'd stay low. This is low?"
"I didn't kill him. He—he knew me."
Minny's eyes narrowed as she knelt beside the corpse. "No ID. No system imprint. Looks like a Pure remnant."
Russ blinked. "Pure faction? That ancient extremist group? I thought Dad—"
"Killed their leaders, yeah. But remnants always crawl out of the cracks."
Russ's head was spinning. He looked at the bounty hunter's chest again. Something shimmered beneath the blood. A glyph. Circular, with seven fangs pointing inward.
He leaned closer.
Bad idea.
The glyph flared with red light. A burning pain seared across Russ's chest, and he screamed, falling backward. The pain wasn't just physical—it was like something was being rewritten deep inside him.
Minny rushed to him. "Russ! What the hell did you touch?!"
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and a voice echoed in his mind—calm, ancient, and impossibly cold.
> [LEGACY SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]
User: RUSS TALEN
Designation: Heir of the Void
Sync Rate: 0.04%
Warning: Bloodline not yet stabilized. Initiating Trial Phase.
The message vanished, replaced by a surge of images—his father wielding shadow and celestial power, destroying gods, sealing void creatures, standing alone atop a battlefield soaked in blood.
And then… darkness.
When Russ opened his eyes, he was on his back, Minny hovering over him, fangs half-extended in panic.
"What the hell just happened?" she demanded.
Russ's voice was hoarse. "I think I just inherited Dad's enemies."
She stepped back. "Russ… your eyes."
He sat up, dazed. A nearby puddle reflected his face—normal… except for the glowing symbol burning faintly on his forehead. The same glyph as the corpse's.
"I didn't want any of this," he muttered. "I just wanted a quiet life."
Minny sighed. "You're a Talen. Quiet lives don't run in our blood."
From the shadows beyond the rooftop, a new presence stirred—watching. Cloaked in rags, its voice slithered into the wind.
"The heir has awakened… and the seal is weakening."