Kagiruchi drifted in a dream, lying beneath the shade of a lone tree on a quiet shore.
The waves lapped softly against the sand as seabirds wheeled high above him, their silhouettes cutting across the pale sky.
The birds' cries sharpened, multiplying until they pressed against his ears like a thousand shrieks. The noise swelled, unbearable. Kagiruchi clutched his chest, coughing, gasping for air as though the sky itself were collapsing upon him.
With a violent start, he awoke. The warmth of the beach was gone—replaced by a dim, stone room heavy with cold. His body trembled as his mind grasped at nothing. No name, no past, no memory answered him.
From the shadows of the doorway, a boy stood watching. Wide-eyed and silent, he lingered only a heartbeat before spinning on his heel and running into the dark.
A sudden shimmer cut across Kagiruchi's vision. Letters burned into the air before him, cold and mechanical:
Name: Kagiruchi.
Status: All powers locked.
Mission: Unknown
He staggered back, clutching his head. "Huh…? What does that even mean?" His voice echoed against the stone, but no answer came.
In the village hall, the council gathered in hushed alarm. Borex, the broad-shouldered leader, slammed his hand on the table.
"We haven't had another in like what...10 years and now someone just drops down on the same day the system stirs for the first time. I don't like this, none of it."
A Councilor frowned. "It could be coincidence. The missions haven't changed in decades."
"Coincidence?" Borex barked. "Or another planned attack by Meldek and his bunch of marauders. The last Disaster nearly broke us. I won't gamble with another."
By dusk, Kagiruchi was dragged into the chamber, wrists bound. Borex's eyes narrowed on him like a hawk sizing prey.
"Name yourself, outsider."
Kagiruchi shook his head. "I… I don't know who I am. I woke up in that room with nothing, wait I think my name is...Kagi..kagiruchi or something,"
"Lies," Borex snapped. "No one has fallen from the sky without reason." He turned to the guards. "We can't let you go until the truth spills."
"Wait, what? I am telling you the truth,"
The guards seized Kagiruchi. Among them, a younger man—Yin—hesitated, his gaze lingering longer than the others.
"Sir," Yin ventured carefully, "What if he really is tied to the mission…There is already whispers amongst the villagers perhaps we should study him, not break him, we can't afford to make mistakes."
Borex shot him a hard glare. "Tale him back to the hold, You will watch him for now."
The cell was damp, the air heavy with rust and mildew. Yin leaned against the iron bars, arms folded, eyes fixed on the man inside.
"You don't look like much of a spy," he muttered.
Kagiruchi sat on the floor, knees drawn up. "That's because I'm not. I told your chief—I don't remember anything. Not even how I got here."
"You fell from the skies," Yin replied.
"The skies?" Kagiruchi asked.
"You don't remember anything for real do you?..Well that's the entry point for everyone who is put in here, Welcome to the Devil Box - Level 1, Quiet Village,"
"Quiet Village?"
"Not actually quiet, its a stupid name but its the only name borex and the council hasn't totally rejected yet..." Yin paused and snapped his finger.
A Profile Board appeared with his details.
"...My name is Yin, well that's what the system calls me, I am a guard here, when we found you we didn't get any information on you, you have no profile, its why borex is worried, he fears this is all Meldek's tricks," Yin scuffed.
"Meldek, who is that?"
"That would be the Leader of Level Three - Fire Town, He is an Orc, savage brute not so nice, He has been raiding us for quotas for weeks now," Yin sighed.
Kagiruchi snapped his finger and again his profile board appeared.
Name: Kagiruchi.
Status: All powers locked.
Mission: Unknown
Yin looked closely.
"I told you, we tried, you have no profile board,"
Kagiruchi had no explanation yet but somehow he knew. His profile board was his to see alone.
Yin hesitated, then crouched closer. "You really don't know? Devil Castle. Ten levels. Each for specific sets of individuals, No one is supposed to have contact with the other levels, but for sometime now, a lot of things haven't been the way they ought to be,"
Later, over a meager meal pushed through the bars, Yin spoke again, voice low so the guards wouldn't overhear.
"Our village has been failing. The quotas—food, resources, sacrifices—they haven't been met in years. When we failed last time, a nature disaster came. We lost half our manna proceeds."
Kagiruchi's hand tightened around the wooden bowl. "And you think I'm connected to that?"
"I don't know what you are," Yin admitted. "But the system's awake again and that hasn't happened in for decades."
The air in the cell shimmered suddenly, a faint glow only Kagiruchi could see. A line of text scrolled before his eyes:
New Mission for Village: Find the Door. 72hrs Till Disaster
Almost instantly, another prompt followed, directed only at him:
Name: Kagiruchi.
Power: Dominion's Rule Unlocked
Level: 1 (Vortex Fist)
Mission: Find The Key
Countdown: 72hrs Till Disaster
Master Board Control Activated!!!
Kagiruchi's pulse quickened. He looked at Yin, voice barely above a whisper.
"It's started."
The glowing words lingered in Kagiruchi's vision, burning into his thoughts. Find the Key. Countdown: 72 hours.
He gripped the bars. "Yin… I've been given a task. Not the one the village saw—something else. A key."
Yin's eyes widened. "Another mission? Only you can see it?"
"Yes," Kagiruchi said firmly. "I need to find a key, if I don't act, something worse will happen. I can feel it."
Yin glanced down the corridor to be sure no one was listening. "I will have to report to Borex, this changes everything, I must go now,"
Yin took his leave immediately.
Kagiruchi thought about his mission and there it appeared again.
Name: Kagiruchi.
Power: Dominion's Rule Unlocked
Level: 1 (Vortex Fist)
Mission: Find The Key
Countdown: 72hrs Till Disaster
"Vortex Fist,huh?" He whispered.
The profile board read automatically.
"Vortex Fists, Level 1 of 10
Description: A combat ability that allows the user to compress and manipulate air pressure around fists and legs.
Effects:
Normal attacks gain multiplied weight and destructive pressure."
"You can talk..Who are you..What are you?" Kagiruchi asked.
System: "Affirmative. Communication protocols active. If verbal interaction is undesired, input command: [Silence]. Master Kagiruchi, designation
'Architect's Hand,' function: to guide and optimize your mission parameters."
"My mission? The key?"
System: "Confirmed. Objective priority: locate and secure [Master Key]. Mission progress is currently at 0%."
"Oh great, yeah, any idea how I came here, where am I from?"
System: "Data request denied. Origin records: [LOCKED]. Access restricted until further clearance."
The next morning, Kagiruchi is led back to the council hall.
He could see all their profile boards, the same mission. Some farmers, warriors, blacksmiths, Borex was Village Head.
"You have something to say, say it now," Borex said.
"Listen, I am looking for a key," kagiruchi said.
"Key? What type of key and what does it do?" Borex asked.
"Good question, I dont know but hear me out, I think it has to do with your mission, a key and a door, I think we are supposed to work together, and if you would let me, maybe We can both figure this out,"
"A key, you say?!" Borex thought about it.