[Host: Modret Axarel]
[Status: Injured. While unborn, you were poisoned to death. Though you managed to survive, you have been crippled and are currently unable to awaken an ability.]
Modret subconsciously shifted his gaze to the second line of words, and his eyes froze.
"I was poisoned to death while I was still in the womb?" he muttered in disbelief, a deep furrow forming between his brows.
The fairy floating beside him whispered in a soft, melodic voice that seemed to carry the weight of unseen mysteries.
{Based on the setting, you appear to be part of a royal family. This likely involves palace schemes. Either that, or your mother accidentally consumed something harmful, but that seems highly unlikely. If that were the case, the system would have been more direct.}
"Wait, aren't you the system?" Modret asked, exasperated by the fairy's oddly casual speculation. Still, he didn't dwell on the joke. Her words made sense. Perhaps he really had been poisoned before even drawing his first breath.
'And what's this about not being able to awaken an ability? Is this a world where people awaken powers?' Modret's curiosity deepened, though he knew he would need time to understand this strange new reality.
'The important thing now is finding out who tried to poison me... and escaping immediate danger.'
He sighed in frustration. 'To be thrown into an abyssal sage-level world… and nearly die before I could even fight back. This is beyond unfair.'
Dragging his thoughts away from the chaos swirling in his head, he glanced back at the panel and read the remaining lines.
[Ability: Unawakened]
[Bloodline: ???]
[Shadow Fragments: 0/1000]
[Remark: A pitiful soul cast into a terrifying world filled with deception and schemes. The world has abandoned you completely, but the shadows embrace you without question...]
Modret rubbed his nose awkwardly. The system—or fairy—clearly had a sharp tongue and an amusing personality.
{Huh? Of course I have a personality,} the fairy chimed in sweetly, her voice echoing his unspoken thoughts.
Noticing a few faint, gray lines on the glowing panel in front of him, Modret glanced at the fairy for an explanation.
{Those are system abilities that aren't accessible yet. As your strength increases, you'll unlock them naturally,} she said lightly, her wings fluttering gently.
Modret nodded in understanding and refocused on the display.
'I have an unawakened ability? Or does it mean I truly cannot awaken one at all? And what are shadow fragments? How do I gather them?' he asked with rising curiosity.
The fairy fluttered slightly, releasing a fine drizzle of silver starlight that shimmered in the dim air. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Modret's vision blurred.
His tiny body, still fresh from birth, was overwhelmed. The soul of a thirty-year-old man resided within, but his infant mind was too fragile to process such complex thoughts.
Moments passed, and then Modret, for the first time in both lives, drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
…
Time flowed freely like a winding river, and soon, several hours had passed.
Modret awoke to the sound of a soft melody, like a lullaby crafted from moonlight and wind.
"Huh? Where am I?" he murmured internally. In the next moment, all the earlier memories returned like a flood crashing against a dam.
He blinked his eyes open groggily and saw a beautiful woman before him—Anna. The air was thick with the unmistakable scent of soiled cloth, and he quickly realized she was changing his diapers. It seemed his newborn body had a mind of its own.
Modret remained quiet, his eyes half-lidded as he listened to the lullaby his mother hummed. It soothed him. In this moment of tranquility, it felt as though a warm spring breeze was washing away the darkness that had clung to his soul since birth.
A faint smile curved his lips.
Anna chuckled when she saw the small smile blooming on her son's face. Her slender fingers gently poked his cheek.
"Why are you smiling so sweetly like that? You're just too adorable!" she cooed, poking him again with a loving expression.
Orphaned in his previous life and deprived of affection, Modret's heart swelled with a newfound warmth.
'Having parents isn't so bad,' he mused contentedly.
{Finally done reminiscing?}
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the fairy's voice. She floated a few inches away and drifted toward him, her wings leaving behind a glowing trail.
She landed delicately on his nose—apparently her favorite resting place.
'Oh, right. You were about to reply to my question before I passed out,' Modret recalled.
The fairy nodded and continued.
{As written, you were poisoned before birth and are now crippled. You might still awaken an ability naturally, depending on how far this world has progressed in its exploration of the galaxies.}
A wave of despair washed over Modret. If he truly couldn't awaken an ability, did he even stand a chance of surviving in this treacherous world?
The fairy noticed the despair in his eyes and smiled gently.
{You don't have to worry too much about that. That's exactly what the system is for.}
{Once you gather 1000 shadow fragments, you can condense a shadow core and use it to spin the awakening roulette.]
Modret's eyebrows lifted. The concept sounded majestic, but he couldn't fully grasp it.
'By awakening, you mean unlocking an ability, right? But I don't understand how this roulette thing works.'
{Each day, you are granted dozens of shadow fragments at random. These fragments are incomplete and hold pieces of different abilities. When you gather one thousand, they merge into a core, which allows you to spin the roulette and awaken a complete ability.}
"If your luck is strong, you might even get a B-grade ability. And if the stars align… perhaps an SSS-grade forbidden one."
Modret's eyes widened, and he gasped.
If what she said was true, then he wouldn't be limited to just one awakening like everyone else. Instead, he could spin the roulette repeatedly… unlocking ability after ability.
In time, he could amass countless powers. The mere thought sent shivers crawling down his spine.
Saving the gods might not be as difficult as he once feared.
Then again, he wasn't sure he even wanted to save them. With enough strength… perhaps it would be more satisfying to teach Noctis a lesson.
Modret chuckled darkly at the thought. Then he turned to the fairy, his tone sharpening with resolve.
"System, tell me… how do I obtain shadow fragments?"