Chapter 1
The bell over the door of the Aethelred Bookshop gave a soft, tired ring. Leo wiped the spotless counter with slow, steady motions. Outside, rain blurred the neon lights. It felt like any other Tuesday.
Mr. Aethelred stepped out from the back, glasses low on his nose. He set a small, flat package wrapped in brown paper on the counter. A thin string held it closed.
"For you, Leo," he said, his voice dry and quiet.
Leo paused. "For me, sir?"
"It's your birthday, is it not? Eighteen. A significant number." Mr. Aethelred pushed the package toward him. "Don't look so surprised. An employer notices these things."
"You didn't need to," Leo said, though he was already undoing the twine. The package felt almost weightless. He peeled back the paper.
Inside was a book. It had no title. The cover was made of smooth leather that felt cool, almost like stone. The pages had a soft silver edge.
"It's a journal," Mr. Aethelred said. "For whatever you hope to do."
Leo touched the blank cover. "Thank you, sir. It's… nice."
"Nice," Mr. Aethelred echoed with a faint smile. Then he slipped back into the dim shelves.
At the end of his shift, Leo put the journal into his worn satchel. The rain had eased to a light drizzle. He walked home along his usual path. His small apartment sat on the fourth floor of a building that always smelled like old carpet and someone else's cooking. He tossed his bag on the table and went to the fridge.
Later, after a meager dinner, he took out the journal. The lamp made the silver edges glow. He opened it. The first page was blank. So was every page.
He grabbed a pen and wrote on the top line.
I wish I wasn't so tired.
The ink sank into the page. He stared at the words. Then they began to fade—not smear, but vanish, like the paper was drinking them in.
New text appeared in neat, sharp handwriting he didn't recognize.
Query acknowledged. Initiating Weight Assessment.
Leo pushed his chair back, heart pounding. The words stayed on the page.
Strange symbols formed: circles and shapes that moved as he watched. They glowed with a soft blue light that brushed across his hands. The air grew heavy, as if charged.
Another line appeared.
Weight of Existence: Calculated. Mass: 72.1 kg
Potential: 0.8 Standard Units
Karmic Debt: 14,322 Units
Designation: Mortal, Class G (Bound)
Leo's pulse thudded in his ears. This had to be stress or lack of sleep. He blinked hard, but the glowing diagrams stayed.
"Karmic Debt?" he said. "What does that even mean?"
More text flowed onto the page.
Karmic Debt reflects the burden from past lives, misfortune, and the strain of existence. Your current Potential is too low for basic ascension.
Leo felt dizzy. He tapped the page with his pen, but it met a firm surface, like glass.
"Is this a joke? Did Liam from shipping plan this?"
The book didn't respond. The diagrams faded, leaving only the blunt assessment.
Designation: Mortal, Class G (Bound)
He shut the book hard and shoved it into the bottom drawer of his desk, behind old textbooks. He tried to sleep, but he stayed awake, staring at the ceiling as the words Bound and Karmic Debt echoed in his mind.
----
The next morning, the journal was in his bag.
Leo didn't remember putting it there. He'd shoved it in the desk drawer. He was sure of it. Yet when he opened his bag to get his lunch, there it was, lying on top of his thermos.
He spent the whole day at the bookshop on edge. Every sound—the turn of a page, the creak of the floor—made him jump. Around noon, Mr. Aethelred gave him a long look but said nothing.
That night, Leo set the journal on his kitchen table and sat across from it.
"Okay," he said. "What are you?"
He opened the cover. The assessment was still there. He flipped the page. It was blank. He picked up his pen and wrote:
How do I get rid of this Karmic Debt?
The ink faded. A reply formed at once.
Karmic Debt is reduced by spending Potential. Potential is earned by completing Trials and absorbing ambient existential mass.
Leo frowned. It read like a strange rulebook.
What's a Trial?
A Trial is an event meant to test you and help you grow. A minor Trial is available. Go to 5th and Mercer in 17 minutes.
He checked the clock. 9:43 PM. The intersection was two blocks away and usually quiet at night.
"No," he said. "This is ridiculous."
He tried making tea. He tried watching a movie on his laptop. But his eyes kept drifting back to the journal. It could be nothing. Something small. Something safe.
At 9:57, he put on his jacket and stepped outside. He told himself he was only taking a walk to clear his head.
He reached the corner at exactly 10:00. The street was empty and wet from earlier rain. A lone car sat down Mercer with its inside light on. Leo waited under the streetlamp, feeling silly.
Then he heard a low growl from the alley next to the closed bakery. It wasn't an animal. The sound felt wrong, like it scraped against his senses.
A shape moved in the darkness. Humanoid, but made of shifting shadows that swallowed the light. It had no face, only a darker patch where a head should be. A dim white orb lay on the ground in front of it, flickering.
The journal in his bag grew warm.
Words flashed in his mind. Minor Abyssal Echo. It is feeding on leftover soul-energy. Stopping it will earn Potential.
"With what?" Leo whispered.
The creature turned toward him, its growl rising. Leo froze. He saw the little orb of light flicker, growing dimmer.
He stepped forward without thinking. "Hey!"
The creature straightened, towering over him. plunging him into deeper shadow. A cold washed over him—a cold that felt empty, not physical.
Direct engagement is not advised. Your Potential is too low, the journal warned.
The Echo surged toward him. Leo raised his arms. With no other idea, he swung his satchel.
The journal struck the creature.
There was no real impact. Instead, the Echo unraveled into smoke, which was pulled straight into the journal's cover. The cold vanished. The streetlamp flickered back on.
Leo stood shaking. The alley looked empty now. The small orb of light floated free, drifted toward him, hovered near his chest, then dissolved into sparks that sank into his skin. A gentle heat spread through him, clearing his mind and easing the day's exhaustion.
He pulled the journal from his bag. New text appeared.
Trial Complete. Abyssal Echo absorbed.
Potential gained: 1.1 units.
Karmic Debt: 14,320.98 units.
It wasn't much, but it had gone down. And he had gained something.
He looked at the alley, then at the journal.
He had taken his first step.