At exactly 12:00 PM, the sky went dark.
It wasn't gradual. There were no clouds gathering, no warning thunder, no shifting light that hinted at an incoming storm. One moment the afternoon sun shone brightly over the city, reflecting from glass buildings and car windows—then the next moment, it was gone.
Not dimmed.
Gone.
People stopped walking almost at the same time, as if some invisible signal had passed through the crowd. A few laughed nervously, thinking it was some strange eclipse. Others lifted their phones, trying to record what they thought might become a viral moment.
Arin Vale was standing outside a small convenience store, holding a plastic bag filled with instant noodles and bottled water. He looked up slowly, squinting into the unnatural darkness.
"That's… not normal."
The streetlights flickered on automatically, casting a pale yellow glow over the sidewalk. Traffic slowed as drivers leaned forward over their steering wheels, staring upward. Somewhere in the distance, a car horn blared continuously, the driver likely too distracted to move.
For a brief moment, the entire city felt suspended—like a paused video waiting for someone to press play again.
Then the voice came.
It did not echo.
It did not vibrate the air.
It simply appeared inside every human mind at once.
Clear. Calm. Emotionless.
[SYSTEM] Global Initialization Complete
A ripple of confused murmurs spread across the street.
"What was that?"
"Did you hear that too?"
"Is this some kind of broadcast?"
Arin frowned, glancing around. Everyone looked equally confused, equally unsettled. A teenager nearby tapped his ears repeatedly, as if checking whether hidden earbuds had somehow activated on their own.
Before anyone could react further, faint lights began to appear in the air.
At first they looked like reflections—thin lines of glowing blue drifting above people's hands. But within seconds, those lights expanded into rectangular translucent panels floating directly in front of each individual.
Someone gasped loudly. "There's a screen in front of me!"
Another shouted, "Mine says something about evaluation!"
Arin's heart began to beat faster. A faint shimmer formed in front of him as well, gradually shaping into a clear floating window.
Text appeared line by line.
Name: Arin Vale
Age: 19
Rank: —
Status: Evaluating…
He blinked several times, half expecting the display to disappear.
It didn't.
"What kind of augmented reality prank is this…?" he muttered.
Around him, reactions were becoming louder.
"I got Rank D!"
"Mine says Rank C!"
"Wait—someone here has Rank B!"
A man across the street suddenly raised both arms, laughing loudly. "Rank A! I got Rank A!"
A small crowd instinctively stepped back from him, as if the glowing letter above his head had instantly changed his social status.
Arin looked up again.
Nothing floated above him.
No letter. No symbol.
Only the screen in front of his eyes remained, still stuck on Evaluating…
A faint line appeared at the bottom of the panel, forming a loading bar. It filled slowly—10%, 20%, 40%—
Then it froze.
The bar flickered once.
Twice.
The text distorted.
[SYSTEM] Error Detected
Arin stiffened. "Error?"
Before he could think further, a sudden rumbling vibration shook the ground. Several people lost their balance, grabbing nearby poles or walls to steady themselves.
Across the street, the man proudly announcing his Rank A suddenly stopped laughing.
Dark smoke began rising from the pavement beneath his feet, thin strands twisting upward like black chains. He looked down in confusion, trying to step away—but the smoke wrapped around his legs instantly.
"What the—?!"
His shout turned into a scream as the darkness climbed higher, tightening around his torso, his arms, his neck.
Two seconds later, he vanished.
Not fell.
Not exploded.
Vanished—leaving nothing behind except the faint echo of his scream.
Silence crashed over the street.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Then the voice returned.
[SYSTEM] Unauthorized Ranking Detected — Correction Executed
A woman nearby dropped to her knees, shaking. Someone else whispered, "This… this isn't real…"
Arin stared at the empty spot where the man had stood only moments ago. A cold sensation spread slowly through his chest.
"This isn't a test," he thought. "Something is actually happening."
His screen flickered again.
The blue light faded completely, replaced by darkness.
For a brief second, the panel looked blank.
Then new text began to appear—this time not in blue, but in deep black letters outlined with faint silver light.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Hidden Protocol Searching…
Arin's breathing slowed involuntarily.
"Shadow… system?"
A strange feeling settled over him, not quite fear and not quite excitement. It felt closer to the quiet awareness that something irreversible had just begun.
The message changed.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Compatibility Check in Progress
People around him were still shouting, arguing, calling family members, or desperately trying to figure out what had just happened. But Arin barely heard any of it anymore. His attention remained locked on the floating words in front of him.
A soft pulse echoed through his chest.
Once.
Twice.
As if something invisible had just recognized him.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Compatible Host Found
Arin swallowed.
"Host… me?"
A faint breeze passed through the street, stirring loose papers along the pavement. For a moment, the shadows around nearby objects seemed slightly darker than before—longer, sharper, almost alive.
The final message appeared slowly, each word forming with deliberate precision.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] System Override Accepted
Arin felt the strange pulse again, stronger this time.
[SHADOW SYSTEM] Welcome, Unchosen
Somewhere in the distance, another scream echoed through the city.
And without fully understanding why, Arin suddenly had the overwhelming certainty that the world he had known for nineteen years had already ended.