I woke up at 2:47 AM drenched in sweat, my heart hammering against my ribs.
The dream was already fading, but fragments remained. Chasing someone through dark streets. The smell of copper. My hands slick with something warm. And underneath it all, a feeling of satisfaction so intense it made me sick.
I stumbled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, avoiding my reflection in the mirror. When I finally looked up, I barely recognized myself. Same face, but my eyes looked different. Darker somehow. Or maybe that was just my imagination.
A notification blinked in the corner of my vision. I'd been ignoring it since I woke up.
[New Passive Skill Developed: Killer's Dream]
[Effect: Your subconscious mind processes murder scenarios during sleep, improving your instinctive understanding of human vulnerabilities. Vivid dreams may occur.]
[Note: This skill develops automatically and cannot be disabled.]
Of course it couldn't be disabled. The System wasn't going to make this easy.
I checked my phone. Jake had sent three messages after midnight, all variations of "you awake?" followed by links to Class optimization guides he'd found. Sarah had posted another enchantment stream. Tyler had shared a video of himself doing pushups with the caption "Day 1 grind never stops."
Normal people living their normal Awakened lives while I developed skills for becoming a better murderer in my sleep.
I tried to go back to bed but gave up after an hour of staring at the ceiling. Instead, I grabbed the journal from under my mattress and flipped to a new page.
Day 2. Can't sleep. The System gave me a new skill—makes me dream about killing people. Like it's trying to normalize it. Make it feel natural.
Meeting with Director Han in— I checked the time —11 hours. Not sure what to expect. Part of me wants answers. Part of me wants to run.
But where would I run to? The quest timer doesn't care if I'm home or halfway across the world.
I wrote for another twenty minutes, just stream of consciousness rambling, until my hand cramped. Then I hid the journal again and tried to pretend I was a normal eighteen-year-old who'd just Awakened and had his whole life ahead of him.
Breakfast was quieter than dinner had been. Dad had already left for work, and Mom was distracted by some work emails. I grabbed a bowl of cereal and scrolled through my phone, half-watching a news segment about a dungeon outbreak in Seattle.
"...three casualties before high-level Awakened could respond," the anchor was saying. "This marks the fifth outbreak in major metropolitan areas this month. Experts say the System may be escalating dungeon difficulty to match the growing number of combat-Class Awakened."
Mom glanced up from her tablet. "You're not planning to rush into any dungeons right away, are you? I know your friends are excited, but those things are dangerous."
"Wasn't planning on it," I said honestly. The last thing I needed was to risk my life fighting monsters when I had a human kill quota to meet.
The thought made my cereal taste like cardboard.
"Good. There's no rush. You have your whole life to level up." She smiled at me, then went back to her emails.
If only she knew how little time I might actually have.
I finished breakfast in silence, then headed upstairs to get ready. The meeting with Han wasn't until 3 PM, but I couldn't just sit around the house all day. I needed to do something normal. Something that reminded me I was still human.
I texted Jake: Want to hit the gym? Need to test these new stats.
His response came back immediately: HELL YES. Picking you up in 20.
The gym was one of those new System-integrated facilities that had popped up everywhere after the Awakening became common. Half of it was normal workout equipment, but the other half had specialized training rooms for different Class types. Mages had casting ranges. Warriors had combat dummies that could take enhanced hits. Rogues had obstacle courses designed to improve stealth and agility.
Jake pulled up in his mom's Honda, still grinning like he'd won the lottery. "Dude, I barely slept. I kept practicing my flame control. Want to see?"
He held out his hand and a small fireball appeared, hovering above his palm. It was about the size of a golf ball, flickering between orange and blue.
"That's pretty cool," I admitted.
"Right? The System said my control is already above average for Level 1. I'm thinking about specializing in precision casting rather than raw power." He made the fireball spiral upward, leaving a trail of sparks. "How about you? Figure out your build yet?"
Build. Right. Like I was playing a video game instead of being forced into a class that required murder.
"Still exploring my options," I said.
The gym was packed with newly Awakened people, all eager to test their enhanced bodies. The Strength training area was loud with the clang of weights that would've been impossible to lift a week ago. The agility course had a line of Rogues, Scouts, and Rangers waiting their turn.
Jake headed for the casting range while I made my way to the general fitness area. Might as well see what my stats actually meant in practical terms.
I started with a treadmill, setting it to a light jog. My Agility was 12, which should translate to better coordination and faster reflexes than baseline human. Within minutes, I could feel the difference. My stride was smoother, my breathing more controlled. I cranked up the speed until I was sprinting, and I still felt like I could go faster.
A notification popped up.
[Skill: Hunter's Patience is active]
[Stacks: 0]
[Note: This skill activates when observing potential targets. Current environment has no valid targets.]
I nearly fell off the treadmill. The skill had tried to activate automatically, scanning the gym for "potential targets." People working out. People minding their own business. And my Class skill wanted to categorize them as prey.
I slammed the emergency stop button and stepped off, my hands shaking.
"You good, man?" A guy on the next treadmill—looked like a Warrior based on his build—gave me a concerned look.
"Yeah, just pushed too hard. Still getting used to the new stats."
He nodded sympathetically. "First couple days are weird. Your brain hasn't caught up to what your body can do now. Give it time."
If only that was my only problem.
I moved to the weights, trying to focus on something that wouldn't trigger my Class skills. Strength training was simple. Mechanical. No analyzing people, no threat assessments, just lifting heavy things.
My base Strength was only 8, which was slightly below average, but even that felt significant compared to my pre-Awakening body. I could bench press my own body weight without too much strain. Six months ago, I'd struggled with half that.
I worked through a basic routine, trying to lose myself in the physical exertion. It almost worked. For twenty minutes, I was just a guy at the gym, testing his new capabilities, nothing sinister about it.
Then I noticed someone watching me.
She was maybe mid-twenties, athletic build, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She'd been on the rowing machine across the room, but now she was standing near the water fountain, openly staring.
Predator's Eye activated before I could stop it.
[Unknown Female - Level ??]
[Threat Assessment: EXTREME]
[Warning: Target power level significantly exceeds user. Engagement not recommended.]
[Emotional State: Suspicious, Alert]
[Weakness: Unable to assess - level difference too great]
My blood went cold.
She was high-level. Way higher than me. And she was watching me like I was suspicious.
Did she know? Could high-level Awakened somehow sense what Class someone had?
I forced myself to stay calm, to finish my set like nothing was wrong. When I set down the weights and grabbed my water bottle, I made sure not to look in her direction.
But I could feel her eyes on me. Tracking my movements.
I texted Jake: Not feeling great. Going to head out early. See you later.
His response: Want me to drive you? I can leave.
Nah, I'll catch the bus. Have fun with the fire.
I grabbed my bag from the locker and headed for the exit, walking at a normal pace. Not too fast, not too slow. Just a guy leaving the gym early because he wasn't feeling well.
The woman didn't follow me. At least, not that I could see.
I made it to the bus stop and collapsed onto the bench, my heart racing. Was I being paranoid? Maybe she'd just been people-watching. Maybe I was reading too much into it.
Or maybe she was someone like Director Han. Someone who knew about Forbidden Classes. Someone who hunted them.
The bus arrived ten minutes later. I rode it aimlessly for a while, getting off at random stops, checking to see if anyone was following. Probably overkill, but better paranoid than dead.
By the time I felt safe enough to head to Café Noir, it was 2:45 PM.
The café was a small, upscale place tucked between a bookstore and an art gallery. The kind of place that served twelve-dollar lattes and played smooth jazz in the background. Not somewhere I'd normally hang out.
Director Han was already there, sitting in a corner booth with a clear view of both entrances. He looked exactly the same as yesterday—rumpled suit, tired eyes, the bearing of someone who'd seen too much.
He gestured to the seat across from him. "Marcus. You're early. That's good."
I slid into the booth, my backpack clutched in my lap like a shield. "What is this place?"
"Neutral ground. The owner is Awakened—a Level 42 Peacekeeper. She maintains a zone of enforced non-violence within a hundred yards of this building. No one can use hostile skills here. Makes it ideal for... difficult conversations."
That explained why he'd chosen it. If I freaked out or if he turned out to be a threat, neither of us could do anything violent.
A waitress appeared—an older woman with kind eyes and an apron that said "Coffee is my Class skill." She took our orders (black coffee for Han, hot chocolate for me because I needed the comfort), then left us alone.
"So," Han said once she was gone. "Have you given any thought to what we discussed yesterday?"
"You mean who I'm going to murder?" I kept my voice low, even though the nearest other customers were three tables away.
"I mean," he corrected gently, "who you're going to target for your first mandatory elimination. Word choice matters, Marcus. You're not a killer yet. You're someone in an impossible situation trying to make the least bad choice."
"Sounds like a distinction without a difference."
"It's not." He leaned forward, his expression serious. "The Serial Killers who go full psychopath are the ones who stop seeing their actions as wrong. Who embrace what they are. You need to hold onto your humanity for as long as possible."
"Even while committing murder."
"Especially while committing murder."
The waitress returned with our drinks. We waited in silence until she left again.
Han pulled out a tablet and slid it across the table. On the screen was a dossier. Photo, name, criminal record.
[Raymond "Ray" Booker]
[Age: 34]
[Status: Awakened - Level 8 Thug]
[Criminal Record: Armed robbery (3 counts), Assault with deadly weapon (7 counts), Suspected in 2 murders (insufficient evidence)]
[Current Status: Released on parole, known to be continuing criminal activity]
I stared at the photo. Raymond Booker looked exactly like you'd expect—dead eyes, prison tattoos, the kind of face that had seen violence and dealt it out in equal measure.
"He's garbage," Han said flatly. "Career criminal, violent, unrepentant. He's currently running protection rackets in the Warehouse District, extorting small business owners. Three weeks ago, he put a shopkeeper in the hospital for being two days late on a payment."
I scrolled through the dossier. More photos. More charges. A whole life of making the world worse.
"Why isn't he in jail?"
"Overcrowded prisons. Overworked justice system. His lawyer got his last sentence reduced, and he was released early for good behavior." Han's expression was bitter. "He'll reoffend. It's just a matter of time."
"So you want me to kill him."
"I want you to consider him as a possibility. He's not the only option." Han swiped to another file. Another face. Another list of crimes.
And another.
And another.
Five names total. All criminals. All people who probably deserved to die, if anyone deserved death.
"These are your options?" I asked.
"These are the people in this city who meet three criteria: provably evil, unlikely to reform, and operating outside the law's reach." Han pulled the tablet back. "You can choose one of them, or you can find your own target. But Marcus—"
He looked me dead in the eye.
"—whoever you choose, make it count. Make it matter. Because the moment you take that first life, you can never go back to who you were. All you can do is try to stay who you want to become."
The weight of his words settled over me like a funeral shroud.
Twenty-eight days.
I had twenty-eight days to decide who deserved to die.
And to become the kind of person who could make that decision.
[Quest Timer: 28 days, 11 hours, 22 minutes remaining]
To be continued...