The first thing he felt was weight.
Not on his body—but on his mind.
As if something vast had settled inside his skull and was quietly observing everything he was.
Blue light filled his vision.
[System Boot Sequence Complete]
[User Consciousness: Stable]
[Motor Functions: Disabled]
He tried to speak.
No sound came out.
Panic rose—but the system reacted before it could consume him.
[Emotional Spike Detected]
[Stabilization Protocol Activated]
The fear dulled instantly, pressed down like a hand smoothing rough water. He was still afraid—but it no longer controlled him.
His eyes moved.
That was when he saw it.
Blood.
The underground lab was a mess—broken equipment, scorched walls, the sharp metallic scent in the air. And lying near the sealed door…
His father.
"No…" he tried to say.
Nothing.
His vision blurred.
The system flickered, then new text appeared—slower, heavier.
[Vital Signs: Deceased]
[Identity: Primary Guardian]
Something in his chest broke.
Memories surged back—his father's tired smiles, his hands guiding wires, his voice telling him stories about a better Ethereal. A world where power didn't decide worth.
The system paused.
As if… waiting.
[Grief Detected]
[Query: Proceed with Manual Control Rewrite?]
A small icon pulsed.
YES / NO
He didn't know what it meant.
Didn't care.
I want to move.
The thought wasn't spoken—but the system heard it.
[Command Accepted]
Pain exploded.
Not physical pain—something deeper. Like invisible chains snapping one by one inside his spine. Data flooded his brain, rewriting pathways electricity had once burned away.
[Motor Pathway Reconstruction: 12%]
[Warning: Neural Stress High]
His fingers twitched.
Just barely.
Tears streamed down his face.
Again.
[Motor Pathway Reconstruction: 25%]
His hand curled.
The system adjusted instantly.
[Optimization Detected]
[Learning Rate Increased]
So this was how it worked.
Not miracles.
Adaptation.
His gaze drifted back to his father's body.
The regret in those lifeless eyes burned itself into him.
[New Objective Generated]
The words appeared slowly, deliberately.
FIRST SYSTEM DIRECTIVE
Stand.
Survive.
Remember.
A final message blinked into existence—one his father had never seen.
[Cyborg Level-Up System Initialized]
[Tier 1: Initialization Phase Unlocked]
Beneath the tiny house.
In a broken world called Ethereal.
A paralyzed boy clenched his fist for the first time since the accident—
And the system began to grow with him.