NoHeadphoneGamerz

In a world where the System grants power to the chosen, Kieran Vale was nothing—just another powerless human struggling to survive. But when a catastrophic event awakens his dormant abilities, he gains something far from ordinary.  

[System Initialization… Error.]

[Warning: Core Corrupted.]

Instead of a normal awakening, Kieran’s system is broken, glitching between realities. His body mutates, his bloodline shifts, and his abilities defy logic. Hunted by corporations, secret factions, and monstrous beings, he must navigate a world where strength means everything.  

With his evolving powers and a system that rewrites the rules, Kieran is no longer weak. He is Shadowborn.

But what exactly is he becoming?

Shadowborn: The Glitched System

The walls trembled with a sound no ears could hear—only nerves. Kieran pressed his back to the tunnel, heart pounding in sync with the pulse beneath the stone. The whisper had faded, but something lingered, a presence curled around the edges of his mind like smoke.

[Neural Overlap Stabilized]

[Mental Firewall Engaged: Temporary]

"Elias," he muttered, voice rough, "what the hell is this?"

Elias didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the tunnel ahead, blade half-drawn. "The Abyss is ancient. It remembers everything—every scream, every death, every lie. And now it remembers you."

Elias finally turned. "Real enough to drive people mad. Most don't survive hearing it."

Kieran's hands clenched. "Then why am I still sane?"

A faint smirk. "Who said you are?"

The tunnel opened into a domed chamber, its ceiling pulsing faintly like a throat. In the center stood a stone pillar, carved with runes that shifted when looked at directly.

[System Alert: Foreign Data Imprint Detected]

[New Skill Fragment Detected: Abyssal Resonance (Locked)]

Kieran staggered forward, drawn to the pillar like a moth. His palm hovered just above its surface.

Too late. His fingers brushed the stone.

Suddenly he was standing in a mirror-world—upside down, sideways, wrong. Shadow-versions of himself circled him, each with hollow eyes and broken limbs.

"You seek power… but lack purpose."

"You show mercy… but crave dominance."

"Will you break—or evolve?"

Kieran shouted, "Get out of my head!"

He was back in the chamber, gasping, knees to the ground.

Elias crouched beside him, gaze unreadable. "You touched it. You heard it. Now it knows your shape."

"A question," Elias said. "One that only gets louder from here."

[Abyssal Resonance Skill Unlocked (Passive): Perceive echoes of the Abyss. Caution: Prolonged use may cause identity drift.]

Kieran wiped blood from his nose. "This place… it's not just a prison, is it?"

"No," Elias said. "It's a proving ground. And you just passed the first test."

The Voice Beneath Stone