Archive
Kael found himself drifting in a void.
There was no sound, no sensation.
Just endless darkness stretching infinitely in all directions.
He turned slowly, trying to find anything solid around him, but there was nothing.
No up, no down, no anything.
Just silence.
And strangely… it didn't seem to bother him.
A part of him found the emptiness comforting.
He closed his eyes and surrendered to it.
Time lost all meaning. Minutes? Hours? Days?
There was no way to know. He simply... drifted.
Until something changed.
A single point of golden light appeared in the distance, small, barely noticeable.
It pulsed with an intense glow.
And as time went on, it grew.
The light flared brighter and brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat. It wasn't just light; it was something older, deeper.
Something familiar he couldn't name.
It called to him. Pulled him in.
He drifted toward it, helpless, weightless, until the light swallowed him whole.
And then...
Thud.
He felt softness beneath him.
His bed.
Kael blinked at the ceiling. 'When did I fall asleep?'
He slowly sat up, only to suddenly hear a soft chime echo in his head.
Ding.
A golden screen flickered to life in the air beside him.
The runes pulsed, briefly glitching before stabilizing.
...
[Archive synchronization complete.]
[Would you like to view your Status Window?]
[Yes] [No]
...
Kael blinked. 'Oh. Finally.'
He immediately selected [Yes].
...
[Status Window]
Name: Kael Darven
Race: Human
Age: 17
Level: 0
Archive Credits: 1
Class: None
Rank: Unassigned
Attributes:
Intelligence: 30
Strength: 37
Agility: 29
Stamina: 7
Health: 31
Mana: 2
Luck: 10 (MAX)
Skills: None
Titles: None
...
Kael studied every detail on the screen intently, not missing anything.
Everything seemed pretty basic, there didn't appear to be anything particularly special about it.
He had no idea what was considered standard in this world.
Now that he thought about it, he knew almost nothing about this world.
'I really need to do some research.'
Before he could dig deeper, another window blinked open.
...
[You have fulfilled the requirements to become a Novice Sigil.]
[Would you like to advance?]
[Yes] [No]
...
Still not entirely understanding what was going on, he selected [Yes].
...
[Congratulations! You have completed your first trial and earned the privilege of Class Awakening.]
[Choose your path.]
[Mage] [Knight]
...
Kael blinked. 'Wait, I get to pick? Then maybe...'
Before he could even process the options, the screen flickered violently.
...
[Warning! Changes are being forced upon your records by an unknown force.]
[Congratulations. The path of Knighthood has been forced upon you.]
...
"…"
'Excuse me?'
...
[Class Assigned: Knight]
[You have ascended to Novice Sigil.]
[All stats except 'Mana' have increased by +10.]
[Mana reduced by -2.]
[Status Updated.]
[Updated Status]
Name: Kael Darven
Race: Human
Age: 17
Level: 1
Archive Credits: 1
Class: Knight
Rank: Novice Sigil
Attributes:
Intelligence: 40
Strength: 47
Agility: 39
Stamina: 17
Health: 41
Mana: 0
Luck: 10 (MAX)
Traits (New): Unknown
Skills: None
Titles: None
Weapon Mastery:
Sword: 0%
Spear: 0%
Bow: 0%
Gauntlet: 0%
???: 0%
Tasks:
- Gain admission to Obsidian Fang Academy - Incomplete.
- ???
...
Kael stared at the screen blankly for a while.
There was a lot to take in.
But his eyes locked onto one stat in particular.
Mana: 0
His lips twitched. "...Minus two? How's that even possible? How does someone rank up but their stat drops?"
He wasn't sure what the average mana was for a Knight, but something told him that starting with a mana debt wasn't exactly standard.
"Great. I'm the only guy in history to owe magic."
******
Kael spent the next hour trying to understand the system.
He flipped through every window and poked at every option.
But he didn't learn much, there were still many terms he knew almost nothing about.
But one thing did stand out, the daily task was gone. That, at least, felt like a win.
Theo returned not long after.
He stepped into the room quietly, his sharp eyes scanning Kael, who was still sitting on the bed, unusually deep in thought.
A flicker of something passed through his gaze.
'Interesting.'
He walked over to his desk and sat down quietly.
"So," he said calmly, "I assume you've thought about what I said."
Kael met his eyes, then offered a slight, almost imperceptible smile.
"Maybe."
"And?"
But Kael didn't answer.
Instead, he leaned forward slightly, his gaze steady. "Before I go any further, I want to ask you something."
Theo tilted his head, a subtle sign he was listening.
"You said it yourself, you're not this nice to everyone. So what exactly do you want from me?"
Theo, looking unfazed, replied. "You don't need to worry about that yet. You'll find out when it's time."
Kael held his gaze. "And what if our goals don't align?"
Theo's expression didn't shift. "Hm," he muttered, almost to himself. "Something about you has changed."
Kael leaned back slightly, arms behind his head, a faint, almost mischievous curve to his lips.
"Really? And what might that be?"
Theo didn't answer, he just watched him for a few seconds more.
Then he smiled. "You don't need to worry about our goals aligning," he said quietly, his voice a low hum. "I've got a feeling we'll always be on the same side of the door."
Kael didn't reply immediately.
Their eyes remained locked on each other, unknown thoughts going through their minds.
After what felt like ages, Kael finally shrugged and said. "…Yeah. I've got that feeling too."
Theo nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Kael fell back on the bed and mumbled. "I've got some questions about some stuff, but I have to sleep first, I'm dead tired."
Theo didn't bother replying.
He was too focused on the body that lay on the bed.
Through his vision, Kael's soul glowed again.
Where there had once been a dim, brittle flicker, fragile and hollow, was different now.
Evolved into something else. Something fierce. Something alive. A roaring flame.
'Just as I thought.'