I'm running. My feet hit the ground hard, fast, as if I were flying, but I'm not. She's beside me, always so fast, so strong. —Come on, run faster—, she says, laughing, as if it's all just a game. I follow her because I don't want to fall behind. I don't want to lose her.
Suddenly, a noise. A boom so loud that the air seems to break. My heart jumps. The walls shake, and everything feels strange, like the world is falling apart.
She grabs my hand and pulls me back. —Run!— she screams, and I do. I don't know why, but I run as fast as I can. We run far, very far, to the other side of the orphanage. What's happening? Why are we running? I can't hear anything.
In the distance, I see something. People lying down. Their bodies... they aren't moving. I want to ask, I want to know what's going on, but I can't. She keeps running, not letting go of me. I follow her.
And then, I see them: men, with knives, with cold faces, as if they didn't care about anything. They're killing the people. She grabs me tighter, urges me to hurry, but there's no calm in her eyes anymore. Now, there's fear. Why is she afraid? She's never afraid.
—Run faster!— she tells me, but her voice isn't the same. There's something different, something dark about her. I want to ask, I want to know what's happening, but I can't.
At the end of the hall, she stops. She looks at me with those big eyes that have always protected me. —Hide—, she says, almost whispering. —Don't come out. Stay there.
I want to say something, I want to scream at her not to leave me, but I can't. My throat is so dry. —Don't leave me, please—, I beg.
She gently pushes me toward a small door in the floor. It's a secret door, I've never seen it before. —Stay still. Don't come out. Don't move.— The door closes, and I'm left alone, trapped in the darkness.
Silence surrounds me, but it's a silence that screams. I'm trembling. I want to leave, I want to run with her, but I can't. I don't dare.
From my hiding place, I look through a small crack. I see the men enter. I can hear their voices, their heavy steps. They're getting closer. She's trapped. She tries to move, but she can't. Why can't she move? Why is she so still? Run! Please, run!
But she doesn't. A scream, a horrible sound. The knife. I see her fall. I can't look away. I'm frozen, my body doesn't move. They hold her down, they restrain her. —Is this the last one?— says one man, his voice cold, empty.
—We haven't found anyone else—, another answers.
The leader, the one at the front, scans the room with his gaze. I'm not sure, but I feel like he's looking at me, even though he shouldn't be able to see me. It's as if his eyes are piercing through the wall, as if he knows I'm here, hiding, watching him. My chest feels heavy, like something is crushing me from the inside. I can't stop thinking about his face. It's terrifying, and even though I close my eyes, it's still there, burned into my mind, like a stain that won't go away.
Suddenly, I see him move. He and the other men start to leave, but every step they take makes my heart beat harder. I want to make sure they're gone, but I don't dare move. I hear their voices fading away, their footsteps growing fainter, until only silence remains.
Ding-dong.
The sound of the train drags me back to the present. An announcement echoes over the speaker: the train is about to depart. I realize I'm clenching my fists so hard that my hands are hurting. I try to breathe, but my chest still feels like something is pressing down on it. Gradually, the noise around me starts to seep into my mind: people talking, the roar of the engines. I'm here. Not there. I'm here. I'm safe. At least, that's what I tell myself as I try to calm down.
I look around. I'm standing right next to the train. My hands are clenched. My body is tense. The door is in front of me, and the sound of the train mixes with the beat of my heart. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. But the image of that man's face is still etched in my mind.
I get on the train and sit by the window, trying to distract myself. The noise of the train and the passengers' conversations fade as I stare at the empty space in front of me. I murmur quietly:
—System.
Name: Dante Delacroix
Branch: Evolutionary Branch
Level: 2
Stats:
Strength: 55
Speed: 50
Agility: 52
Stamina: 50
Defense: 51
Skills:
Night Vision: Passive
Enhanced Senses: Passive
Martial Arts:
Hand-to-Hand Combat: Level 3
A transparent window appears in front of me, displaying the details of my stats and my Branch. As I look at it, I notice someone watching me. At first, I ignore it, but their gaze is intense, different. I look up and see a young man sitting across from me, observing me with interest.
A few seconds pass before he greets me with a slight nod:
—Hi.
I look at him and respond, sensing something peculiar about his presence.
—Hi.
The silence between us isn't uncomfortable, but there's something in his gaze I can't quite decipher. It's as if he's analyzing every detail.
—Dante Delacroix —I say, extending my hand.
He takes it firmly.
—Lian Voss Arista.
His name triggers something in me. There's something about him that isn't ordinary. Though I don't say it, something tells me this isn't a random encounter.
The conversation doesn't go much further. A brief pause, heavy with unspoken words, follows before we both retreat into our thoughts. But the feeling that there's more to Lian doesn't leave me.
I look back at the window showing my stats, this time with more focus. The Evolutionary Branch, my ability—the one that's always been with me, the one that's shaped my life. Essentially, my ability lets me complete daily tasks and earn points for them. The points are assigned to stats like strength, speed, agility—whatever's needed to improve. The harder I push, the better the results.
Skills, however, aren't as common. I've only obtained two so far: Night Vision and Enhanced Senses. They're useful but rare, very rare. Most of the time, I just get points. Is that what I need? Probably. I don't know. What I do know is that I won't sit idly by while people like those who made me suffer continue to exist. I have the power to change my situation. I have the tools to face what's coming. And I won't let what happened go without justice.
I need to be stronger, more capable, faster. My stats need to go up, my skills need to improve. There's no time to waste. This isn't just about surviving—it's about making sure what happened never happens again. Every task, every mission, is a chance to move forward.
A few minutes pass, and I notice the stillness around me start to shift. The train's atmosphere feels heavier, as if someone's watching. I turn suddenly, and there's Lian, standing in front of me.
He looks at me with a calmness that unsettles me, but there's something different in his gaze. It's not the same tranquil look as before. This time, there's something else. Something serious. Something that makes me think what he's about to say isn't trivial.
—Dante, —he says firmly, as if he's already made up his mind— I need your help.
The words don't entirely surprise me, but there's something in his tone that unsettles me. It doesn't feel like an ordinary request or something to be taken lightly. The way he looks at me… he knows I won't refuse, but still, he waits for an answer.
Before I can react, a transparent window appears in front of me, accompanied by the familiar sound of the system:
[New Mission: Help Lian Voss Arista]
Description: Assist Lian in his objective and ensure he successfully completes it.
Reward: New active skill: Overload.
My eyes fix on the key phrase: Overload. An active skill. This is different. The skills I've gained so far, like Night Vision and Enhanced Senses, are passive. Skills that are always there, always active, requiring no direct input. This, however, is something new. Something I've never dealt with before.
I look back at Lian. I don't know exactly what he's planning, but the system doesn't assign missions without reason. There's something about him the system has seen—something bigger than it seems.
I take a breath, remembering everything I've been through, everything still left to do.
—What do you need? —I reply, not breaking eye contact. The answer is obvious. Not just because of the system, not just because of the reward. Something in me knows this goes beyond my own mission.
Lian sits across from me, a little closer now, and for a moment, the train seems to disappear around us. Only the space between us exists.
—There's something I have to do, something I can't do alone. —His words are quiet but firm. I knew something big was coming, but now I can't help but wonder just how big it