The dim light of the afternoon sun filtered through the cracked window of Ethan Vale's small apartment. Dust motes floated lazily in the air, settling on the cluttered desk where piles of old, worn-out books lay scattered. Ethan sat in a creaky chair, his back hunched over as he scrolled through job listings on his outdated tablet. Each rejection email felt like another nail in the coffin of his hopes, and his frustration was mounting.
Ethan had grown up in the slums of New Eden City, a sprawling metropolis dominated by towering skyscrapers and colossal biotech corporations. Orphaned at a young age, he had spent most of his life scraping by, working odd jobs and avoiding the gangs that roamed the lower districts. Life had never been easy, but Ethan was nothing if not determined. He had always believed that if he worked hard enough, he could claw his way out of poverty.
But belief could only get you so far. The reality was that the world was run by those with power—genetic power. The wealthy and influential had access to advanced gene-modification therapies that made them stronger, faster, and smarter. They were the rulers of this new age, while people like Ethan were left to scavenge for the scraps.
A loud beep interrupted his thoughts. Ethan glanced at his tablet's screen, where a new notification had appeared.
"Notice of Asset Transfer – Elara Vale."
His breath caught in his throat. Elara Vale. His mother's name. He hadn't heard it in years.
With trembling fingers, Ethan opened the message. It was from a law firm he didn't recognize, informing him that he was the beneficiary of an inheritance left by his late mother. The message included a location—a storage unit in the industrial district of the city.
Ethan's heart raced as he read the message again, disbelief mingling with curiosity. His mother had died when he was just a child, leaving behind little more than vague memories and the crushing weight of loss. But now, after all these years, there was something she had left for him?
He had to find out.
The storage unit was located in a rundown part of the city, surrounded by crumbling warehouses and rusted shipping containers. The air was thick with the smell of oil and decay. As Ethan approached the entrance, the automated gate creaked open with a groan, revealing a narrow corridor lined with numbered doors.
Unit 17. That was the one.
Ethan hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the control panel. He had no idea what to expect. What could his mother have possibly left behind in a place like this? Swallowing his nerves, he punched in the access code provided in the message.
The door slid open with a hiss, revealing a small, dimly lit room. Inside, there was only a single object—a sleek, black case resting on a metal table in the center of the room. The case looked completely out of place in the otherwise grimy surroundings, its polished surface gleaming under the faint light.
Ethan stepped inside, his footsteps echoing off the cold, concrete floor. He approached the case, his heart pounding in his chest. There was no lock, no key—just a biometric scanner on the front. Taking a deep breath, he pressed his thumb against the scanner.
A soft click echoed in the silence, and the case slowly opened.
Inside, nestled in a bed of foam, was a strange device. It was small, no larger than a smartphone, with a smooth, metallic surface. The design was unlike anything Ethan had ever seen before—sleek, elegant, and clearly of advanced technology. But what caught his attention most was the symbol engraved on its surface: a double helix intertwined with a circuit board, a fusion of biology and technology.
Curiosity overcame caution, and Ethan reached out to touch the device. The moment his fingers brushed against it, the device activated. A soft hum filled the air, and a holographic interface sprang to life above the device, displaying a series of symbols and patterns that shifted rapidly.
Ethan staggered back, eyes wide in shock. The hologram began to coalesce into words, forming a single sentence that hung in the air before him:
"Welcome, Ethan Vale, to the Bio-Crafting System."
His mind raced as the holographic display began to pulse, emitting a soft light that seemed to resonate with his very being. He had heard stories of systems—legendary, almost mythical devices that could grant their users incredible powers. But they were just stories, rumors spread by conspiracy theorists and dreamers. Weren't they?
Before he could react, the light from the hologram enveloped him, flooding his senses. He felt a sudden surge of energy course through his body, followed by a stream of data that flowed into his mind, information so vast and complex that he could barely comprehend it.
As the light faded, Ethan found himself standing alone in the dimly lit room, the device now silent and dormant in his hand. But something had changed. He could feel it deep within his bones, a new awareness, a connection to something far greater than himself.
And then, the system spoke.
"Initialization complete. Welcome to the next stage of evolution."
Ethan staggered back, his heart pounding. This was real. The Bio-Crafting System was real. And it was his.
As the weight of what had just happened began to sink in, Ethan's mind raced with possibilities. The power to craft and enhance his own genes, to evolve beyond human limits—this was more than he had ever dared to dream of. But with this power came questions. Who were his parents really? Why had they created this system? And what was he supposed to do with it?
One thing was certain: his life would never be the same again.
Clenching the device in his hand, Ethan took a deep breath and stepped out of the storage unit, into a world that had suddenly become much larger and far more dangerous.
And so, his journey began.