Sunday night settled over the orphanage like a heavy blanket. William sat on his bed, his room dimly lit by a single flickering bulb. He glanced around, checking his modest luggage. There wasn't much to pack—just a few changes of clothes, a book, and some personal items. As he stuffed the last item into his bag, a knock echoed from the door.
"Come in," William called out.
Mr. Beth stepped in, his face softened by a rare smile. "How are you holding up, son?"
William nodded. "I've finished packing, Mr. Beth."
"Good, good," Mr. Beth replied, a distant look in his eyes. "I remember my own time at the academy… Ah, the valor of youth," he said with a chuckle, shaking his head as if lost in a memory. Then, as quickly as he had arrived, he turned and left the room.
William sighed, flipping off the light switch. Darkness swallowed the room, and he settled into his bed, the soft hum of the ceiling fan the only sound in the still night.
But as sleep began to take him, his consciousness seemed to slip away. He felt a tug, as if being pulled somewhere far, far away.
William's eyes snapped open, and he found himself standing in a place unlike anything he had ever seen. The realm was dark—so dark it was as if he had been plunged into an ocean of shadows. The silence was absolute, so intense that it pressed against his ears like a physical weight. He glanced around, trying to make sense of where he was, but all he saw was endless blackness.
What is this place? he thought, a chill running down his spine.
Suddenly, he felt it—a sensation like eyes watching him from every direction. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Panic gripped his chest. His breath came in short, sharp bursts as he looked around frantically, but his eyes could barely pierce the darkness surrounding him.
He took a tentative step forward, his voice shaky. "Hello? Anybody here?"
Silence.
William's heart pounded as he began to walk, each step echoing eerily in the void. "Where the hell am I?" he muttered under his breath. "Am I hallucinating again?"
Then, faintly, a chuckle resonated through the air—a sound that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. William spun around, his voice rising in panic. "Who's there? Come out now, or I will—"
"Or you will what?" The voice cut through the darkness like a knife, dripping with amusement.
William froze. The voice seemed to come from every direction, surrounding him like a fog. His hands clenched into fists, and he shouted again, "Show yourself!"
The voice, sounding almost annoyed, snapped back, "Will you shut up, or I'll kill you myself!"
William's heart skipped a beat. He took a shaky breath and muttered defiantly, "How are you going to kill me if you don't show yourself?"
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind brushed against his neck, as if someone had whispered directly into his ear, "We'll see about that."
William swallowed hard, his voice faltering. "Alright… alright. I'll stop shouting," he stammered, realizing his life could be snuffed out at any moment by this unseen entity.
The voice softened, now tinged with a strange amusement. "Why would I kill you, hmm?" it purred.
William forced a weak smile. "Good question. Why don't you tell me?"
"Show yourself!" he demanded, trying to sound braver than he felt.
"I can't," the voice replied, a hint of frustration creeping in. "I don't have a physical form."
William frowned, still cautious. "Then where are you?"
"I'm in your head," the voice replied, almost mockingly.
William's eyes widened with realization. "That's why it feels like you're everywhere…"
"Yes," the voice said, clearly amused. "Think of something, and don't say it out loud."
William, skeptical, thought to himself, Are you… a ghost?
The voice snorted. "Really? Me, a ghost?"
William gasped, his heart racing. "You… you can hear my thoughts?"
"Of course," the voice replied smoothly. "So, yes, I've heard every thought you've had about escaping, giving up, everything."
William's face turned pale. "What do you want from me?"
The voice chuckled again. "It's not about what I want from you… It's about what I can give you."
William's brow furrowed. "I don't want anything. Can I go now?"
The voice sighed dramatically. "The only way to leave this dark space is for you to accept what I have to offer."
William's curiosity was piqued despite his fear. "What… exactly do you have to offer?"
The voice grew proud, almost boastful. "I offer you power—absolute, unimaginable power. A power not meant for mere mortals… a power that transcends the universe itself. The power of a god."
William's eyes widened with a glimmer of hope, but it quickly faded. "There's no such thing as a free gift," he muttered suspiciously. "And what if I don't want this… power?"
The voice's tone darkened. "Then you will have to die."
"What?!" William's voice cracked. "Why?"
The voice replied calmly, "You already possess the power. Why do you think you survived being stabbed?"
William felt his blood run cold. "So… I wasn't hallucinating? I was stabbed, and it was this… power that saved me?"
"Exactly," the voice confirmed. "If you refuse the power now, the wound will finish what it started."
William felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Explain this… power."
The voice seemed to smile. "The power you hold is the residue of the most powerful celestial—the Shadow Celestial. A small fragment of his power was stored in a game-like system, designed to grant its host shadow abilities and the potential to become a Shadow Lord."
William's eyes sparkled for a moment, then he remembered. "A system… like in the web novels?" he asked, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice.
"Yes," the voice confirmed. "The Shadow System. And I am the AI within it."
William bit his lip, weighing his options. The voice seemed to sense his hesitation. "So, what do you say, William? Will you accept to be the host?"
Suddenly, a blue, game-like message appeared in front of him, glowing against the darkness:
"Accept to be the host?
YesNo"
William stared at the message, his mind racing. He knew how these stories went in the novels he devoured at the library across the orphanage. The protagonist always got insane power from a system. Maybe this was the change he had been waiting for. And besides, it wasn't like he had a choice. If he didn't accept, he'd die.
Well, here goes nothing, he thought, sending a mental command.
_________________________________________________________
As he reached out to make his choice, the screen flickered slightly. A low rumble filled the dark realm, and the voice chuckled once more, "Let's see what you're really made of, William…"
The screen flashed, and everything went black.