Arc 1: The Abyss

Chapter 1: The First Awakening

Eli was playing in his room, completely engrossed in a toy robot. The afternoon sun slanted through the window, casting long shadows on the floor. His little fingers moved the toy back and forth, creating the sounds of imaginary battles. The toy wasn't new—its joints were loose, and the paint was chipped. But to Eli, it was still his favorite.

Without realizing it, his thoughts began to wander. He stared at the toy in his hands, feeling something strange and subtle building inside him, as if a connection was forming between him and the toy. His mind started to drift away, his body becoming heavy, and the toy began to glow faintly in his small hands.

Suddenly, Eli collapsed.

Everything went dark.

The beeping of machines filled the room, accompanied by a faint hum of medical equipment. He blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings. The last thing he remembered was playing with his toy robot—and then nothing.

Suddenly, something appeared in front of his eyes.

A strange screen popped up in the air, almost like something out of a video game. The words on it were blurry at first, but as he blinked and rubbed his eyes, the words became clearer:

Item: Toy Robot

Durability: 1/10

Attack: 0/1

Description: A robot toy. Brings joy to children.

Eli blinked again, but the screen remained, hovering in front of him as if it were real. He looked at the toy on the counter, then back at the strange display. His heart pounded in his chest. What was this? How could this be happening?

His small fingers reached for the robot again, but before he could touch it, the door to his hospital room swung open.

His mother rushed in, her face filled with concern. She had been crying, her eyes red-rimmed, but as soon as she saw Eli awake, relief washed over her. She hurried to his side and pulled him into a gentle hug, careful not to disturb the IV tubes connected to his arm.

"Eli, sweetheart," she whispered, stroking his hair. "You scared us so much."

His father was right behind her, standing silently for a moment before he approached and patted Eli's back. "How are you feeling, buddy?" his father asked, his voice thick with worry.

Eli tried to smile, but the pounding in his head made him wince instead. He closed his eyes tightly, and his father took a small step back.

"Is he okay?" his father asked the doctor who had entered behind them. The doctor had a clipboard in hand, his expression serious.

"He just woke up," the doctor replied calmly. "He's going to need some more rest. His condition is... unusual. We still need to run more tests, but there's a chance another episode could happen."

Eli's mother, still holding onto him, finally pulled back just enough to look at the doctor. "What does that mean?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "What do you mean 'another episode'?"

The doctor adjusted his glasses and glanced at his clipboard. "We're not entirely sure. It's as though, for a brief moment, his body began consuming itself—like it was burning through his own energy reserves. It stopped on its own, but the pattern was unlike anything we've seen."

Eli's mother, Lorraine, looked down at her son, brushing his hair from his face. "He'll have to stay here for a while, won't he?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. And Lorraine, even though you're a doctor yourself, releasing him straight into your care isn't an option right now. His condition needs constant monitoring, and we don't yet know what triggered it."

Lorraine's jaw tightened, but she nodded reluctantly, trying to hide her frustration. "I know how it works, but..." she whispered, staring at Eli. "I've never seen anything like this before. It was like his body just—"

Before she could finish, a nurse entered the room, moving toward the IV attached to Eli's arm. She checked the bags and injected something into the drip.

His father stepped closer to the nurse, his voice low with concern. "What are you giving him?"

"Just something to help him sleep," the nurse replied with a professional calmness. "He needs rest."