15 septmeber 2035
Jaehyun's fingers paused mid-drum on the desk, his gaze glued to the screen. The dim light from his monitor flickered over his face, casting faint shadows. On the desk before him, an open notebook lay cluttered with scrawled diagrams, hastily sketched symbols, and fragmented notes.
A sigh escaped his lips.
His pen moved again.
Checkpoint 1: Earth {Jaehyun}
Checkpoint 2: Valeria {Clark}
Checkpoint 3: Celestial Tower {?}
Checkpoint 4: Tower of the Morning Red – Crucifix {?}
Jaehyun's jaw clenched as his eyes lingered on the fourth line. The Tower of the Morning Red Crucifix. The image of wings against a blood-red sky surfaced in his mind, unbidden. The memory bit hard—too sharp, too raw. He shoved it aside with a grimace and snapped the notebook shut.
The room was still. Silent. Too much so.
He glanced at the figure hovering in midair—a faintly glowing entity, no bigger than a child. Her form flickered gently, light rippling along her edges as if she were made of liquid moonlight. She seemed fragile, almost unreal.
Jaehyun reached out, brushing a finger against her translucent cheek. It was warm, soft. Too human.
"What are you?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. Her form stirred faintly in response, but she didn't wake.
Jaehyun exhaled sharply and leaned back, his chair creaking under the motion. The room around him was a disaster. Dust coated the shelves, the floor was littered with discarded wrappers, and a mountain of clothes loomed in the corner like a forgotten monument.
He stood, rolling his shoulders. "Guess I should clean this place up," he muttered, more to himself than the floating figure.
With sleeves rolled to his elbows, Jaehyun dove into the chaos. Dust swirled as he moved, garbage bags quickly filling with remnants of a life that felt increasingly foreign.
Near the end of his cleanup, he found a small, faded sweater buried beneath a pile of junk. He brushed it off, folding it neatly. It would do for now. Gently, he laid the glowing figure onto the makeshift bed, her light dimming slightly as she settled.
"She really is cute…" The words slipped out before he could stop them. He shook his head, banishing the thought as he pulled on a hoodie and tucked her carefully into the front pocket.
"Mobile, wallet, card, keys…" The checklist rolled off his tongue, a steady mantra as he glanced around the room one last time. Satisfied, he stepped outside.
The air hit him like a slap. Sharp. Unfamiliar.
Jaehyun froze, eyes narrowing as he scanned the streets. The town had changed. Buildings shimmered with metallic surfaces, sleek and unrecognizable. People moved in tight clusters, heads down, their bodies wrapped in strange, armor-like suits. The hum of unfamiliar technology buzzed faintly in the background.
"What the hell is this…?" His voice was barely audible over the muted chaos.
He moved quickly, feet carrying him toward the minimart at the corner of the street. It was the only place that still looked remotely normal, its faded sign a stubborn relic of the past.
Inside, cool air washed over him, carrying with it the familiar scent of packaged snacks and cheap instant meals. For a moment, the tension in his shoulders eased.
Jaehyun moved through the aisles swiftly, his basket filling with water, basic food, and supplies. But something caught his eye as he rounded a corner.
A row of matte black objects gleamed under the fluorescent light. Guns. Heavy, deadly-looking.
His hand hovered over one of them—a Desert Eagle, its weight solid in his grip.
"What are these doing here…?" The question hung in the air, unanswered. The gun found its way into his basket anyway.
At the register, the clerk scanned his items without a word, his expression blank, almost mechanical. Jaehyun's gaze flicked back to the aisles, then to the street beyond the glass doors.
The world was shifting. Changing. And he was stuck in the middle of it.
.....
Jaehyun placed his items on the counter—cans of food, bottled water, batteries, and even a flashlight. The cashier raised an eyebrow and grinned playfully.
"Stocking up for an ice age or something?" he joked.
Jaehyun smiled faintly as he met the man's gaze. "Oh, nothing like that. Just want to be prepared... you know, in case sudden chaos breaks loose."
The cashier chuckled. "Can't argue with that. Better safe than sorry."
Jaehyun hesitated for a moment, then picked up a sleek black handgun he'd added to his haul. "Hey, uh, is this thing... real?"
He instantly regretted asking. What kind of idiot would buy a gun and not know? But the cashier only shrugged, unfazed.
"Yeah, it's real. But these are mostly for self-defense—good for low-level threats. Not much use against Awakeners, though."
"Low-level threats? Awakeners?" Jaehyun frowned, confused. Was the guy joking? Selling actual firearms like this was surreal enough, but now he was spouting nonsense about 'Awakeners.'
Shaking his head, Jaehyun grabbed his bag and left the store. Outside, he turned left—and froze.
A shimmering, translucent hole hovered in the air, crackling faintly with green light. Before he could process what he was seeing, a figure emerged from the portal.
It was a goblin.
Short and hunched, its green skin glistened under the streetlights. It carried a crude pickaxe, and its eyes gleamed with malicious intent.
Jaehyun's mind raced. "This... this can't be real," he muttered, backing away. The goblin turned to him with a guttural roar and charged, swinging its pickaxe wildly.
The weapon slashed through his shopping bag, scattering cans and supplies across the pavement.
"Hey! What the hell is this?!" Jaehyun shouted, panic rising in his chest.
The goblin advanced again. Its movements were too real, too solid to be an illusion. Jaehyun's instincts screamed at him to run, but his body felt frozen. Was this some kind of nightmare? Had the world changed in the last five minutes?
The goblin lunged once more, its pickaxe arcing toward him. Jaehyun dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. His eyes darted frantically, searching for the gun he'd dropped in the chaos.
The goblin roared in frustration, swinging its weapon again. This time, Jaehyun's reflexes kicked in, and he rolled out of the way, grabbing the gun in one swift motion.
A flicker of hope ignited within him. He aimed the weapon, his hands trembling but steady enough.
But before he could fire, a sharp pain pierced his chest.
His breath hitched as he looked down. A blade, slick with his blood, jutted out from his torso.
"Ah... ahhhhh..."
Jaehyun's scream echoed into the night, but as time passed, the pain dulled. His body grew cold, numb. He collapsed onto the ground, his blood pooling beneath him.
The goblins, their numbers multiplying rapidly, seemed to lose interest in him. They snarled and barked to each other, their crude weapons clanging against the pavement, but none of them even spared him a glance. Perhaps they were creatures that found no joy in tormenting the dead—or almost dead.
His breathing slowed, each gasp for air weaker than the last. Oxygen was leaving his lungs, his consciousness fading. Blood had almost completely drained from his torn torso. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and finally, they shut.
He lay there, motionless, a young man with a mangled body on a bed of blood.
Jaehyun's mind swirled with fragments of his life. It had always been a cruel circus, from the moment he was born. An orphan. Mocked at school because he didn't have parents. Bullied relentlessly. Even after becoming an adult, people had used and discarded him, again and again.
"Why?" his thoughts screamed, though his lips couldn't move. "Why does it have to be like this? Why can't the world just let me be happy? Why?"
His body was cold, yet a strange warmth began to stir. It was faint at first, like the memory of a comforting embrace. His trembling hand instinctively reached into his pocket.
There it was. Warm.
His fingers wrapped around it, pulling it out with what little strength he had left.
It was his companion—a small, fiery orb, no bigger than his palm. The tiny creature flickered softly, glowing like a dying ember. Yet, as Jaehyun looked closer, it radiated a gentle, golden light. A halo of heat surrounded it, warming his frozen hands.
"Why are you trying to warm me up?" Jaehyun thought, his mind a haze.
A single tear slipped down his cheek, landing on the fiery creature. He smiled faintly. "You... you're still here, huh? Maybe I wasn't so alone after all. Partner... I'm sorry. Maybe if I'd done things differently, we could've had more time together."
His words were faint, barely audible, but the companion's light seemed to brighten. Jaehyun held it close to his face, its warmth spreading. "If only I could've given you more. Gotten you new clothes. Taken you to eat good food. We could've seen the world together. I guess... it's too late now, huh?"
The fiery being flickered in response, as though listening. Its glow grew brighter, and suddenly, Jaehyun's tears fell onto it again.
A dazzling light erupted, engulfing his body.
"What... what is this?" Jaehyun thought, his mind jolted awake as the warmth surged through him.
The golden light wrapped around him, mending his wounds, filling his chest with energy. His breath returned, slow and steady, as if life itself were seeping back into him.
For the first time in what felt like eternity, hope flickered in his heart.
As the radiant light enveloped the young man's body, Jaehyun's wounds began to heal miraculously. The fiery creature hovering above him shed small, glowing fragments like shimmering embers. Gradually, its form changed. It now resembled a small, ethereal figure with a pale, beautiful complexion, eyes like twin stars with a faint red hue.
The companion darted across Jaehyun's body, leaving trails of warmth in its wake. Strength returned to his limbs, and the strange, crimson-colored strings began to emerge from his hands.
These threads—vivid, intricate, and mesmerizing—carried an air of mystery. They were the same strings that had saved his life before, during moments when death seemed inevitable. Now, they coiled and fused, forming a red blade in his grip.
The goblins, who moments ago were eager to strike, froze in their tracks. Their ferocious snarls turned into trembling growls as they stared at the blade. Fear coursed through their twisted forms, their knees shaking.
Suddenly, a translucent window appeared before Jaehyun, floating mid-air.
[Congratulations, Candidate!]
You are the first to awaken your partner among all the celestial candidate's by unknown mean's.
As a result of your success, the status system has granted you the ability to combat your foes.
{New Ability Unlocked: TRACE SHADOW}
Jaehyun's hands tightened around the blade. His body felt light, rejuvenated, as if a surge of energy coursed through his veins. He rose to his feet, the fiery companion hovering protectively beside him.
"I can do this," he muttered, a newfound confidence in his voice.
The goblins, momentarily paralyzed by fear, began to move again. With frenzied cries, they lunged toward him, their crude weapons raised high. The first two goblins charged as a group, but Jaehyun's new ability activated.
A shadow emerged, mimicking his movements with perfect precision. It ducked, weaving effortlessly through the goblins' attacks, and Jaehyun followed its pattern. In one smooth motion, he swung the blade. A crimson arc cut through the air, slicing the goblins cleanly in two.
He stared at the bodies as they collapsed, green blood pooling beneath them. A mix of accomplishment and revulsion churned in his chest. Yet, he had no time to linger.
The shadow shifted again, leading him to the next set of enemies. With each swing of his blade, more goblins fell, their attacks proving futile against his newfound agility and precision.
Awakeners Association, Korea Branch
A live broadcast played on a large screen in the conference room, showing Jaehyun slashing through goblins with a crimson blade. His movements were fluid, following a perfect battle rhythm, as though he had been fighting for years.
"Who is he?" one of the analysts asked, his voice filled with both awe and confusion. "Where did he come from? He's not in our database."
"Could he be a newly awakened?" another suggested hesitantly.
"Impossible," someone retorted. "No newbie could fight like that. Maybe he's an unregistered fighter who just awakened a red sword ability."
As the room buzzed with speculation, a young man with glasses and neatly combed black hair stood in the corner, silent. His tailored suit fit impeccably, exuding professionalism.
The room fell quiet as he spoke. "Take me to the president."
The President's Office
The office was dimly lit, walls adorned with medals and plaques from various nations. Photos of the president with world leaders lined the shelves. At the center of the room stood a singular, polished desk. Behind it sat an older man, his face obscured in shadow. He stroked a small kitten resting on his lap, his fingers moving with practiced ease.
Knock, knock.
The young man entered, holding a file. "President, please take a look at this."
He placed a set of photos and a tablet displaying Jaehyun's battle. The president watched the footage intently, his eyes narrowing.
"Is he registered?" the president asked, his voice deep and commanding.
"No, sir. He's awakened but not in our system."
"So, a new Awakener," the president mused.
"Yes, sir," the young man confirmed. "His only visible ability is the red sword in his hand." He zoomed in on the footage, focusing on the blade.
"And what are you proposing?"
"Recruit him, sir. This is an opportunity. If we're the first to find him, we can bring him under our banner before anyone else does."
The president leaned back in his chair, his fingers still stroking the kitten. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Do it."
The young man bowed, a determined grin on his face. "Thank you, sir." He left the room swiftly, eager to act on the president's command.
As the door closed, a beam of light illuminated the president's face. His white beard framed his strong features, and a deep scar ran across his right eye. His thick forearms rested on the desk, exuding quiet strength.
"A storm is brewing," he muttered to himself, his smile widening. The kitten purred in his lap as he gazed at the screen.