Chapter 1: The Awakening

I was tired—no, more than tired. I was exhausted, both in body and soul. My muscles ached with every step I took through the crumbling streets of the slums. My stomach growled, an angry reminder that it had been days since I had anything substantial to eat. The kind of hunger that gnaws at your bones, makes everything feel heavy, even your thoughts. But I couldn't stop. I couldn't afford to stop.

Not when there was still hope. Not when there was still a chance.

I let out a frustrated sigh and leaned against the crumbling wall of a nearby alley. My head hung low, trying to ignore the gnawing pain in my stomach, trying to block out the cold, biting wind that cut through my tattered clothes. This life… It wasn't living. It was just existing.

A faint flicker of light caught my eye. I glanced up, my sharp gaze scanning the surrounding area, ready for a potential threat. But no. It wasn't some figure from the shadows, some thug looking to make a quick buck off of my misery. No. It was a screen. A small, glowing notification in the corner of my vision, right in front of me.

I froze.

"Do you want to awaken?" the message read, in bold, clear letters.

YES or NO.

It was like the universe was playing some cruel joke. I stared at the words, my mind racing. This was no ordinary notification. This wasn't some ad for a meal or a pointless game. This was something real—something life-changing.

I was used to taking risks, making decisions that others wouldn't dare to. It was how I survived in the slums. How I became someone to watch. But this... This was different. This wasn't about playing the hand I was dealt. This was a chance to rewrite the rules. To change my fate.

A part of me—an instinctive part—wanted to say no. To turn away from whatever was being offered. But deep down, I knew I couldn't. I wasn't someone who walked away from opportunities, not when they were staring me in the face. No matter how dangerous, no matter how uncertain.

I wasn't someone who waited for life to come to me. I went after it.

So I clicked YES.

Almost immediately, a wave of energy surged through me, something both foreign and familiar. It was like I was connected to something… bigger. Like the world around me became clearer, more tangible. My senses heightened. My breathing steadied. And my heart? It pounded, but not out of fear or desperation. No, this was something different. This was power.

And damn, did it feel good.

I could feel it—something inside me stirring. A hidden potential, a dormant force awakening. It was like I'd been walking around with a weight on my shoulders for years, and suddenly, someone had lifted it. The air around me felt charged, electric. As if I was finally in tune with the world.

This was it. The moment I'd been waiting for.

I stood up straighter, a smirk tugging at my lips. It wasn't just power that I'd been given. It was the chance to break free from the life I'd been forced to live. The chance to stop surviving and start thriving.

This world? It wouldn't know what hit it.

And I? Well, I was going to make sure everyone knew my name.

The first step? Well, that was easy. I had to figure out what the hell just happened. What was this power? What had I just awakened? But one thing was certain—whatever it was, it was going to change everything. For the better.

I laughed softly, the sound dark and low. "This is my chance," I murmured to myself. "No more playing by their rules."

And just like that, the hunger, the exhaustion, the hopelessness—they didn't matter anymore. I wasn't just Theo Beaumont, some commoner from the slums. No. I was something more now. Something better.

"Let's see what this world has to offer me."

The path ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear: I was ready to take it. And if anyone got in my way? Well, they'd be the ones to regret it.