In the cold embrace of the dark, tattered city, a boy of average height was finishing his sandwich. The cold bit at his pale skin as he devoured the rest, a hint of satisfaction sparkled in his auburn brown eyes.
Haiko stood in front of a towering building that was strangely nice for this city, which was not his own.
He lived in a worn-out one-bedroom apartment that had marks and tears everywhere. The roof leaked, and mold replaced the black, damp wood.
"Ahh," just the thought of his sorry excuse for a home made him feel sour, but then he remembered his old house where he, his mom, dad, and little sister lived. Regardless, they were all gone now. Eager to escape the icy cold and the clutch of his bittersweet memories, he took a deep breath collecting himself then calmly walked into the intimidating building. Just a few steps in, he tripped over his foot, falling flat on his face.
Picking himself up from the slippery floor, he looked to the right and saw a wet floor sign. Staring at it with a resentful yet dumbfounded expression, he picked himself up and put on a smile, hiding all his anger for the sign. He ignored the laughs and observed the lobby.
He saw oak brown desks, all of them had the same onyx black needle. There were wooden tables in the corners. He also saw two hallways, one to the right of him and one to the left.
He looked up and saw a huge, beautiful light that enchanted the lobby, but behind it, he saw a marked ceiling.
"This place is huge," he murmured.
Well, at least it was for Haiko. He had never been in places such as this, perhaps he did when he was younger.
Coming back to his senses, the persistent heartache of the past extinguished, and he remembered why he had come to this place. It was to see the meaning of his name. It should have changed by now, at least he hoped it did. The only way for him to escape this ruined city was to become an explorer.
In the far right corner of the lobby, He barely saw a worker hiding behind his work computer. Haiko approached the man behind the desk. Haiko didn't notice it before because of the distance, but now they were face to face. The worker looked like Haiko apart from the short height. The worker shared the same facial features and also the same auburn brown eyes mirroring Haiko's own. The worker's skin tone was paler than his own but still shockingly similar.
"Um, excuse me, could you help me check the meaning of my name?" he asked, trying to mask his curiosity.
The worker behind the desk looked up slightly, with a hint of surprise, and said, "Of course." Then the kind worker picked up a plain piece of white paper from the pile and placed it on his shorter than average brown desk.
He asked with a smile, "Are you ready?"
I replied with a nod.
The man then said, "Place your hand over this piece of paper."
So I did, but then he pricked my index finger, and a single drop of red sank into the paper absorbing it, and spread out and encompassed it.
Suddenly, the color shifted from red to pitch black, and then white words emerged from the piece of paper. This was his new bound, but some people called it a personal index, bound index.
"The bound index, a personal progression system, displayed Haiko's meanings, powers, and relics. It was bound to him by blood, ensuring only he could see its contents."
It showed:
Name: Haiko Name Meaning: Fallen Angel Meaning Description: (In the beginning of time when heaven was created, the absolute being was only cautious of one being, and that was a prideful angel. And so, when exiled, the angel did not only fall from heaven, he fell from grace.) Meaning Tier: 10/10
"How?"
Haiko felt so lucky, Haiko's heart raced, pounding in his chest as he stared at the words on the paper, a mix of disbelief and elation washing over him, he felt like his heart was going to explode from shock. Gradually calming down, he read more.
There are only 10 tiers to a meaning: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), with 1 being the worst and easiest to get, and 10 being the best but hardest to get.
Original Name Meaning: Home Ruler
Rank: Human
There are 10 ranks that humans can go through (Acolyte, Adept, Champion, Hero, Guardian, Demigod, Deity, Divine, Celestial, God). The higher rank you are, the harder it is to rank up. Lesser deities can also ascend to godliness; anything can, but demons and the corrupted can't because they have already started ascending their ranks. Demons (Imp, Minion, Fiend, Wraith, Revenant, Abyssal, Infernal, Archdemon, Demon lord, Daemons). For corrupted, there are only 8 (Mundane, Tempted, Tainted, Corruptible, Fallen, Defiled, Malignant, Abomination).
Abilities: Enhanced Mind, Enhanced Speed, Enhanced Physical Strength, Magic (Dark, Light)
Marks: Mark of Sin, Mark of Sin Description: (Beings of virtue are wary of you). Mark of Virtue, Mark of Virtue Description: (Beings of sin are wary of you).
Haiko lost composure, thinking, "What does that even mean? What is a being of virtue? What is a being of sin?"
Ruins Completed: 0
Relics: 0
(People have a chance of finding them while in the ruins)
"Um, sir, are you alright?" the worker asked with a reassuring smile.
Haiko came back to reality. He had an empty expression. Realizing that, Haiko put on a smile of his own.
He said, "Yes," hiding his excitement. Haiko thanked the comically short worker, then walked off towards the door. But before reaching it, he heard the voice of the worker.
"Wait, you forgot to take your bound." Embarrassed to have forgotten such an important thing, he slowly turned around and headed back.
"Thank you for reminding me," Haiko said with a thankful expression.
"It's alright," the man said with a smile, but then his smile faded. The worker bore a serious expression. "If a quest appears on it, do not dismiss it. Instead, you should solve it as soon as you can. Some have time limits, some don't," he warned.
Saying thank you for the last time, he walked back to the door, and then he heard behind him in a whisper, "Um, sorry about earlier. I put the wet floor sign in the wrong place."
Looking straight at the sign with a resentful smile, he said under his breath, barely audible, "God dammit."
Once again standing outside in the freezing cold, Haiko had nowhere but his home to return to, but he dreaded returning to that so-called home of his.
Walking aimlessly down the abandoned street, one house caught his eye. Its light shimmered through the glass and drifted out the windows. It had a nostalgic feel, so he walked up to it. Looking through the windows, he saw a little girl with a smile that lit up the world, happily opening what looked to be birthday presents. Watching her were her mother, father, and brother. All of them together made Haiko think, I really am all alone.
Watching them get ready for supper, he walked away with a smile and then started to think, he thought about the meaning of his name. It was rare to get a meaning of the 10th tier, but not impossible. And who was the prideful angel? His head spun. He was thinking about too much—the name meaning, the prideful angel, his old family, the quest that he new nothing about, He also felt too much: shock, excitement, happiness, resentment, bitterness, but the one that he felt the most was hope.
He hoped that if he explored the vast ruins, then hopefully he could leave the accursed city, maybe even meet people and made friends... "Oh yeah," he mumbled. He could even gain knowledge on who the prideful angel was, why was he exiled, and who this absolute being was and why he was cautious of the angel.
He noticed that now he was Walking through a park and not the street, he looked at its scenery. Dull green grass laid on the ground filling every corner, a gloomy red slide that had lost its color and now looked dead, moss ascending towards the ladder, rust trapped within the chains of the swing. But still, there were little kids running about and having fun.
BUMP! Haiko stumbled, looking down at a kid no older than six who was looking up.
"S-S-S-Sorry, sir," the boy squealed.
"It's alright," he said comfortingly. He put on a comically big smile and added, "You go play now, okay?"
"Okay, mister," the little boy ran off giggling.
Bearing a genuine smile on his face, "It's time to go home," he thought and then exited the park.
Walking down a road called Vern Road, he saw the lights on in every house. This road was not abandoned—quite the opposite. Other than the lights, the scent of a home-cooked meal filled the air, making him drool. He heard laughs, cries of joy, and deep conversations.
He turned left. Mere seconds away, lost in his thoughts, snapping out of it he looked up and realized, he had arrived.