The world around Jihoon Kang seemed to freeze in place. He sat in his high chair, surrounded by family and friends, his birthday cake in front of him, but something had shifted within him—something beyond the reach of his infant form.
The golden light of the candles flickered in his wide eyes, but it wasn't the cake that held his attention. No, it was the system. The very same system that had once been a fleeting idea, a theory formed in the recesses of his mind when he had first woken in this new body. But now it was real. Very real.
[System Awakening: The Harbinger Protocol Activated.]
The words flashed before his eyes like a cold, undeniable truth. A chill ran down his spine. Jihoon wanted to scream, but his infant body betrayed him, only allowing him to stare in silent horror as the system unraveled itself before him.
[Warning: Entity has exceeded the 99,999 regression limit. Forced deviation initiated.]
[Designation Assigned: The Fractured One.]
[Acquiring Unique Skill: Cosmic Conductor]
[Acquiring Unique Skill: Cosmic Sage]
[Acquiring Unique Skill: Astralis Archive]
[Acquiring Unique Skill: Eminence's Gambit]
[Acquiring Unique Skill: Sovereign's Symphony]
[NOTICE: UNIQUE SKILL ACTIVATION,FAILED]
[NOTICE: Unique skills are not currently accessible.]
Jihoon's breath hitched. The skills—those powers—were locked. Why? Why was it that even though he could feel their presence, he couldn't grasp them? His mind buzzed with questions, but his tiny body had no way to process the information fully. He was still too young to understand the weight of what was happening to him.
He blinked up at his parents, who were blissfully unaware of the storm of thoughts raging within their son. Their faces were soft with joy as they sang "Happy Birthday" to him, unaware of the twisted fate Jihoon had already encountered. But all the while, a question gnawed at him—had he truly escaped the cycle of reincarnation? Or was this just another part of the grand cosmic game, one set up by the Eminences, those higher beings who controlled everything?
His parents clapped, oblivious to the inner turmoil. Jihoon glanced at his cake, the candles flickering dangerously close to melting the frosting. A smile tugged at his lips, though he didn't fully understand why. He was supposed to be happy, wasn't he? A family. A life that was warm and full of love.
But in the back of his mind, the words of the system rang out, as though they were a warning. You are the Fractured One. You are not what you think you are.
Celebration in the Sky
The day of Jihoon's birthday arrived with another unexpected twist.
To celebrate his first year, his parents had planned a special trip—a flight to a distant island for a family vacation. The moment Jihoon saw the plane, his curiosity piqued. He hadn't experienced the sensation of flying before. Was this a new kind of adventure?
His mother, Seo Suha, held him carefully as they entered the airport, the bustling crowds lost in their own world as Jihoon's tiny fingers reached out to grasp her collar. The sounds of chatter, rolling suitcases, and announcements filtered in, but Jihoon couldn't focus on anything other than the strange sensation stirring within him.
Once aboard the airplane, Jihoon sat in the lap of his father, Kang Jun-hoo. The seats were plush, the air cooler than he expected. He felt the press of the seatbelt across his chest and then—the moment the plane ascended into the sky—Jihoon's stomach dropped.
He had flown in many planes during his past lives, but this… this feeling was different. It wasn't just the physical sensation of rising through the air. No, it was more. The way the world below him shrank, becoming distant and small. Everything felt like it was suspended in time.
The sky outside the plane's window stretched endlessly, a sea of clouds with only the faintest hint of sunlight piercing through.
"Look, Jihoon," Jun-hoo said, his voice filled with pride, "we're flying. You're going to have the best birthday ever."
Jihoon stared at the view, but his mind was elsewhere. The sky... it reminded him of something—something from his other lives. The infinite expanse. The vastness of space and time. He felt, for a brief moment, like he wasn't just Jihoon Kang, the one-year-old child in his father's arms. He was someone else—a traveler. A being beyond the constraints of time and space.
But the sensation was fleeting.
The plane continued its ascent, carrying Jihoon higher and higher. He looked out the window again, the sunlight shining on the wings, and for just a moment, he felt as though he had stepped into a new world—a world that held both promise and danger.
When the flight attendant passed by, offering snacks and drinks, Jihoon reached out instinctively, his tiny hand grasping the air as though trying to reach for something greater than himself.
"Already curious, huh?" Jun-hoo chuckled, lifting Jihoon higher into his arms.
Jihoon smiled, a soft, content expression crossing his face as he settled back into his father's embrace. For a fleeting second, it almost felt like everything was normal. As if this was truly just a new beginning.
But in the depths of his mind, he couldn't ignore the truth—the system had awakened. He wasn't a mere child. He was the Fractured One, a being whose existence had been torn apart and rebuilt a hundred thousand times. And the path ahead of him… it wasn't going to be as simple as a birthday trip.
The First Signs of Something More
Jihoon's first birthday passed with no further disturbances. The family vacation was filled with joy, laughter, and memories, but Jihoon felt something constantly gnawing at him. He was trapped in a body that wasn't his own, in a life that felt too perfect to be true. His past lives tugged at him, whispering in the dark recesses of his mind.
The system that had activated inside him, the skills that were locked, the warning message—it was only the beginning.
The Eminences, the higher beings who played with the lives of people like toys, were watching him. He could feel their gaze, even now, beyond the veil of his memories reading the book.
And soon, the first real trial of his new life would begin.
But for now, he could only sit back, lost in the peace of the moment, unsure of what would come next.
To be continued…