The man at the door did not look dangerous.
That was what made him unsettling.
He stood beneath the porch light, pale blond hair neatly combed, posture straight, expression calm—too calm. When the light caught his eyes, Raze felt a strange chill crawl up his spine.
For just a split second, his iris seemed to shift, slow and precise, like the hands of a clock moving forward.
"I am Theodore Clockwork," the man said. "May I have a word with you?"
Raze blinked, convincing himself it had just been some kind of awakening effect. Awakenings came in all forms. Strange visuals weren't unheard of.
Still… his chest felt tight.
Something told him to close the door.
He ignored it.
"I—" Raze hesitated, then unlocked the door. "Fine."
If he had known that opening it would end his life as a normal human, he would have shut it and walked away.
Earlier that day—
"RAZE, GET BACK HERE, YOU AWAKENLESS FREAK!"
The shout ripped through the academy courtyard.
Raze bolted.
He sprinted through the sea of students, twisting and weaving with every ounce of agility he had. His lungs burned. His legs screamed. Backpack straps snapped against his shoulders as he shoved past bodies.
"Damn it—damn it!" he muttered between breaths. "All I said was his bloodline wasn't impressive! How did that set him off this much?!"
Lightning cracked behind him. Not literal lightning but close enough.
Jack Arclight.
Heir of the Arclight bloodline. A prodigy gifted with lightning-reflex awakenings and bursts of shocking energy. Everything Raze wasn't.
Not having an awakening in this world was a death sentence.
And Jack knew it.
"If he catches me…" Raze clenched his teeth. "I'm done."
Students parted instinctively as Jack forced his way forward, eyes locked on Raze like a predator chasing wounded prey.
"Did Raze piss off Jack again?" someone whispered.
"Yeah. Called his bloodline unimpressive."
A snort. "Funny coming from the awakenless kid."
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
The distance vanished.
Raze glanced over his shoulder—
Too late.
A surge of energy slammed into his back. His body flew forward and crashed into a stone wall with bone-rattling force. Dust exploded into the air, swallowing him whole.
Pain tore through his chest and arms as he slid down the wall.
"Maybe this time," Jack sneered through the dust, "you'll keep your worthless mouth shut."
Footsteps faded.
No one stepped forward.
Why would they?
As the dust settled, Raze forced himself upright, fists clenched, eyes fixed on the ground. His breath shook—not just from pain, but from everything else clawing up inside him.
He remembered when his parents used to care.
When they smiled. When they stayed.
At twelve, they left to hunt beasts across other planets.
At first, they visited twice a week.
Then once a week.
Then once a month.
Then… nothing.
They left him a high-end house filled with advanced technology and rooms that echoed too loudly at night.
They had promised him a gift on his thirteenth birthday.
A level five Awakening Book.
Awakening books ranged from level one to seven. The higher the level, the rarer and stronger the ability inside.
He never received it.
Whispers followed him now. Students pretending not to stare. Pretending not to care.
Who would help someone with no awakening?
In this world, only bloodlines mattered. Only power.
'If only I had an Awakening Book,' he thought bitterly.
'If only I'd been born into a bloodline.'
School ended not long after.
He walked the halls alone. Laughter trailed behind him like a shadow. Groups clustered together, voices loud and carefree. Everyone had someone.
He had no one.
Outside, the evening sun caught his reflection in a glass panel—messy black hair, blue eyes, average build.
Nothing special.
The walk home was quiet.
Too quiet.
Raze dropped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling, replaying his life on an endless loop.
'Sometimes… I wish I could just end it.'
A knock at the door snapped him out of it.
Raze frowned.
No one ever knocked.
He rose and peered through the peephole.
The same pale blond man stood outside.
Waiting.
"Who are you?" Raze asked.
"I am Theodore Clockwork," the man replied evenly. "May I have a word with you?"
Every instinct screamed at Raze to step back.
Instead, he opened the door.
Theodore stood a few inches taller, looking down at him with an expression that wasn't hostile but wasn't warm either.
His eyes didn't narrow. Didn't widen.
They simply watched.
"I have heard of your… weakness," Theodore said.
The word lingered in the air.
"I have something to give you. Consider it a gift… or a burden, if you prefer." His gaze never wavered. "What I give you must remain a secret. There are beings beyond the stars who would destroy you for what you will become."
Raze's heart slammed against his ribs.
"W-What do you mean… 'what we are'?" he asked, his words stumbling.
"You'll understand soon enough," Theodore replied calmly. "But you have no choice. What I give, I give—whether you accept it or not."
Raze looked into his eyes and understood.
Those words weren't a threat.
They were absolute.
"May you be the one who finally changes things," Theodore said softly.
"Goodbye, Raze Zaden."
The moment his name left the man's lips, Raze's vision blurred.
His mouth moved, but the words came out slurred. A sharp pain stabbed into his skull, like countless needles piercing at once.
"W-What did you do to me?!" he cried as his knees buckled. "How do you know my full name?!"
Theodore caught him effortlessly with one arm.
Raze's vision darkened.
'What's happening to me?!'
A sharp ding echoed inside his mind.
[God Slayer System has been granted to: Raze Zaden.]
[Congratulations. You are the first… and the last… user of this system.]
Pain exploded through his body.
Not natural pain.
Something deeper.
Like his cells were screaming.
[Warning: Host body incompatible.]
[Forcing synchronization…]
Raze convulsed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as his heartbeat spiked erratically.
[Error.]
[Error.]
[Stabilization required.]
His consciousness fractured.
The last thing he felt was the floor rushing up toward him—then nothing.
Raze's body went limp in Theodore's grasp.
Theodore looked down at him, calm as ever.
"How far the Zaden line has fallen."