Elior stood frozen, still mesmerized by the glowing panel he had just touched.
His heart hammered. His palms were sweaty. Everything inside him felt like it had flipped upside down.
"Hey-lad, what's goin' on with ye?"
Old man Garrus's sharp voice pierced straight through his awe.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," Elior muttered, quickly snapping out of it.
He rushed to the back, grabbed the only bread he could afford, and gave it to the little boy-using all the money he had left.
Money meant for his own supper.
As Tobin ran off with teary gratitude, the panel flickered again.
╠═ Heavenly System ═╣
New height attained:
GIVING TO THE NEEDY
---
Elior froze.
"What is… this thing?" he whispered.
It felt random. Impossible. Sacred. Dangerous.
But his curiosity kept growing.
---
Later That Evening
After a long day of stress and yelling, Elior finally clocked out.
He hurried home, strangely light-almost joyful.
Like something warm was growing inside him.
The moment he shut his door, he exhaled and whispered:
"…system?"
Instantly, the screen shimmered into view.
╠═ Heavenly System ═╣
Name: Elior Wright ||. Notification¹
Rank: (E) Saint - level 1
Exp: 5
HP: 10
Spiritual Gift: ???
---
Elior tapped the glowing notification.
╠═ Heavenly System ═╣
DAILY QUEST unlocked
[Would you like to see your first quest?]
Yes / No
---
Without thinking, Elior slammed YES.
The panel unfolded like a scroll of light.
╠═ Heavenly System - First Quest ═╣
Read one verse of the Heavenly Scroll
(Proceed)
✓ | ×
---
Elior froze.
The Heavenly Scroll… only the priests had access to it and was only read by them to the people in front of the temple. Poor people never even touched one.
Yet here it was-opening just for him.
He tapped Proceed, and the system unfolded into shining parchment.
╠═ Heavenly Scroll ═╣
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son;
that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish,
but have everlasting life."
---
Elior stared in disbelief.
He had never cared about God.
Never prayed.
Never believed.
Yet here he was… reading divine scripture on a floating golden interface like some kind of game character.
When he finished reading, the scroll folded back into the panel.
╠═ Heavenly System ═╣
Name: Elior Wright Notification⁰
Rank: (E) Saint - level 1
Exp: 5
HP: 10
Spiritual Gift: ???
Reward Points: +5
( Would you like to add to Exp? )
Yes / No
---
Elior blinked.
"What? I get rewards for this?"
He hesitated, thinking deeply.
"Hmm… maybe I should save the points for something stronger later…"
He tapped NO, leaving them aside for now.
Suddenly his eyelids felt heavy-painfully heavy.
Then the system beeped again.
╠═ Heavenly System ═╣
Warning!
Herald is weary!!
Best option: SLEEP
(HP will reduce if Herald does not rest)
HP: 9
---
"What-?! My HP drops if I don't sleep?! That's crazy-"
HP: 8
Elior panicked.
"Okay, okay, I'm sleeping! Calm down!"
He fell onto the bed without another thought and drifted off instantly.
----
Light.
Wings.
Heat.
Elior found himself inside a realm of swirling flame and wind.
A giant phoenix stood before him-massive, ancient, majestic.
Its wings stretched wider than the sky.
Its eyes glowed with molten gold, burning straight into Elior's soul.
It didn't speak.
It didn't move.
It simply watched him-like it already knew him.
Then…
A voice-not heard with ears, but felt inside every fiber of his being-whispered:
"Herald…
Your journey begins."