Chapter 4 – System?
Kai drifted.
Weightless.
Soundless.
Endless.
Darkness stretched in every direction like an infinite ocean of ink. He floated there, unanchored neither cold nor warm, neither asleep nor awake.
*Where the hell… am I?*
A response came not spoken, but felt. A vibration through his bones. A voice without sound.
[ You are within your Mindspace. ]
Kai flinched.
*You can hear my thoughts?!*
[ Affirmative. All conscious thoughts are within the domain of the system. ]
He floated in stunned silence, trying to process the voice. It wasn't human. Not robotic either. It sounded sterile. Cold. Not cruel just... empty.
Slowly, he turned his head, searching for anything light, shape, solid ground but there was nothing. No stars. No horizon. Just endless void.
It was like being dead—except worse.
'Alright… no thanks,' Kai thought.
He closed his eyes and imagined something anything a river, a hill, grassy plains. A memory from a storybook he'd read as a child.
And suddenly—
**Reality bent.**
The void cracked like shattered glass, and from those fractures bloomed *life*.
Lush green plains spread out beneath him. A crystal-clear river carved its way through the land like a ribbon of silver, and at its center, a solitary hill rose above the gentle current. The air smelled sweet. The grass swayed in a breeze that hadn't existed moments ago.
Kai landed softly, barefoot, the grass cool beneath his feet.
"...Whoa," he breathed, slowly turning to take it in.
But then he looked at his hands-
His heart stopped.
They weren't solid.
Spectral. Transparent. Wisps of light clinging to bone, barely shaped. His fingers flickered like dying embers, the edges of his body fading in and out of existence.
[ Graphical representation of your soul-body integrity. ]
[ The more ghost-like you appear, the closer you are to true death. ]
Kai's breath caught.
"Survival Instinct my ass " he growled, holding up his flickering arms. "I'm practically already dead."
[ Correction: You were at 6% life force retention upon impact. Survival Instinct merely stabilized you. ]
Kai slumped down by the riverbank, running his hands through the glowing grass. It felt real—*too* real.
"Whatever you are… you really suck at the whole comforting thing."
[ Comforting is not within the system's functions. ]
"I can tell.."
He lay back on the grass, staring up at the shimmering illusionary sky he had created. No sun. No stars. Just light bleeding through the void.
"Do you only talk when you feel like it?" he mumbled.
[ Your cognitive strain is high. Rest is recommended. You will be returned to your body once recovery is complete. ]
"...Right. Sleep. Mind-sleep. Dream inside a dream inside… whatever the hell this is."
Kai closed his eyes.
---
**Three hours later.**
A thunderous hum echoed through the landscape, like a drumbeat in his bones. The river turned red. The wind screamed like metal bending. The entire illusion began to shatter.
[ Alert: Host's physical body has fully healed. ]
[ Transferring consciousness back to biological vessel… now. ]
The world blinked out like a snuffed candle.
---
**Darkness. Then breath. Then bed.**
Kai gasped as sensation returned first numb, then sharp. His skin prickled. His muscles ached. And then stillness.
He shot upright like someone had jammed a defibrillator into his chest.
"Where huh?!"
He was in his room.
The sheets were tangled around his legs. Light streamed through the window. It felt like days had passed, yet everything looked the same.
Then the memories hit him like a freight train. The mountain. The fall. The screen. The system. The void. The… ghost hands.
"W-What even was that thing?" he whispered.
[ I am not a 'thing'. I am your Bound Heavenly Bloodline System. Consider your self lucky ]
Kai flinched. The voice was clearer now like it had fully synced with his brain.
He sighed.
"Great. Creepy voice is back."
Then he noticed something
On the floor beside the bed, curled in a blanket, was his mom. Her head rested on her arm. Her breath was soft. Her expression… exhausted.
"…She stayed."
He frowned, guilt rising in his throat. He slowly reached out to shake her shoulder—
But before he could
"Are you okay?!"
Her eyes snapped open. She sat up in *one motion*, like a soldier waking from a nightmare. Her hands flew to his neck, checking his pulse, eyes scanning his face.
"You're warm… pulse normal…" she muttered.
Kai blinked. "See? Told you I'm fine."
[ Correction: You were on the brink of death. Your heart had stopped for 17.3 seconds. ]
Kai winced.
'Shut up, you darn system' he growled internally.
His mother raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
"Huh?! Uh nothing! Just… inner thoughts."
She sighed deeply, cupping his face. "Don't scare me like that again. You were screaming, bleeding… I thought I'd lost you."
Kai smiled weakly. "I'm fine now. I promise."
But inside, he wasn't fine.
Not even close.
---
Later, after his mom stepped out to prepare food, Kai sat at the edge of the bed in silence.
[ You have survived what no ordinary human should have. You possess latent potential that transcends mortal limits. ]
Kai frowned. "...Why me?"
[ Unknown. The system chose you due to compatibility. ]
"With what?"
[ You carry a fragmented bloodline. The system has identified it as a Generic Transformation-type. Classification: Tier ???. ]
Kai blinked. "What the hell is *Tier ???* supposed to mean?!"
[ Data corrupted. Full analysis requires more synchronization. Estimated time: Unknown. ]
He slumped back against the wall.
A long sigh left his lips.
"Just… what am I turning into?"
The screen shimmered.
[ Would you like to begin Bloodline Training? ]
Kai stared into the red holographic screen floating in front of him and thought, *What is this?*
The lifeless voice returned.
[ Bloodline Training allows you to increase the capacity of your bloodline and strengthen it. Currently, your bloodline is the size of an atom. It is weak very weak. ]
[ Would you like to view your attributes? ]
Kai smiled.
"Now *that* is something I know."