After a few minutes, Harold stepped away from the window and sat down at his desk. His notebook from school was still open there, half-filled with notes from history class that he barely remembered writing.
Without really thinking about it, he picked up a pen and began jotting down everything he had learned about the Shadow Debt System so far.
Borrow abilities.Gain debt when using them.Debt missions sometimes reduce the balance.Collection happens if the debt remains unpaid.
He tapped the pen thoughtfully against the paper.
Then he added another line.
Collection can temporarily take things from me.
The words looked strange written out like that.
Up until now, the system had mostly felt like a strange game mechanic layered on top of reality—something mysterious, but manageable as long as he stayed careful.
But the moment it had taken the strength from his arm, that illusion had shattered.
This wasn't a game.
And the system clearly didn't care whether he liked its rules.
A quiet creak echoed from the hallway outside his room.
Harold froze.
A second later, the door opened slightly and Emily peeked inside.
"You're awake?"
Harold quickly closed the notebook.
"Yeah. Couldn't sleep."
She stepped into the room, rubbing one eye. Her hair was messy, and she was still wearing the oversized shirt she liked to sleep in.
"I thought I heard you moving around," she said softly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
She studied him for a moment.
"You don't look fine, Harry."
Harold forced a small smile.
"I'm just thinking about everything that's happened."
Emily leaned against the doorframe and glanced around the room. Her gaze briefly passed through the empty space in front of Harold where his own system interface floated invisibly.
Her healer interface flickered beside her.
SUPPORT CLASS – HEALER
"I keep expecting my system to disappear," she admitted quietly. "Like maybe tomorrow morning we'll wake up and everything will go back to normal. Or we'll realize this was all just some strange dream."
Harold didn't answer right away.
Part of him wished the same thing.
But after what he had experienced tonight, that possibility felt less likely than ever.
"I don't think it's going away," he said finally.
Emily sighed.
"Yeah… me neither."
She pushed herself away from the doorframe.
"Well, try to get some sleep if you can," she said. "School's still happening tomorrow, apparently."
Harold nodded.
"Good night, little sis."
"Good night."
She closed the door behind her.
The room fell quiet again.
Harold looked back down at the notebook on his desk, at the short list of rules he had written about the Shadow Debt System.
Then he slowly turned his head toward the floating interface beside his bed.
The timer had continued counting down while they were talking.
SHADOW DEBT SYSTEM
TIME UNTIL COLLECTION: 25 HOURS 12 MINUTES
A new line of text appeared beneath it.
DEBT THRESHOLD APPROACHING
PREPARING COLLECTION PARAMETERS
Harold's stomach tightened.
"So you're already deciding what to take," he murmured.
For a moment, the screen remained unchanged.
Then, without warning, another message appeared.
NEXT COLLECTION EVENT WILL TARGET A HIGH-VALUE ASSET
Harold stared at the words.
"A high-value asset?"
The system offered no explanation.
But he had a terrible feeling he already understood what it meant.
Strength wasn't the only thing he possessed that could be taken.
And if the Shadow Debt System truly considered something a valuable asset…
Then the price of borrowing power might be far higher than he had imagined.
Suddenly a new window opened beneath the timer.
DEBT RESOLUTION PROTOCOL AVAILABLE
Harold leaned forward.
"What?"
Finally, a way to repay the debt.
Another line appeared beneath it.
PRIMARY DEBT MISSION GENERATED
Harold's heart began beating faster.
For the first time, it looked like the system was actually giving him a chance.
MISSION DETAILS LOADING
The interface paused briefly.
Then the full message appeared.
DEBT MISSION: OBSERVATION
OBJECTIVE: LOCATE AND MONITOR A TARGET
TARGET: AURELIA PARKER
DURATION: 3 DAYS
REWARD: SIGNIFICANT DEBT REDUCTION
PENALTY FOR FAILURE: COLLECTION
Harold read the message once.
Then again.
And a third time.
"Aurelia… Parker?"
The name meant nothing to him.
Which was strange.
Why would the system send him after someone he had never even heard of?
He leaned back slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"This system gets weirder every day."
Another message appeared.
TARGET LOCATION UPDATED
NORTH RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
Harold froze.
"That's… my school."
The realization sank in quickly.
Whoever Aurelia Parker was, she had to be either a student or someone connected to the school.
And starting tomorrow…
He would have to find her.The next morning, North Ridge High felt even more lively than the day before.
Students crowded the hallways, talking loudly about monster sightings around the city. It was still something nobody had gotten used to yet.
Some people were showing off their abilities.
Others argued about which classes were stronger.
Harold moved through the crowd quietly, his mind replaying the mission details over and over.
OBSERVE AURELIA PARKER.
That was it.
No explanation.
No instructions beyond that.
Just a name.
He had just reached his locker when he overheard a nearby conversation.
"Did you hear?" someone asked. "A new transfer student showed up today."
Harold barely paid attention at first.
But then another student replied.
"Yeah, I saw her earlier. Apparently she moved here right after the System Event."
A third voice joined in.
"She's in our grade, I think."
Harold slowly closed his locker.
A strange feeling crept up his spine.
"Do you know her name?" someone asked.
The first student nodded.
"Yeah."
He said it casually.
"Aurelia Parker."
Harold turned his head immediately.
"What did you say?"
The group looked at him in confusion.
"The new girl," one of them repeated. "Aurelia Parker."
Before Harold could respond, the classroom door down the hallway opened.
Mr. Hanley stepped out.
"Everyone inside, now! Didn't you hear the bell?" he called.
Students began filing into the room.
Harold followed automatically, his mind racing.
The system mission.
The new student.
The same name.
It couldn't be a coincidence.
Inside the classroom, the usual noise filled the air as students took their seats.
Marcus Hill was already there, leaning back in his chair while talking with two friends. When he noticed Harold entering, he frowned slightly, still clearly curious about what he had seen in the park.
But Harold barely noticed.
Mr. Hanley cleared his throat.
"Before we begin today," the teacher announced, "we have a new student joining us."
Several students looked up immediately.
Transfer students were rare this late in the year.
Mr. Hanley stepped aside and gestured toward the door.
"Come in."
The girl who entered looked about their age.
Tall.
Dark hair falling past her shoulders.
Her expression was calm and composed, as if the entire classroom staring at her didn't bother her in the slightest.
The room grew quiet.
Even Marcus stopped talking.
Mr. Hanley nodded toward her.
"Go ahead and introduce yourself."
The girl looked around the room briefly.
Then she spoke.
"My name is Aurelia Parker."
Harold's heart skipped.
The system window appeared beside his desk.
TARGET IDENTIFIED
MISSION STATUS: ACTIVE
He stared at the glowing words.
And then something strange happened.
Across the room, Aurelia's eyes shifted.
Not toward the teacher.
Not toward the class.
Straight toward him.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, Harold had the unsettling feeling that she could somehow see the system window floating beside him.
Which should have been impossible.
But the faint smile that curved her lips suggested otherwise.