Chapter 3 The Divergence
Siyan stood frozen in the middle of the cramped kitchen, his eyes locked on the hovering crimson text that no one else seemed to notice. His mother was busy humming while she plated the eggs, and Hana was still scribbling away in her notebook, completely oblivious to the jagged, bleeding light of the interface.
'Holy fuck. holy fucking fuck.'
Siyan's mind was racing at a speed that made his head throb. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, but the screen remained, pulsing like a heartbeat.
'I actually died. I felt that blade take my head. And now I'm back here, ten years before the gate collapse. I should be sixteen right now. This is the day of the first Awakening test. The day it all started.'
He looked at his mother's back. In his previous life, he had left for this test alone, eager to become a hero. By the time he had returned, the first wave of the Outbreak had leveled their district. He had spent years digging through rubble just to find a scrap of his sister's clothing.
'Not this time. Everything is different now. I don't care about the test, I need to move them. I need to make an excuse so Mom and Hana come with me. If they stay here, they're dead.'
"Siyan? You're staring again," his mother said, turning around with a plate. "Eat. You need your strength if you're going to be one of those 'Awakeners' the news is talking about."
Siyan forced his face into a neutral mask, though his heart was still hammering against his ribs. He looked at the system window again.
'Whatever this system it, it calls me a Demon God. I'll think about that later. Right now, I just need to get them out of this building.'
"Mom," Siyan said, his voice steadier than he expected. "The testing center is doing a family orientation today. They said if we bring our legal guardians, we get a bonus stipend for equipment. It's a lot of money, more than a month's rent."
His mother paused, her eyes widening slightly. "A stipend? They didn't mention that in the mail."
"It was a last-minute change," Siyan lied, the words flowing easily. He remembered how desperate they were for money back then. "They're trying to encourage families to support the new system. We all have to go together, or I can't claim it. Hana too. They need to verify the whole household."
Hana looked up from her drawing, her eyes bright. "Does that mean we can go to the mall after? The one by the testing center?"
Siyan felt a cold shiver go down his spine. The mall was where they had died.
"No," Siyan said, a bit too quickly. "We're going to the center, and then we're going straight to the far side of the city. I heard there's a festival near the North Station. It's safer... I mean, it's better there."
His mother looked at him suspiciously for a moment, but the lure of the extra money was too much. "Well, if it helps your future, I suppose I can take the morning off. Hana, go get your shoes on."
Siyan exhaled, a long breath he felt like he'd been holding for a decade. As his family moved to get ready, the crimson screen in front of him shifted, the text rearranging itself with a soft, static-filled hiss.
[Quest Initialized: The First Sacrifice]
[Objective: Complete the Awakening Test.]
[Reward: Hidden Lineage Unlocked.]
Siyan watched the words flicker. He didn't feel like a hero. He felt like a man who had walked out of hell and brought a piece of it back with him. He grabbed his old jacket from the chair, feeling the weight of the moment. He wasn't going to be a shield this time. He wasn't going to be the bait.
'If this system wants a Demon God, I'll give it one. Just as long as they stay alive.'
He walked out the door with his mother and sister, his eyes scanning the clear blue sky. He knew that in a few hours, that sky would tear open like an unhealed wound.