Chapter 1
POV: Zai
I never expected my life to change on a typical Tuesday.
I was just your typical 16-year-old Black boy from Southeast D.C., just trying to make it through sophomore year and have decent enough grades so my mom does not lose her mind. My name is Zai, short for Isaiah, but nobody calls me that aside from my grandma.
The day began like any other: I overslept, forgot breakfast, and ran three blocks to catch the Metrobus. The card declined once again. I had to give the driver the pitiful, broke student face just to board.
School was school. Fine with a few, invisible to everyone else. I kept my head down. No drama was needed. I had Mr. Coleman's quiz in History and Ms. Rivera in Algebra breathing down my neck about homework I most definitely did not do.
But that night?
That night changed everything.
It was around 10 PM. My dad was pulling a double at the airport . I was in my room, lights off, just hanging out with some headphones on, trying to beat this level in Hollow Knight. That's when I saw it outside my window—a pink streak of fire across the sky. Not white. Not red. Pink.
It was wrecked somewhere in the woods behind that wrecked community center near the basketball courts. My curiosity had a grip on my throat. I didn't even take a second to think about it. I pulled on my hoodie, picked up my flashlight, and sneaked out the back door before I lost my nerve.
The woods were quiet.
Too quiet.
I should have returned when I didn't hear a solitary bird or car in the distance. Not even the usual dogs are yapping. Silence. And then I saw it—a faint light of the light within the trees. I walked on until I arrived at it: a small, hovering pink ball, no larger than my fist.
It shone softly, as if. Was it breathing?
I reached out. My fingers traced over the surface—
And then it was gone.
Gone. No click. No flash of light.
Just—
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SYSTEM INITIALIZING…
That's when the black space pulled me in.
I wasn't in the forest. I wasn't anywhere. Just suspended. Breathing. Heart pounding. And then:
WELCOME, ZAI.
The voice was deep, five people speaking at once.
YOU HAVE TOUCHED THE COSMIC ORB. YOU ARE NOW A PLAYER.
SYSTEM INSTALLATION COMPLETE.
In front of me was a lit screen, something like some video game's futuristic HUD. Text flew by fast, too fast to read, until it settled on one screen:
PLAYER: Zai
LEVEL: 1
SYSTEM: SUPER SMASH BROTHERS ULTIMATE POWERS UNLOCKED
ACCESS: LIMITED
OBJECTIVE: LEVEL UP TO UNLOCK MORE ABILITIES.
NOTICE: THIS WORLD IS STILL NORMAL. THE ORB ONLY CHOSE YOU. DO NOT REVEAL THE SYSTEM.
"What the…" I whispered quietly. My voice boomed like I was in a stadium.
[YOU MAY NOW RETURN.]
And with that—click—I was on my bed, sweating like crazy, flashlight still clutched in my hand. My window was closed. My game was frozen. But the orb was now beyond sight.
The following day, I dismissed it as a dream. I rushed through the normal routine—burnt eggs, hasty shower, shoved everything into my backpack. My dad had barely enough time to wave goodbye before shooting off again. I knew she was tired. He worked harder than any human being I'd ever met.
At school, things went well. different.
Not because no one else was different, but because I could see things now.
Above people's heads were faint little boxes:
[NPC – Level 0]
[Potential: Low]
Even Mr. Coleman had one.
And every now and then, I'd get weird pings in my head.
[TIP: CHALLENGE = GROWTH. FIND SMALL CONFLICTS TO GAIN EXP.]
[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: DOUBLE JUMP (Lv. 1)]
Wait—what?
I caught myself tapping my foot on the school hallway floor. and then I jumped. Once. Twice. Twice. In midair. Like some cartoons. I landed quick, glanced around—no one paid any attention.
This wasn't a dream.
Something actually happened.
I sat in my own home, sitting at my desk, staring into the mirror. I lifted my hand, and a blue holographic menu appeared before me again.
There were only five abilities present at Level 1:
Double Jump
Short Dodge Roll
Basic Punch (Smash Variant)
Parry (Frame-Perfect)
System Scan (Lv. 1)
The rest? Locked. Question marks grayed-out buttons.
Most importantly. What do I get when I level up?