The artificial sun had already risen above Sector D-9, casting a dull amber light across the rusted spires of the Outer Fringe. Though morning had arrived, it brought little warmth to the broken buildings and scattered machinery that littered the ruins of the city. Life here never thrived—it simply endured.
In the small shelter beneath a collapsed metro station, Dray Ballack sat cross-legged on the metallic floor, eyes closed, breathing steadily. For hours now, he had remained perfectly still, forcing himself into silence, willing his body and mind to sync with the strange energy humming faintly beneath his skin.
Three days had passed since the strange encounter beneath the Whispered Alley—the place where his senses had been tested, his mind haunted, and his path altered. He hadn't heard the voice since, and the silence was both relieving and unsettling.
He took in a slow breath, then summoned the interface.
System Interface:
Name: Dray Ballack
Bloodline: Locked (Awakening Trigger Detected)
Race: Human (???)
Level: 6
Class: None
Strength: 7
Agility: 7
Endurance: 3
Vitality: 5
Skills:
• Night Adaptation (Passive)
• Blood Sense (Passive – Incomplete)
• Blood Echo (Tier I)
Inventory:
• Rusted Circuit Knife
• Obsidian Data Chip
• Unknown Crystal (Bound)
System Shop: [Access Granted – Insufficient Permissions for Purchase]
Next Level: 240 EXP
Status: Stable
Main Quest Initiated: Rise of the Bloodline
The reminder of the quest glowed faintly beneath his stats, a burning reminder of what lay ahead. Though the System never gave full details, the title itself spoke volumes. Everything that had been locked away—his identity, his inheritance, his power—would one day rise. But that day had yet to come.
Dray moved to his feet, muscles stiff from immobility. The rusted support beams overhead groaned as he walked toward the edge of the structure, staring down into the ruins of the city known only as Fringe Sector D-9.
The silence today was unnerving. Normally, at least a few scavenger drones buzzed overhead or patrolling hybrids stalked the alleys. But today, it was as if the whole sector held its breath.
Was something coming?
He shook the thought away. Speculation without evidence was paranoia.
Instead, he returned to training.
Not combat training—he wasn't strong enough yet to spar against even the lower-level drones. This was body discipline. Control. Precision. Breathwork.
The System didn't respond instantly.
But after an hour—
System Notification:
Coordination Threshold Improved.
+3 EXP Gained
Temporary Buff: +1 Strength (24 Hours)
A small reward, but a reward nonetheless.
Dray wiped the sweat from his brow. It was becoming clear that the System responded not just to action, but to intent. Mindless movement yielded nothing. Focused discipline, even in small amounts, unlocked growth.
He returned to the workbench in the corner and rummaged through the old tech parts he'd recovered from the ruins. Most were useless—burnt out circuitry, cracked power cores, shattered lenses. But a single piece caught his eye: a prism-shaped chip lined with alien script.
Command: Scan Item – Obsidian Data Chip
System Notification:
Item: Obsidian Data Chip
Description: Encrypted Memory Core
Status: Locked – Requires Level 10 + Class for Access
Dray sighed. Another wall. Everything led back to the same truth: until he advanced, the secrets would remain locked. The past would remain hidden.
He sat down again, placed the chip carefully beside the Unknown Crystal, and pulled up its details as well.
Item: Unknown Crystal (Bound)
Description: Contains trace memories of a sealed lineage.
Status: Dormant.
Requirement: Vitality 10+ to initiate contact
And yet again—out of reach.
"Still not strong enough," he muttered.
Still, he wasn't discouraged. The slow pace gave him time to think, to learn. Rushing ahead in ignorance was the downfall of many.
He stood, pulled the hood over his head, and left the shelter. Today's goal wasn't EXP. It was observation. He needed to understand how this sector moved.
And whether someone—or something—was watching him.
The alleys of Sector D-9 wound like veins through the city's carcass. Buildings leaned on each other like drunken giants, their metal skins peeling, windows shattered. It was here that the scavengers operated, and the underground markets hid their secrets.
Dray passed two Synthguards dragging a delinquent by the arms. The man screamed something about a stolen relic, but no one paid attention. In Fringe Sector D-9, justice had no weight.
He moved quickly past the old reactor building and ducked into a side tunnel—once part of a subway system, now abandoned and echoing with whispers of the past.
Something tugged at him.
Not a voice. Not a presence.
Just… a pull.
He followed it, cautious.
The tunnel curved and sloped downward, where the air grew colder. There, buried under broken tile and collapsed ceiling, was a fragment of a device—part of a cube.
System Notification:
Hidden Object Acquired: Repressed Memory Cube (Fragment)
Status: Sealed
Memory Capacity: 1%
Interaction Locked – Class Requirement Unmet
Dray turned the cube in his hand, watching faint violet lines pulse along its surface.
Repressed… That word again.
The system was keeping parts of himself hidden—even from him.
System Notification:
Mental Fortitude Challenge Available: Accept?
Reward: +5 EXP, Insight Fragment
He hesitated, then accepted.
Instantly his head filled with noise. Screams. Chains. Fire. Blood.
It lasted three seconds.
Then silence.
He dropped to one knee, panting.
Challenge Completed.
EXP Gained: +5
Insight Fragment Obtained (Locked)
Another piece of the puzzle.
By sunset, Dray had returned to his shelter. The fragment, crystal, and data chip sat on the floor before him like an altar.
"I will become strong enough," he said quietly.
His voice didn't waver.
Because this wasn't hope.
This was certainty.
He lay back on the cot and let exhaustion take him.
The calm still lingered.
But the storm was coming.