The sky cracked at exactly 3:17 PM.
People stopped in their tracks. Cars screeched. Children screamed. The blue heavens split with a jagged black line, as if reality itself had been torn apart.
Ethan Carter was walking home from school when the first meteor hit. He didn't have time to react. A deafening roar filled the air as the impact threw him across the street. Pain exploded through his ribs, and dust and debris choked his lungs.
"Lily!" he shouted, spotting his little sister pinned under a fallen street sign. Panic surged through him. He forced himself up and ran toward her. Every step was agony, but he ignored it.
Another meteor struck the ground, closer this time. Ethan pushed Lily out of the way, but the shockwave threw him against a nearby wall. Everything went white.
Darkness.
Nothing.
Silence.
Then, a cold mechanical voice echoed inside him:
[System Compatibility Detected.][Host Status: Deceased.][Shadow System Initialization… 1%… 12%… 45%… 89%… Complete.]
Ethan gasped. He couldn't move… but he could see. A translucent black screen appeared in front of him, displaying words and numbers he couldn't understand at first.
Name: Ethan CarterLevel: 1Class: NoneStrength: 6Agility: 7Vitality: 5Shadow Energy: 10
Unique Skill: Locked
A sudden growl broke the silence. Ethan turned toward the source. From the shadows between shattered buildings emerged a tall, thin creature. Its body seemed made of smoke, black mist clinging to its form. Red glowing eyes fixed on him, hungry and cold.
Another stepped out. And another. Five in total. They moved silently, almost gliding toward him.
[Emergency Quest Activated]Objective: Survive 10 minutesReward: Shadow Skill PackFailure: True Death
Ethan's heart thundered. He had no weapons. No armor. Nothing. Only himself… and whatever this system was.
The first creature lunged. Ethan ran. He had no idea where he was going, but instinct screamed survival. The shadows twisted behind him, forming shapes that seemed almost alive, closing in on him.
Suddenly, a message flashed on his vision:
[Tip: Embrace the shadows.]
Confused but desperate, Ethan focused. His hands glowed faintly with dark energy. The nearest monster screamed as its form erupted into black smoke under the touch of Ethan's nascent power.
He stumbled back, shocked. The system… was working.
Minutes passed like hours. Every moment brought new creatures, new challenges. Ethan dodged, blocked, and struck, slowly learning the basics of the Shadow System.
By the time the ten minutes ended, Ethan was covered in sweat and cuts, but he was alive. The creatures vanished, retreating into the darkness.
A notification appeared:
[Shadow Skill Unlocked: Shadow Strike – Level 1][New Quest: Explore the Trial Realm and locate your first Shadow Artifact.]
Ethan sank to the ground, gasping. His mind raced. Questions flooded him: What was this place? Why had he died… and yet not? Who—or what—had given him this system?
Above him, the crimson sky swirled, the ruins stretching endlessly. Somewhere in the distance, he could hear the faint echo of a voice, calling, watching… waiting.
Ethan stood. Pain and fear clinging to his bones, but determination in his heart. This was no longer Earth. No one was coming to save him.
Survival was the only option.Power was the only path.
And from the shadows, the system watched.