The Eastern Rail Line hadn't been in operation for over a decade.
Once a bustling part of Granis City's underground transport, it was now a graveyard of rusted trains and graffiti-covered walls, swallowed by the shadows of neglect. Only rats, the homeless, and those who didn't want to be found ventured into its depths.
Kael stood at the mouth of the tunnel, hands in his hoodie pockets, hood drawn low. His combat hook was stashed under the bag slung across his back. Midnight ticked closer.
[System Time: 11:59 PM]
[Warning: Unknown Variables Detected in Nearby Area]
He scanned the area. Still no sign of the contact.
Then, exactly at 12:00, one of the tunnel lights flickered on.
Kael stepped forward cautiously.
That's when he saw her.
A woman stood beneath the old maintenance light. Late twenties, dressed in a long coat that flared like a cloak, silver-gray hair braided down one shoulder, and piercing teal eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the dark.
She held a tablet in one hand, a badge with a symbol Kael recognized: an eagle with one wing made of code.
The Sentinel Order.
"You're early," she said, her voice calm but firm. "Good. That means you're serious."
Kael's fists clenched slightly. "Who are you?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she tossed him a file folder—real paper, thick, slightly burnt at the edges.
"Your name's Kael Riven. Age 19. University student. Average GPA. One criminal record—wrong place, wrong time. Two weeks ago, you activated a Life System node. One that shouldn't have existed in this part of the world."
Kael's heartbeat spiked.
"How do you know all that?"
"I work for a different version of the system," she said simply. "You're part of something that was never meant to be public. The version you have—it's a prototype. Unstable. And now... it's evolving around you."
She tapped the tablet, showing him a map filled with blinking red and blue dots.
"Each red dot is someone with a corrupted or hacked version of the system. Each blue dot is a controlled user monitored by us. Right now, you're neither."
Kael stared at the map. Hundreds of dots… most in Granis City.
"So, what do you want from me?"
She took a breath.
"There's something happening beneath the surface of this city. People are waking up with powers they don't understand, missions they didn't agree to, and skills they never earned. The System is testing humans—but no one knows why. I want to find out. And I need someone inside it to help me."
Kael paused. "You want me to spy on my own system?"
"Not spy," she said, stepping closer. "Survive. Grow. Learn its limits. Then report back to me."
"And if I say no?"
She smiled faintly. "Then you'll keep getting missions. Harder ones. Deadlier ones. Until one day, you blink... and your story ends without warning. Alone. Forgotten."
Kael's system pinged again.
[Side Mission Unlocked: Form Temporary Alliance – Sentinel Contact: Reina]
Reward: Intel Access + System Patch]
Kael stared at the prompt. The world was getting deeper, darker, and more dangerous by the hour.
And somehow, he was at the center of it all.
He pressed Accept.
Reina nodded, satisfied. "Good choice. Meet me again in 48 hours. Until then, try not to die."
Then she disappeared into the shadows.
Kael stood alone again, but not without purpose.
This wasn't just about money or missions anymore.
It was about surviving a game he never agreed to play.
And winning it before it played him.