The alley in Katwe pulsed with life, a chaotic symphony of neon signs and shouting vendors. Kato Okello crouched behind a stack of rusted crates, the tang of roasted plantain and burnt circuits sharp in his nose. His cracked tablet flickered in his lap, its holographic keys glowing faintly as his fingers danced across them. At seventeen, he was no stranger to hacking corp drones for spare parts, but tonight's job felt different. The air was heavy, like the calm before a Kampala thunderstorm.
"Focus, Kato," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. The drone hovering above the market was a sleek model, its cargo bay likely stuffed with tech he could sell to feed his crew of street kids. They were his family now, ever since his parents vanished six years ago. He pushed the memory away—thinking about them only dulled his edge.
The tablet's screen glitched, lines of code twisting into shapes he didn't recognize. "What the—" he whispered. The data wasn't binary; it looked like… runes? They pulsed like embers, forming patterns that reminded him of the carvings on his grandmother's old walking stick. A voice, soft and familiar, cut through the market's din. "Kato… find the Blade."
He froze. That voice. His nnyanya, dead for years. Her lullabies used to soothe him when storms rattled their shack. "No way," he said, shaking his head. "I'm not losing it." But the runes glowed brighter, and the tablet grew hot in his hands. The drone above whined, its sensors locking onto him. Crap. He'd tripped a firewall.
"Warning: Unauthorized access detected," the drone's robotic voice blared. Red lights flashed, drawing eyes from the crowd. Kato cursed under his breath and bolted, shoving through a sea of bodies. The drone pursued, its thrusters humming like angry wasps. He ducked into a narrower alley, heart pounding, and pressed himself against a graffiti-covered wall. The tablet vibrated, its screen now a chaotic swirl of runes and static.
"Come on, stay with me," he pleaded, tapping the device. The voice returned, louder. "Kato, the Blade is your birthright." The screen flared, and a jolt shot through his fingers, like grabbing a live wire. The world spun. Colors bled together—neon pinks, electric blues, the orange of a Lake Victoria sunset. Then, darkness.
When his vision cleared, Kato wasn't in Katwe anymore. He stood in a jungle of towering obsidian trees, their branches glowing with veins of blue light. The air was thick, sweet with the scent of unfamiliar flowers. His tablet was gone, but a holographic interface hovered before him, its text sharp and alien:
Soul System Activated. Welcome, Heir of the Ancestors.
Name: Kato Okello
Tier: Mortal, Rank 1
Strength: 10 | Agility: 12 | Spirit: 5
Quest: Locate the Ancestor's Blade. Reward: +10 Spirit Essence.
Kato blinked, his mouth dry. "What kind of VR sim is this?" He'd hacked plenty of games, but this felt real. The ground was soft under his boots, and a breeze carried the faint hum of something alive in the jungle. He pinched his arm—pain, sharp and undeniable. "Okay, not a sim."
A rustle came from the trees. Kato spun, fists raised, but no weapon. His street-fighting days had taught him to scrap, but he felt naked without his knife. The interface pinged, and a new message appeared:
Skill Unlocked: Ancestral Recall (Rank 1). Channel the instincts of your bloodline. Cost: 2 Spirit.
"Channel my what?" he said, but instinct took over. He closed his eyes, and a warmth spread through his chest, like the memory of his father's laugh. His hands moved on their own, tracing a pattern in the air. The jungle shimmered, and a ghostly figure materialized—an old man in a beaded robe, his face etched with scars. "You're late, boy," the figure said, voice like gravel.
Kato stumbled back. "Who—who are you?"
"Your great-grandfather, Ekwang. You've woken the System, but you're not ready." The figure's eyes narrowed. "They're coming."
"Who's coming?" Kato demanded, but Ekwang vanished. The trees shook, and a low growl echoed. Three shapes slunk from the shadows—creatures like hyenas, but larger, their fur crackling with sparks. Their eyes glowed red, locked on him.
Kato's pulse raced. The interface flashed:
Combat Initiated. Enemies: Shadow Beasts (Rank 2). Objective: Survive.
"Survive? How?" He scanned the ground for a stick, anything. The beasts lunged. Kato dove, rolling across the dirt as claws raked the air. The interface pinged again:
Ancestral Recall: Activate?
No time to think. "Yes!" he shouted. The warmth returned, sharper now, and his body moved like it wasn't his own. He sidestepped a beast's charge, grabbing a fallen branch and swinging it like a club. The wood cracked against the creature's skull, but it barely flinched. "Come on!"
The second beast leaped, jaws wide. Kato's vision blurred, and Ekwang's voice whispered, "Feel the bloodline." His hands glowed faintly, and the branch hummed, its tip sharpening into a crude spear. He thrust it forward, piercing the beast's chest. It howled, collapsing in a burst of sparks.
Enemy Defeated. +5 Spirit Essence.
Kato grinned, adrenaline pumping. "That's what I'm talking about!" But the other two beasts circled, smarter now. His Spirit stat was down to 3—he couldn't spam that skill again. The jungle's glow dimmed, and a new sound cut through the air: a distant chant, like drums and voices woven together.
The interface flickered, and a final message appeared:
Warning: Rift Detected. Hostile Entity Approaching.
Kato's spear trembled in his hands. The beasts froze, then fled, their growls fading. The chanting grew louder, and the trees parted. A figure emerged, cloaked in black, its face hidden behind a mask carved with runes. A sword hung at its side, its blade pulsing with the same blue light as the jungle.
"Who are you?" Kato called, voice cracking.
The figure tilted its head, as if amused. "The Blade's heir?" Its voice was cold, mechanical. "You're weaker than I expected." It raised a hand, and the ground shook. The interface screamed:
Quest Updated: Survive the Rift Stalker. Reward: Unknown.Kato tightened his grip on the spear, heart hammering. He was no hero, just a kid from Katwe. But something in him stirred—a spark, like the runes on his tablet. Whatever this place was, whatever this System was, he wasn't going down without a fight.