A cheap pair of chopsticks clinked softly against a half-empty cup of instant noodles. The room around him was dark, the curtains perpetually drawn shut. Piles of laundry lay strewn across the floor, old food containers stacked like the bricks of a neglected fortress. A thin layer of dust coated everything, even the glowing monitor that bathed the figure in cold, flickering light.
On the bed, cross-legged with a noodle hanging loosely from his mouth, a young man stared vacantly at a screen playing some random anime he wasn't even watching. His eyes were dull, unfocused, floating somewhere far from reality. Steam from the noodles curled into the air, vanishing like forgotten dreams.
He chewed slowly, then sighed. "What am I doing?" he murmured. "...I don't know."
He leaned back, letting his head rest against the headboard, the styrofoam cup balanced precariously on his knee.
'Anyways… for any greater force that's watching out there, allow me to introduce myself. Why? Cause I think there's always something—or someone—watching. A higher force. And it helps pass the time, pretending someone cares.'
His eyes slowly drifted up toward the cracked ceiling, a smile tugging at one corner of his lips—not joy, but something bitter. 'My name is Ha Jinhyuk. Ha… Jinhyuk.'
'Yeah, I know… what kind of name means "Broken" and "Fallen"? Before you start assuming this is just another one of those tragic backstories—you know, orphaned kid, lost all hope, cue the dramatic music—you're wrong. Well… half wrong.'
He slurped another mouthful of noodles, shrugging.
'You're right about the depression part. Can't deny that. But wrong about the parents.'
He gestured vaguely around the room, the messy floor, the expensive but dusty gaming setup, the silk bedsheets stained with old ramen spills.
'I'm 25. Born with a golden spoon in my mouth. Mansion, wealth, private tutors—the whole dream package. You're probably wondering how a guy living in luxury ends up in a trash heap of a room like this, right?'
He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. Only exhaustion.
'Well… that happens after years of not cleaning. And years of depression.'
He paused.
'I used to live. I really did. Like, actually live. When I was born, my parents treated me like royalty. Anything I wanted, I got. They said I was their miracle. Their pride. Their future.'
The screen flickered, shifting to another random episode he didn't care about.
'Then… he was born. My little brother.'
Jinhyuk's voice dropped a little, the bitterness in his tone sharpening.
'When he was five months old, he was already walking. By two, he was speaking fluently. Full sentences, like he was a tiny businessman or something. And by five… he was solving high school-level math and writing dissertations on physics I couldn't even pronounce. Like, what the hell?'
He scoffed.
'Of course, my parents noticed. How could they not? Their little genius. Their true miracle. From that point on, I became the leftover. The shadow. I tried, you know? I really did. I tried to bond with him. Be the good big brother. But he was… cold. Not distant. Just empty. Like I didn't exist.'
Jinhyuk leaned forward, placing the empty noodle cup on the cluttered desk.
'He might have had an IQ of 430—yeah, seriously, that was his tested score, don't ask me how that works—but he had the emotional warmth of a glacier. At least to me.'
He grinned darkly.
'And what did I do to deserve that? Maybe I breathed the same air. Maybe I just… existed.'
His eyes lowered.
'Eventually, my parents stopped even pretending to care. They forbade me from going outside, or even attending school. Said I might "Disgrace the family name." That I'd ruin his image if I was seen in public. So they locked me in here.'
A long silence followed.
'It's been ten years. Give or take.'
He reached for his mouse, closed the video player, and collapsed onto the bed. The ceiling was still cracked. Still gray. Still the same.
'Whatever. I'm tired.'
His eyelids grew heavy, the stale air pressing on his lungs.
'You know what they say? That humans have an innate urge for freedom. A longing. A craving.' He exhaled slowly. 'I want the power to be free. To do what I want. To live without chains…'
Then—ding.
His eyes snapped open.
But it wasn't his ceiling anymore.
Jinhyuk sat up, startled. The room was spotless. Minimalist. White walls, sleek wooden floors. A single desk. A mirror. A wardrobe. A clean bed. A small bathroom door off to the side. Everything looked sterile—almost too perfect.
He stumbled toward the mirror and froze.
The reflection staring back was not the Jinhyuk he knew.
This new version was taller, leaner. His once limp black hair was now a smooth cascade of silver-gray, almost metallic in its sheen. His skin was pale, flawless, and his body… felt weightless. Like the years of stagnation and rot had been shed like a cocoon. His eyes, however, were the most striking.
Deep black irises, with crimson slits for pupils—inhuman, sharp, focused. Power hummed beneath them like a storm waiting to be unleashed.
"What… the hell?"
Then came the ding again.
A red, holographic screen bloomed in the air before him. Letters materialized, glowing with an arcane light:
[WELCOME, HOST.]The System has been activated successfully.
Another screen flickered into existence:
[Welcome to the "Path to Sovereignty" System.]
Freedom is not given—it is taken. The world, and all worlds beyond it, are cages wrapped in illusion. The weak bow. The strong decide. The System has chosen you, Ha Jinhyuk, to walk the Path of the Sovereign. Achieve true freedom by transcending fate, rule, and reality. Grow stronger. Conquer. Ascend. Break your chains. And you will no longer live as a prisoner—but as the one who holds the key to all prisons.]
[Let your journey begin.]
Jinhyuk's lips parted slightly, his pulse thudding in his ears.
'What the hell is going on…?'
He reached out toward the screen—toward the impossible.
And somewhere in the infinite multiverse, something smiled back.
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This is my first fan fiction and I hope you guys like it. So if you guys want to support me please leave a comment, review and powerstones. Thanks bye.