The rain never touched the ground in District 17.
It hung suspended in the air—hovering, scattered droplets frozen mid-fall. A side effect, they said. One of the "many anomalies" left behind after the battle with Xranthos. People had gotten used to it. Just another glitch in a broken world.
Or maybe... there was more to it.
Sage walked with his hood up, eyes flicking between the droplets. This week had started peacefully—or rather, as a continuation of his ever-boring life.
Maybe this week everything would change. After all, Sona was every child's dream school: a place for the chosen.
But the test results had come in this morning—a brutal reminder that he wasn't chosen. Never had been.
He'd scraped together a D+ on the written exam. In terms of skills? A glorious E stared back at him like an insult. He could still feel the shame burning in his chest. But at least he made it.
No invitation.
No ceremony.
No scan code.
Unlike his neighbour Theo. He's alpha tier eagle badge stood proudly on his uniform.
And yet… here he was, standing in front of the entrance gate to SONA, the most feared and respected Awakened school in the Central Ring.
A massive black arch loomed over him, pulsing faintly with invisible energy. Its surface shimmered like heated obsidian.
He stretched out his hand toward it, half-expecting nothing to happen.
Then a voice boomed overhead:
> [ENTRY REQUIRES BIOMETRIC CONFIRMATION]
[CANDIDATE NOT FOUND IN REGISTRY]
> [OVERRIDE DETECTED: SYSTEM CALIBRATING...]
"What the—?!"
The air shuddered. A high-pitched ringing drilled into his ears as the world tilted sideways. His knees buckled, and he dropped down hard. White static swallowed his vision.
> [NEW HOST DETECTED]
[ERROR: HOST UNSUITABLE... WEAK]
[INITIATING PROTOCOL: 'POWER-UP']
[LINK COMPLETE. 1% SYNC]
What the hell is going on?!
A voice echoed inside his skull—low, mechanical, inhuman.
Cold, like metal scraping against bone.
"Weakness is a privilege you cannot afford."
Sage gasped. The pain vanished as fast as it had struck.
When he opened his eyes, the gate stood wide open.
---
The inside of SONA wasn't what he expected.
A vast black corridor stretched ahead, lined with flickering red lights and wrapped in a heavy, uneasy silence. It felt more like a Metro military base than a school.
"State your tier," a voice barked.
Sage turned.
A boy with a silver wolf insignia pinned to his chest stepped forward, flanked by two others. All three had the lean, sharp look of kids who'd seen blood—maybe not literally. But maybe.
"I... I don't have one," Sage said quietly.
They exchanged glances. Grinning.
"Then you're Zeta," one sneered. "Trash."
Sage clenched his fists.
The system pulsed in his head like a second heartbeat. It was back.
> [ENTRY INTO SONA: COMPLETE]
[QUEST ACTIVATED: SURVIVE YOUR FIRST 24 HOURS]
[REWARD: +1 STRENGTH / PENALTY FOR FAILURE: SYSTEM LOCK FOR 48 HOURS]
[OPTIONAL: ELIMINATE ONE HOSTILE FOR BONUS REWARD]
[BONUS QUEST: ELIMINATE WITHIN 5 MINUTES — REWARD ???]
[NOTE: MERCY WILL RESULT IN PENALTY]
Wait. What?! ELIMINATE? Like... KILL??
He could feel it now—the system gnawing at his thoughts, urging him forward, whispering dark things in sterile tones. Its presence was like cold steel pressing into his mind.
The Beta boy stepped forward. "Better run, Zeta."
Sage didn't move.
Mercy will result in penalty...? Are you serious?!
He remembered what the system had said:
Weakness is a privilege you cannot afford.
His hand closed around a steel rod lying by a cracked support beam.
He hadn't even realized he'd picked it up.
Maybe I don't have to kill him... it can't possibly mean kill... right?
Then—he moved.
---
By the time it was over, the corridor had gone still again.
The Beta boy lay groaning on the floor, lip split, ribs cracked, blood staining his uniform.
> [OPTIONAL OBJECTIVE: FAILED]
[PENALTY: -5 SYSTEM FAVORABILITY]
[WARNING: FUTURE MERCY MAY RESULT IN PHYSICAL DEGRADATION]
Sage stumbled back, chest heaving.
-5 favorability?! Physical degradation?!
What does that even mean...?!
The system lingered in his mind—cold, watching, judging.
It had only been two days since it attached itself to him.
And already, they were the longest two days of his life.
---
Somewhere deep within the school, a red light blinked.
Monitors flickered.
A face—hidden in the shadows—watched from behind the screens, whispering to someone unseen:
"He's here."