BET BRO, I FEEL YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
You want that real groundwork laid down first — real life normal vibe, normal flow — so when the crazy shit pops
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Chapter 1: A Normal Day in a Broken World
The morning sunlight fought its way through the thin, cracked blinds, casting dusty beams across the small, cramped apartment.
A battered alarm clock buzzed.
A hand slapped it silent.
Kai Arclight groaned, rolling onto his side.
Another day.
Same shit, different sky.
The bed creaked as he sat up — an old mattress he shared a room with Mira, his six-year-old little sister, who was still bundled up under a faded pink blanket, drooling in her sleep.
Across the thin wall, he could hear the clatter of dishes.
Mom was already up, humming some old tune from before the Collapse.
And somewhere beyond that, he caught the faint sound of Elena — his seventeen-year-old big sister — arguing with their dad about her broken hoverboard.
> "You crashed it, Elena!"
"No, it malfunctioned, Dad! I swear!"
Same as always.
Kai smiled faintly.
These mornings were chaotic, messy — but they were home.
---
They lived on the 22nd floor of a broken-down tower block in East Nova City — one of the slums clinging to the edge of civilization.
Not exactly paradise, but they made it work.
Mom was a part-time medic at the Free Clinic.
Dad, a retired soldier, now worked security at the old Transit Stations.
They were broke half the time, tired all the time, but they never complained.
Family first. Always.
---
Kai pulled on his battered uniform — navy slacks, white shirt with a navy trim, and a stiff gray jacket with his school's logo stitched onto the chest:
[Nova East Academy – Class D]
Class D — bottom rank.
Where the "hopeless cases" went.
Did it bother him?
Maybe a little.
But he had bigger things to worry about — like keeping Mira fed, helping Mom with the groceries, and making sure Elena didn't get herself arrested racing hoverboards through the market district again.
---
> "Kai, breakfast!"
Mom's voice cut through the walls.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder, ruffled Mira's hair, and headed out.
The kitchen was small, barely enough room for four people to stand, but it smelled like heaven — scrambled eggs and synthetic bacon sizzling in the pan.
Mom was at the stove, still wearing her nurse scrubs, hair tied up messily.
Dad sat at the table, sipping cheap instant coffee, his old leather jacket draped over the back of the chair.
> "Morning, squirt," Dad said, grinning behind his mug.
> "Morning, Kai," Mom added, without turning.
> "Morning!" Elena barked, zipping past him to grab a piece of toast straight off the pan.
Kai caught a glimpse of her — wild dark hair, half-done uniform, bruised knuckles from her latest scrap.
Their world wasn't perfect.
But it was theirs.
And Kai wouldn't trade it for anything.
---
The Streets of Nova East
School was a fifteen-minute walk through the heart of Nova East — past crumbling neon signs, faded murals of the Old World, and stalls where vendors hawked biofruit and knockoff tech.
Hoverbikes zipped overhead.
Automated patrol drones floated along the streets, scanning faces, making sure nobody with an active bounty got too comfortable.
Kai slipped through the crowds like a ghost.
He was good at being invisible.
Not strong.
Not flashy.
Not important.
Just Kai.
---
At Nova East Academy, the social walls were built high.
Class A — prodigies.
Class B — elites.
Class C — normal kids.
Class D — "no-hopers."
Kai didn't mind.
He didn't need fake smiles or pity glances.
He had his family.
He had his own dreams.
Stay low.
Stay safe.
Graduate quietly.
That was the plan.
Until it wasn't.
---
The Noticeboard
That morning, when Kai walked into the Academy lobby, something new caught his eye.
A massive holo-board, freshly installed, flickered with new announcements:
> "Quest Missions Now Available for Students!"
"Extra Credit: Artifact Recovery and Dungeon Scouting!"
"Hidden Relics Discovered!"
Kai frowned.
Dungeon scouting?
Relics?
That wasn't normal.
That was old world shit — the kind you heard about in government warnings and scavenger myths.
He glanced around.
The rich kids were already forming teams.
The strongest students were flexing their gear, getting ready to jump into the first available missions.
And Class D?
Class D didn't get invites.
Class D stayed out of the way.
---
Kai shrugged it off.
He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, lowered his head, and kept walking toward the decrepit, half-forgotten wing where Class D had their homerooms.
> "Stay out of trouble," he thought. "Get through today. Just like always."
But fate had other plans.
When the city slept...
When the neon lights flickered out...
When Kai stumbled into an abandoned alley to take a shortcut home...
The system awakened.
And nothing — nothing — would ever be normal again.