The wind was cruel this morning.
It bit through the broken boards of the half collapsed shelter like it knew exactly where to strike. Rain had soaked the thin blanket wrapped around Kael's shoulders, turning it into a wet rag clinging to his bones.
He didn't move. He just stared.
The orphanage had burned down two winters ago. No one had rebuilt it. No one ever would. Kael was just a leftover of a kingdom that had no use for the powerless.
Today was his seventeenth birthday.
In the Kingdom of Eloria, that meant one thing: Awakening Day. The day your Power Core ignited the magic locked inside your blood, soul, or spirit. Nobles held ceremonies. Merchants bought new robes. Even street thugs celebrated.
But Kael sat in silence, his hands trembling over a piece of stale bread he'd earned from working in the tavern's trash pits.
He didn't expect much. His parents were dead, their names erased from records. No bloodline. No inheritance. No guidance. People like him were called Drifts soulless, powerless, forgettable.
Still… a tiny, traitorous part of him hoped.
He took a slow breath.
And the world stopped.
[SYSTEM INITIATING…]
Kael froze. The wet blanket fell from his shoulders.
[Awakening Complete. User: Kael Riven.]
[Power Core Detected: None.]
[Override Activated: Origin System Online.]
A cold light spread across his vision. A panel faint, transparent hovered in the air.
[Status][Skills][Inventory][Shard Bank]
Level: 1Core: Dominion (Fragmented)
Unique Trait: Power Steal (Locked)
Energy: 10/10
Kael's breath hitched.
No Core. No fire. No light.
But something… more.
He reached out instinctively, touching the word "Skills."
No Skills Equipped.
System Tip: Steal a skill to begin. Target must be within 5 meters and unshielded.
A sudden shout broke the trance.
"HEY, you filth!"
Kael turned.
Three young men in tailored academy uniforms stood nearby, smirking. The one in front, a red haired brute with a steel badge pinned to his chest, cracked his knuckles. Flames danced at his fingertips.
"Didn't think a trash like you would crawl near the plaza on Awakening Day. Guess even rats hope for miracles."
Kael didn't answer. His mind raced.
[Skill Available: Flame Grasp (Rank E)]
[Steal Success Chance: 45%]
[Use Power Steal?]
His heart pounded. If he failed, he'd be burned. Maybe worse.
But this might be his only chance.
He clenched his fists.
"Yes."
The world blurred for a second.
The flame in the bully's hand sputtered. His grin faded. "Huh?"
[Power Steal Successful.]
[Acquired: Flame Grasp (E)]
[Skill stored in Shard Bank.]
Kael didn't know how to use it yet.
But he felt it heat coiling in his palm, waiting to be shaped.
The brute stepped back. "Wh-What the hell…?"
Kael smiled for the first time in months.
The fire was his now.
And the world?
The world had no idea what it had just awoken.