In the human world, the night sky above the shining megacity of Atria glowed with streams of floating lights and hovering traffic. Massive holographic advertisements drifted between skyscrapers like artificial moons, casting blue and crimson reflections across the glass towers below.
Inside one of the wealthiest residential districts, laughter echoed from a luxurious apartment high above the city.
A group of teenage girls sat around a glowing table filled with snacks, drinks, and gaming devices. Music played softly in the background while holographic stars drifted lazily across the ceiling.
Among them sat Nora.
She leaned lazily against the couch, one leg folded beneath her body, her silver-black hair flowing over her shoulders. Though she looked calm on the outside, there was always something distant in her eyes... as if she was staring at something no one else could see.
At just around 1.7 meters tall, Nora already carried herself with unnatural grace. Her beauty wasn't overwhelming like Aviana's flawless inhuman appearance, but it was captivating in a colder, more mysterious way.
One of the girls beside her, Sophia, sighed dramatically.
"You're cheating."
Nora blinked.
"How?"
Sophia pointed accusingly at the floating cards in front of Nora.
"You keep predicting my moves before I even make them."
The other girls immediately nodded in agreement.
"Exactly!"
"You're terrifying!"
"You should never play strategy games."
Nora smiled faintly.
It wasn't really prediction.
Ever since awakening the system, strange glimpses would sometimes appear in her mind. Tiny fragments of the future. A movement. A word. A choice.
Enough to alter outcomes.
Enough to make people fear her.
Enough to make her hate fate itself.
Nora slowly placed another card down.
"You're just too easy to read."
The girls groaned.
Sophia narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"No. That's definitely supernatural."
Nora chuckled softly but said nothing.
She reached for a drink, but her movements paused slightly.
For a brief second...
She saw blood.
A battlefield.
Shadows.
A boy standing alone beneath a dark sky.
Then the vision vanished.
Nora quietly lowered her eyes.
The others didn't notice.
Ever since completing her trial one month ago, these visions had become more frequent.
And worse.
The system had changed her.
No...
It had burdened her.
Unlike ordinary initiates who returned proudly after conquering their first nightmare, Nora had crawled out of hers half-dead.
The trial had nearly shattered her mind.
Even now, remembering it sent chills through her spine.
The screaming.
The endless threads.
The puppets dancing under fate.
The impossible choices.
The system had not gifted her power.
It had chained her with destiny.
Nora silently summoned her profile.
A translucent crimson screen appeared before her eyes.
---
Name: Nora
Rank: Initiate
Class: Monster
Data: Flow
Flaw: You cannot use enchanted weapons gifted by the system.
God Body: Seven Arms of Destiny
Monster Core: 1/2000
---
Current Spirits
Guiding Light
Monstrous Fate Wolf
Blind Owl
Dancing Spear
---
Legacy Practice
The Thread of the Seven Arms
Mastery Level: 1
---
Power
False Glimpse
---
True Name
Heir of Crimson Fate
---
Description
You received the legendary gift of Fate to God.
You are controlled by Fate.
You are the sole last existing guardian of the Blood King.
When he calls your true name aloud, you shall become both slave and freedom itself.
Heir of Crimson Fate... your treasury truly has no bounds.
---
Master:-
Citadel:-
Spirit Gain
1100 / 64000
Memory
1 / 2000
Shards
50 / 500
---
Nora stared silently at the profile.
Her expression dimmed.
"Monster class…"
Even now, she still found it unbelievable.
An Initiate of Monster class.
It sounded absurd.
The gap between Ordinary, Berserk, Mutated, and Monster class was terrifying.
Yet despite being so powerful...
She still felt weak.
She still had no Citadel.
No Master.
No established Spirit Domain.
And worst of all...
Her flaw crippled her growth.
She couldn't use enchanted weapons gifted by the system.
Which meant every powerful memory or system weapon became useless in her hands.
Nora clenched her fist slightly.
"I need more spirits…"
The others continued talking and laughing around her, unaware of the dangerous thoughts running through her mind.
Sophia suddenly leaned closer.
"Nora."
"Hm?"
Sophia grinned mischievously.
"Let's go hunting."
Nora blinked once.
"Hunting?"
"The Spiritual Realm," Sophia replied excitedly. "I heard a temporary gate opened nearby. Lots of initiates are farming creatures there."
One of the girls immediately protested.
"That's dangerous!"
Sophia rolled her eyes.
"We're initiates, not children."
Then she looked back at Nora.
"You're coming, right?"
Nora hesitated.
Honestly...
She didn't feel like fighting tonight.
But staying idle wouldn't help her grow stronger.
And strength was the only thing she trusted now.
After a few seconds, Nora nodded.
"Fine."
Sophia jumped excitedly.
"Yes!"
The other girls groaned dramatically.
"You battle maniacs are insane."
Thirty minutes later, the two girls left the apartment building and entered the neon-lit streets of Atria.
The city at night looked alive.
Flying vehicles streaked across the sky.
Artificial stars shimmered overhead.
Massive holograms towered over the streets, advertising combat academies, data markets, spirit technology, and system enhancement companies.
People walked peacefully below, unaware of the countless hidden battles occurring behind the scenes of humanity.
Nora quietly followed Sophia through the crowded streets.
Unlike Sophia, who chatted excitedly about rewards and spirit fragments, Nora remained mostly silent.
She was thinking about her vision earlier.
The boy beneath the dark sky.
The shadows.
The blood.
For some reason...
It felt important.
Very important.
Eventually, they arrived before a massive silver building guarded by armed personnel.
The entrance displayed glowing words:
SPIRITUAL REALM TRANSFER STATION
Sophia stretched lazily.
"Finally."
The guards checked their identities quickly before allowing them inside.
The interior resembled a futuristic laboratory mixed with a military base.
Rows of sleeping pods lined the enormous hall.
System technicians moved around calmly while holographic screens floated everywhere.
Some initiates were already entering pods.
Others were returning injured.
Nora watched quietly.
Unlike ordinary people, she understood how terrifying the Spiritual Realm truly was.
Every trial.
Every gate.
Every realm.
They were all part of something ancient.
Something wrong.
Something connected to fate itself.
Sophia waved at her.
"Come on."
The two girls entered a private chamber containing two advanced sleeping pods.
Blue lights glowed softly around the machines.
Sophia immediately removed her jacket and climbed into one pod casually.
Nora stood still for a moment.
The smooth metallic surface reflected her face back at her.
Cold.
Tired.
Burdened.
She slowly touched the edge of the pod.
The moment her fingers made contact...
A faint crimson thread appeared around her wrist before disappearing instantly.
Nora's eyes narrowed slightly.
Again.
Those threads again.
Ever since awakening her God Body, she had begun seeing invisible strings around certain people and places.
Some were thin.
Some were thick.
Some were broken.
And some...
Were soaked in blood.
Nora quietly entered the sleeping pod.
The lid slowly began closing.
Sophia's voice echoed from the other pod.
"Try not to carry me too hard this time."
Nora smirked faintly.
"No promises."
The chamber lights dimmed.
System energy flowed through the pods.
Mechanical voices echoed softly.
> "Consciousness synchronization beginning…"
> "Spirit connection established…"
> "Preparing realm descent…"
Nora slowly closed her eyes.
But before darkness completely swallowed her consciousness...
She saw another vision.
A crimson sky.
A shadowed battlefield.
A boy covered in blood standing alone.
And countless threads...
All leading toward him.
Nora's eyes snapped open briefly.
Her lips moved unconsciously.
"…Jade?"
Then darkness consumed her completely.