James gasped sharply, jolting upright in his bed. "Where am I? Wait... this is my room? What happened last night?" Memories of intense pain flashed vividly through his mind, accompanied by his best friend's terrified scream. He whispered cautiously, "System?"
"Yes, Host?" responded a calm, disembodied voice.
James flinched. "Who—what—where? Show yourself!"
"I can't," the voice explained patiently. "I'm a metaphysical entity born when ten stars went supernova simultaneously. During your reincarnation, our existences became inadvertently intertwined. After examining your memories, I took the form of a system—a concept familiar to you. I transported you safely here after detecting you were in danger."
"So, I'm stuck with you until I die, and then we both vanish?" James summarized dryly.
"Precisely," the system deadpanned.
James groaned, rubbing his face. "Fantastic. Well, what exactly can you do?"
"I can converse intelligently, offer knowledge about the supernatural—courtesy of your previous life's binge-watching habits—and provide a basic status screen. No quests, no inventory, but I can hold up to four weapons for you. That's about it."
"So, not exactly like the systems from stories," James sighed.
"Not even close."
"Fine. How do I access this status page?"
"Just say 'status.'"
"Status," James spoke aloud.
A pale blue screen instantly appeared before him:
Descendant System:
Name: James Hall
Species: Unknown (Quarter Werewolf - Beta)
Height: 6'3
Titles: Emancipated Minor, Descendant to ##########
Relationships:
Bernard Hall (Father, Deceased)Maria Hall (Mother, Deceased)Stiles Stilinski (Best Friend, Brotherly)Scott McCall (Best Friend, Brotherly)Jackson Whittemore (Enemy)Lydia Martin (Friend)Erica Reyes (Friend)
Skills:
Driving (Advanced)Hacking (Beginner)Boxing (Adept)Wrestling (Adept)Programming (Adept)American Sign Language (Master)General Knowledge (Master)Business Acumen (Advanced)
Powers and Abilities:
Enhanced Strength, Speed, Durability, Agility, Reflexes, StaminaEnhanced Senses (Incomplete Evolution)Accelerated Healing (Incomplete Evolution)Shapeshifting: Stage-1 (Unlocked), Stage-2 (Locked), Stages 3-4 (Locked)Pain AbsorptionAdditional Abilities: Unknown (Locked)
James frowned. "Wait, it says I'm a werewolf but lists my species as unknown?"
"Yes," the system clarified. "Analyzing your soul revealed dormant werewolf ancestry, tracing back around the time of Lycaon, possibly older. Your lineage carries a powerful genetic trait activated by strong catalysts—like severe injury or a werewolf's bite. Frankly, even I'm curious about your exact origins."
"Interesting. How would I investigate my ancestry?"
"Try mythology, folklore, legends—typical stuff," the system replied indifferently.
James sighed dramatically. "A cosmic entity born from exploding stars, and you're reduced to snarky comments and genealogy research?"
"Basically. But hey, I can tell you your blood type is O-negative. Universal donor—useful, right?"
"Screw you, system," James muttered, annoyed.
The system chuckled, amused. "Just joking."
"What should I call you, anyway? I've been saying 'system' this whole time. Do you have a name?"
"Nope. Didn't think of one. Pick something fitting."
James considered briefly. "How about Dire, as in dire wolf?"
"Dire. Works for me."
James glanced at his clock and panicked. "Crap, I'm late!"
Rushing to dress, he threw on a Boston Celtics shirt under a dark hoodie, black jeans, and Air Jordan 11 Concords, quickly tying back his dreads. He hurried into his garage, briefly pausing to admire his sleek vehicles: a black Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Sport, a classic 1967 Chevy Impala, a powerful Stage 2 silver 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1, and an all-black 2011 W204 C63 AMG.
"Still young and already a collection like this," he murmured sadly, recalling his deceased parents. Shaking off his melancholy, he hopped into the ZL1, roaring out of the garage and closing the door behind him.
At a red light, Dire's voice echoed annoyingly in his head:
"...and so you're back, from outer space—"
"Dude, Dire! Are you seriously singing right now? You trying to make me crash?"
"Healing factor, remember?" Dire joked.
"Just cut the connection."
Dire shifted to humming the same tune.
"Dude!"
"Fine, fine," Dire laughed, finally quieting.
Jackson Whittemore pulled into Beacon Hills High first, his sleek Porsche attracting several admiring glances as he parked with exaggerated confidence. Moments later, a powerful roar echoed through the parking lot, completely overshadowing Jackson's arrival. James pulled in with his Camaro ZL1, the engine rumbling loudly and commanding attention. Heads turned from Jackson's car toward James, who parked effortlessly with a satisfied grin.
"From today, I'll become the most popular guy this school's ever seen," James declared dramatically, stepping out of the car.
"Yeah, doubt it," Scott teased, approaching him with a grin.
"Scott!" James smiled, greeting him warmly. "How've you been since last night?"
"Think I got bit by a wolf," Scott revealed hesitantly, showing his bandaged wound.
James winced sympathetically. "Damn. Same here," he said, showing his similarly wrapped wound.
Stiles interrupted skeptically, "You guys are hallucinating. California hasn't had wolves in decades."
"Really?" James and Scott replied simultaneously.
"Yes, really," Stiles confirmed confidently.
Scott leaned in, whispering nervously, "I actually saw the other half of that body last night."
James groaned, "You've gotta be kidding."
Scott shuddered, "Nightmare fuel."
Stiles became distracted, noticing Lydia Martin approaching. "Best thing since Lydia Martin was born! Hey, Lydia—oh, you're ignoring me."
"Hey, Lydia," James called casually.
Lydia turned, her eyes lighting up as she recognized James immediately. "Oh! Hey, James. Didn't recognize you with your hair up—it suits you," she said warmly, giving him a quick appreciative look. "It's been a while; we should definitely catch up soon. I'd love to hear about what you've been up to."
"Definitely," James agreed, smiling warmly as they hugged briefly.
Stiles gaped as Lydia walked away. "How—?"
James chuckled, clapping Stiles on the shoulder. "Confidence, man. You're like 5'10 or 6'0—plenty tall to catch attention if you actually used it. Besides, Jackson hates when I talk to Lydia—it makes my day so much better. I've been single for way too long, still holding onto my V-card and everything. I'm definitely looking to change that this year."
Stiles raised his eyebrows curiously. "So, Lydia then?"
James smirked playfully. "Maybe Lydia, or someone like Erica Reyes. I haven't decided yet."
"Erica?" Stiles echoed, surprised. "The epileptic girl from freshman year?"
James shrugged mysteriously. "There's more to people than you realize."
"If you say so," Stiles muttered skeptically.
Stiles sighed dramatically. "You know, it's you two that drag me into the nerd depths. Nerd by association, man."
James and Scott laughed, rolling their eyes. "Yeah, whatever," James chuckled, as the three of them headed inside to their respective classes just as the bell rang.