Seventeen days.
That was how long Zen Bond had been awake, aware, and immobile.
He couldn't move.
He couldn't speak, blink, or scream. His body had become a shell, unresponsive, weightless. But he could hear.
He could listen.
The murmurs of nurses. The soft hum of machines. The sterile buzz of fluorescent lights. And worst of all—the voices of the living, speaking about him as if he were already dead.
"Vitals are stable... but he hasn't shown any signs of motor response."
"The scans show irreversible brain damage, and yet… his neural activity is normal."
"Frankly, we don't understand how he's alive."
Neither did he.
Zen didn't know what was keeping him here—suspended between consciousness and nothingness. Maybe it was the explosion. Maybe it was the Spectral energy. Or maybe it was just something broken deep inside of him.
But he knew one thing for certain.
He hadn't given up.
Even now, beneath the still surface, Zen was screaming.
Not for help.
But for answers.
A television droned faintly in the room, its voice dulled by distance and painkillers. It would've been white noise, except for one word that cut through everything like a knife.
"Specters."
He listened.
"After weeks of analysis, researchers have confirmed that the Sector Nine explosion was not chemical. It was a Spectral Detonation—the first of its kind."
"Individuals exposed to the Spectral field have undergone a genetic mutation, granting superhuman abilities. These mutated humans have been designated as Specters."
Zen's breath caught in his throat, even if no one could see it.
"There are five known Specter Ranks, classified by awakening potential and power manifestation. Rank 1 is the most common. Rank 5… nearly mythical."
1 in 1,000 becomes Rank 2.
1 in 100,000 becomes Rank 3.
1 in 10 million becomes Rank 4.
1 in a billion—just one in a billion—is Rank 5.
"All known Specters awaken with severe pain. Many fall into comas. Some don't wake up at all."
Zen's thoughts paused.
If Specter awakening caused pain, then—
Why didn't I feel anything?
Why are my vitals stable? Why do the doctors sound confused?
Why… is nothing happening to me?
The voice on the television continued. A new topic. A new wound.
"Among the survivors is a young girl who awakened with violent symptoms. Upon gaining consciousness, she released uncontrolled energy and destroyed part of the hospital's upper ward."
"She has since stabilized. Her name is Lyra Bond. Registered Specter. Confirmed Rank 4."
His sister.
She had woken up.
She had power.
A surge of emotions thundered through him—relief, disbelief, something like pride… and fear.
Not for her.
For himself.
Why haven't I changed?
Why am I the outlier?
He had no power. No pain. No transformation.
Just this silence. This cage.
Something inside him began to rot.
But not his will.
The 18th day.
Zen tried to move. Again.
It wasn't the first time.
It wouldn't be the last.
Thousands of times a day, he ordered his limbs to respond. He shouted commands at dead nerves. His thoughts were blades. His intent was steel.
But his body did not answer.
Not until the third day of trying.
When he felt something.
Something small.
A flicker.
His eyelids twitched.
And then—
[Ding.]
A sound echoed not through his ears, but inside his skull.
[Minimum Willpower Threshold reached.][Unknown System initializing…][Attempting Soul Ascension...]
[ERROR.][Karma requirement not met.][Will requirement not met.]
[Soul Ascension Progress: 0.0001%]
[??? has granted you the SYSTEM.]
Zen's thoughts froze.
System?
What system?
[Achievement Unlocked: Rule Breaker]*[You have accessed the Ascension System before entering the Tower. You have broken the Law of [#%&*&^%$].]
A screen unfolded in his mind.
[Status Window]
Name: Zen Bond
Level: 1
Class: None
Health: 1 / 100
Spectral Energy: 0
Experience: 0 / 10
Talents: ???
Attributes:
Strength: 0.3
Agility: 0.3
Vitality: 0.1
Endurance: 0.1
Intelligence: 10
[??? requests permission to merge Strength, Agility, and Endurance into one stat.]
Umm… sure? I don't know what's happening, but fine.
[Merging Attributes…]
[Merged Attribute Created: Physique]
[Updated Status]
Name: Zen Bond
Level: 1
Class: None
Health: 5 / 100
Spectral Energy: 0
Experience: 0 / 10
Talents: ???
Attributes:
Physique: 0.5
Vitality: 0.5
Intelligence: 10
So Vitality governs my health… merging boosted it.This… isn't just some hallucination.
[??? is searching for ways to assist Soul Ascension.][??? requests increased Karma.]
I'm still paralyzed. I can't exactly earn karma like this.But I will move. Soon.
[??? advises against physical attempts at the moment.][??? warns: Adaptation to #$%^&^%$ cannot be forced.][However, ??? has located a method to acquire Karma.][Do you accept?]
The window waited.
Flickering.
Expectant.
[Accept?]
— Yes— No