No one cared...until I changed

Left for Dead ( Rise of the system )

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When life beats you down, you rise. Not because you want to but because it’s the only way to survive.

Kael had always followed that principle and he kept fighting. For an orphan who had no parents and no sibling who he can rely on,it was tough.

He had to fight the daily routine of life.

His meagre job which pays his tuition bills and of course his school life.

Should he even talk about it?

It was brutal, hellish.

Kael sometimes wished he could skip school and hide away but it was a luxury he couldn't afford. He wanted to become a doctor. He had the passion to heal and save life but as this goes on, Kael doubts if he could be able too.

Kael looked at the fresh wound at the back of his hand. He shut his eyes and he could still remember how he was shoved against the iron bar near the school library.

He knew his place by now. Don't talk back and scrap the floor when you are being told too. That was the life Kael lived once he entered the gate of the school.

Kael Voss walked through the school hallway with his head down. He didn’t want to make eye contact with anyone. That always brought trouble. His backpack was old and torn, hanging from one shoulder. His shoes had holes in them. His uniform was too tight. People stared. Some laughed.

“Hey, look! It’s the trash boy again,” someone said behind him.

Kael kept walking. He knew that voice—Jason. Tall, rich, and cruel. Jason and his friends always picked on him. Today was no different.

Jason grabbed Kael by the backpack and yanked him back. Kael stumbled.

“Didn’t you hear me, loser?” Jason asked, shoving him against the locker.

Kael stayed quiet. He never talked back. That only made things worse.

“Answer me when I talk to you,” Jason said and slapped him.

Laughter echoed around the hallway. Other students watched but said nothing. Some even recorded it on their phones.

Kael’s cheek stung. His heart beat faster. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hit back. But he didn’t. He couldn’t.

“Come on, let’s take out the trash,” Jason said to his friends.

They dragged Kael out the back door, behind the gym. It was the place no one cared about. No cameras. No teachers. Just silence.

Kael tried to fight them off, but he was too weak. A fist hit his stomach. A kick hit his back. Then another. Then more. He curled into a ball, trying to protect himself.

“Stay down, freak!”

" How long do you think he is going to last?"

" I bet ten thousand dollars."

" Twenty!"

" Forty!"

" Sixty!"

The stae kept rising as each one placed their bet on him like a cage animal, expecting him to fight back.

" One hundred thousands, says Kael is going to fight back!" A voice said mockingly and laughing so hard that Kael dug his nails into his palms.

[ Students burst into laughter ]

A boot hit his face. Blood filled his mouth. He couldn’t breathe well. His head spun.

They didn’t stop.

Finally, they got bored.

“Let’s go. He’s not getting up anytime soon,” Jason said, laughing after seeing that Kael was almost fainting.

They all laughed as they ran off leaving him on the cold floor.

Kael lay on the cold ground. Blood ran from his nose. His left eye was swelling shut. His ribs hurt badly. He could barely move.

His eyes stared up at the grey sky. Rain started to fall. Soft at first, then harder. The world grew quiet around him. Just the sound of rain and his shallow breathing.

This time, Kael felt like dying. He felt the very soul trying to escape his body. He tried to stand up but then he knew some of his bones was broken.

He winced and felt he world was against him.

Some of the students who walked past him like he was invisible to them.

Like he never existed.

An outcast.

Someone who didn't belong.

Then he heard it.

A voice.

But not from outside.

It was inside his head.

[ Ding! ]

[ System voice : Host detected ]

[ System booting in 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 ]

[ System initializing ]

[SYSTEM BOOT COMPLETE.]

Kael blinked.

[HOST: KAEL]

[STATUS: NEAR DEATH]

[ACTIVATING ASCENDANCY PROTOCOL...]

“What... is this?” he whispered.

[DESIGNATION: FORSAKEN]

[UNLOCKING CORE FUNCTIONS]

[BEGIN REBUILDING PROCESS]

Suddenly, Kael felt warmth in his chest. Like something was waking up inside him. His pain didn’t go away, but something felt different.

[YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN.]

[RISE, OR BE ERASED.]

Kael groaned. His hands twitched. His fingers moved.

He coughed, spitting out blood. But he sat up.

Slowly. The rain kept falling but Kael didn't feel cold, his body shot up warmth and the rain didn't even matter.

Every part of him hurt, but he could move again.

“What... what are you?” he stammered gently with his eyes darting back and forth in the rain which was now getting really heavy.

[I AM THE SYSTEM. I EXIST TO GUIDE YOU. I EXIST TO BREAK LIMITS. I EXIST TO MAKE YOU ASCEND.]

Kael’s eyes widened.

Was he dreaming?

Was this what dying felt like?

[YOU WERE FORGOTTEN. ABANDONED. HUMILIATED. THAT ENDS NOW.]

A small screen flashed in front of his eyes. Only he could see it.

[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: PAIN TOLERANCE - LEVEL 1]

[NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: ENDURANCE - LEVEL 1]

Kael gasped. His breathing became steady. The pain was still there, but his mind felt clear.

He stood up.

Not fully straight. Not without shaking. But he stood.

The rain soaked his clothes. Blood mixed with water. He looked down at his hands.

“I don’t know what this is,” he said. “But... I’m not going to stay down anymore.”

Kael walked away from the gym slowly, limping. He didn’t look back. Something inside him had changed.

He wasn’t just a weak boy anymore.

He had a system.

Another message popped right in front of him.

[STATUS: STABLE]

[LEVEL: 1]

[SKILLS: PAIN TOLERANCE (L1), ENDURANCE (L1)]

[NEXT OBJECTIVE: Spend seven millionaires within the seven days.]

[ System voice; This is the part you press YES/NO. If you accept this ]

Kael stood still, his mind sharper than before and wondering if this was all a test or it was real.

His hand gently went slightly toward the unseen screen that was right before his eyes.