SHADE-BOUND Ascention System

The sharp buzz of an old alarm clock cut through the flimsy walls of the Gray family’s apartment. It was a relic, scavenged from some junk pile, but it did its job—waking Henry Gray from a restless sleep.

He groaned, dragging himself upright. His body ached from yesterday’s endless hustle, and his eyes burned as he stared at the cracked ceiling. A thin fracture ran across it, like a warning the whole place might come crashing down. The cot squeaked as he swung his legs over the side, the cold floor stinging his bare feet.

Across the room, his fourteen-year-old brother, Tom, was curled up on a pile of tattered blankets, his face soft in sleep. Henry watched him for a moment, reluctant to wake him. Let the kid dream a little longer.

He moved quietly through the dim apartment, avoiding the creaky floorboards. In the next room, behind a door so thin it might as well be paper, his sixteen-year-old sister, Lily, was still asleep. Their mother’s room was silent except for the faint flicker of light from a battered tablet glowing under her door. She was lost in her own world, as always.

Henry sighed, the weight of it all settling into his chest.

The kitchen was more of a corner than a room, smelling of damp walls and desperation. He opened the cupboard, his stomach rumbling. A stale loaf of bread and a jar of something that might’ve been jam in a past life stared back at him. He twisted the lid off, sniffing it warily.

“Still good,” he muttered, though he wasn’t convinced.

“Morning, Henry,” Lily said, shuffling in. Her school uniform was creased from being slept in, and she tied her dark hair into a messy ponytail, eyes half-closed. “Got anything worth eating?”

“A royal banquet,” Henry said, slicing off a chunk of the tough bread and spreading the questionable jam on it. “Fit for a princess in hiding.”

Lily eyed the slice. “Looks like you found it in a dumpster.”

“Hey, it’s got… vitamins or something.” Henry took a bite and immediately regretted it. The jam tasted like sour berries and bad decisions.

Tom bounded in, all messy hair and teenage energy. “Food! I’m starving!” His face fell when he saw the spread. “Bread? Again?”

“Be thankful,” Henry said, tossing him a piece. “Some folks don’t even get this.”

Tom grumbled but started eating.

Their mother appeared then, her face gaunt, her eyes distant. Once, she’d been vibrant, but now she barely seemed to notice them. She mumbled a hello, poured herself a cup of murky liquid from a dented kettle, and didn’t ask if they’d eaten. She never did.

Henry’s grip tightened on his bread. Anger simmered in his gut, the urge to shout, to demand she care. But he swallowed it down. What good would it do?

He shoved the last bite into his mouth and grabbed his worn jacket. “I’ll be back late,” he told them. “Don’t get into trouble.”

“Define trouble,” Tom said, mouth full.

Lily swatted his arm. “He means don’t be an idiot.”

Tom muttered something, but Henry was already out the door.

The streets of Neo-Veridia were a chaotic maze of survival. Towering buildings loomed above, their sleek designs worn down by time and the catastrophe everyone called the Collapse. Hover-cars zipped through the air, neon signs flickered with half-dead ads, and vendors shouted over the city’s constant hum.

In this world, your rank decided everything.

F-rankers like Henry were the lowest of the low, scraping by with no resources, no prospects. At F1, he was barely a shadow in Neo-Veridia’s eyes.

He passed glowing screens where people checked their ranks, their status projected above their wrists like a badge of honor. The lucky ones—the Awakened—radiated power, their abilities woven into who they were.

Henry had nothing like that. No Awakening, no spark of potential. Just grit and a family to feed.

He clenched his fists and kept moving.

He’d worked every job under the sun: delivery runner, cleaner, laborer. He’d even tried busking once, but his attempt at singing earned him nothing but laughter and a bruised ego. No time to dwell on it, though—his siblings needed him.

His first job of the day was deliveries, weaving through crowded streets with a bag of packages slung over his shoulder. Each drop-off earned a handful of credits, enough to maybe buy real food for Tom and Lily tonight.

He passed a group of guys in sharp jackets, their rank badges glowing faintly. C-rankers. Awakened. Untouchable.

They laughed, strutting like they owned the city. Maybe they did. Rank was everything here. Henry had seen people like them before—nobodies who’d unlocked their potential and climbed the ladder overnight.

He looked away. Jealousy wouldn’t fill the fridge.

The day dragged on in a haze of sore muscles and exhaustion. He cleaned offices, hauled crates, ran more deliveries. Each job added a few credits to his account, each step heavier than the last.

By the time the sky darkened, Henry was barely holding it together.

Then everything fell apart.

He was crossing a street, his mind foggy with thoughts of his siblings. The city’s lights blurred, his legs heavy. He didn’t hear the noise at first—a high-pitched whine, growing louder.

A horn blared, sharp and desperate.

Henry’s head snapped up.

A massive hover-truck was hurtling toward him.

Time seemed to freeze. His body wouldn’t move, his muscles locked. The world smeared into streaks of neon and shadow.

Something stirred inside him, a strange flicker in his chest, like a spark catching flame.

Then—

CRASH.

Pain exploded through him as metal slammed into his body. The impact stole his breath, sending him airborne. He hit the ground hard, the world spinning into darkness.

For a moment, there was nothing. Just silence.

Then—a voice, not quite a sound, more like a thought whispering in his mind.

Connection established…

…Assessing host…

…Match confirmed: 97%…

A surge of heat flooded his veins, sharp and electric. His mind splintered, overwhelmed by flashes of light, symbols, and something like code racing across his vision. It was too much—his body couldn’t handle it. He felt like he was unraveling, breaking apart.

One final thought burned into his mind, clear as day:

System Online: The Core Awakened

Then the darkness took him.