The Broken Vampire System

~Laurent

People always say “Your future is not set in stone”. They believe that whatever choices you make will influence your destiny. Do you want to know what I believe?

I believe that some things cannot be escaped no matter how fast you run. In this world, one of those things is getting a system. In Elarion, once a person gets to eighteen years of age, they are infused with a system. A system that grants them power and gives more strength that was initially thought impossible.

The Awakening Ceremony was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. The auditorium looked like a festival—flags draped from the balconies, crystals burning with gold light, rows of students whispering prayers under their breath. Everyone wanted to be special.

Everyone except me.

I’d spent all morning trying to convince myself this wasn’t a mistake. That somehow the universe had forgotten how much it hated me. Losing my parents early, scraping through every exam, being the kid teachers sighed about pretty much summed up my life. Today was different though. Today, I allowed myself to feel something dangerously close to hope. Maybe today, things could finally start looking up. If I got infused with a good system, I might just start getting the respect I craved for as long as I can remember.

A roar of applause broke through my thoughts. The ceremony was starting. I looked up.

An older man stepped on the stage. He had brown eyes and auburn curls. His physique exuded confidence and his build told tales of many years of combat. He cleared his throat and took in the sight of us.

“For many years,” He started. “The inhabitants of Elarion lived in fear of the monsters lurking just beyond our borders. We knew it was only a matter of time before they came forth and conquered us all. We had no power of our own so we just lived everyday like it was our last, bracing ourselves for the inevitable.”

He stopped and looked around, making sure everyone was paying attention.

“Until the gods decided to bless us by revealing the Obelisk Crystal to us in the forest.” He said, gesturing to a tall pillar made of glistening crystals, this sparked applause and cheers. “This crystal has granted us the power to dominate the monsters as it was meant to be. It granted us the power to fight for what is ours. It grants us powers specifically designed to our emotions, temperament and physical ability… and tonight, we share that power with you.”

Everyone cheered and clapped as the man left the stage. The awakening ceremony had begun. Most of us had been to awakening ceremonies before so we knew how this worked. Walk on stage, place your hand on the Obelisk, see your system and your rank then walk inside to be given directions to the part of the school you’d be. Schooling doesn’t end at eighteen here, it actually gets more intense and could even cost you your life. Exciting, right?

Onstage, a boy with hair so gold it looked polished by sunlight pressed his hand to the Obelisk. The crystal pulsed and flared—brilliant gold light spilling across the hall.

“Celestial!” someone shouted as his system was revealed.

The cheers doubled when the reading appeared: S-rank.

He raised a hand like he’d just been crowned god-king of the academy. Maybe he had. S-ranks could reshape the elements. Start fires, summon storms. People whispered they could level a mountain with a thought, their only limitations lied in their system.

He stepped off the stage glowing—literally glowing—and students rushed to shake his hand.

The next girl trembled as she touched the Obelisk. Blue light spread from her palm—Psychokinetic. C-rank. The crowd clapped politely. She smiled through her tears, grateful just to be seen.

One by one they went—Arcanists, Titans, Shifters. Every flash of colour brought another round of cheers or groans. Power, rank, destiny—all summed up in one heartbeat.

Then it was my turn.

I didn’t feel ready, but the teacher’s eyes caught mine and nodded toward the stage. No point delaying fate. I walked up, palms slick, heart hammering. The Obelisk stood twice my height, its surface clear as frozen water. Light pulsed faintly inside, like a heartbeat waiting to match mine.

“Go on,” the teacher murmured.

I pressed my hand to the surface.

Cold. Colder than it had any right to be. The air around me went still.

Then the Obelisk lit up.

Black light spilled across its face, coiling like smoke through glass. Gasps rippled through the crowd. The colour alone said it all—Vampire System. Rare, unpredictable. Dangerous in the wrong hands.

My breath caught. Of all the systems, the Vampire was the one whispered about most—strength, speed, blood instincts. Dark but powerful.

Maybe—just maybe—my luck had finally turned. The vampire system was one of the most powerful systems there was. With power like this at my disposal, I’d finally be respected and if my rank was anything like the others that went up before me, my life was going to become a lot better from now on.

I waited and then the numbers appeared.

Power Rating: 10mp

The hall went silent. Ten. Not a typo. Not a glitch. Barely above a normal human. E-rank. The weakest rank there was.

Laughter broke the silence like a match to dry grass.

Heat flooded my face. I wanted to shrink, disappear. The teacher shifted uncomfortably but said nothing.

I stepped back, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me.

Just when I thought my life couldn’t get any worse… it did.