The boy without a system

CHAPTER 5 — THE GIRL WHO DIED

"My name is Sarah." She took a step toward him. "And I've been looking for you for a long time."

Evan didn't budge. His fingers instinctively brushed the knife tucked into his pocket. "How do you know about the Administrator?"

"Because I was reborn. Just like you."

Evan just stared, trying to process what she’d said.

"I died," she continued, her eyes searching his. "Then I woke up with all the memories of the old timeline." She glanced nervously over her shoulder. "We shouldn't be talking here. There are too many eyes on us."

Evan scanned the area. She was right. "The park. Two blocks down," he said.

She nodded. "Lead the way."

They found a bench tucked away from the crowds.

"Talk," Evan demanded.

"I awakened early. Two weeks ago. I have a System."

Evan froze. "That's impossible. The Awakening isn't supposed to happen for another twenty-eight days."

"I know. But it happened anyway." She held out her hand, and for a brief second, a tiny blue flame flickered above her palm before vanishing into thin air. "Flame. D-rank. It’s still growing."

Evan stared at her empty hand, his mind racing. She has a System. I don't.

"How do I know you're not just making this up?"

"April 2nd. The first monster wave. Chicago. Goblins in Millennium Park. Two thousand people dead."

Evan felt a tightness in his chest. "You could have just read that in a history book or something."

"Victor Kane. Two years from now. Seattle. He calls himself the System King."

A chill ran down Evan's spine. No one knows that name yet.

"Okay," he muttered. "You're the real deal."

"I told you."

"So why find me?"

"Because you're the only other reborn I could sense. People like us... we leave a mark. A ripple in the timeline." She tapped her temple. "I've been tracking you for two days."

"Two days?"

"I had to be sure you weren't a trap. Or a vessel."

Evan felt a wave of nausea. "Vessels."

"You know what they are."

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I know."

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation hanging between them.

"So, what's the endgame?" Evan asked.

"To work together. To stop the Administrator. To save as many people as we can."

"And what exactly do you bring to the table?"

"Information. I know things that haven't even happened yet where the first portals will tear open, where the strongest survivors will be found."

"That’s useful, I'll give you that."

"And I have a System," she added pointedly. "You don't."

Evan didn't respond.

"I'm not here to use you," she said, her voice softening. "The Administrator killed my family. I just want to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Evan studied her. Her eyes were dark and her expression was unnervingly calm. He couldn't tell if she was being sincere or if this was all a play.

I don't trust her.

But I can't do this alone.

"Fine," he said. "We work together."

A small smile touched her lips. "Good."

They spent the next hour talking.

She told him about her life in the previous timeline her family, her struggle to survive. He shared parts of his own story. He didn't mention Lily. He didn't mention the death. But he gave her enough to know he wasn't lying.

By the time they stood up to leave, the sun was dipping below the horizon.

"I'll find you tomorrow," Sarah said.

"How?"

"I'll always know where you are." She turned and disappeared into the twilight.

Evan watched her go, a heavy feeling settling in his gut.

I don't trust her.

But I don't have a choice.

He got home late.

Lily was waiting for him on the couch, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Where have you been?"

"Just running errands."

"All day?" She stood up, her frustration boiling over. "You skipped school. You didn't answer your phone. And now you're hanging out with some random girl?"

Evan let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Lily. I should've called."

"You're scaring me, Evan," she said, her voice cracking. "You aren't acting like yourself."

He slumped onto the couch, and she sat down beside him.

"I'm just stressed," he lied.

"About what? You're sixteen."

"I just... I don't know what I'm doing with my life."

She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Nobody does."

They sat in silence until the TV flickered with a news report.

"reports continue to pour in from across the globe regarding individuals displaying unusual, unexplained abilities…"

Evan lunged for the remote and killed the sound, switching the channel.

Lily frowned. "What was that about?"

"Nothing."

"It didn't sound like nothing."

"It's nothing, Lily. Really."

She stared at him for a long moment, searching his face, before finally standing up.

"Goodnight, Evan."

"Lily…"

But she was already walking upstairs.

Evan sat alone in the dark living room.

The Awakening is coming. And it's already starting.

Later that night, Evan sat at his desk, the lamp casting long shadows across the room.

He opened his notebook and wrote a single line at the top: 28 DAYS.

Then, the dam broke. He began writing down everything he could remember. The locations of the first portals. The names of the cities that would fall. The faces of the people who would die and the few who would survive.

He wrote for hours, his hand cramping as he filled page after page with names, dates, and locations.

When he finally finished, his eyes were burning. He closed the notebook and shoved it into his desk drawer.

Tomorrow I train with Chen. Then I need to find Dr. Patel. Then…

He froze.

The drawer was slightly ajar. Just a tiny crack.

I closed it. I know I closed it.

He pulled it open again. The notebook was still there, exactly where he left it.

Maybe I'm just exhausted, he told himself.

He shut the drawer firmly, crawled into bed, and stared up at the ceiling.

28 days.

And someone is watching.