Brent woke with the bleary weight of half-remembered dreams pressing against his skull. For a moment, he lay in bed staring at the ceiling of his tiny dorm room, trying to piece it together.
The stone chamber. The circle of light. The voice. The warmth.
It had felt real. Too real. But now, in the hazy blue light of early morning, all of it seemed impossible. Healing magic? Paladin formations? Spiral suns and ancient halls?
What a crazy dream. Brent groaned and sat up. His ribs didn't hurt.
He froze.
His ribs didn't hurt.
He tugged up his shirt—no bruises, no cuts, not even a scratch from yesterday's beatdown. He stood, twisting and stretching. No pain. Not even stiffness.
He looked as his hand remembering the strange pain and the words that flowed between his fingertips and the page of the book. But nothing seemed off.
Then something happened.
A golden interface—clean, elegant, and slightly translucent—flashed into existence before his eyes, floating in the air like a screen only he could see.
[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
Brent jumped back and nearly tripped over his boots. "What the—"
[WELCOME, BRENT ALDER]
You have been chosen as Bearer of the Hidden Flame.
Class: Luminaris (Path of Light and Restoration)
Level: 1
Abilities Unlocked: None
Potential: Undefined
Flame Resonance: 12%
A warm, familiar voice echoed softly in his mind, not spoken, but felt—calm, steady, and ancient.
"You did not dream, Brent. I am your system. I am the Flamebound Core, a living fragment of the Hidden Flame—an ancient power sealed long ago to await a bearer who did not thirst for power, but purpose."
Brent blinked. "A system? Like… like in those old RPG scrolls?"
"Yes. But real. You will grow, Brent Alder—not by chance, but through challenge. Your path is not forged by birthright, but by choice."
The floating interface shifted. A new line appeared, pulsing gold.
[NEW QUEST: Trial of the Kindled Spark]
Objective: Aid someone without using violence.
Time Limit: Before sundown.
Reward: First Ability – Radiant Thread (Lv. 1): Minor Healing Light, usable once per day.
Failure: Flame Resonance drops to 0%. System will enter Dormant State.
Brent stared. "Aid someone… without violence? That's it?"
"Light is not only for battle. To bear it, you must first understand its gentler weight."
He got up, dressed, and caught his reflection in the mirror. Nothing flashy. No glowing tattoos, no divine armor. Just him.
Except for the faint, spiral-shaped mark over his heart—barely visible, like it was carved in light.
This was real.
The system was real.
And his first challenge was clear.
Help someone. Without throwing a punch. Before the sun sets.
Easy, right?
Except Brent Alder had never been anyone's hero. And now the fate of his power—maybe more—rested on his ability to do something good... without getting punched in the face again.
He grabbed his bag and the hidden book, heart hammering.
Time to find someone to save.