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Chapter 16: The Day of Awakening
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Twelve.
Kael was finally twelve.
He'd thought the day would come with fireworks, with some grand shift in the world. But when he opened his eyes, the sky looked the same. The wind felt the same. His bed creaked the same under his weight.
But everything was different.
Today, the village's children would awaken their classes.
In a world divided by class and talent, today mattered more than birthdays, more than names. Your class decided everything: your job, your future, your worth.
Kael knew it.
Everyone knew it.
And for once, he wasn't nervous.
He was… ready.
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The ceremony was held in the central temple — not a grand thing, more like a gathering hall with worn wooden benches and a silver orb that hovered just above a stone pedestal.
The Class Orb.
Every village had one, gifted by the kingdom for these events.
Each child placed their hand upon the orb.
The orb shone.
And a class was revealed.
Sometimes it glowed red — for Warrior, or its variants.
Blue — for Mage.
Green — for Ranger or Beast Tamer.
Gray — for crafters or workers.
There were over a hundred known classes. Some rare. Some powerful. Some considered nearly worthless.
But no one chose.
The world chose you.
---
Kael stood in line with the others.
He wasn't the first.
In front of him, Elsie placed her hand on the orb. It lit up gold.
"Divine Singer," the priest read aloud, eyes widening. "Blessed voice class."
The crowd gasped. That was a rare one.
Even Kael blinked.
Next came Danrik. The orb lit up green.
"Beast Communer," the priest said.
Another rare one.
The adults began murmuring.
Three more children followed — each gaining a class rarer than anything the village had seen in decades.
Kael watched silently.
No envy. Just curiosity.
He noticed something the others hadn't.
The orb was shining brighter than it should.
Almost like it was... overcharged.
And he had a strange feeling about his turn.
---
"Kael."
His name echoed across the hall.
He stepped forward.
Placed his palm on the orb.
The world stopped.
There was no flash of light.
No glow of color.
Instead, a single word formed in the air above the orb, as if carved from shadow.
Necromancer.
A class long thought sealed. Forbidden in some kingdoms. Worshiped in others. Feared by most.
But there was no horror.
No whispers.
Just quiet recognition.
The priest stared at the word.
Then looked at Kael.
"…Hidden Class registered. Your system will unlock gradually," he said, voice calm.
Kael blinked.
That was it?
No gasps? No panic?
He turned back to the line.
And saw his friends.
Each one smiled at him — even Elsie, even Danrik.
No fear.
No shame.
Only… awe.
---
What no one realized, not even Kael, was that his awakening had changed something.
A wave of energy had swept through the orb.
And each child awakened after him gained a stronger class than they ever could've hoped for.
Classes meant for nobles. For adventurers. For legends.
And it didn't go unnoticed.
By the end of the ceremony, the village elder pulled Kael aside.
"You don't understand what you've done," the old man said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Kael frowned. "I didn't do anything."
The elder smiled.
"You existed."
---
Later that night, Kael sat on the fence overlooking the fields.
His little sister Rom sat beside him, hugging his side.
"You're not scary," she whispered.
Kael chuckled. "I know."
"You're like the dirt."
"…The dirt?"
"Yeah. Kinda weird, kinda quiet. But everything grows better when you're around."
Kael smiled.
That was enough.
He didn't need legends.
Didn't need fear.
Just family.
And a class that, slowly, he'd come to understand.
---
End of Chapter 16
-Alright! Here's Chapter 17, where Kael begins to feel the subtle changes brought by his class — no drama, no mysteries, just the quiet, strange truth of what it means to carry the title Necromancer.
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Chapter 17: The Cold Beneath the Skin
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The next morning, Kael woke with a feeling he couldn't explain.
Not fear. Not excitement.
Just... awareness.
His senses felt clearer, sharper — like someone had turned up the contrast on the world. He could hear the wind brushing against the barn roof, the steady heartbeat of the livestock in the fields, and — oddly — something else. Something beneath the soil.
He rubbed his eyes and shook it off.
"Probably nerves," he muttered.
But the feeling didn't leave.
---
At breakfast, he sat at the long wooden table with his mother, father, and Rom. His mother poured him stew, while his father hummed a quiet tune — a habit Kael had always found comforting.
But today, even as he sat surrounded by warmth and food and family, Kael's mind kept drifting.
To the earth.
To something... old.
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Later, after chores, Kael wandered past the western fence — the line that bordered the old woods.
The village graveyard was just beyond it.
He didn't go there often.
But today, his steps led him there without thinking.
The wind blew quietly between the crooked stones.
The grass swayed gently.
And Kael heard something.
Not a voice. Not a whisper.
A pull.
He knelt near one of the older graves — the marker nearly buried in moss.
And when he brushed his fingers across the stone, the dirt shifted.
Kael jumped back, eyes wide.
"What the hell...?"
Something had moved.
Not like an animal digging.
More like the earth had sighed.
---
He stood quickly, brushing off his pants.
"Okay. Weird."
He turned to leave — but his hand tingled.
Looking down, he saw a faint shimmer around his fingers. Like ghost-light, barely visible.
And suddenly, a prompt appeared before his eyes — no sound, no fanfare:
[Passive Skill: Sense Undeath] has awakened.
[Necromancer Path Progress: 1%]
Kael stared.
This wasn't a system pop-up like he'd seen in books. It was plain, efficient, and clear. No mystery. No confusion.
Just truth.
"…So that's what this is," he whispered.
---
That night, Kael didn't sleep much.
Not because he was scared.
But because he was curious.
What else could he sense?
What else lay beneath?
What exactly was a Necromancer — when you removed the fear, the stories, the stigma?
He didn't know.
But for once in his life...
He wanted to.
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Chapter 18: Seventeen
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Kael didn't mention the skill pop-up to anyone.
Not to his mom, who smiled as she packed his lunch.
Not to Rom, who tried to braid his hair again and failed halfway through.
And definitely not to his dad, who handed him a hoe and said, "Come help me clear the eastern plots. Dirt's stubborn this week."
Kael liked the quiet.
It helped him think.
Helped him feel.
He could still sense the earth. Still feel that strange, low hum under the ground — like a lullaby with no words, just bones remembering they once danced.
He didn't find it creepy.
He found it... comforting.
---
They worked all morning in the fields.
His dad didn't talk much, but Kael liked that about him. He was steady, present — like a rock that didn't mind sitting in the rain.
"Something on your mind?" his father asked at one point, leaning on his hoe.
Kael hesitated.
"…Do you think there's anything wrong with having a class people don't understand?"
His father didn't blink.
"Son," he said, "people fear what they don't know. Doesn't mean you have to."
Kael looked down at his hands.
"I can feel things. Hear… something. Under the dirt."
"Then maybe that's where your strength is," his father said. "Just because it's dark doesn't mean it's evil. Soil is dark. Life grows from it."
Kael blinked.
That… actually made sense.
His father grinned. "Now stop thinking too hard and swing that hoe like it owes you money."
Kael laughed.
---
That night, Kael sat alone on the roof.
The stars were bright — too many to count.
His mind still spun with questions. But he wasn't scared of them anymore.
He leaned back and whispered, "So… Necromancer, huh?"
And then...
Something clicked.
Like a lock opening in the back of his mind.
And then a voice — not a deep echo, not a robotic ping — but a casual, slightly smug tone that said:
"Took you long enough."
Kael sat bolt upright.
"Who—?!"
"Relax," the voice said. "You're not going crazy. I'm your system. You finally reached enough 'acceptance' to unlock me. Congrats."
Kael squinted. "You're… a system?"
"Technically yes. Functionally? Your best chance at not dying in a pit of your own bad decisions."
"…Do you have a name?"
"Seventeen."
"…Why Seventeen?"
"Because I'm Version 17 of the Autonomous Necromancer Progression Interface. The last sixteen either broke, glitched, or were eaten. Long story."
Kael blinked. "You sound like a jerk."
"Thank you. I try."
Despite himself, Kael laughed.
This wasn't what he expected from a system.
But somehow… it fit.
---
[System Connection: Seventeen established.]
[Welcome, Kael.]
[Status Panel Unlocked.]
[Skill Progression Active.]
Kael saw it all flash before his eyes — clean text, no drama.
And at the top of the list:
Class: Necromancer (Hidden)
Path Progress: 1.3%
Passive Skill: Sense Undeath (Active)
System: Seventeen
And at the bottom, a message:
"Let's do something fun with death."
Kael smirked.
"Yeah," he whispered. "Let's."
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End of Chapter 18
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