No Light No hope

Kael Riven sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his cracked phone screen in the dim light of his small, cluttered room. The smell of stale pizza and cheap energy drinks hung in the air, mixing with the bitterness of his growing frustration. His phone buzzed again, but when he checked, there were no new notifications—nothing but an empty inbox and his low battery warning.

He tossed the phone aside, letting it land on the mattress with a soft thud. Another day wasted. Another day he couldn’t afford the rent, couldn’t make progress on his university assignments, couldn’t even get a decent meal. His grades were slipping. His life was slipping. And there was no one to blame but himself.

A quick glance at his bank account revealed the inevitable: $0.00.

“Great. Just perfect,” Kael muttered to himself, rubbing his tired eyes. The weight of his failed dreams was becoming too heavy to bear, and he had no idea how much longer he could keep pretending everything was fine.

Then, as if by some strange twist of fate, his phone buzzed again.

This time, it wasn’t just a notification from a social media app or an email. No, this time it was something… different. Something strange.

He sat up straighter, reaching for the phone as a peculiar message flashed across the screen:

LIFE SYSTEM: Welcome, Kael. Ready to begin your first task?

His heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t from any app he had installed. It wasn’t a scam either—this looked far too real. A soft glow surrounded the words, and the text seemed to pulse with life.

He blinked, rubbed his eyes again, and read the message a second time. “What kind of joke is this?” he muttered under his breath.

A timer appeared at the bottom of the screen, ticking down from 24 hours. Without any option to exit, the screen demanded his attention. His curiosity piqued, Kael reluctantly tapped the message.

Quest #1: Help a stranger in need.

“Help a stranger? What, like a charity event?” Kael scoffed. He was already tired of scams, and this seemed like another one. But for some reason, the task felt... different. Real.

A second notification appeared before he could dismiss it.

Quest updated: You have 6 hours to complete the task.

Kael’s pulse quickened. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if he should be skeptical or intrigued. “No harm in checking it out,” he muttered. He grabbed his jacket, already halfway out the door.

The streets of Granis City were just as chaotic as usual. The neon lights buzzed overhead, the constant hum of traffic, and the occasional shout of pedestrians made the air feel alive—yet somehow, it was still empty. He wandered aimlessly, hoping that whatever or whoever needed help would just magically show up.

And then, he saw her.

A little girl, maybe seven or eight, standing by the sidewalk, clutching a faded teddy bear. Her wide eyes scanned the crowd, but no one seemed to notice her. People walked past her without a second glance, their faces buried in their phones or their own world.

Kael frowned and approached cautiously. “Hey, you okay?”

The girl looked up, her face pale and anxious. She didn’t answer. She only nodded, though her eyes betrayed the fear she tried to hide. She gripped her teddy bear tightly, as if it were her only lifeline.

Something in Kael’s gut told him this wasn’t normal. This wasn’t a coincidence.

A new notification flashed on his screen:

Target Identified: Assist the girl.

Objective: Help her get home safely.

Bonus Reward if Completed Without Asking Her Name.

Kael raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like he had a choice. He crouched down to her level. “Where’s your home?” he asked gently, trying not to scare her.

The girl hesitated, then pointed down the street. “Over there...”

Without another word, Kael extended his hand. The girl took it without a second thought. Together, they walked through the streets of Granis, silent but steady, navigating the maze of alleyways and side streets.

The further they went, the more Kael began to wonder what this was all about. Was this part of the app’s game? Was someone watching him?

Eventually, they reached an old building that looked run-down, its windows covered with thick curtains. The girl stopped at the door, looked up at him, and without saying a word, disappeared inside.

Kael stood there for a moment, confused, before his phone buzzed once more.

Quest Complete.

Reward: $50 deposited.

Bonus Reward Unlocked: +1 Charisma

New Ability: Minor Observation – You can slightly sense people’s intent.

He stared at the notification, his mouth dry. He had just helped a stranger—and now he had money, charisma, and... abilities? The whole thing felt like a dream, or worse, a trap.

But the money in his account was real.

His heart raced as he looked around. There was no one else nearby, no signs of anything unusual. Just another night in Granis.

But deep down, Kael knew something had changed.

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End of Chapter 1

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