Kael stared at the blinking blue notification floating midair like a ghost someone forgot to exorcise.
[ERROR_404]: Identity mismatch. Host vessel anomaly detected.Initiating recalibration…
A high-pitched hum buzzed in his ears, like a mosquito from Hell whispering binary secrets. Then it stopped—abruptly. The message blinked once, twice, and disappeared like a lie swallowed by silence.
"Well, that's comforting," Kael muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "At least the voices in my head have good UX design."
His surroundings were still unfamiliar—alien, even. Towering, crooked stone buildings surrounded the alley where he'd awakened. They leaned like old men whispering conspiracies. Lanterns glowed with purple fire, casting jittery shadows on cobblestones slick with condensation.
He took a step, then another. The air smelled like wet parchment and burnt ozone.
A market bustled nearby, past the corner of the alley. People—if you could call them that—milled about. Some looked human. Others had horns, tails, animal ears, or skin like copper plates. No one spared him a glance.
No one except the little girl.
She was standing on a crate, hood covering most of her face. But he could feel her eyes—hollow, curious. Watching him.
Kael frowned. "Creepy children are never a good sign."
The moment he turned fully toward her, she vanished. No footsteps. No motion. Just… gone. Like bad dreams in daylight.
Then came the voice.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Welcome, Kael Valen. Soul signature recovered. Initiating Domain Authority Integration…]
Warning: Your Class has been forcibly downgraded.
Status: Unknown Threat Detected in Host Soul.
Please remain still while the anomaly is quarantined…
Pain lanced through his skull. It wasn't a migraine — it was like the system shoved a USB into the wrong port of his brain.
Kael collapsed to his knees, clutching his head as memories surged — not his own, not fully — just flashes: a sword. Blood. Screaming. A crown shattered. A girl's voice. Betrayal. Fire.
And then—nothing.
When the haze cleared, another panel flickered to life.
[STATUS SYNC: INCOMPLETE]
Class: ???
Level: ??
Health: ???/???
Mana: ???/???
Stat Summary: Glitched. Manual override required.
You do not exist in this world's registry.
Would you like to fabricate an identity?
Kael groaned. "Jesus, I can't even get resurrected properly. Am I the spiritual equivalent of pirated software?"
Still kneeling, he stared at the final line.
[Y/N]
Would you like to fabricate an identity?
His fingers twitched toward the phantom Y.
Before he could select it, something shifted nearby.
Boots. Three pairs.
Kael looked up.
Three men in black and gray uniforms approached, each bearing a silver insignia shaped like a scale with a single eye above it.
"Guild agents?" Kael whispered, watching them approach. Their armor looked ceremonial but functional—trimmed with indigo cloth, weapons strapped to their hips.
The tallest one, a blond man with a scar over his lip, raised his hand.
"You. Name."
Kael slowly stood, dusting off his coat. "That's funny. I was just about to ask the same thing."
"Identification. Now," another barked. His tone wasn't angry. It was mechanical, rehearsed. Bureaucracy with a sword.
"I seem to have misplaced mine," Kael said dryly. "Have you tried turning the world off and back on again?"
No laughs. Not even a twitch. These guys were statues with licenses to kill.
"Subject flagged," said the third man, tapping a small orb on his gauntlet. A glyph scanned Kael's face.
[SCAN FAILED: UNIDENTIFIED ENTITY. THREAT LEVEL — UNCLASSIFIED.]
They moved in. Fast.
Kael didn't think. He moved on instinct. One twisted gesture of his hand—like flicking water from his fingers—and the nearest man was hurled backward by an invisible force, crashing into a stack of crates.
The others drew weapons — one a blade humming with energy, the other a glowing spear.
Kael stepped sideways, dodging the first swing.
He didn't know how he moved like this — it felt too easy, too natural. Like his body remembered dances his mind never learned.
He parried the spear with his bare forearm. It shattered on contact.
The spearman's face turned from fury to fear. "What… are you?"
Kael blinked. "That's a great question. I'd love an answer myself."
The final man slashed his blade through Kael's chest.
No blood. The blade phased through him like light through smoke.
[INTEGRITY ERROR DETECTED. HOST IS OUT OF PHASE.]
"...Okay, what the hell?" Kael muttered.
The soldiers stared, stunned.
"Retreat," the leader growled, dragging the others back.
Kael watched them vanish down the street, clutching what was left of their dignity.
He stood there, confused, exhaling hard. Then he looked down.
His hand was fading. Flickering. Like bad reception.
"No, no, no—"
[WARNING: GLITCH DETECTED. TEMPORAL LOOP INITIATED.]
Returning to previous point of integrity...
The world dissolved.
Not exploded.
Not shattered.
Just… folded inward like a page being turned.
And Kael—
Kael opened his eyes.
He was standing in the alley again.
Same wet cobblestones.
Same buzzing lanterns.
Same ghost-notification in the air.
[ERROR_404]: Identity mismatch...
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."