The next day.
Arin woke on the sofa, his body heavy with exhaustion. He'd stayed up too late reading his grandfather's journal, waiting for him to come home, but the house had stayed silent. The stillness pressed against his thoughts like a weight.
A single word lingered in his mind.
"Holy Touch."
He said it softly, almost afraid of what it might do.
[Skill: Holy Touch Activated]
A faint warmth spread through his chest, gentle at first, then steady—like a heartbeat that wasn't quite his own.
The pounding in his ears eased. His breath evened out. The calm that followed didn't feel natural, though. It felt like something was holding the storm at bay, waiting.
Then, without warning, glowing text shimmered in front of him.
[You have been chosen by the system.]
He froze. His jaw went slack. His heart stuttered in disbelief.
"System…?" he whispered.
[System Activated]
User: Arin
Age: 14 (28)
Level: 1
XP: 0/100
Health: 100/100
Fear Index: 12%
Ember: locked 🔒
Skill and item shop: locked 🔒
Available skills:
[Skill: Holy Touch] – Passive, triggers automatically under supernatural or fear-based stress.
Status Effects: None
Current Objective: Unknown
He stared at the floating lines. Numbers. Status bars. It looked alive—like it was breathing with him. The pulse in his veins matched the faint flicker of light before his eyes. He wasn't dreaming.
The system flickered again, glitching slightly, and his vision warped for a second before a familiar voice broke through.
"Arin! Come have breakfast!"
He froze. That voice—his grandpa's—but it sounded off. Hollow. Distant. Like someone playing a recording through a tunnel.
"Grandpa…?" His voice trembled. Silence answered.
He stood slowly. "I'm coming…"
The house was dim. Curtains drawn. Only a thin strip of sunlight touched the kitchen table. A single plate sat there—toast, a glass of milk, and a folded note.
Arin's stomach tightened as he unfolded it. His grandfather's handwriting was unmistakable.
Had to step out early. Work I couldn't delay. Get to school on time.
Ordinary words. Too ordinary.
He stared at the note, throat dry. Something about it didn't feel right. No sound of footsteps, no kettle, no smell of breakfast—just a silence that clung to the air. Even the sunlight seemed dull, like it was afraid to enter.
Arin's fingers shook as he folded the note. His pulse thumped hard against his ribs. It's fine, he told himself. He just left early.
But deep down, his gut screamed otherwise.
He took a deep breath, feeling that faint warmth return to his chest. Holy Touch. The calm it gave him was thin but enough to move.
He shoved the note into his pocket, grabbed his bag, and left. The front door felt heavier than it should have, and the shadows in the hallway stretched wrong, bending against the light.
Outside, the morning looked normal—neighbors chatting, cars passing, birds pecking at fences.
But whenever he looked away, a flicker of movement danced at the edge of his vision. Shadows that shifted too fast. Too deliberate.
He tried to ignore it. Just get to school.
Then, ahead of him, he spotted a familiar face—Mira—waving with her usual bright grin. "Hey! You're late!"
He managed a weak smile. "Yeah… morning."
"You look pale," she said, walking closer. "Didn't sleep?"
"Something like that." He said, looking at her pearl-like dark eyes, her long dark hair falling low.
He remembered her, she was alive, alive in this time.
"You're okay?" Mira tilted her head. "You're off today. Not in a bad way, just… off."
Before he could answer, a shadow flickered across the schoolyard, sliding between two trees before disappearing.
His chest tightened, and warmth pulsed from inside him—Holy Touch responding on its own, soothing the sudden spike of fear.
[Mental Stability Restored: +10%]
[Holy Touch Resistance Effect Active]
Mira didn't notice. She laughed and nudged him. "You're spacing out again! C'mon, before we're late!"
He followed her, every step heavy. The warmth in his chest kept him grounded, but the world still felt off—like reality was stretched thin, hiding something just out of sight.
He tried to focus on Mira's voice, on the noise of the schoolyard, but the feeling only grew stronger. Something's coming.
The bell rang. Students rushed inside. Arin and Mira slipped into their classroom just as the chatter died down.
Mr. Colin was already there, standing by the board. He didn't turn when they entered. The fluorescent lights above flickered twice before settling into a dull hum.
"Morning, sir," Mira said.
No answer.
Colin's arm moved slowly, almost mechanically, chalk scratching the board. But instead of equations, uneven words formed across it.
FEAR IS TRUTH. FEAR IS POWER.
Mira frowned. "What's he writing…?"
The teacher turned. His eyes were sunken, his movements stiff, like a puppet with tangled strings. For a second, his pupils turned black, then back to normal.
Arin's chest went cold. "Mira… stay back."
Colin took a step forward. "Arin…" His voice was layered, like two people speaking at once. "You… can feel it, can't you?"
Arin's breath hitched. The shadow under the teacher's feet stretched unnaturally, rising up the walls like smoke. Students didn't react—frozen in place, unaware, as if time had slowed around them.
He remembered something from his grandfather's journal: "Fear can be a guide. Let it sharpen you, not chain you."
"W-what are you…?" Arin stammered.
The thing smiled through Colin's face. "Fear feeds us."
Then the shadow moved—liquid, alive—wrapping around the teacher's body, twisting it into something inhuman. His arms lengthened, fingers bending at wrong angles.
"Aaaaaa!!! What's happening?!" Mira screamed.
She grabbed a nearby chair instinctively, holding it like a weapon as she tried to get closer to Arin.
Arin stumbled back, every nerve on fire.
[Ding! Fear Index +64%]
He couldn't breathe. The shadow crawled across desks, reaching for him. Colin's distorted voice echoed: "You cannot escape your fear."
[Fear Index +83%]
[Warning: Fear Limit Approaching]
Arin's knees shook. Mira grabbed his hand. "Arin, move!"
He wanted to run, but his legs refused. His mind screamed. The warmth in his chest flickered, barely holding against the weight of terror.
A sudden pounding hit his temples—his head spun, and nausea rose. [Warning ⚠️ Excessive Ember usage detected. Host stability compromised.]
Then—something inside him snapped.
[Holy Touch Activated]
Light burst from him, faint but pure. The shadow shrieked, recoiling like smoke hit by sunlight. The classroom trembled. The lights above cracked, showering sparks.
The thing twisted and screamed through Colin's mouth before dispersing into dust-like fragments that faded into the air.
And then… silence.
Colin collapsed, unconscious. The air smelled like metal and burnt air. Mira was shaking beside him, wide-eyed and pale.
"Arin… what was that?" she whispered.
He couldn't answer. His body trembled, his pulse pounded painfully in his ears.
The warmth faded. The world tilted. Text flickered in front of his eyes again.
[Fear Index: 100% Reached]
[XP Gained: +250]
[New Skill Unlocked: "Fear Conversion" (Rare)]
— Converts extreme fear into temporary strength or energy boost.
[Warning ⚠️ too much Ember used]
Arin felt a splitting headache, vision blurring, and tremors in his hands—the cost of pushing himself this far.
His vision darkened. The last thing he saw was Mira's hand reaching for him—and faint glowing letters hovering above her head.
Then everything went black.