The rain had been falling since morning quiet, endless, and cold.
Each drop that hit the roof of the old hut sounded like a heartbeat, steady and lonely.
Kael sat near the small fire, staring at the weak flames.
The smoke made his eyes sting, but he didn't move.
He just sat there, his back against the wall, his hands resting on his knees.
The firelight reflected on his tired face - a man in his late twenties, with eyes that once carried dreams but now only carried dust.
Outside,
thunder rolled across the sky.
Somewhere, the bells of the nearby temple rang, announcing the gods' arrival for the evening prayers.
Kael didn't even look up.
"Another day," he muttered. "Another world I don't belong to."
In this world,
everyone was born with a Sign-In System - a divine gift from the gods.
The moment a baby cried for the first time, a faint light would appear on its chest - a promise that the gods were watching.
Every day, that person could "sign in" to receive blessings -- skills, weapons, even immortality if they were lucky.
But Kael never got one.
Not when he was born.
Not when he turned sixteen.
Not even when he reached adulthood.
He had waited twenty-eight years.
And still, his system never came.
There was a time he had hope.
He had once been a teacher in a small village school , back before the war.
His students loved him. They called him "Mister Kael" and filled his classroom with laughter.
He used to tell them stories about the heroes chosen by the gods - those who received rare "Sign-In Rewards" that could change fate.
Back then, he believed those stories too.
But when the kingdom fell and the gods stayed silent, Kael lost faith.
He saw his students disappear, consumed by glowing blue light.
The temple called it a "holy summoning."
But Kael had seen their fear. He knew they didn't ascend
they were taken.
Since that day, he had never prayed again.
---
The fire crackled weakly. Kael reached for his clay cup, but it was empty. He sighed and whispered,
"Happy birthday, Kael."
No one answered.
He smiled faintly at the silence.
"Twenty-eight years old. Still useless."
Lightning flashed, followed by a rumble so deep it shook the ground.
The cup slipped from his fingers and broke into pieces.
Then...
Blink..!.. Blink!....
The sound was soft, yet it pierced the silence like a blade.
Kael blinked.
"What... was that?"
Something bright appeared before his eyes faint lines of blue light floating in the air, forming strange letters.
[System initializing...]
[Error detected - configuration failed.]
[Welcome...! User: Kael.]
[Reward: Observer's Mark.]
You exist outside the laws of the world. None can sense you. You will not die.
Kael's mouth fell open.
"No... this can't be real."
He reached forward and his hand passed through the glowing words like mist.
The letters flickered, then vanished.
He stood up, heart racing.
"Did I finally... get one?"
A cold wind rushed through the broken door. The fire went out.
Everything turned silent
too silent.
Kael stepped outside.
The rain had frozen midair.
Droplets hung motionless, glittering like pearls.
The wind had stopped. The world... had stopped.
Kael stared around him, terrified and amazed.
"Is this... my ability?"
He moved carefully through the suspended rain.
Every step felt unreal.
He touched a droplet
it shimmered but he couldn't feel its cold. His fingers passed right through it.
Then a voice echoed inside his head. Calm. Cold.
"Welcome, Observer."
Kael spun around. "Who's there?"
"You were never meant to have a system."
The voice came from nowhere.
It sounded like it was inside his soul.
Kael clenched his fists.
"Then why now? Why after all these years?"
"Because the gods have grown bored of their game."
The voice faded.
The world moved again
rain fell, wind blew, the fire sparked back to life.
Kael looked down at his hands. They trembled.
He lifted them toward the flame... and gasped.
His fingers were half-transparent.
He moved closer to the fire
and saw it burn through him, yet he felt nothing. No heat. No pain.
"Observer's Mark…"
he whispered.
"No one can sense me... I can't even feel the world."
He fell to his knees. The mud didn't stain him. Even the rain passed through him like air.
"Ha ha ha ha ha....huh !!"
He laughed quietly at first, then bitterly.
"So this is my reward? To exist, but not live?"
---
Hours passed. The storm slowly faded.
Kael sat outside under the gray sky, watching the sunrise.
Birds flew above the trees
none looked his way.
A merchant wagon passed by the road
the driver didn't notice him.
He shouted, waved, even stepped in front of the wagon.
It went straight through him.
"...I really am invisible," he said softly.
His chest ached with an emotion he couldn't name
not fear, not sadness,
but a strange emptiness that wrapped around his heart.
He thought about his students again
the ones who vanished years ago.
He remembered a little girl,
Lyna..
who once stayed after class just to draw in the dirt while Kael graded papers.
She used to tell him,
"Teacher, when I grow up, I'll sign in every day so I can fly to the clouds!"
He smiled faintly at the memory.
"Maybe you did, Lyna..! Maybe you're up there now."
He wanted to cry, but no tears came. Even his body refused to react.
---
When night fell again, Kael began walking. He didn't know where to go, but standing still felt worse.
The path led him to the old temple
the same one where the bells had rung that morning.
Its golden gate shimmered faintly under moonlight.
Two priests were talking inside.
Kael stepped closer, and though his footsteps made no sound, their words reached him clearly.
"The gods are displeased," one whispered. "Too many sign-ins have failed lately. The mortals lose faith."
"The High Oracle said sacrifices will resume soon," the other replied.
"Those who signed in perfectly for one year will be chosen."
Kael froze.
Chosen?
His heart pounded.
He peeked through the gate and saw a glowing list hovering before the priests hundreds of names written in light.
He recognized some.
Names of villagers who had gone missing.
Names of children from his old class.
So that was it.
The "perfect sign-ins" weren't blessed
they were drained.
Their faith, their devotion, their very souls were fuel.
Kael took a step back, his mind spinning.
The gods weren't watching over them.
They were feeding on them.
---
That night, Kael sat under an old tree near the temple, staring at the stars.
The system screen appeared again, faint and cold.
[Daily Sign-In Available.]
Kael hesitated.
Then, slowly, he touched the floating icon.
[Sign-In Successful]
[Reward: Knowledge Fragment - "Cycle of Faith"]
Instantly,
images flooded his mind -- visions of divine machines, souls recycled like numbers, gods laughing as they played their endless game.
Kael gasped and fell to the ground, clutching his head.
When the pain faded, he lay there, breathing hard.
The world was no longer silent.
He could hear the whispers of the gods.
He could see faint cracks in the sky
the code behind the illusion.
He understood one thing clearly now.
He wasn't blessed.
He was chosen by mistake
and that mistake might destroy everything.
Kael slowly stood, his shadow stretching across the temple wall like a phantom.
The bells continued to ring, but they no longer sounded holy
only hollow.
He looked up at the night sky. The stars flickered strangely, like they were watching him back.
Something deep within him
a spark he thought long dead
came alive again.
Not hope.
Not faith.
But defiance.
He whispered to the silent heavens, his voice calm but sharp as steel.
"Let's see how the gods play their game…"
The wind stirred, carrying the smell of thunder.
Kael's eyes glowed faintly blue as he turned toward the temple gates.
"when someone starts watching back."
Lightning flashed
the world shivered
and the Observer took his first step into the realm of gods.