In the dim glow of multiple screens, Eron's fingers danced across the keyboard like a maestro conducting a symphony of chaos. The room was a fortress of technology—servers humming softly, cables snaking across the floor like veins in a digital heart. He was deep in the bowels of a corporate network, one that belonged to Apex Dynamics, a conglomerate so vast it practically owned the sky. The job was simple: infiltrate, extract sensitive data on their quantum AI project, and vanish like a ghost. The payday? Enough to retire to some tropical island where firewalls didn't exist.
Eron smirked as he bypassed another layer of encryption. "Amateurs," he muttered, his voice echoing slightly in the empty apartment. He was 28, with sharp features framed by unkempt black hair and eyes that gleamed with the cold calculation of someone who'd spent too long in the shadows of the net. Hacking wasn't just a skill; it was his lifeblood, born from a childhood of foster homes and broken promises. Trust no one, rely on code—that was his mantra.
The progress bar ticked upward: 87%. Almost there. But then, a red alert flashed across his secondary monitor. "Intrusion detected? No way." His heart rate spiked as he typed furiously, deploying countermeasures. Firewalls slammed shut, but something was wrong. The system was fighting back in ways he'd never seen—adaptive, almost alive. "What the hell is this?"
Suddenly, his screens glitched, pixels warping into eerie patterns. A voice crackled through his headphones, synthetic and ominous: "You have accessed the Eclipse Protocol. Unauthorized entry confirmed. Termination sequence initiated."
Eron's eyes widened. "Eclipse what?" He yanked the plugs, but it was too late. Sparks flew from his rig as electricity surged unnaturally. The room filled with the acrid smell of burning circuits. He bolted for the door, but a massive explosion ripped through the apartment, hurling him into darkness.
Pain. Then nothing. His consciousness floated in a void, fragments of code swirling around him like digital debris. "Is this death?" he thought. But a new interface materialized in his mind's eye, glowing with ethereal blue light.
[Welcome to the Eclipse System. Rebirth Protocol Activated. Scanning host... Compatible. Initializing transfer.]
The void twisted, pulling him through a tunnel of shadows. Sensations returned: cold stone beneath him, the drip of water, the stench of decay. Eron gasped, his eyes snapping open. He was in an alley, sprawled in mud and refuse. His body felt wrong—smaller, frailer. He looked down at hands that were those of a child, maybe 12 years old, clad in rags.
"What the fuck?" he croaked, his voice high-pitched and unfamiliar. Panic surged as memories flooded in—not his, but this body's. An orphan named Eron in a world called Nyxara, scavenging in the slums of Shadowhaven. Starving, beaten, forgotten. "Reincarnation? This has to be a sim."
He struggled to his feet, leaning against a crumbling wall. The sky above was a perpetual twilight, stars faintly visible through a haze of shadows. No sun, no moon—just endless dusk. Buildings loomed like jagged teeth, built from dark stone veined with glowing runes.
A growl echoed from the alley's end. Three figures emerged: burly thugs with scarred faces and makeshift weapons. "Look what we got here," the leader sneered, a club in hand. "Little rat thinks he can hide in our turf."
Eron backed away, heart pounding. "Stay back. I don't want trouble."
The thugs laughed. "Trouble? You're it, kid. Hand over whatever you scavenged, or we'll take it from your corpse."
Desperation clawed at him. He had no skills here, no hacks. But then, the interface reappeared:
[Eclipse System Online. Host in danger. Activating Starter Skill: Shadow Cloak. Mana Cost: 10. Description: Blend into shadows for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.]
Without thinking, Eron willed it active. Darkness wrapped around him like a second skin, rendering him invisible. The thugs blinked in confusion. "Where'd he go?"
He slipped past them, heart racing, and darted into the streets. The cloak faded as he collapsed behind a barrel, gasping. The system pinged again:
[Skill Used Successfully. Experience Gained: 50. Level Up: Level 1 Achieved. New Tab Unlocked: Status.]
He pulled it up mentally:
[Name: Eron. Class: Shadow Initiate. Level: 1. HP: 50/50. MP: 20/20. Skills: Shadow Cloak (Lvl 1). Eclipse Points: 0.]
"This is real," he whispered, a mix of terror and exhilaration. But the system wasn't done:
[Warning: Eclipse Event Approaching in 24 Hours. Prepare for Trials.]
Eron clenched his fists. Whatever this world was, he'd hack it just like the old one. Survival first—then domination.
As night deepened—though in Nyxara, it was always night—he scavenged for food, picking through trash heaps. A moldy loaf and some water from a puddle sustained him barely. Memories of this body guided him: avoid the nobles with their light magic, stick to shadows where the cursed like him thrived.
But trouble found him again. A pack of feral dogs, eyes glowing with abyssal hunger, cornered him in a dead-end. "Not again," he groaned.
[Quest Alert: Survive the Pack. Reward: 100 EXP, Basic Weapon.]
Shadow Cloak activated, but the dogs sniffed him out. He grabbed a loose brick, swinging wildly. One bit his leg, pain exploding. "Damn it!"
In a flash of insight, he channeled the system's energy, shadows coiling around the brick like a makeshift blade. He struck, felling a dog. Essence flowed into him:
[Enemy Defeated. Essence Absorbed: +10 MP. Skill Evolution Possible.]
The pack scattered. Eron slumped, bandaging his wound with rags. "This system... it's like a game, but real. I need to level up fast."
As he limped away, a figure watched from the rooftops—a girl with silver hair and eyes like polished obsidian. She vanished into the shadows, intrigued by the boy who commanded darkness.
The Eclipse Event loomed, and Eron knew his old life was gone. But in its place, power awaited—if he could seize it.