The sky over the city was draped in a suffocating shroud of leaden clouds, reflecting the grim reality of those living beneath them. Inside a damp, cramped room of a run-down bachelor mess, Ariyan Ahmed stood by the window, his knuckles white as he gripped the rusted iron bars. The air inside smelled of old paper and unfulfilled dreams. It felt as though the entire world had turned its back on him.
On the rickety wooden desk lay a crumpled, grease-stained pizza delivery bag—a silent testament to his latest failure. He had been fired today, not because he was slow, but because a wealthy customer had lied about a late delivery just to get a refund. His boss hadn't even listened to his side. The world, Ariyan realized, had no room for someone as 'ordinary' as him.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single ten-taka coin. It felt heavy with irony, a mocking symbol of his worth in a city that only valued gold, power, and influence. "Is this it?" Ariyan whispered, his voice cracking in the silence of the room. "Is this where my story ends? Hungry, broken, and forgotten by everyone?"
He remembered his mother's face, her eyes full of hope when he left for the village. He had promised to change their lives. Now, he couldn't even afford a proper meal. The weight of his failures felt like a physical mountain crushing his chest. He slumped onto his bed, closing his eyes as a single tear escaped. He was at his absolute zero.
As despair began to pull him into a dark abyss, the air in the room suddenly vibrated with an unnatural energy. A piercing, azure glow erupted from thin air, illuminating the peeling wallpaper and the dust motes dancing in the light. Ariyan snapped his eyes open, shielding them from the blinding brilliance. When the glare finally faded, a translucent, crystalline digital window was hovering steadily before his face.
[ System Initialization Complete... ]
[ User Identified: Ariyan Ahmed ]
[ Soul Status: Critically Fragmented ]
[ Current Level: 0 (The Fallen) ]
Ariyan stumbled backward, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. He blinked rapidly, thinking his mind had finally snapped under the extreme pressure. He reached out a trembling hand to touch the screen, but his fingers passed through the light as if it were made of cold mist. This wasn't a dream. This was a reality he couldn't explain.
"What... what are you?" he stammered, his voice trembling.
The system didn't answer in words, but the text on the screen shifted. A low hum, like the sound of a distant hive, filled his ears. The blue light flickered and turned a deep, urgent crimson.
[ Warning: Spiritual Energy at Critical Low ]
[ Emergency Mission: Finding Light in the Shadows ]
Description: Your spirit is drowning in the darkness of the world. The connection to your Creator is fraying. To survive the coming trials and awaken your true potential, you must seek the Source of all Light.
Objective: Perform the ritual of purity (Wudu) and stand in two units of voluntary prayer (Salah) with absolute focus (Khushu).
Rewards: > * Mental Fortitude (+10)
Skill Unlock: 'Sabr' (Divine Patience)
10 XP
Potential Awakening.
Failure Penalty: Permanent Soul Degradation and loss of the System.
Time Limit: 15 Minutes 00 Seconds... (Counting Down)
The logic in Ariyan's head screamed that this was madness. He was a modern man in a modern city—things like 'systems' and 'missions' belonged to novels and games. But the hollow ache in his chest, the one that had been growing for years, sparked a strange, desperate defiance. If the world had no place for him, perhaps this mysterious 'System' did.
"14 minutes left..." he muttered, seeing the timer ticking down.
He rushed to the small, dimly lit bathroom. As the freezing water touched his skin during Wudu, he felt a strange sensation—as if the water wasn't just washing his skin, but scrubbing away the invisible grime of failure from his very soul.
Returning to his room, he spread his old, frayed prayer mat. The moment he whispered "Allahu Akbar," the world outside—the honking horns, the shouting neighbors—seemed to vanish. He was no longer in a cramped room; he was in the presence of the Infinite. When his forehead touched the floor in prostration (Sajdah), the dam finally broke. Tears soaked into the fabric of the mat as he poured out his soul.
As he finished, the azure window flared with a soothing, golden radiance.
[ Mission Success! ]
Evaluation: Perfect S-Rank Focus.
Rewards Distributed:
Level Up: Level 1 (The Wayfarer)
New Skill: 'Sabr' (Level 1)
Current State: Soul Stabilized.
Ariyan stood up, feeling a strange clarity. But before he could even process his new strength, a loud, aggressive banging echoed on his door. "Ariyan! Open up! You owe me three months' rent, you useless brat!"
It was Mr. Khan, the landlord, a man known for his cruelty. Ariyan felt the old fear rising, but suddenly, the blue screen flickered with a new, chilling message:
[ Detectable Hostility: Level 2 ]
[ Skill 'Sabr' Active: Analyzing Weakness... ]
Ariyan opened the door. Mr. Khan stood there, red-faced, raising his hand to strike him. But to Ariyan's eyes, Mr. Khan's movement was... slow. Almost like it was moving through water. Without even thinking, Ariyan stepped aside, and Mr. Khan tumbled into the room, nearly falling over.
"You... you dare move?" Mr. Khan roared, turning around. But he stopped when he saw Ariyan's eyes. They weren't the eyes of a defeated boy anymore. They held a cold, crystalline light that made the landlord shiver.
"I'll have your money by tonight, Mr. Khan," Ariyan said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "Now, leave. Before the 'System' decides you're a threat."
Mr. Khan, confused and suddenly terrified for no reason he could explain, scrambled out of the room. Ariyan stared at his hands. What had just happened?
At that same moment, on the top floor of a nearby skyscraper, a man in a black suit—Shahriyar—looked at a crimson device in his hand. The device was beeping rapidly.
"Sir," a guard whispered. "The energy signature. It has appeared. A Level 0 just reached Awakening in the slums."
Shahriyar's eyes turned pitch black, a dark aura swirling around him. "In the slums? Impossible. Only those with the 'Dark Path' are supposed to awaken in this city. Find him. If he doesn't join us, make sure his 'Light' is extinguished... permanently."
Ariyan, still in his room, heard a voice in his head—not the system's robotic tone, but a whisper from his own soul. The hunt has begun.