The wind howled across the wastelands of Sector 9, where the ruins of shattered towers and broken roads whispered of an ancient world — a world before the System came and remade everything.
It was the year 6082, exactly 3,046 years since the first global announcement appeared in the skies:
> [System Activated] – Humanity Will Now Adapt."
No one alive truly knew what came before that moment. History books spoke of an era called the "Old World," but most pages were blank, erased, or simply marked as "Data Corrupted." Humanity didn't rule the world anymore — the System did.
In the present day, life operated under the same mechanics as a game: everyone was born as a "Non-Classed", and at the age of ten, they received their Awakening their class, skills, and alignment with one of the global Factions. Some were granted common roles like Merchant or Fighter, while others were chosen for rare and powerful classes — Beast Tamer, Puppet Master, or even Holy Knight.
But there was one class that was whispered about with fear, rarely seen, and often erased from official records: the Necromancer.
And today, Ezren Darkmoor was turning ten.
He stood outside the crooked hut he shared with his mother, staring out at the horizon. The Outer Zones stretched endlessly in every direction — cracked highways, broken monorails, and ruined arcologies now overtaken by glowing moss and System-born beasts. Here, on the edge of civilization, survival came first, and trust came last.
His gray eyes scanned the broken skyline of the nearest city tower, Astra's Spine, a place he had only seen from afar. One day, he thought, he'd go there.
Behind him, the metal door creaked open.
"You're up early," came his mother's voice. She stepped out, brushing a strand of silver hair from her eyes.
Ezren nodded. "Couldn't sleep."
He hesitated, then turned toward her. "Do you think I'll awaken a good class?"
Serena looked at him for a long moment. "Good is a strange word, Ezren," she said. "What matters more is whether you survive the one you get."
He furrowed his brows. "You never told me yours."
She hesitated. Her eyes drifted to the horizon. "I had a class once. A rare one. That's why we stay here — away from others. Away from attention."
Ezren frowned. "So… if I get something rare, we'll have to keep hiding?"
Before she could answer, a chime rang out, echoing across the wasteland like a divine bell tolling from the sky.
> DING!
A glowing blue screen materialized in front of them, hovering just above Ezren's head. His breath caught in his throat.
> [System Notification]
> Class Awakening Ceremony: Active
> Candidate: Ezren Darkmoor
> Scanning Bloodline… Accessing Core…
> Please Stand By…
The ground beneath him lit up in radiant patterns, a spinning arcane circle pulsing with energy. Serena stepped back, eyes wide. Her hand slipped beneath her cloak and clutched something tightly — a small bone-white charm etched with symbols Ezren had never seen.
The symbols in the air flickered.
> Analyzing…
> Bloodline Detected: \[Obscured – Dual Source Conflict]
> Primary Class: NECROMANCER
> Class Rarity: RARE
> Faction Affinity: DARK
> Title Gained: "Boneborn"
> Passive Skill Unlocked: Soul Sense (Lv. 1)
> Additional Class Effects Locked – Condition Unmet
Ezren's body convulsed as raw energy surged through him. His vision darkened, then filled with ghostly shapes and ancient whispers. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air, as a cold mist rose from the activation circle and wrapped around him like smoke.
When he looked up, his mother was pale, trembling.
"Necromancer…" she whispered. "No… it's happening again."
Ezren's hands shook. "What is this power? I can hear voices. I… I saw a knight with no face."
She knelt beside him. "Ezren… you inherited my class. The world won't forgive that. Necromancers are feared. Hunted. Seen as monsters."
"Why?" he asked, breath shallow.
"Because we command the dead," she said. "And the living never forget the wars we started."
Far across the continent, inside a floating fortress above the clouds, a cloaked figure sat alone in a room filled with mirrors and light. One screen flickered on.
> ALERT: Necromancer Class Detected
> Subject: Ezren Darkmoor
> Bloodline Code: \[Obscured – Dual-Faction Match]
> Status: Active
The man leaned forward.
"Darkmoor… that name again."
His voice was calm, but the light around him dimmed as he spoke.
"Prepare the agents. We must know if the prophecy has truly begun."
✦ End of Chapter 1 ✦