Henry looked down at his phone for perhaps the billionth time today, willing the clock to move faster. He was nearing the end of his shift, and if you’d ever worked a dead-end job, you knew the last hour felt like the longest of all. This was his second job—working at the comic book store just to afford food for the week. His first paycheck went straight to his landlord; his second paid his bills. Whatever was left, a measly couple hundred dollars, went to groceries. Honestly, screw inflation. Who invented this economy, anyway? If history books were right, it was Alexander Hamilton. Sure, the guy was apparently a genius, but still—screw that guy.
Henry sighed halfheartedly. *Sorry, Mister Hamilton, not trying to besmirch your name or anything; it just sucks having to work 17-hour days to afford an apartment and some food.* If he was honest, though, he was angrier at himself than at Alexander Hamilton. He’d been on a nice trajectory in life: great parents, a hell of a girlfriend he’d been planning to propose to, and he was an Olympic athlete. He’d had a dream life, and nothing was going to stop him—or so he thought.
That was until he walked into the locker room one day and found his training partner receiving... well, a little too much attention from Henry’s girlfriend. He’d lost his temper and beat the hell out of the guy. Then came the spiral: he lost his sponsorship with the swoosh, got barred from the Olympics, and was blacklisted from his gym. His relationship crumbled, too. Five years of his life, gone just like that.
School had never been his thing, either. After an average high school performance, he managed to scrape by with a bachelor's degree. Now, a quarter into his master’s program, he was drowning in debt with a bleak future ahead.
“Yo, fencer boy, you can head out,” Tyson, his boss, called to him, smirking at Henry’s collegiate fencing team T-shirt.
“Thanks, Tyson. See you tomorrow, boss man,” Henry said, grabbing his duffle bag and mock-saluting Tyson before practically running outside to catch his bus. He was right on time… except it was driving away.
He looked down and sighed, breaking into a run to try catching it at the next stop, though he knew he’d never make it.
This shit just keeps getting better and better, Henry thought bitterly as he fought his way through the rush-hour crowd, weaving between office workers, delivery guys, and construction crews. Come on, just need to squeeze through here. He spotted the bus coming to a stop just ahead—if he could wedge himself between two massive construction workers, he might just make it. But just as he was about to push through, the entire world froze.
Literally froze.
Birds hung mid-flight like props on invisible strings, their wings still. Cars went silent, engines stalled, and everyone around him—from the chatty businesswoman next to him to the street vendor across the road—just… stopped. Henry couldn’t move a muscle, couldn’t even twitch. Only his eyes shifted left and right as he watched, wide-eyed, while a glowing blue screen like something straight out of an RPG popped up in front of him. Bold, blocky text rolled across the screen, accompanied by a metallic, disembodied voice that sounded like it was broadcasting to the entire planet.
Solar Body Designation: MILKY WAY
Population: 16 trillion
Technology Level: Poor
Mana Density: Negligible
Planet Designation: EARTH
Population: 8 billion
System integration imminent. DO NOT BE AFRAID, HUMANS. WE COME IN PEACE. BE NOT AFRAID, FOR WE WELCOME YOU AS FULL CITIZENS OF THE MULTIVERSE.
What the actual fuck? Henry wanted to scream, but his vocal cords refused to obey. All he could do was stare as a blue wave of static energy began to ripple out, devouring everything and everyone around him. The wave enveloped everyone except him. Then, above him, a creature materialized out of thin air. It had a human-like shape but with glossy black orbs for eyes and no mouth, yet somehow, it spoke directly into his mind.
SYSTEM ELEMENT DETECTED… PROCESSING… BLOODLINE FOUND. PROCESSING… UNKNOWN BLOODLINE… PULLING HUMAN FOR QUESTIONING.
Before he could even begin to process that, the world disappeared, like someone had snapped their fingers and plunged him into a black void. When he came to, he was in a stark white room with two chairs and a table, seated across from the same creature. Now, seeing it up close, he realized it was impossible to tell if it was male or female, not that he wanted to assume—whatever it was, it had to be way beyond that.
Suddenly, he felt his body again and could talk. He took a long, ragged breath and exhaled, bracing himself. Oddly enough, he didn’t feel like panicking. This thing didn’t seem like it was here to hurt him. Not yet, at least.
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The creature broke the silence. "Human, you have been scanned to possess a bloodline—an innate skill you were born with. What is it?"
“I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!” Henry shot back, his voice cracking. “What the hell is a bloodline? Where am I? And for the love of God, what the fuck are you?”
"I am an entity created by the system to process initiates into the multiverse," it replied, unfazed. "You are in a question chamber created by the system to explain certain aspects of yourself. The last question I will answer is what a bloodline is. A bloodline is a natural ability you were born with. Scanning shows that you have suppressed it your entire life and never fully embraced it—or only certain aspects."
The entity’s voice was unnervingly calm. "If you say or think the word status, you will see a screen displaying your level, race, abilities, class—which you have not yet chosen—titles, and a bloodline ability. Bloodlines are rare, and yours is undetected by the system. This means it is unique to you alone. No one else in the multiverse possesses, or ever will possess, this bloodline unless it is passed down to your descendants."
Henry’s mind was spinning, but he decided to just go with it. He muttered, “Status,” feeling ridiculous.
The screen popped up, and what he saw left him baffled and, strangely, exhilarated.
STATUS
NAME: Henry King
RACE: Human (E)
CLASS: N/A
LEVEL: 0
STATS
STRENGTH: 20+2+10%=24
DEXTERITY: 20+2+10%=24
WISDOM: 10+2+10%=13
INTELLIGENCE: 12+2+10%=16
VIGOR: 20+2+10%=24
SENSES: 20+2+10%=24
TITLES
NEW INITIATE OF THE MULTIVERSE: You are a new initiate of the multiverse and can now speak and understand all languages. +1 to all stats.
STATS ALL AROUND: You have reached a total of 100 stat points, earning the title Stats All Around, which grants +1 to all stats.
BLOODLINE HOLDER: You possess an innate bloodline outside system control. No being in existence can take it from you. +10% to all stats.
BLOODLINE ABILITY
True Monarch: A king never kneels, a sovereign never surrenders. No one can make you kneel, and you will feel no rank suppression in the presence of stronger foes. Your presence will project that of a born king. Those without noble titles will treat you better, and those with lesser noble titles will show respect. May your sovereignty never end, True Monarch.
Hidden text: Further information inaccessible due to the unknown nature of your bloodline. Discover yourself to reveal more.
“Holy shit,” Henry muttered. This is like a damn video game. He glanced back at the entity, eyebrows raised. “So… it categorizes my strength in numbers? That’s just wild.”
"Yes, True Monarch," the entity replied, bowing its white head.
Henry scratched his head, a little uncomfortable with all this deference. "Yeah, could you… cut that out? And what am I supposed to call you anyway? I can’t keep calling you ‘the entity.’ Are you even a… dude?”
"I have no name and no gender. I will cease to exist once our conversation ends. I am simply an aspect created by the system to gather information about your bloodline."
Henry shook his head, baffled. “Damn, that’s bleak. My life’s been a trainwreck, but you only exist to talk to me? That’s some next-level depressing shit.” He frowned. “Tell you what, I’m gonna name you. From now on, you’re Carl, the system bot.”
"If it is the Monarch’s will to name me, then I accept it," Carl replied, bowing again.
Henry rolled his eyes. “Enough with the bowing, Carl. Listen, apparently my bloodline’s got more info, but it says I have to ‘find myself’ to unlock it. Whatever the hell that means.”
Carl nodded. "An open-ended quest to discover your true self. During your initiation, you will face life-or-death situations that will help you uncover it. You’d be surprised how much you learn about yourself while fighting for your life.”
Henry’s stomach twisted. “And, uh, just so I’m clear—there’s no part of that I can just… skip?”
Carl’s tone was almost amused. "No, Monarch. But don’t worry. The system will assess your progress as you go along."
Henry groaned. "Great. So what’s next? Where do I go from here?" Despite his apprehension, he felt a spark of excitement. If all of this was real—and damn, he wanted it to be—he was ready to dive in. His life before this had been a mess, and he’d dreamed of a fresh start forever.
"As you are exceptional, you will be sent to the gods’ hall to receive a blessing based on your compatibility with certain deities. You will meet five of the prime evils. Do not worry if none resonate with you; another deity may reach out."
“Wait… so gods are real?” Henry asked, eyes wide.
"They are beings who have ascended through the ranks and gained power through the system," Carl explained. "There is no higher power controlling everything—unless you consider the system itself, which is not a god."
“Oh… good to know.” Henry chuckled nervously. “I’m not great with new people, you know? I barely have four people I’d call friends back home. Five if I can count you, Carl.”
"I am honored, Monarch," Carl said. "However, I cannot be labeled a friend. I will cease to exist after our conversation."
“Alright, enough of the heavy crap,” Henry said, trying to shake off the mood. “It was… honestly nice meeting you, Carl. Wish you luck with the whole disappearing thing.”
"Thank you, Monarch. Farewell," Carl said, bowing deeply one last time.
“Beam me up, Carl!” Henry grinned, feeling a rush of excitement as a brilliant light enveloped him.
"Thank you for the name, Monarch Henry King," Carl murmured, looking up where the light had shone, managing a soft smile as he faded into nothingness.