The alley twisted around him like a serpent as Sykaion Kairo writhed against the pavement, the neon glow of the distant skyline fractured in puddles of filth and broken glass. Pain rippled through his skull like molten iron. It wasn't a migraine—it was something ancient, synthetic, and hungry, ripping open a compartment in his consciousness he never knew existed.
> [Wealth Management System: Initialization Complete]
Welcome, Designated User: Sykaion Kairo
Current Net Worth: $-374.29
Current Status: Destitute, Malnourished, Unemployed
Opening Protocol: Phantom Feather Awakening (Level 0)
He gasped. Not just because the pain had stopped, but because he could suddenly see it—an interface floating in his vision like a translucent HUD, hovering in place even when he blinked. A voice, sexless and cold, echoed like the whisper of a banker counting down unpaid debts.
> Objective: Generate Capital. Increase Wealth. Reshape Reality.
He scrambled upright. The slums still sprawled around him—same fetid gutters, same rusted scaffolds creaking above like the ribs of a dying whale—but now everything was overlaid with glowing icons: [Scavengeable Junk: $1.09], [Abandoned Wallet: $3.18], [Black Market Opportunity: Risk: HIGH | Reward: MODERATE].
His heart pounded with something unfamiliar. Possibility.
"...I'm losing it," he muttered.
> Denial registered. Initiating Compulsion Lock: Level 1
Task: Retrieve Asset (ID: Obsidian Coin) from Zone: Burnt Arcade
Reward: +$500 Seed Capital | +1 Phantom Feather Fragment
The vision flared, and then something seared against his chest. He yelped, clawing his shirt open—and there it was. A black symbol, like a feather of liquid graphite, coiled across his sternum. It shimmered briefly, then vanished beneath his skin.
"What the hell is this…?" he whispered.
But he already knew. The System was real. The Phantom Feather, whatever it was, had marked him.
And now, it wanted him to steal something.
---
The Burnt Arcade lay ten blocks deeper into gang territory. The ruins of the old shopping complex jutted from the earth like the bones of a fallen titan, charred beams reaching into the polluted sky, scorched neon signs flickering with undead energy. The arcade had been torched in the riots three years ago, when the city cracked down on data-trading dens. Nobody went there now. It was considered cursed.
Sykaion moved like a shadow, skirting patrol routes, ducking through fence slits, sliding under old train tracks. The System guided him, marking safe routes in green, danger zones in red. Once, a patrol drone whirred overhead and nearly spotted him, but the System flashed a prompt:
> [Diversion Opportunity: Kick Trash Can - +37% Evasion Chance]
He did. The noise startled a pack of rats, which drew the drone's attention just long enough for him to slip away. He didn't question it. Every decision felt wired into his nerves, as if the System were a part of him now.
He reached the edge of the arcade. A melted sign blinked above the shattered entrance: Game Galaxy. Something ancient and ruined hummed inside.
> Warning: Surveillance Nodes Detected
Threat Level: Elevated
Suggested Approach: Stealth or Bribery
"Bribery?" he muttered.
A sudden presence behind him made his stomach drop.
"You talkin' to ghosts, rat?"
He spun. A gang scout, face tatted with barcodes, leaned out of the shadows. His blade gleamed, and behind him, two more stepped forward. Each one wore the insignia of the Scar-Eaters—flesh grafts over metal, teeth replaced with coins. Sykaion backed into the arcade's doorway.
"Just scavengin'," Sykaion said, hands raised.
The leader grinned, a silver tooth flashing. "Then you won't mind sharin', will ya?"
> Emergency Option Unlocked: Phantom Debt Transfer
Risk: 74% Neurological Damage
Activate? [Y/N]
Sykaion hesitated. He didn't even know what it meant. But the gang was closing in, and he had nothing—no weapons, no allies.
"…Y."
The world snapped like a rubber band.
For one heartbeat, the universe inverted. Sound vanished. Light bent into a tunnel of sheer black. Then—
A scream.
Not his.
The gang leader clutched his face, blood pouring from his eyes. "Make it stop! Oh god it's in my head—!"
The others backed away in horror as their leader collapsed, convulsing. A moment later, a burst of static filled the air—and the System spoke:
> Phantom Debt Transferred. Debtor: Reuben Klaas.
Mental Overload Applied.
Reward: $250 Liquid Credit | Phantom Feather Fragment (2%)
Sykaion stared at the unconscious body in shock.
He hadn't touched him. He hadn't even moved.
He'd just… agreed.
The others ran.
He stumbled into the arcade, limbs shaking, breathing hard. Was this real? Had he just weaponized a debt? Did the System punish others for him?
Inside, the arcade glowed with sickly red light. Broken machines hummed with half-life. The smell of charred wires filled the air. And in the center, on a pedestal of melted plastic, lay a coin that pulsed like a heartbeat.
> Asset Identified: Obsidian Coin
Value: Unquantifiable
Status: Sealed
He reached for it. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, the entire room dropped into silence.
A voice—different from the System, deeper, more ancient—whispered:
"Who dares awaken the Vault of Loss?"
Sykaion's mouth was dry. "I… I'm no one. Just trying to survive."
The coin burned cold.
"You are Sykaion. You have nothing. You owe everything. And now… you bear the weight of stolen time."
The coin vanished into his palm.
> Mission Complete. Reward Applied.
Capital: +$500
Phantom Feather Fragment: 5%
Special Title Unlocked: Debtwalker Initiate
New Function Unlocked: Wealth Summon (I)
He gasped as energy flowed into his spine. He could feel the System etching something deeper now, carving a second sigil across his back.
Then the arcade trembled.
From the ceiling above, something descended. Not a drone. Not human. It was shaped like a ledger made of bone, wings of paper slicing the air like knives.
"Intruder Detected. Unauthorized Claim. Correction Required."
> WARNING: SYSTEM LOCKDOWN IMMINENT
Initiate Escape Route?
Delay Consequence: Death Probability 89%
Sykaion turned and ran, lungs burning, the sound of flapping wings and slicing pages behind him.
As he burst from the arcade, the System flared again:
> Initiating Tidewalker Protocol
Phase 1: Asset Liquidation
Phase 2: Temporal Reinvestment
Phase 3: Relocation to Safehouse (Tier 0)
The world bent.
A new skyline appeared.
He was standing inside a luxury penthouse.
Floor-to-ceiling windows. Marble floors. Holographic fireplace. The slums were gone. The city sprawled beneath him like an empire ready to be claimed.
He blinked. The coin was still in his palm, glowing softly.
And then—
From behind him, a voice said, "You're not supposed to be here yet."
He turned.
A woman in a business suit, half her face covered in golden circuitry, leveled a gun at his chest.
> Wealth System Alert:
UNAUTHORIZED ENTITY DETECTED: "Auditor-Class Enforcer"
Lethality Probability: 97%
Defensive Assets: 0
Negotiation Protocol: Locked
He froze.
The woman smiled. "Don't move. And don't breathe wrong. You just triggered an interbank war, and the cost is your soul."