System X: Bloodline Awakening System

Kaiza had been holding on to the hope that his parents would walk through those doors at any moment, ready to explain everything and make sense of the chaos in his mind. He wasn't entirely sure of the situation, and even when Will was with him, Kaiza struggled to understand who he was referring to when he spoke about his "sister."

The truth was, Kaiza hadn't realized that Will's "sister" was his own mother. His confusion wasn't entirely his fault—the fluid injected into him had affected a part of his memory, blurring anything related to his parents. It distorted his thoughts, making it difficult for him to connect the dots.

The fluid was wreaking havoc on his mind, creating false impressions and chaotic scenes that his weakened cells were struggling to fight off. This left Kaiza trapped in a mental fog, unable to fully grasp the reality of his situation.

The fluid had successfully manipulated Kaiza's mind, creating a false figure he believed to be Will Liam's sister—someone he'd never known about. Despite this, he felt an inexplicable wave of emotional pain when he learned of her "death," leaving him confused about why he was so affected.

But now, it all made sense. The news report had triggered something deep within him, breaking the barrier the fluid had created. A rush of memories surged through Kaiza's mind, flooding him with clarity. Everything that had been distorted by the fluid snapped back into place, and the fictional figures it had conjured vanished entirely.

Kaiza remembered everything. He saw the events of yesterday vividly—how his parents had saved his life, entrusting him with the responsibility of protecting a briefcase. Panic briefly set in as he realized he had no idea where the briefcase was now.

His memories also revealed the horrifying scene of Keaton helping him, only to fall into Sulan's trap. Sulan, impersonating M. Boss, had enslaved Keaton in the process. Everything was now painfully clear, leaving Kaiza overwhelmed with the weight of the truth.

All of Kaiza's memories had returned, clear and vivid. However, they stopped at the moment he was trying to escape Sulan in the forest, surrounded by a mysterious shield. This gap wasn't caused by the fluid but by some unknown force blocking his recollection beyond that point.

Still, Kaiza wasn't concerned about that now. What mattered most was accepting the harsh reality—he was an orphan. The weight of the truth crushed him, and tears streamed silently down his face, just as they had that night in the construction building.

Minutes passed as he cried in silence. Then, the scene with Sulan replayed in his mind, igniting a burning rage within him. His vengeful side took over, and a singular thought consumed him: he wanted to avenge his parents. But as much as vengeance burned within him, so did his desire to achieve his dream of becoming a hero.

In that moment, another memory surfaced—the game and the test. Among the fragmented images and sensations, one promise stood out clearly: the reward of gaining power. That promise now became his beacon, a step toward both justice and his destiny.

Here he was, still without the power he had been promised.

"That test promised power! But where is the power now?" Kaiza muttered in frustration.

Just then, the system interface flickered to life.

[Welcome User]

[Training mode activated]

"This again? Is this what the game promised?" Kaiza asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

[A fluid has been detected in your body. Would you like to reject or ignore this notification?]

Kaiza paused, recalling what Will Liam had told him about the fluid he had been injected with. Without much hesitation, he selected the "Reject" option, though he couldn't shake the feeling of confusion. What the hell was going on?

As soon as he made his choice, a wave of nausea hit him. He felt a strange, unsettling rush in his head, followed by a rumbling sensation in his stomach. The unease grew, and a sudden pressure built up, as if his body was fighting something inside.

Without warning, Kaiza opened his mouth, and a dark green fluid poured out, staining the floor beneath him. Moments later, a dark red substance followed, almost wine-like in its hue.

Just as quickly, the screen reappeared before him.

[Rejection complete]

The last thing Kaiza remembered was the cold, hard floor beneath him before darkness took over, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * * *

At the hospital reception, two nurses were engaged in conversation.

"The boy was brought in along with some other men. One was his uncle, and the other was a tech boy working for B-Tech. The tech boy was badly wounded."

"But who did this to them?"

"I heard from one of the doctors that he was injected with the Workers of Iniquity's amnesia fluid. He's lost his memory completely."

"That means all this happened because of them."

"What were you, isn't it obvious enough."

"Have you seen the boy? Does he remember anything at all?"

"For now, nothing. He's just like the other victims. Dumb"

As the nurses continued to chat about Kaiza, a male nurse standing off to the side at the reception pretended to be busy on a phone call, but his attention was fixed on the women. Once the topic shifted, he glanced at them, a satisfied smile curling on his lips, before turning and walking away.

----

In the store room at the hospital, the man hurriedly entered and immediately placed a call.

"Information just reached me—Kaiza is in my hospital. I don't know which ward he's in yet."

"Forget about that. I'll handle the rest. Expect your reward soon." A deep, mysterious voice responded from the other end.

After ending that call, the man wasted no time. He dialed another number and informed yet another person about Kaiza Lotan, just as he had done before.

. . .

Meanwhile, Kaiza had been taken by the doctors for further tests after they found him unconscious on the floor, surrounded by the strange, colorful fluid. After the tests, the fluid had been removed from his body, and his condition was much more stable than before.

As he was brought back to his room, Kaiza noticed the muscular guards standing by the door, their arms crossed. Even in his subconscious state, he was able to reason—these men were likely there to protect him. His life was probably in danger now, after the sudden death of his parents.

After the broadcast, Kaiza knew his life was on the line. He had to find a way to gain power—power to protect himself and, more importantly, his selfless uncle. Will Liam was the only family he had left, and Kaiza wanted to protect him more than he wanted to protect himself.

A few minutes later, Kaiza was left alone in the room. Will Liam had been escorted out by a nurse, who told him that Kaiza needed rest to regain his strength. As Kaiza lay there, he stirred slightly at the noise. To his surprise, he felt a rush of strength surge through him. It wasn't much, but it was more than what he had felt when he had been lying on the floor. It was as if something inside him was producing energy, making him stronger—something he couldn't quite identify.

As the minutes passed in silence, Kaiza couldn't help but feel the weight of loneliness creeping in. Despite not having spent much time with his parents, their absence was a heavy burden on him. The loneliness that had always lingered during his time in boarding school now felt far greater. Back then, he had tried to distract himself with friends, but this time, the emptiness felt like a void that could not be filled. His first year in middle school hadn't even come close to this level of isolation.

Desperate to escape the overwhelming feelings, Kaiza tried to focus on something else—anything else. His mind wandered to the game and the promise of power it had made. He remembered everything that had happened, every moment leading up to now.

In his subconscious state, he could still hear parts of the system's messages, and for the first time, he noticed the system was reading them aloud. This was unusual—the system had never done that before. It wasn't until he felt a slight burn on his hand and a strange movement within his body that he realized something had changed.

"A hero system?"

Kaiza tried to recall everything from that night, focusing on the faint message he had heard when his body had been overwhelmed by strange sensations. Just then, he felt a strange burning sensation on his hand. At first, the pain wasn't much, and he tried to ignore it. But as the seconds passed, the burn intensified, and he couldn't brush it off any longer.

He raised his hand to his face to see what was happening.

What Kaiza saw left him stunned. His palm was branded with something he had never seen before, though he had read about it.

A strange, pale red writing began to form across his right palm. The burn mark started as a circular shape, but before it could close on itself, it deviated, transforming into another shape.

Shape after shape, the mark continued to shift until it stopped. The final design was something Kaiza recognized from his research. It was a symbol he had seen before—the insignia of the Workers of Iniquity, the organization he had read about months ago.