Seoul
In a modest Seoul apartment, the faint glow of a computer screen illuminated Ji-Yeon Park's face, her sharp features softened by the dim light. At 21, she was striking - long black hair framing a heart-shaped face, dark eyes that held a quiet storm, and a lithe frame honed by years of taekwondo in a future that no longer existed. Six years ago, at 27, she'd stood in a shattered world, her Appraisal System whispering warnings as vampires, demons, and a man in a mech - Elliot Hayes - clashed, tearing Earth apart. Her family - her gentle mother, her stern but loving father David, and her younger brother Min-Joon - died in the chaos, along with millions and billions. The system, her constant guide, had offered a desperate chance: regress six years, when everything started, and rewrite the future. The cost was steep - its voice silenced, its advice gone, reduced to cold data and alerts. Worse, it warned, Time regression draws galactic eyes. More Systems may rise. Ji-Yeon had nodded, tears falling, and paid the price.
Now, in 2025, she was back. The first day, she'd hugged her parents, sobbing into her mother's shoulder, savoring her kimchi stew with tear-streaked cheeks. Her parents exchanged glances, puzzled. "Puberty's hitting hard again," her father muttered, and her mother nodded, bemused. Ji-Yeon smiled through her tears, letting them believe it. She couldn't tell them the truth - not yet.
Her appraisal system was her edge; its data was sharp despite its silence. In the future, she'd seen Cantacuzino Global's rise, NexGuard's dominance, and the chaos of the Demons. Armed with foresight, she acted fast. She fed her father, a mid-level tech entrepreneur, strategies to skyrocket his startup. "Hire these people," she'd said, listing names - brilliant coders, visionary marketers - her Aappraisal pinpointing their potential. When he hesitated, she claimed, "I see glimpses of the future." A lie, but her parents believed it, awed by her uncanny knack. His company, ParkTech, ballooned, snapping up talent and contracts, rivaling Seoul's giants within months.
When NexGuard launched, Ji-Yeon's foresight screamed opportunity. "Invest heavily," she urged her father. "It's the future." He poured millions into Elliot Hayes' company, and the returns flooded in - tens of millions, cementing ParkTech's power. She pushed him closer to Hayes, feeding him advice from the future to pass on - supply chain tweaks, AI optimizations - knowing Hayes would listen. Her father became Hayes' confidant, a bridge to the man with the Tech System, the one who'd fought to protect humanity in her future. She'd seen the others: the demon, craving destruction, and the vampire, Mihai Cantacuzino, hungering for control. She'd spoken to Mihai once, in that shattered future, his crimson eyes cold as he mused, "No soul is innocent; justice is a lie spun by the weak to chain the strong." His intellect was undeniable, but his cynicism repelled her. She couldn't agree - humanity, flawed as it was, deserved saving.
Now, at 21, Ji-Yeon knew the stakes were higher. Her regression had rippled, drawing "unwanted attention" from the galaxy. More Systems, she thought, her jaw tightening. But she was ready. Her Appraisal System and future knowledge gave her an edge—she understood fragments of the demon's chaos and the vampire's schemes. Whatever new systems emerged, she'd outmaneuver them, protect her family, and steer Earth from ruin.
---
Chicago
Elliot Hayes sat in his Chicago penthouse, the city's skyline a glittering cage beyond floor-to-ceiling windows. At 33, he was a striking figure - tall, lean, with deep brown skin and close-cropped hair, his sharp features etched with worry. His dark eyes, usually warm, were narrowed, brow furrowed as he stared at a monitor. His heart raced, despite his advanced AI assistant, VARIA , purring through his earpiece: "Master, your pulse is elevated. Breathe." He couldn't calm it - not after what he'd seen.
Once a biology professor, Elliot knew cells, the human body's dance of life. Then the Tech System chose him, and he'd pushed biology beyond limits, restoring sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. NexGuard, his AI-powered app, now guarded 2 billion devices, blocking hackers and cheats. David, a savvy investor, had approached post-launch, his ideas eerily mirroring Elliot's own—supply chain tweaks and AI scaling. They'd become friends, bonded by a shared dream: a better world. Then David revealed his daughter, Ji-Yeon, had "visions of the future," guiding his every move. Elliot had laughed, skeptical, but results didn't lie - David's advice was gold.
Now, Elliot's world shook. A video from Mexico, flagged by VARIA, played on a loop: a hooded man in a mask, a tortured woman - armless, head smashed - beside him, and a demonic creature violating her corpse. His stomach churned, bile rising. Why? He'd thought David's warning, "Something evil in Mexico," meant cartels, evidence for police. Not demons. As Justice Hacker, his online alias, Elliot had toppled corrupt corporations, halted wars, and tracked criminals, sharing their locations with authorities. His Tech System gave him unmatched coding and hacking skills, but this was beyond code. Should I call the president? The Vatican?
He turned to VARIA. "How do we beat demons? Search everything." As she scoured data, Elliot's eyes drifted to the System's shop, glowin in his mind. A Light Space Travel module taunted him - his dream to push humanity to the stars. But now, he needed weapons, tech to kill whatever grew in Mexico. David had mentioned a hospital there, one treating children with cancer. Elliot's jaw clenched, veins bulging. That's the demon's target. He could cure cancer and save those kids, but if the demon struck, defiling their bodies and harvesting souls... Why? His anger surged, fists trembling. He wouldn't let it happen.
VARIA's voice cut through: "Master, look." He adjusted his glasses, staring at the monitor. Live from Romania, Mihai Cantacuzino stood before the press, his pale complexion stark, crimson eyes glinting unnaturally. The Cantacuzinos - Europe's elite, Cantacuzino Global's green tech and banking empire - commanded attention. What's he saying? Elliot leaned closer, dread pooling.
Bucharest
Mihai Cantacuzino stood before a sea of cameras, Buchares's night framing him like a monarch. He knew the world watched, reels and clips already spawning. At 24, his dark eyes and sculpted jaw drew gasps, but his crimson gaze and pallor hinted at his truth. The Crimson Sovereign had gifted him vampiric power - strength, speed, the ability to sire others. He'd spent most System points on Intelligence and Charisma, not raw might. Brute force was for fools; he'd be the savior-king of vampires, ruling with wit and charm. His plan was audacious: leverage Eurpe's empathy for minorities, framing vampires as oppressed, deserving acceptance.
He'd prepared meticulously. Using his wealth, he'd seeded inclusion in businesses - LGBTQ+ campaigns, diversity quotas - knowing they'd falter as audiences tired of forced narratives. When clients fled, he swooped in, investing in authentic ventures, multiplying profits tenfold. Now, he'd wield that same social current. Vampires, he'd argue, were a misunderstood minority, their "feelings" valid. He'd sired a few, binding them with The Crimson Sovereign's ten rules - no unsanctioned siring, no reckless killing - enforced by agonizing death for disobedience. Rebels existed, he'd admit, but he, "1,000 years bloodless," was tired of hiding.
His speech was ready, charisma dialed to sway hearts. "The world shuns us, but we feel, we love," he'd say, eyes glistening. Corporations didn't care about minorities - only profit. Fools chase gold, blind to power's truth: control shapes reality, he thought. Justice is a fable, innocence a mask - humans cling to both, but I see through. His vampires would rise, accepted, while he ruled from the shadows, outsmarting any rival Systems he sensed lurking, because he knew he wasn't the only one.
Beijing
In a fortified Beijing chamber, Huoi Zhao Feng watched Mihai's bradcast, his golden dragon eyes narrowing. He decided to act as the Monarch of Dragons when he got his system. "Lies," he rumbled, voice thick with authority, echoing off stone walls. At 40, his presence commanded - tall, broad, black hair streaked with silver, his chiseled face radiating power. The Monarch Dragon System had chosen him, its passive perk, Ancient Dragon Wisdom, granting 90% accurate foresight. A girl might kill a man - or a boy, but death was certain. He wielded all magic like elemental magic - fire, ice, storm, shadow, light - and could morph one arm into a dragon's claw, with loyal followers transformable into lesser dragons. Hidden from the world, he stood among China's elite - prime ministers and generals—his existence a guarded secret.
"Lies," he said again, pointing a golden-scaled finger at Mihai's image. The prime minister, a wiry man in a crisp suit, flinched. "Dragon-" Huoi's eyes flashed wrath, silencing him. "Dragon, you say? I am Monarch of Dragons, King of Elements and all Magic. You, mortal..." The room tensed, guards frozen, powerless against him. "Forgiven," Huoi said, voice softening. "Power forgives wisely - loyalty earns rewards. Serve well, and I may grant you centuries as a lightning dragon." The minister's eyes gleamed, nodding eagerly.
"Why lies, my liege?" the minister asked. Huoi's gaze hardened. "He's like me - a monarch, ruling vampires. He weaves this tale to claim dominion, turning all to his kind." His wisdom pierced Mihai's facade - control, not acceptance, was the goal. "Humans bicker, destroy themselves," Huoi said, voice low. "We - Monarchs - come to change that fate. Some seek destruction, others domination, and a few peace or wisdom. Your world shifts." The minister swallowed, awed. Huoi turned back to the screen, Mihai's crimson eyes glinting. "You are not alone, liar, and you know it," he murmured, golden eyes burning, ready to counter any move in this galactic game.