The notification window appeared before my eyes like a translucent blue screen, its text burning into my retinas with an otherworldly glow.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE]
[WELCOME TO THE VEIL WALKER SYSTEM]
[CURRENT REALM: MORTAL - TIER 1]
[EXPERIENCE: 0/100]
I was in Professor Martinez's Advanced Physics lecture, half-asleep in the back row, when the world ended. The floating interface materialized in my peripheral vision, impossible yet undeniably real.
"What the hell..." I whispered, reaching out to touch the screen. My fingers passed through it like smoke.
Around me, other students were reacting similarly—some staring at empty air, others frantically waving their hands, a few already panicking. Professor Martinez continued his lecture about quantum mechanics, oblivious to the chaos brewing in his classroom.
[TUTORIAL INITIATED][FIRST OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE THE CONVERGENCE][TIME REMAINING: 03:47]
Three minutes and forty-seven seconds. For what?
The ground beneath my feet began to tremble. Through the lecture hall's windows, I watched the familiar college campus start to... shift. Buildings stretched upward impossibly, their glass and concrete surfaces rippling like water. The sky cracked open like an eggshell, revealing a void filled with swirling purple energy.
And then I saw them—creatures pouring through the rifts. Shadow-wreathed beasts with too many eyes, their forms constantly shifting between solid and ethereal.
"Everyone remain calm!" Professor Martinez shouted, but his voice cracked. He could see them too now.
[ENEMY DETECTED: SHADE CRAWLER - TIER 1]
[THREAT LEVEL: MINOR]
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: FLEE OR FIGHT]
A wolf-like creature materialized in the doorway, its body composed of living shadow with glowing crimson eyes. Saliva—or whatever passed for it—dripped from its fangs, sizzling against the floor tiles.
Students screamed. Some ran for the windows, others cowered under desks. But I found myself strangely calm, focused on the information streaming across my vision.
[EMERGENCY SKILL UNLOCKED: SHADOW STEP]
[COST: 10 ESSENCE]
[CURRENT ESSENCE: 50/50]
Knowledge flooded my mind—how to bend space, how to slip between dimensions for a brief moment. The Shade Crawler lunged at a panicking student, but I was already moving, my body dissolving into shadow before rematerializing between them.
The creature whirled toward me, confused. That's when I noticed the broken chair leg at my feet—splintered wood with a sharp point.
[IMPROVISED WEAPON DETECTED]
[DAMAGE POTENTIAL: LOW]
[SHADOW ENHANCEMENT AVAILABLE]
I grabbed the makeshift stake. Dark energy flowed from my hand, coating the weapon in writhing shadows. The Shade Crawler attacked again, but this time I was ready. I sidestepped and drove the enhanced stake into its flank.
The creature let out a shriek that sounded like tearing fabric and dissolved into wisps of dark smoke.
[SHADE CRAWLER DEFEATED]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: 25]
[SHADOW ESSENCE ABSORBED: 5]
[PROGRESSION: 25/100 TO TIER 2]
The surviving students stared at me in shock. Professor Martinez had gone pale.
"Alex?" Sarah Chen, a girl from my thermodynamics class, stepped forward hesitantly. "How did you do that?"
Before I could answer, more creatures poured through the doorway. The System's countdown hit zero, and everything changed.
[CONVERGENCE COMPLETE]
[REALITY LAYERS MERGED]
[GLOBAL SYSTEM ACTIVATION: 100%]
[PREPARE FOR TUTORIAL PHASE]
The lecture hall dissolved around us. In its place stood a vast plaza surrounded by twisted spires of black glass. Other groups of people materialized nearby—survivors from across the campus, all looking as confused and terrified as we were.
A figure approached our group—tall, ethereal, with features that seemed to shift between human and something else entirely.
[TUTORIAL GUIDE: INSTRUCTOR ZARA]
[TIER: AWAKENED - 7]
[AFFINITY: DIMENSIONAL MANIPULATION]
"Welcome, new Veil Walkers," her voice carried an otherworldly resonance. "Your reality has undergone Convergence—the merging of dimensional layers that were previously separate. You have been selected by the System to navigate this new existence."
She gestured to the floating interfaces we could all see now. "These displays show your current capabilities and progression. Your world now operates on principles similar to what you might call 'game mechanics,' but make no mistake—death here is permanent."
A student from the engineering department raised his hand. "What happened to everyone else? My family, my friends?"
"They exist in parallel layers," Zara explained. "Some may have been selected for different Systems. Others remain in baseline reality. The Convergence affects each individual differently based on their... compatibility."
[TUTORIAL OBJECTIVE UPDATED]
[FORM PARTIES AND CLEAR FIRST TRIAL]
[RECOMMENDED PARTY SIZE: 4-6]
[TIME LIMIT: 2 HOURS]
"You must prove your ability to survive in this new world," Zara continued. "Form groups and enter the Trial Gates. Success will grant you access to the broader System. Failure..."
She didn't need to finish. The implications were clear.
I looked around at my fellow survivors. Maybe thirty students total, all looking lost and frightened. But some were already adapting—I could see the same calculation in their eyes that I felt in my own mind.
Sarah approached me first. "Alex, I saw what you did back there. My System says I have Light Manipulation. We should team up."
[PARTY INVITATION RECEIVED]
[SENDER: SARAH CHEN]
[LIGHT MANIPULATION AFFINITY]
[ACCEPT? Y/N]
I was about to accept when another voice interrupted.
"Mind if I join?"
I turned to see Marcus Steel, a senior from the metallurgy program. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with the kind of confidence that came from years of practical engineering work.
[MARCUS STEEL - MORTAL TIER 2]
[METAL CONTROL AFFINITY]
[THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE]
"Already hit Tier 2?" I asked.
He grinned grimly. "Took down three Shade Crawlers in the physics lab. Turns out metal pipes make excellent weapons when you can control them telepathically."
A third figure approached—a woman I didn't recognize, with silver hair and piercing blue eyes. She moved with a predatory grace that made my newly awakened instincts take notice.
[ELENA VOSS - MORTAL TIER 3]
[VOID MANIPULATION AFFINITY]
[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]
"Elena Voss," she introduced herself. "Pre-med, but I don't think that matters much anymore. I've been watching you three—you're the only ones who seem to be thinking strategically instead of just panicking."
She was right. Most of the other students were still in shock, or forming groups based on friendship rather than capability.
"What do you propose?" I asked.
"Balanced party composition. Marcus for front-line combat, Sarah for ranged support, you for mobility and damage, me for crowd control. We clear the trial efficiently and position ourselves for whatever comes next."
[PARTY INVITATIONS SENT]
[RECIPIENTS: MARCUS STEEL, ELENA VOSS]
[ACCEPT? Y/N]
All three of us accepted simultaneously.
[PARTY FORMED]
[MEMBERS: 4/6]
[PARTY SYNERGY: BASIC]
[EXPERIENCE SHARE: EQUAL]
Instructor Zara gestured toward several archways that had materialized around the plaza. Each one pulsed with different colored energy.
"Choose your trial," she announced. "Combat, Survival, Puzzle, or Exploration. Success in any grants advancement. Failure grants death."
[TRIAL SELECTION AVAILABLE]
[COMBAT TRIAL: HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD]
[SURVIVAL TRIAL: MODERATE RISK, MODERATE REWARD]
[PUZZLE TRIAL: LOW RISK, LOW REWARD]
[EXPLORATION TRIAL: VARIABLE RISK, VARIABLE REWARD]
Elena studied the options. "Combat. We need to advance quickly, and we have good synergy."
"Agreed," Marcus said. "Better to face the challenge head-on than get caught unprepared later."
Sarah nodded nervously. "If you think we can handle it."
I looked at our group—a shadow manipulator, a light mage, a metal controller, and a void walker. We had good elemental balance and complementary skills.
"Combat it is."
We approached the red archway. The moment we stepped through, reality shifted again.