The rain fell in sheets, turning Jiangbei City's tangled alleys into slick veins of neon-lit water. Wei Lingxu fought for every gasp of breath, his coat plastered to his back, boots sliding on grime. Behind him, the shouts of triad enforcers echoed off rusted fire escapes cold, methodical hunters who had learned to kill as easily as they drew breath. Above, digital billboards flickered with ads for augmented reality raids and corporate-sponsored tournaments. Below, the gutters ran red with the city's broken promises.
Wei's heart pounded not from fear alone but from a stubborn refusal to die nameless in the shadows. His father's last words fragmented, barely audible haunted him with every footstep: "The Core… it's yours… don't let them." The memory came as flickers in his mind, like a corrupted recording on repeat. He didn't understand then. But he would.
He skidded around a corner, narrowly avoiding a shotgun blast that lodged itself in the opposite wall. Splinters rained down, and Wei's shoulder throbbed where shrapnel had found flesh. Groaning, he backed into a dead-end alley drenched in neon graffiti. The city's glow seeped through the steam rising from grates, painting his face in predatory blues and harsh magentas. A dozen steps away, the triad closed in, their weapons raised without mercy.
Wei pressed his palms to the cold brick, breathing through blood-caked lips. Rain ran into his eyes, stinging like acid. Every instinct screamed to surrender, but he thought of his mother's lullabies, of the gentle patience in his grandmother's eyes and of a promise he could not yet fulfill. Only then did the world around him blur.
A deep, resonant voice sounded in his skull, not spoken but downloaded:
System activating…
System name: Omni Providence Matrix
Awareness: Synchronised
Wei's vision fractured, as if the alley itself had become a tapestry of shifting polygons. Lines of light arced around him, coalescing into concentric rings that spun with silent purpose. Holographic glyphs shimmered in midair, each icon pulsing with latent potential icons he could not yet name. A translucent window materialised before his eyes:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
[OMNI PROVIDENCE MATRIX]
Tier 1: Fractured Ember [Unlocked]
Tier 2: Echoing Rift [Locked]
Tier 3: Annihilation Flux [Locked]
…
[Experience: 0 / 5,000]
[Vitality: 50 / 50]
[Willpower: 30 / 30]
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Underneath, a prompt blinked like a heartbeat:
[Activate Fractured Ember]
Wei's chest tightened. He didn't know what Fractured Ember meant, some semblance of power waiting in the Void Core but his survival hinged on it. His fingers trembled as he reached toward the floating UI, and the instant his skin brushed the cyan icon, a shockwave of energy jolted through his veins.
Flames of pure darkness flickered along his forearms. They weren't fire as mortals knew it, but a void-touched ember that burned without smoke. As the energy spread, Wei felt bone and blood knit themselves anew. The pain in his shoulder receded.
A guttural roar rose from behind him. The triad boss a hulking figure with a scar red as dried blood stepped into the alley, rifle leveled at Wei's chest. Wei licked cracked lips and focused on his burning arm. The void-ember flames coalesced into a glove of shadow fire. Then, in a single motion, he thrust his hand forward.
A wave of molten void energy surged out, slamming into the boss's midsection. The man convulsed, rifle clattering to the ground, and collapsed like a ruptured puppet. Rain sizzled as it met the void-blast scorch. Wei barely registered the moment before his own strength ebbed, the flames extinguishing, leaving him panting in the neon haze.
The remaining enforcers froze, fear enveloping their eyes. Wei didn't wait for them to recover. He leaped over the boss's crumpled form, sprinted past stunned silhouettes, and vanished into the labyrinth of alleyways. Above him, the holo-rings of the Matrix faded from view, but a warm glow in his soul told him they were bound to him forever.
He paused at a high vantage point: a metal catwalk overlooking the city's heart. Neon towers soared like digital cathedrals. Jets of steam hissed beside him. Rain plastered his hair to his skull. Wei put a hand to his temple, where the voice of the Omni Providence Matrix still lingered, calm and patient, as if it had waited eons for this moment.
Somewhere deep inside, a spark of purpose ignited. The Path of Void had begun. His heart still raced with adrenaline and with wonder at what lay ahead. Fractured Ember was only the first step. Echoing Rift, Annihilation Flux, Sovereign Apex… each tier would demand blood, sacrifice, and unshakeable resolve.
Wei's jaw set. He would learn the secrets of the Void Core. He would hunt down those who destroyed his family. And he would remake his destiny across infinite realities no matter the cost.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating his figure in stark relief. In that flash, he looked less like an orphaned street rat and more like something reborn a fledgling sovereign standing at the threshold of countless worlds.
He whispered into the storm: "I won't let them win."
Behind him, the city's neon lights pulsed like a heartbeat, beckoning him into the night and beyond every veil of fate.