Silent Awakening: Sign-In To Destiny

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The sun rose with a warmth the estate hadn't felt in days. Birds called from the trees and the grass, still damp from recent rains, sparkled in the morning light.

Asher Raven stood at the gate with his parents, dressed in a dark blue hoodie and grey jeans. A rare sight. Beside him, Kieran and Seraphina Raven waited patiently as the family driver opened the car door.

"Ready?" his father asked.

Asher nodded. "Let's go before someone calls you back to a meeting."

The ride to the mall was quiet at first. Kieran scrolled through reports on his tablet, while Seraphina read emails. Asher sat between them, hands folded in his lap, eyes gazing out the window.

"You don't have to work right now," he said.

His mother looked up.

"You're right," she replied, and turned the screen off.

His father followed suit.

Asher allowed a small smile.

The mall was alive with people. Families, shoppers, couples drifting from store to store. It wasn't a special day, but Asher had asked for this—just a normal outing. One where no one stared at him like a prodigy. One where he could just be a boy with his parents.

They passed a bookshop. Seraphina slowed. "Want to look inside?"

"Later," Asher said. "I want to check the tech store first."

Inside, holographic displays danced above sleek counters. A new AI assistant chirped a demo greeting to passing customers. Asher wandered toward a screen showing advanced interface displays, pausing briefly before shaking his head and moving on.

Seraphina arched a brow. "Too complex?"

Asher shrugged. "I could figure it out. But I don't want people to start thinking I'm a walking computer."

His father chuckled. "Fair enough."

They moved on. Next came the toy store.

Asher passed by most of the colourful displays with little interest—until he reached a section of engineering kits. Buildable robots, simple circuit sets, mechanical puzzles.

He pointed to a high-level robotics kit on the top shelf.

"That one."

"It's for kids ten and up," Seraphina noted.

"I'm six," Asher said, arms folded. "I can handle it."

Kieran exchanged a knowing look with her. "Alright. Just one."

"Two," Asher said.

"You drive a hard bargain," his father said.

He left with both kits under his arm.

At the food court, Asher insisted on picking the table. He sat in the middle of the open area, away from the walls, saying he wanted "a full view of exits."

Seraphina blinked. "You've really changed."

"I just like to be careful," Asher said simply.

During lunch, Asher picked at his food in between bites of conversation.

"Will you have to go back to work soon?" he asked.

His parents both hesitated.

"There are deadlines," Kieran said, "but we'll make time."

"Time isn't enough," Asher said, frowning. "I want consistency."

"We'll talk to the board," Seraphina said gently. "See what adjustments can be made."

Asher nodded, satisfied for now.

They returned home in the evening. Asher carried his bags upstairs himself, not letting any staff take them.

In his room, he placed the kits on his desk and opened the system interface.

> [Daily Sign-In Complete]

Reward: +5 System Points

Lucky Draw Ticket: 0

Current Points: 302

No new titles. No new abilities.

But for today, that was enough.

He looked at the robotics kit and began unboxing it.

As he arranged the parts carefully, he smiled to himself. For a brief moment, he wasn't the heir to an empire, or a system host building secret networks.

He was just Asher Raven.

And for today, that was enough.

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