Darren Nova hated banks.
He hated their marble floors, their subtle cologne scented judgment, and the way every employee looked at you like your net worth had a body odor. But mostly, he hated them because he was inside one.
Again.
In Cindervale—the city where dreams came to choke on interest rates and $11 coffee, walking into a place like Palisade Global without money was a bit like walking into a lion's den with a ham necklace and a resume.
And Darren?
He was wearing the metaphorical ham. And unemployment.
"Mr. Nova," the receptionist said, all red lipstick and brittle courtesy, "Sublevel Three. Vault Wing Delta. Please follow the arrows and try not to touch anything."
Noted, Karen. I'll try not to bleed poverty on the rug.
He nodded instead, adjusted his secondhand blazer (missing one button, possibly his dignity), and stepped toward the elevator.
The only reason he was even here was a letter—one with no return address and just six chilling words.
"Inheritance Awaiting. Come Alone. Urgent."
At first, he thought it was a scam. Then he realized scams usually didn't come printed on thick gold embossed paper.
Plus he was already jobless and broke, what's the worst that could happen.
The elevator doors pinged shut with the warmth of a tomb. No music. No ads. Just silence and the kind of slow descent that felt metaphorical.
He checked his phone.
No signal.
He checked his wallet.
Still empty.
He checked his future.
> ...Eh.
The lights flickered once. Twice.
When the doors opened, Darren expected... something —rich people - ish— Polished steel, wall mounted security bots. Champagne made from tears, the likes.
He definitely did not expect candles. Or blood.
The chamber smelled like ozone and burnt paper. Safety deposit boxes lined the walls like mausoleum slots. In the center of the vault was a chair, old and very occupied.
The man in it looked... wrong.
Half slumped, half dead. Blood pooled at his feet in a casual spiral. Gold paper fluttered in the air like confetti at a very expensive funeral.
And then the guy looked up. One eye was missing. The other glowed like stock tickers.
"You're late," he rasped.
Darren froze.
"Hey, uh... I think I've got the wrong sublevel. I was looking for the inheritance....?"
The man reached out and slapped a piece of glowing paper into Darren's palm.
— Mistake.
The burn was instant.
"OW—holy—what the fu—"
His skin lit up like a neon sign. Gold veins stretched up his arm. Symbols—cryptic, ancient, corporate—blazed across his vision.
The man's laugh came out wet and dying. "Say it. Trigger it. Say the words..."
[TRANSACTION ACCEPTED]
[Account Created: Darren Nova]
[Ledger Balance: 0.00]
[Soul Bond: Pending…]
Darren screamed. The system didn't care.
The vault door creaked. Something heavy moved in the dark.
[WARNING: Host Status Incomplete. Initialize First Purchase Immediately.]
[Failure to Act Will Result in Liquidation.]
"Liquidation?! Of what—?!"
Behind him, the vault door began to close.
But Darren Nova was on fire.
Not in a good "winning at life" kind of way. More in a "my arm just turned into a glowstick and I might be cursed forever" kind of way.
He dropped to one knee, hissing through clenched teeth as golden light pulsed through his veins. Symbols danced across his vision like a seizure inducing PowerPoint presentation.
"Okay. Okay. What the actual f—"
A chime echoed in his ears like a stock bell from hell.
[Transaction Tutorial Activated]
OBJECTIVE: Purchase any object using Ledger Influence
REWARD: Tier I Calibration Access
FAILURE TO COMPLETE IN 15 SECONDS WILL RESULT IN HOST LIQUIDATION.
"Liquidation? LIQUIDATION?! Is that a metaphor or are we talking blender level problems?!"
Darren looked around the vault. Everything had changed.
Objects around him glowed with faint golden auras—coins, pens, a dusty briefcase, a broken wristwatch. Above each floated transparent tags like price labels on ghost steroids.
[Price: 0.01 Ledger Units]
[Buy it? Y/N]
A countdown appeared in the corner of his vision.
[Time Remaining: 14... 13... 12...]
His brain short-circuited.
"Buy it?! BUY WHAT?! Why are all of these things trying to sell themselves to me? Is this capitalism's final boss fight?!"
[11... 10... 9...]
"No, no, no—oh god, I don't even own 0.01 of anything!"
The system beeped again. Cheerfully. Like it wanted him dead but also wanted him to smile about it.
He spotted something on the floor. A gilded fountain pen. Elegant. Fancy. Probably stolen from a CEO's guilt drawer.
Its price floated like a halo:
[Price: 0.01 Ledger Units]
Buy it? Y/N
[8... 7... 6...]
"I don't even know how to.....fine! Yes! BUY IT!"
He pointed at the pen like a mad wizard at Staples.
[Transaction Approved.]
[Item: 1x Gilded Pen – Added to Asset List]
[Balance: –0.01 Ledger Units]
[System Calibrating...]
The burning in his arm stopped instantly. The golden veins faded. The symbols froze mid air, then vanished like a soap bubble.
Darren collapsed backward with a grunt, clutching the pen like it was Excalibur. If Excalibur was gold plated and probably cursed.
The vault was dead silent now.
Except for the vault door, which finished sealing behind him with a soft clunk.
SYSTEM INTERFACE INITIALIZING...
[Welcome to the Goldscript Ledger]
Account Holder: Darren Nova
Tier: Initiate
Ledger Balance: –0.01 Units
Assets: 1 (Gilded Pen)
Debt Risk: Minimal
Soul Bond: 3% (Pending Completion)
You have successfully completed your first transaction.
You may now access: Basic Transactions, Micro Purchases, and Emotional Debt Recognition.
Daily Quests and Market Influence Modules will unlock upon full calibration.
"Spend wisely."
Darren blinked. The words still hovered in the air like an afterimage, despite the system fading.
"…What the hell have I just gotten myself into?"
He looked at the pen.
"I bought a pen. With a soul I didn't know I was leasing. In a bank vault that may or may not be haunted by fiscal demons."
Always doing shit, Darren.
A beat.
"Honestly, not the worst Tuesday I've had."
The man in the chair—the one who'd shoved the system into his palm, was gone now. Dead. Or maybe... absorbed?
The only proof Darren wasn't hallucinating was the smell of burnt skin on his hand and the gilded pen now vibrating faintly with warmth.
A new message blinked into view:
[New Quest Available: Your Soul Is Collateral]
Beginner Tier Activated.
Location: External Market Environment Loading…
And with a low rumble, the vault's far wall began to crack open into a hallway that didn't exist before.
It glowed gold.
"F**king hell, what now?"