⊙---Kian Part 1

Kael studied Kian's face, unease coiling in his gut. "I still can't get used to seeing you like that," he muttered. "Must you wear my past life's face?"

Kian sighed, slow and measured, then flicked a finger toward Kael's forehead—only for his ethereal hand to pass straight through. He huffed in mild frustration, arms folding across his chest.

"Forget that. What's your level now?" Kian's sharp gaze locked onto him, expectant. "You should've hit the threshold by now. Since I've awakened and evolved, that means you're at ten, right?"

Kael nodded. "I got a notification. Said I activated the Rebirth Core class." He flexed his fingers, half-expecting to feel something different—power coiling beneath his skin, an unfamiliar pulse in his bones. But nothing had changed. "Does that mean I can wield its power now?"

Kian tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "You can… but once you do, something will come for you."

A dull throb settled in Kael's chest. "What do you mean, something?"

Kian didn't answer right away.

Kael's frown deepened. "What's the point of a class that puts a target on my back?" His thoughts flickered to her—his sister, alone in this world, vulnerable. "I don't want to put her in danger."

Kian's brows lifted, ever so slightly. "Oh? You have a sister?"

A beat of hesitation.

"…Yes." The admission left him with a bitter taste. He exhaled slowly. "When I woke up here, I was already in his body. And the strangest part? We share the same name."

Something in Kian's expression shifted. "What makes you think this isn't your body?" His voice, cool and calculating, sent a shiver up Kael's spine.

Kael blinked. "Isn't it obvious?" His words came sharp, defensive. "I arrived here and found myself in a body that already had a history. Kael Avryon existed before I got here."

Silence stretched between them.

Kael dragged a hand through his hair. "Besides, we don't even look alike." He hesitated, glancing at Kian. "You… you look like me. How I used to be. But Kael Avryon—he's different."

The words tasted wrong in his mouth, a lingering unease curling at the edges of his mind. Something about this entire situation didn't sit right. The more he thought about it, the more the inconsistencies gnawed at him, sinking deep into marrow and thought alike.

Kian, watching his deepening frown, shifted the conversation. "How many memory fragments have you found so far?"

Kael exhaled sharply. "Just one."

Kian gave a slow, pensive nod. "Look, Kael, our priority right now is getting your furry guide back. You need him to navigate the system properly." His tone was firm, pragmatic. "You've hit the level to proceed to the next step of your Ascension's path."

Kael stiffened. "Next step?" His eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kian smirked, but there was something off about it. Something Kael didn't like.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Kael clenched his jaw. "No." His fingers curled into fists. "And I have a feeling I'm not going to like the answer."

A whisper of doubt crawled through him, slow and insidious. This is just a game… right?

But the longer he stayed, the less certain he became.

"The Path of the Reborn," Kian answered, his tone steady. "It's the next step in forging your destiny. Unlike awakeners, you have your own quests assigned by the system."

Kael frowned slightly. "You mean I don't need to go to the Awakeners' Ward to pick up quests?"

"Exactly," Kian confirmed. "You don't have to."

Kael considered that for a moment, then asked, "What about the Awakeners' Guild? Do I not need to be affiliated with one?"

Kian smirked, crossing his arms. "Kael, you're a Reborn. That means you can do what those Ascendant players do—and more. Besides, why waste time joining a guild when you can create your own?"

Kael's eyes widened. His mind reeled at the implications. My own guild? If he could establish one, he could bring Lira in. They could rebuild Avryon's lost lineage—just as the quest wanted him to. But that would require more than just the two of them. He would need allies. He would need strength.

His thoughts churned, but before he could say anything, his system chimed.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:]

You have unopened rewards!

The alert flashed persistently in his vision, as if impatient. With a sigh, Kael opened it.

What he saw next stunned him.

[Hidden Rewards Received: Memory Fragments x2 (Saving the Silver Masked Duo)]

Kael barely had time to react before Kian grinned. "Memory fragments. Just what we needed." His voice was eager. "Hurry up and absorb them."

Without hesitation, Kael complied. The two colorless, gem-like orbs shot toward his temple. The moment they made contact, his vision blurred—flashes of memory assaulting his mind like waves crashing against the shore.

Kael's head spun. He saw himself. Kael Avryon.

A scene unfolded in his mind like the fading light of a dream. He was younger, standing in a small, dimly lit inn room. The air smelled faintly of damp wood, the sharp, sour scent of cheap ale hanging in the corners. He felt it as if it were still there, like a ghost that never quite left.

And Lira. She was there too.

She knelt beside him, her hands soft in his hair as she ruffled it, a smile in her voice. "Stay put, Kael," she said, her voice warm with the comfort of familiarity. "I'll be back soon. Just wait here, okay?"

It was the simplest thing. Stay put. Wait. But it meant everything back then.

Lira had always kept him close. She never strayed too far. The world they lived in—small, transient, always moving—didn't have room for anything permanent. They never had a real home. Always renting rooms, always moving, always with something to hide. And she only accepted low-risk, low-paying quests—safe ones. The kind that wouldn't bring harm to them. The kind that didn't ask too much of her.

It wasn't much, but it was enough. They were together. And that was all Kael needed.

Until that day.

The memory shifted, his pulse quickening with the rising tide of realization. That day. The day he had been restless.

Curious. Too curious.

He had seen the man—hidden behind a golden mask. Ornate. Intriguing. A stranger in a place that was anything but.

Kael had wanted one.

He wanted to know more.

So he had slipped past the innkeeper, his small body slipping unnoticed into the shadows of the street. And there, trailing the stranger—far too naive to understand the danger—he had followed him through the winding streets.

The man's movements were smooth, deliberate. He moved deeper into the city's outskirts, and Kael, too curious, too impatient to stop, followed without hesitation.

Then, without a sound, the man vanished.

Teleported.

Kael's heart had skipped, the cold edge of panic creeping into his chest. He ran forward, reaching the place where the man had disappeared, but the cobblestone path had ended abruptly. He had reached the edge of something dark, something deep.

The drop.

One step too far.

The ground beneath him had crumbled, the rocks tumbling away, and then—nothing but the rush of cold air and the deafening roar of water.

Then—

Darkness.