Reborn
Sol opened his eyes slowly, runes on the hexagon plates, and their silvery metallic color shined brightly in his vision almost blinding if you ask him. His ears picked up things they could have never picked up before, the vibration of the air and the arcane impulses the runes sent every few seconds repeatedly. Everything feels so clear as if he took something that was blocking his senses long time but also this sudden enhancement in senses overflows his mind with information for a moment.
'Well, at least the wounds are gone and I don't feel more than four limbs.'
He lifted his hands checking them, they were still as unhealthy and pale as before and they still had five fingers, nothing much seemed like changed. He can feel the long-lost feeling of relief returning to his body, without any more aching pain and something similar.
"Feeling great?"
The creature's voice sounded in his mind, if previously it was more echo-like then now it was just directly echoed in his mind. He rotated in the air a little bit and looked at the demonic tech knight who looked low in power.
"Yeah... you dying or something?"
The creature made its shell nod its head, which surprised Sol a little.
"Creating offspring is costly you know, especially when I am in such a weak state."
Sol let out a skeptical huff, watching the demonic tech knight's shell tremble slightly.
"Offspring, huh? Don't flatter yourself. I didn't exactly sign up to be your kid."
The creature's presence in his mind felt unsettling, like an unwelcome guest sitting comfortably on his couch. He frowned.
"And stop talking in my head. That's... weird."
"I could shout it out instead."
The creature's voice teased, more amused than offended.
Sol sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Despite the surreal situation, he couldn't ignore the fact that he felt undeniably better — no more pain, no strange blue veins threatening to burst out of his skin, just a heightened awareness of everything around him.
He took a deep breath, only to regret it as the sheer flood of sensory data hit him like a truck once again. His enhanced hearing picked up faint rune impulses echoing off the walls repeatedly getting faint yet louder at the same time, and every metallic vibration from the hexagon plates sent tingles down his spine.
"Gah..."
He winced, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Okay, maybe tone down the superhuman senses thing a bit. I don't even wanna imagine what will happen once I get out from here."
"It takes getting used to."
The creature said nonchalantly.
"Your primitive brain will adapt."
Sol glared at it.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, tentacle dad."
The demonic tech knight's shell flickered, its energy visibly waning. Despite its smug tone, it clearly wasn't doing well. Sol's suspicion grew.
"So you're really on the verge of collapse, huh? I thought you were some eldritch horror with infinite power or whatever."
"Normally, yes. But being sealed in this tin can for millennia does take a toll. And editing your genes so it can keep my clone while not disturbing your main structure so you can get out from here is way more complicated than you can imagine. It used whatever scraps of power I was left with."
Sol crossed his arms, his voice dry.
"So you basically pulled a 'go big or die trying' move with me."
The creature chuckled faintly.
"You have no idea."
Sol tilted his head, his expression hardening.
"So what happens after this? The thing outside and this prison of yours they die or it will keep existing? Besides what about your current body? Will it turn into some eldritch goo made of your leftover that's both alive and not alive?"
The creature lets out another chuckle.
"Aren't your world's human imagination richer than ours? But I don't think that will happen with this body, it's too lacking in energy to turn into some undead eldritch abomination like you said. As for this place? It will remain like this like... forever? It's self-sustaining while the offspring won't even know I am gone but after you get out it will probably go berserk and try to devour you at all costs."
Sol let out a groan, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Fantastic. So the moment I step out, I'll have an eldritch horror hot on my heels. That's just what I needed."
"Look on the bright side."
The creature's voice echoed smugly.
"You're faster, stronger, and a whole lot harder to kill now. You should stand a chance."
"Should? That doesn't inspire confidence."
The creature's flickering shell sagged further, visibly losing stability.
"Confidence is overrated. Survival's the real test. Besides whatever is attached to your soul should send you back to your homeworld after a little while. You can spend time here, as long you can think you can keep up with the hunger and thirst."
Sol narrowed his eyes.
"You're awfully calm about all this. Aren't you about to die or something?"
The demonic tech knight chuckled faintly, though the sound was weaker.
"Death is a human concept. I'm merely... reallocating my essence. Pieces of me will linger within you, whether you like it or not."
"Wonderful."
Sol muttered.
"So now I'm carrying around your leftovers. What happens if I just... ignore all this genetic rewrite crap?"
"You can't."
The creature's voice turned sharp.
"The changes have already started. Ignore them, and they will consume you. Embrace them, and you might actually survive."
Sol frowned. The weight of the creature's words settled heavily on his shoulders. His instincts screamed that this was a deal with a devil — except the devil was already inside him, reconfiguring his very existence.
"So my options are: become something I don't even recognize, or get devoured by your creepy offspring when I leave here."
It seems like luck is never on his side huh, can't even live on his borrowed time peacefully but that's what his life was always like. He wasn't born rich, he wasn't lucky enough to be picked up by some rich guys, chosen by big gangs, etc. not only that he was too poor to even go to school. At least he learned how to read and write, not really great with it but that was something.
The creature's energy flickered one last time.
"You're resilient. You might surprise yourself."
"That's not exactly reassuring."
Sol shot back.
The shell collapsed with a metallic groan, the runes dimming to faint pulses. The creature's presence faded from his mind, leaving an eerie silence. He was just getting used to talking with it telepathically.
"Guess that's it."
Sol muttered, his voice low.
His gaze shifted to the shimmering hexagon plates and the faint hum of the arcane runes surrounding him. The atmosphere felt thick, as though the prison was holding its breath. Sol clenched his fists, the strange vitality thrumming through his veins a constant reminder of what had just happened.
A deep breath filled his lungs, steadied his nerves, and grounded his swirling thoughts. The eldritch creature may have vanished, but its ominous parting words lingered in Sol's mind. He glanced down at his pale hands, fingers flexing experimentally. They felt... different. Stronger, steadier—almost unnatural.
The thrum of runes surrounding him pulsed in sync with his own heartbeat, resonating like a distant choir. His enhanced senses picked up faint vibrations echoing through the metallic plates like whispers bouncing off ancient stone.
"Maybe I should check on the Gate System."
***
Name: Sol
Honored Name: --
Title: --
Rank: Inhuman (Mid)
Species: Parasitic Dragon (???)/ Human (Creature)
Artifact: --
Summon: --
Powers: [Infective Attachment], [Reabsorb].
Abilities: [Adaptive].
Status: [Normal].
Gate Coins: 10
Mission: Survival of the Fittest
Description: You have been sent to an ancient world of beasts and nature, here, only the survivors spoke the tale and winners take it all, in this world overthrown by nature your only choice is to survive.
Clear Conditions: Survive for a month.
Reward: Return, ???.
Failure: Death.
Countdown: 15 Days, 5 Hours, 32 Minutes, 10 Seconds.
***
'Great, that thing was playing with my body for at least 10 days. At least the power section is no longer empty.'
[Infective Attachment]: The first parasitic dragon's main ability to infect others, it allows the user to touch other intelligent beings and send a little bit of itself into them without being detected by them, it will live inside the being silently, growing and developing. Once it reaches a certain level you may able to manipulate the victim using the parasite.
[Reabsorb]: You can absorb back the lost pieces of yourself, such as fragments of your soul, memory, severed flesh, pieces of your existence, etc. as long you can make contact with it. You can reabsorb them to yourself and even gain whatever that piece has obtained while away from you.
[Adaptive]: Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. That's a famous saying but your body took it a little too literally, as long you stay alive long enough after making contact with whatever you wanna adapt to you will turn it from something harmful to something beneficial. From being resistant to it to gaining the ability to produce and manipulate that thing.
Sol's gaze remained fixed on the floating interface, taking in the newly unlocked abilities. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
'That's basically what this creature is doing to me in the first place now I can do it to others.'
[Infective Attachment] and [Reabsorb] are basically two sides of one coin, or two pieces of one whole, okay, he wasn't good with idioms.
He sighed and looked at the shimmering barrier around him. This prison was self-sustaining, according to the creature's words. But that wasn't reassuring—it meant the place wouldn't just crumble after the creature's death. And worse, the creature's "offspring" was likely out there, waiting to rip him apart.
He clenched his fists.
"Guess I better not keep it waiting."
Approaching the shimmering wall, Sol could feel the runes responding to his presence. The hum of arcane energy vibrated through his bones, syncing with the strange rhythm that had become a part of him.
Reaching out, his fingertips brushed the shimmering surface. For a moment, nothing happened. Then a wave of energy surged through the hexagonal plates, pulsing like a living heartbeat. The barrier flickered, and with a thunderous crack, the way opened.
The process of getting out from it wasn't as smooth as the way to enter perhaps it lost its prisoner or perhaps he was now the offspring of its prisoner. And what greeted him at the other side wasn't exactly the prettiest of the sights, the familiar red slimy flesh tentacle wall greeted him.
'Here we go again.'