Chapter 0: The End of a Mortal

The world around him was a blur of pain and cold steel. Kael Draven gasped, struggling to breathe as warm blood spilled from his chest, soaking his torn shirt. His vision wavered, the neon lights above flickering like dying stars.

"Bastard... never should've trusted you..." he choked out, his voice barely above a whisper.

A shadow loomed over him, the betrayer's face twisted in a smug grin.

"You were always too curious, Kael. Always digging where you shouldn't." The voice was familiar, a friend—no, a traitor. "Don't take it personally. The world's just like this."

Kael wanted to scream, to fight back, but his limbs felt heavy, his strength fading. Was this how it ended? A lifetime of struggle, ambition, and endless nights spent chasing dreams, only to be discarded like a broken pawn?

His fingers twitched. His body refused to move.

The last thing he saw was the city skyline, stretching endlessly into the void, and a single star that seemed to burn brighter than the rest.

Then—darkness.

---

Kael expected nothingness.

Instead, he awoke to pain.

A searing, all-consuming agony tore through his soul, as if he were being ripped apart and rebuilt at the same time. He gasped, his body convulsing as memories of his death crashed into him.

Then, his senses exploded.

A sky of swirling crimson. A land of shifting black stone. And a massive gate looming before him, adorned with eldritch symbols that pulsed with an unnatural glow.

Beyond it, something stirred—something ancient, watching.

A voice, deep and resonant, echoed in his mind.

"Welcome, Anomaly. Your trial begins now."

The gates creaked open.

And the nightmare began.