Light

Revik gasped for breath, his chest heaving as darkness enveloped his senses.

Then—light.

Not the warm glow of torches or the distant shimmer of stars, but something more raw, more violent. Aether.

 It crackled around him, illuminating the battlefield in blinding flashes.

He was back.

The air burned with the metallic scent of blood and something fouler—the corruption of the Wraithborn. 

The twisted beings swarmed the field, their warped figures a mockery of life, their hollow eyes locked onto him.

And at the center of it all stood the Wraithborn leader.

It was unlike the others. Where they were grotesque, it was refined—a perversion of elegance. 

Its elongated frame pulsed with Aether, raw and unfiltered, bleeding through its very skin. Its presence was suffocating.

Revik gritted his teeth. He had one job.

He had to end this.

Aether surged through his veins, power coiling around his limbs as he launched forward. 

He dodged a swipe, ducked under a tendril of darkness, and brought his blade up in a perfect arc—

Only for the creature to catch it mid-strike.

His eyes widened. It shouldn't have been possible. He tried to pull back, but the Wraithborn leader was faster.

A crushing force slammed into his chest, sending him flying. He hit the ground hard, his vision blurring as pain lanced through him. His limbs refused to move. His Aether flickered, unstable.

The Wraithborn leader stepped forward.

It raised its clawed hand, dark energy swirling at its fingertips—

Revik roared.

He forced every ounce of Aether into his core, overloading his body, pushing beyond the limits of mortality. His skin burned, his muscles tore, but he didn't care.

This was it.

With a final, desperate cry, he released it all.

Light swallowed the battlefield.

Then—nothing.

He woke with a sharp inhale, his body jerking forward. His lungs burned, his skin clammy with cold sweat. His heart pounded, each beat echoing in his ears.

It was a dream.

No—

A memory.

Revik's breathing steadied, and he took stock of his surroundings. The ground beneath him was damp, the air thick with moisture. 

He wasn't on a battlefield anymore. This was a forest, dense and unfamiliar. 

Sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting fragmented shadows across the earth.

Something cold pressed against his side.

He turned—and froze.

The Wraithborn lay beside him.

Dead.

Its grotesque form was still, its chest cavity torn open, the sickly black corruption leaking into the soil. Its once-glowing eyes were dull, lifeless.

Revik's fingers twitched. His mind reeled.

What happened?

He remembered thinking he was going to die again after the monstrous being chased him.

And yet—

His hands curled into fists. They were smaller than they should have been. His limbs were thin, his body unfamiliar. He wasn't in his own skin.

His breath came fast again, panic creeping at the edges of his thoughts.

"This doesn't make sense," he muttered. His voice was lighter, younger. He touched his face, tracing features that didn't belong to him.

Who was he now?

His stomach twisted, not just in confusion, but hunger.

A grumble broke the silence.

Revik exhaled sharply. Of all the things to worry about, his body decided food was the priority.

Fine. He'd deal with that first.

He pushed himself up, shaky but determined. His legs felt weak, but they held. The forest stretched around him, vast and unkind.

His gaze flickered to the Wraithborn's corpse.

It shouldn't be here.

No trace of Aether remained in its form. Usually, when Wraithborn died, their bodies dissolved back into the Veil's corruption. But this one hadn't. It had stayed.

Like him.

Something was wrong.

His jaw tightened.

Focus.

He needed food. Then he'd figure out the rest.

Revik turned, stepping over twisted roots and damp leaves. He listened for movement, for anything that might hint at nearby civilization.

His stomach protested again.

"I know," he muttered under his breath.

He needed to find something soon.

But before he could take another step—

Ding.

A soft chime, unnatural against the forest's silence.

Revik froze.

His heart pounded. He turned slowly, scanning the area.

Nothing.

Then—

Ding.

It was coming from inside his head.

His fingers twitched.

"What the hell?"

Then, a voice.

[System Activated.]

Revik's breath hitched.

The world shifted.