Survive

"How long has it been?" Revik's voice was low, steady. "Since I died."

For the first time, there was silence.

The swirling sky above him darkened, the golden panels flickering slightly as if the system itself hesitated.

Then, the answer came.

[…You cannot know yet.]

Revik felt something cold creep into his chest.

Not would not. Could not.

Something had happened. Something bigger than just his death.

And for the first time since awakening, a sliver of unease crept into him.

Revik stood on the platform of solid light, staring at the swirling cosmic storm above. 

His body still felt alien—lighter, yet brimming with a power he couldn't fully grasp. 

The system's presence was like an unseen weight pressing against his mind, a constant, cold observer.

He had too many questions. And for now, too few answers.

"Explain the races to me," he said, breaking the silence. "The ones who exist now since I don't know if they survived. Oh, And their connection to these power systems."

There was no delay. The system responded immediately, and with it, the world around him changed.

Light rippled outward from the platform, shifting into illusory figures—silhouettes of beings that moved with spectral grace. 

Warriors clashing, mages weaving energy, monstrous figures lurking in the distance. It was like watching history itself unfold before him.

[The Races and Their Proficiencies in Aether]

The system's voice was as toneless as ever, but the knowledge it conveyed felt immense.

[Humans & Dwarves] – Masters of Aetherforging

The first images showed armored warriors, their bodies wreathed in solidified energy. 

Blades, gauntlets, and weapons of pure Aether flickered in and out of existence, reforging in an instant with every strike.

Revik recognized it instantly. This was the art he knew, the power he had wielded.

[Aetherforging is the ability to shape Aether into weapons, armor, and tools of war. 

The stronger the user, the more intricate and devastating their manifestations become. 

Humans and Dwarves are most proficient in this, though their methods differ.]

The image split into two.

Dwarves hammered away at massive forges, their Aether merging with molten metal, creating legendary weapons bound with raw power.

Humans, on the other hand, wielded Aether directly, molding it into precise forms mid-combat, their formless will shaping weapons from thin air.

Revik had fought beside and against countless Dwarven warriors before. 

Their craftsmanship was terrifying, their weapons more than simple steel—they were extensions of their souls.

The vision shifted.

[The Elda] – Masters of Aetherweaving

A new race appeared—tall, ethereal beings with elongated features and flowing silver hair.

Unlike the Humans and Dwarves, they didn't forge Aether into weapons. Instead, they wove it.

The air around them shimmered as threads of energy twisted into complex patterns. 

One Elda being raised a hand, and from nothing, a storm of cutting winds materialized, weaving through the battlefield like a tapestry of death. 

Another created a lattice of defensive energy, bending attacks away effortlessly.

[Aetherweaving is the art of shaping Aether into forms beyond weaponry—constructs, barriers, elemental forces, and even illusions. 

It is a delicate, intricate process that few outside the Elda have mastered.]

Revik's brow furrowed. He had heard of them before, though only in whispers. The Elda had always been distant, their ways unknown to most.

"Then what of the others?" Revik asked.

The system hesitated.

[You cannot know yet.]

His fingers twitched. Again. The same damned answer. But he let it go for now.

The projections faded, leaving only the endless void and the glowing platform beneath his feet.

He crossed his arms. "Alright. Now what? What am I supposed to do next?"

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, the system gave its reply.

[Survive.]

Revik frowned. "Survive what?"

The answer came not in words—but in sound.

A roar.

A deep, guttural bellow filled with primal hunger, power, and a force that caused a tremor in the air, vibrating through the very fabric of the void

Something was coming.

Revik turned his head slowly, his body tensing.

In the distance, beyond the platform, the swirling energies began to part. And from that endless storm, a monstrous shape emerged—its outline crackling with unstable Aether, its eyes burning with raw fury.

[Aetherbeast detected: Emberforge, Rank 6.]

"You have to be fucking joking," Revik said before turning to run.

[Does it look like though ] the system's voice came through.

The monster looked around and before Revik could figure out what to do, its eyes locked on him.

"Fuck".