The one called Azrael

Suddenly, Elias's vision was consumed by a bright light—just like everyone else in the room.

And then, he felt it.

Weightlessness.

"What…?" he muttered, dizziness washing over him as if he were being pulled into a vortex.

And then—

A blank, white space.

For a split second.

A word appeared.

It was written in a language he had never seen before. A script unknown to him—something he had never encountered before. Yet—

He understood what it said.

:: NEVER REVEAL TO THEM WHAT YOU TRULY ARE ::

"Haaah!" Elias gasped, his breath ragged.

The white void was gone.

And now—

He was here.

"A… forest?" he muttered, blinking rapidly.

The sun shone bright, the sky stretched above him—a flawless expanse of blue. Towering trees surrounded him, their canopies vibrant and full of life. The air carried the rich scent of earth and foliage.

Chirp.

Chirp.

Birdsong filled the silence, their melodies calm, almost serene.

The towering trees made him feel small, their thick branches weaving a grand tapestry overhead. Sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting intricate mosaics of gold upon the forest floor. The warmth touched his skin, grounding him.

For a moment, he was lost in the overwhelming beauty of it all.

"…Where… where am I?" he muttered, shielding his eyes from the brightness as they struggled to adjust.

And then—

[WELCOME TO ELYSIUM, [PLAYER]]

His breath caught.

"What…? This… this looks like a game interface!"

Elias—an absolute gaming addict, someone who would rather spend hours immersed in his PS6 VR than go on a date with his crush—recognized this pattern in an instant.

No.

His blood ran cold.

He knew exactly how these things ended.

"Please, no." He swiped at the interface, tried to push it away, but his hands passed through it like mist.

"No, no, no, no, no, NO!" He tried again. And again. But the interface remained, staring at him—cold. Unmoving.

He was done for.

[Full scan for [Player] information will now begin.]

"AHHHHHH!"

Pain—sharp, excruciating—ripped through his skull.

Elias collapsed to his knees, screaming, clutching his head as if something had reached inside and was tearing apart his brain.

[Running memory scan…][Name ascertained.][Elias#$%^*()_][Azrael.]

What…? Azrael?

[Full memory scan initiated. [Player] holds untapped memories.]

"No—MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!"

Elias writhed, rolling on the ground as the pain worsened.

Blood.

It trickled from his nose. His body convulsed.

The system was digging into him—deep.

[ERROR.][ERROR.][ERROR.][ERROR.]

The messages flooded his vision, flickering wildly.

[System has repeatedly failed to access memories. It has been determined that the lock holding [Player]'s memories shares the same origin as the system.]

[Analysis failed.]

[Player will remain without any abilities, as the system cannot assign an ability without a full memory scan.]

[Ding!]

[To compensate for the system's inability to provide abilities, a random reward box has been added to [Player]'s inventory.]

[Processing >>>>>>>>>> Processed.][Reward successfully awarded.]

[Good luck, [Player]. May the odds be in your favor.]

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"HAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

And just like that—

The mind-breaking pain that was killing him…

…stopped.

Elias lay there, gasping.

His lungs burned. His vision swam. He could barely hold onto consciousness.

But—

He couldn't pass out.

Not here.

Not now.

He had played too many of these types of games to know that first respawn points were anything but safe.

"I… I can't stay here." He punched the ground, swallowing hard.

He forced himself to look up—

And just before the interface faded, he saw it.

A name.

[NAME: Azrael]

"…Azrael?" he murmured, still struggling to sit up.

"But… that's just my username in my game accounts. So… why Azrael? I-It's not even my name…"

He staggered to his feet. His legs wobbled. His vision blurred.

His body was screaming for just thirty minutes of sleep.

But—

He didn't give in.

He couldn't.

He forced himself to focus.

He looked around.

Then behind him.

Wait.

His gaze swept past something—

His brain almost ignored it.

But then—

His eyes snapped back to a certain spot.

His heart pounded.

His throat tightened.

He gulped.

Really.

Hard.

"…What the hell is that?"

Elias paled instantly.

His mind froze.

His body refused to move.

Because that thing…

It was watching him.