Yeah, This Is Totally Fine

Kael gasped.

His eyes snapped open like he'd just surfaced from drowning, chest heaving, lungs burning.

He shot up on the cot, drenched in cold sweat. His heart raced, pounding against his ribs as if trying to escape.

The last thing he remembered—mist. Silence. The temple. The statues. That damn voice.

"You'll like this gift, Kael! A very special gift!"

He scrambled backward, feet tangling in the thin blanket until his back hit the cold stone wall.

His fingers gripped the edge of the cot like a lifeline. His breath came in sharp, shallow bursts, fogging in the chilly air.

"Holy shit…" he croaked, throat dry. "What the hell was that?"

His eyes darted around the barracks, wide and wild. Familiar things. The cracked beams overhead.

The crooked rows of straw-stuffed cots. The faint stink of sweat, mildew, and last night's burnt stew still clung to the air.

Finn's snoring came from the next cot over—deep and steady, like nothing in the world could shake him.

Silas was wrapped in his blanket across the aisle, a lump of quiet breathing.

Everything looked the same.

But he wasn't.

"Just a dream," Kael muttered, brushing damp hair from his forehead. His fingers trembled. His skin felt clammy. "Just a goddamn nightmare."

But it didn't feel like a dream.

He remembered it too clearly. The endless mist, the dark temple with no light source. The colossal statues were watching him.

The odd man in the wide-brimmed hat shares strange stories about ancient beings and their gifts.

And then—falling. Like the world had opened beneath him and swallowed him whole.

He clenched his jaw and pinched his arm hard.

Pain. Real.

"Still here…" he muttered.

From the next cot, a groggy voice broke the silence.

"Bad dream?"

Riven. Her voice was husky with sleep, her dark braid coming loose around her shoulders. She rubbed her eyes, pushing herself up on one elbow.

Kael turned to her, half-laughing, half-panicking. "Bad dream? Riven, it was insane! I found myself in a foggy, wet place.

There were giant statues around me. A creepy guy spoke about 'gifts' and 'primordial' things. Then he just smiled and pushed me into a hole in the floor!"

He threw his hands in the air, breath quickening again. "It wasn't just a dream. I felt it. The air, the cold. Everything. It was too real."

Riven blinked at him. Then stretched with a lazy yawn, arms reaching for the ceiling. "You probably just ate too much of Borin's stew. That stuff does weird things to your head."

She slid her feet to the stone floor and started tying her hair back.

Kael didn't respond. The details still clung to his mind like static. Something about the dream wasn't just lingering—it was sticking. Like a thorn under his skin.

Then he heard it.

Not a sound from the room. Not a whisper. Not a creak.

A voice inside his head.

[Initialization complete. Welcome, Host.]

Kael froze.

Eyes wide. Pulse spiking.

He whipped his head toward Riven. "Did you hear that?"

She paused mid-motion, raising a brow. "Hear what? Finn's snoring? Kind of hard not to."

"No, not that." He lowered his voice. "A voice. It said… 'welcome, host.'"

She stared at him, then shook her head with a small laugh. "You're still dreaming, Kael. Maybe drink some water. Or lie back down before you pass out."

But he wasn't dreaming. He was wide awake—and he'd heard it again.

[System ready for interaction. Host verification: Confirmed. Welcome, Kael, to the Universal Ascension System.]

Kael flinched as the voice echoed in his skull—clear, calm, and oddly mechanical. His eyes shot upward on instinct, and there it was:

A glowing, translucent blue panel. Floating just above him.

"No way…"

He stared, mouth slightly open. Strange symbols shimmered on it. They formed a language he didn't know, but it felt oddly familiar.

"What the absolute—" He cut himself off, pointing at the panel with a trembling finger.

Riven followed his gaze—then frowned. "Kael? What are you pointing at?"

He didn't answer. Couldn't.

Because the glowing panel shifted.

[Error detected: Transmigration Protocol initiated prematurely. Primary system functions are severely hampered. Required update completion: 99.999%. Remaining: 0.001%.]

His stomach dropped.

"Transmigration?" he whispered.

The word felt foreign. But real.

"I've been here my whole life," he muttered. "I grew up here… right?"

But something itched at the back of his skull. A crack in the memories. A flicker of something was wrong.

Then the panel shimmered again.

[Error now fixed. The Universal Ascension System is fully operational.]

[Host: Kael]

[Status: Transmigrator - Error Corrected]

[Class: Unassigned]

[Abilities: None]

[Skills: None]

Kael reeled.

Transmigrator?

He remembered the man's grin, the words echoing as he fell:

"You'll like this gift, Kael!"

So this was the gift.

His life wasn't real. Not all of it, anyway. His past—his friends, his childhood—could be manufactured. False memories. Placeholder data while the system… loaded.

The man hadn't sent him somewhere new.

He had sent him back.

Kael's breath caught.

"That son of a b*tch," he whispered. "He knew."

The panel shimmered again.

[Please select your Primordial Path.]

Kael stared at the prompt. Then slowly turned his head, taking in the barracks one last time. Finn snored on. Silas shifted under his blanket. Riven had just finished lacing her boots.

They were still living in the old world.

But his heart had just shattered.

Everything had changed.

Primordial Path?" Kael whispered.

His fingers hovered over the glowing text, unsure.

Because deep down, he already knew—once he chose, there'd be no turning back.