The room was huge and dark, filled with silence. Candles flickered along the stone walls, casting shadows about.
At the center of the space, two figures stood. One was a woman sitting calmly, dressed in a dark robe. Her hair cascaded down her back, and a thick blindfold covered her eyes, hiding whatever secrets lay beneath. Next to her stood a tall figure, cloaked in black, his presence feeling… wrong.
The woman's hands hovered over a black orb on an old stone altar, beside an ancient book filled with strange symbols. Her fingers barely touched the orb, as if she was drawing power from it. Then, suddenly—
"Ha!" Her eyes flew open beneath the blindfold, and she gasped, as if struck by something invisible.
"What's wrong?" the man asked, his voice sharp with unease.
"He's dead," she said flatly, without a hint of surprise or sadness.
"…Shall I send someone else?" he asked carefully.
"No…" A slow, twisted smile spread across her lips. "You will go yourself." The orb pulsed, and an image formed within its depths. She stared at it, her voice filled with dark satisfaction. "I've finally found him."
The man's eyes narrowed. "Who is he?"
"The one who killed your slave. The vessel we've been searching for." She leaned forward slightly. "Bring him to me."
...
"Haa!" I jolted awake, gasping for air. My body was covered in sweat, and my ragged clothes clung uncomfortably to my skin. My heart pounded as I fell back onto the thin, tattered sheets, trying to steady my breathing.
Did it work? Did I awaken?
Hmm.
I let out a slow breath, my body still aching.
I really hope so. That pain was unbearable.
"…"
But… I do feel stronger.
"You are stronger."
I froze. A voice—smooth, unfamiliar—echoed in my mind.
"What?" I snapped, sitting up and scanning the dimly lit room. But I was alone. Only shadows surrounded me.
Am I hearing things?
"No, you're not."
My body tensed. "Who are you? And why are you in my head?"
"Who am I…?" The voice hesitated, as if searching for the answer. "I don't know."
"What?" I whispered, confused.
"Since you've awakened a demon's blessing, I'm likely a fragment of that demon's consciousness."
"So you remember nothing?"
A pause. Then—
"...That's right."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"..."
I exhaled, trying to stay calm.
A demon? That never happened in the game. Or… did it?
Honestly, I had no idea. I barely paid attention to Kyren as a character, so I didn't know much about him.
"Game?" The voice sounded almost amused. "Wait… are you… reincarnated?"
I stiffened.
Oh, crap.
"You can read my thoughts?!"
"...That is correct."
I groaned. Great. So much for privacy.
"If I may ask… are your memories real?"
I frowned. "You saw my memories?"
"...Not intentionally. But when I woke up, some details surfaced… not everything, though."
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to make sense of this.
If Lumiea had awakened something like this, why didn't the game mention it? I wondered. Did I mess up the process somehow?
"If I may offer my opinion…"
I raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."
"It has to do with the process. Just as you suspected."
"How so?"
"The blood." The voice was slow, careful. "The blood you used to draw the circle—it carried mana strong enough to awaken me."
Blood…? My mind flashed back to the fight. That man. His mana had been unbelievably strong. I only managed to kill him because of a sneak attack. If he had time to react, I wouldn't have stood a chance.
But what was someone so powerful doing in the slums? And why couldn't I remember his face clearly? Something was wrong. Very wrong.
First, I somehow avoided the agents of the Dark Church.
Now, a dangerous person just happened to show up here?
This was bad.
I sighed, pushing my thoughts aside. At least I awakened.
Next step—Meldoren. I needed to get there as fast as possible. If I could avoid the main events until I was strong enough, maybe I'd survive.
"Lumiea."
The voice suddenly turned sharp. Urgent.
"What?"
"Something is coming."
My chest tightened. "?"
"This mana… Lumiea, you need to run. Now."
Panic surged through me. "Shit!"
I jumped to my feet and bolted toward the door. But halfway there, I stopped, changing my mind. There was another exit at the far end of the room. I ran for it, shoving open a rusty door—
Only to freeze in horror.
The stench of rotting flesh hit me instantly.
Corpses.
Bodies piled high, twisted and broken. Blood soaked the floor, pooling beneath severed limbs. Some had their organs torn out. The sight turned my stomach.
What the hell?!
My breath hitched. I thought this was an emergency exit…
But this?
Who did this?
Why were the bodies still fresh?
Had this happened just recently?
But… who?
"Lumiea." The voice was panicked now. "It's getting closer. You have to go, NOW!"
I shoved the door shut. It wouldn't hold, but I had no time to worry about that. I turned and sprinted back to the main exit.
I kicked it open—
Only to stop dead in my tracks.
A low, twisted chuckle filled the air.
"Hehehe."
A man stepped forward from the shadows, wrapped in dark robes. A strange symbol was carved into his chest.
My blood ran cold.
"I have finally found you, Chosen One."