"Greetings, Host. You have awakened."
The voice struck not with sound, but sensation—an echo threading through marrow and thought alike. Edran stiffened. The words didn't come from the trees, nor the wind. They bloomed within him, as if the forest had exhaled directly into his blood.
He turned in slow circles, feet silent on the damp forest floor, trying to find the source. But the glade remained empty. Sunlight filtered gently through high branches. Leaves rustled above, birds called distantly, but nothing looked back at him. Nothing watched.
Except the voice.
He touched his chest, half-expecting to find something embedded beneath his skin. Nothing. Just the drum of his heart, rapid and uncertain.
"Who are you?" he asked. The question tasted foreign. Rusted. His voice had weight now, a grounded cadence that startled him. It didn't sound like it belonged to someone lost.
The answer came with calm precision. "I am the Sovereign System. My function is to assist, observe, and adapt to your evolutionary state."
System. He rolled the word through his mind like a stone across his tongue. It wasn't unfamiliar. But the context—the presence—it was wrong. Wrong and... vast.
"What do you mean, assist?" he asked cautiously.
A brief silence passed, like the pause between waves. Then:
"You are the convergence of two fractured fates. Your identity is unstable, your trajectory unsustainable without intervention. My role is to ensure balance is preserved."
Fates. Plural.
Edran's breath hitched. Images pressed at the edge of his consciousness—splintered and sharp. A boy covered in ash, eyes hollow from hunger. A man standing tall on a battlefield, wreathed in storm and blood. Rage and sorrow like twin stars collapsing inward.
He winced, clutching his temples. They weren't just dreams. They were memories.
"Ravian," he whispered, and the name struck him like a falling blade.
He didn't know how he knew it—but he did. Deep in his chest, in the hollows of muscle memory and instinct, he knew Ravian. Not as a stranger, but as something more. A shadow stitched to his bones.
"I'm… two people," he murmured, voice barely audible. "A life that isn't mine, and one I can't remember."
The System replied, emotionless yet not cruel: "That is an accurate summation. Integration is incomplete. Fracture points remain. But identity can be restructured."
"You make it sound like I'm a broken tool," he said through clenched teeth.
"No. Tools are replaced. You must be refined."
The calmness grated on him. But it was honest, and in its own way, comforting. He took a step back and inhaled slowly. The forest air was thick with moisture and silence, but it grounded him. Real. Tangible.
"What happens if I don't want to be refined?" he asked.
"Then you will remain unstable. And instability attracts predators."
The threat wasn't a warning. It was fact.
He sat down, crossing his legs in the grass. His thoughts churned. None of this made sense, and yet some part of him had already accepted it. Not because it was logical. But because it was instinctual.
"Fine," he said at last, "tell me what I need to know."
There was a faint vibration in the air. Then—light. It shimmered before his eyes, forming symbols and lines that twisted together into a translucent screen. A system interface.
It was alien and elegant—symbols from no language he knew, yet somehow legible to him. As though Ravian's understanding bled through the gaps in his fractured mind.
--------------------------------------------
Name: Edran (Inheritor of Ravian's Legacy)
Age: 44
Essence Level: 190,450/200,000
Cultivation Class: Late Stage Sovereign
Attributes:
Strength: 380
Agility: 410
Endurance: 370
Spirit: 750
Skills:
Radiant Strike (Emperor Class):
A devastating attack that channels immense spiritual energy into a concentrated blow, capable of annihilating defenses and disrupting an opponent's cultivation foundation. This skill consumes a significant portion of Essence and requires precise control.
Veil of the Serpent (Sovereign Class):
Envelops the user in a sophisticated shroud of shadows, masking both physical presence and spiritual energy. At this level, it can also create multiple deceptive illusions, confusing even high-level opponents. Duration and complexity depend on the user's Spirit attribute.
Echo Step (Sovereign Class):
Allows for near-instantaneous movement over a vast range, leaving afterimages that can mislead even the most discerning enemies. The user can briefly exist in a state of temporal flux, making them exceedingly difficult to track or harm. Requires a delicate balance of Spirit and Essence to maintain.
Eternal Mantle (Emperor Class):
A defensive skill that forms a protective barrier of pure energy, capable of absorbing and reflecting even the most powerful attacks. The mantle also amplifies the user's physical attributes and can be sustained as long as Essence reserves allow.
Soul Manifestation: Shadow Dragon Form (Sovereign Class):
Ravian's signature manifestation technique, transforming the user's essence into the form of a colossal Shadow Dragon. Grants immense physical and spiritual power, along with dominion over shadows and dark energy. Extremely taxing on Essence and can only be maintained for short durations.
Celestial Shapeshift (Emperor Class):
A rare and versatile transformation technique that allows the user to alter their physical form at will. It can be used for changing appearance, adapting to various environments, or even masking your aura. This skill requires significant control and Essence, and prolonged use can be mentally exhausting.
...
...
Warning:
Power exceeds stability threshold. Abilities may malfunction or corrupt if synchronization is incomplete.
---------
He stared at the display, jaw tight. Power without control. A storm caged in bone.
"These aren't skills," he muttered. "They're demands."
The System responded, "Correct. Each one is a contract. Each one has a cost. Mastery is not a luxury. It is survival."
The screen shifted. At the center of the display, a new icon pulsed faintly—a spiral of silver threads coiling around a black core.
"This is your cultivation node. Touch it to begin synchronization."
Edran hesitated. The energy radiating from it was not warm, nor inviting. It was patient. Expectant.
He reached forward.
The moment his fingers brushed the symbol, heat surged through his limbs. Not pain. Not quite. It was... memory. Pressure. Gravity. A heartbeat not entirely his own began pounding in his ears.
Ravian.
It wasn't just strength. It was everything Ravian had been—his suffering, his precision, his fury, his control. The pulse deepened. Became his own.
When the light faded, he opened his eyes slowly.
He felt... heavier. Grounded. But also stretched, as if his soul had been pulled taut.
He exhaled.
"This is just the beginning, isn't it?"
"Yes," the System replied. "And the storm does not wait."