"HAAH!" Lumiea jolted upright, gasping for air. His chest felt tight, like something was squeezing the life out of him. His vision blurred as he went from total darkness to the blinding brightness of the star-filled sky.
Millions of stars twinkled above, cold and distant. That was all he could see.
"HUUUH!" He shivered violently as the freezing night wind slammed into him like a wall of ice. It was like being thrown into a frozen lake, then dragged out only to be tossed back in again. "Hah... hah... hah..." His breath came in ragged gasps, white mist curling from his lips like smoke from a dying fire. His body trembled, teeth chattering uncontrollably. The cold was unbearable, cutting straight to his bones.
He forced himself to look around. Towering trees stood in the moonlight, their twisted branches reaching out like ghostly fingers. The tall grass swayed, whispering in the wind. Somewhere in the bushes, something rustled, making his skin crawl.
"A forest?" His voice was barely a whisper. "How?"
That didn't make sense. Quinland, the kingdom ruled by the Arenfords, didn't have forests—none at all.
"Where am I?" The words felt heavy on his tongue.
He had seen the game's map countless times. Quinland was only a few kingdoms away from Olen, the continent's center. So why was he in a forest?
Then it hit him.
"The consciousness," he muttered, his mind racing. "Shit."
His legs were shaky, but he forced himself to stand.
"Azareth! Where am I?!" he shouted into the night. His voice echoed back at him. But no reply came.
Then he realized his mistake.
He was in a forest. And forests in this world were filled with dangerous creatures—mana beasts.
Rustle...
A shiver ran down his spine. His eyes snapped to a bush in the distance. Something was there. The moonlight reflected off metal hidden among the leaves. His heart pounded.
"Damn it," he muttered. "I must've attracted something."
He had no idea what he was up against. Sure, he had awakened his bloodline, but that didn't mean he knew how to use it. If that thing in the bush was a mana beast, he was in serious trouble.
'Azareth! Say something!' he screamed in his mind.
Silence.
Something felt off. Terribly off. His instincts screamed at him—RUN.
Step by step, he backed away, watching the bush closely. No movement. He made a split-second decision.
With a burst of energy, he turned and ran.
Branches scratched his face and arms as he tore through the forest. The damp earth smelled of decay. The moonlight barely reached through the tangled canopy above. His eyes darted everywhere, searching for danger, searching for a way out.
…
"Hah… hah… hah…"
His lungs burned. His throat was raw. His legs felt like lead. But he couldn't stop. If he stopped, he was dead.
A branch snagged his clothes, nearly yanking him back. He stumbled but kept moving, driven by sheer desperation.
"What the hell happened?" he rasped. "Where did that bastard send me?"
Anger flared in his chest, cutting through his exhaustion. He clenched his fists, frustration building. Nothing was going as planned. He had awakened his bloodline—his only hope of surviving in this world. He was supposed to head to Meldoria. There, he could train, grow stronger, and—most importantly—find Her.
But now?
Now he was lost in a monster-infested forest with no idea what was hunting him.
"Meldoria."
The empire he was in.
Twelve powerful families ruled twelve dukedoms, all under the emperor's control. Six of those dukedoms, including Meldoria, sat at the empire's edge, constantly threatened by the untamed wilds.
But Meldoria was important to him. For two reasons.
One…
It had no direct connection to the main events of the game—at least not yet. It was a perfect hiding spot. A place to gather strength before stepping into the storm.
And two…
It held something priceless. Something that could change everything.
The protagonist's ultimate advantage.
The Blessing of the Raael.