The clang of steel echoed across the guild training grounds as Kael parried Lira's thrust with a quick flick of his wrist, deflecting her blade to the side. His breathing was steady, but he could feel the strain in his muscles after hours of sparring. Beads of sweat clung to his brow, and though he was keeping up, he knew deep down that Lira was holding back. She was always holding back.
With a fluid motion, Lira pivoted, her sword dancing in the air as she moved in for another strike. Kael barely managed to dodge, stepping back to avoid her blow. He could feel the force behind her movements, and it reminded him just how far he had to go.
"Are you losing focus, Kael?" Lira teased, her voice light but challenging.
Kael gave her a half-smile, shaking his head as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Just thinking. About how I can level up faster."
Lira lowered her sword, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Is that what's on your mind? You've been pretty quiet lately."
Kael shrugged, pretending nonchalance. "I don't want to drag the team down when we're out on missions. My level's the lowest in the guild, and it's starting to bother me."
Lira chuckled, sheathing her sword with a flourish. "Is that why you're always missing? Training in secret?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Maybe. I've been sneaking out at night to grind. I don't want anyone to know."
Lira's laugh was lighthearted, but her next words caught him off guard. "For a while there, I thought you were an ascendant."
Kael froze, her words sinking in. "Ascendant?" he echoed, not sure if he'd heard her correctly.
"Yeah," Lira said, tilting her head as she studied him. "I thought you were an ascendant. That's why you joined The Ascendants Guild, right? Your behavior, your speech—it's different. You're not from around here, are you?"
Kael blinked, suddenly unsure how to respond. "Not from around here," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "But what do you mean by ascendant?"
Lira raised an eyebrow, surprised by his ignorance. "You don't know?" She let out a small laugh before continuing. "Ascendants aren't native to Erendath. They had come and fight against the Darkspawn long before we, the awakeners, gained our powers. They're different. Even the way they talk and act is... off."
Kael felt a knot tighten in his chest. This world, Erendath, was supposed to be part of a game. Or at least, that's what he had believed. Kael's mind was whirling. The ascendants sounded suspiciously like players from the Ascension game—people from his world. His world.
"Different how?" he asked, voice tense.
"They're like immortals," Lira explained, her tone more serious now. "They don't die easily, and even if they do, they return. Every time, as strong as ever. They've been here for generations, and we've learned from the Ascension system that they're tied to The Eternals."
Kael's mind reeled. "The Eternals?"
"Yeah," Lira continued, her eyes lighting up as she spoke about them. "They're the Immortal Guardians of Erendath, born through the will of this world to fight the Darkspawn. Aethlar was one of them—an Eternal who wielded void and shadow energy. He protected Erendath until the day he fell during the Abyssal Lord's invasion, hundreds of years ago. After that, the Ascension system activated, and people like us began to awaken to our powers. But no one knows who the first ascendant was. That's lost to time. Some believe the Eternals have been guiding us from the shadows ever since the Darkspawn first appeared, thousands of years ago."
Kael felt his stomach drop as she spoke. Aethlar wasn't just some legend or myth or an AI character created within the Ascension game. He was real. And more terrifyingly, the world of Erendath seemed to be just as real.
"You're saying… Aethlar and the ascendants fought here? Against the Darkspawn? For real?"
Lira nodded, her gaze filled with respect. "The ascendants were sent by the Eternals themselves to aid us in the war against the Darkspawn. Without them, we wouldn't have stood a chance."
His mind raced. The system… the powers… It had all felt so familiar, yet now he was starting to question everything.
He forced himself to focus, to stay calm. "So... are there any ascendants in our guild?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
Lira looked at him like he had asked whether the sky was blue. "Of course. The founder of our guild was an ascendant himself—the 1st Guildmaster. Other than him, we've got several ascendant leaders. They don't show up often, though. Most only appear during major events or when they're needed."
Kael nodded, his thoughts drifting again. His mind was a storm of questions. If these ascendants were players, then what about the system? Did it function the same here as it did in the game? And why was he reborn here, of all places?
But the real question was: Why him? Why had he been reborn here, with a Rebirth Core connected to the Ascension system? What was the purpose behind it all?
"So, Erendath… isn't just a game," Kael whispered, more to himself than to Lira. "It's real."
Lira didn't seem to catch the odd phrasing in his words. "Of course, it's real. You're standing here, aren't you?" she said with a smile, misinterpreting his shock. "I thought your guide would've explained this to you by now."
His smile wavered as he tried to process everything. "I guess I've been too focused on training to pay attention to that," he said, forcing a laugh. "Maybe I should check my system guide more often."
Lira's eyes narrowed slightly, as if trying to gauge whether or not he was joking. "Your guide hasn't explained this to you? That's odd. It's supposed to walk you through everything when you first awaken."
Kael smiled wryly, thinking of Limo, his guide. The small, furry creature had been more interested in cracking jokes than explaining the intricacies of the system to him. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the little guy, Kael thought.
"Well, my guide's a little... unreliable," he admitted.
Lira chuckled. "Sounds like you got a handful with that one. Still, you should've checked the guild's info by now. There are information on how to earn coins when you're in the guild too."
But there was something else nagging at him. Something Lira had said earlier.
Coins.
"Lira," Kael said slowly, "when you mentioned coins… what do you mean? Like the physical currency you carry?"
Lira gave him a puzzled look. "Yeah, of course. What else would I mean? We don't need a system for that. Everyone just uses pouches for their coins. Why?"
The word struck him like a hammer. He does not carry a pouch.
Kael's heart raced. He quickly pulled up his system interface, something he had been avoiding for too long. The familiar screen flickered to life in front of him, showing his stats, inventory, and currency.
There it was. [14,750 Ascension Coins].
Kael stared at the number, his mind reeling. Lira, and the other awakeners in Erendath, used physical currency stored in their pouches. But he had Ascension Coins, the same digital currency that players in his world had used.
Kael's breath hitched as he remembered something crucial—the difference between Erendath awakeners and players from his world. In Ascension, players earned coins that could be exchanged for real currency. But Lira... she was talking about a pouch.
"Hey, Lira," Kael said casually, trying not to show how rattled he was. "I was wondering... how do you check how much you've earned? You know, like a tally of how much currency you've accumulated?"
Lira looked at him as if he'd asked a ridiculous question. "What? You just count it in your pouch. That's how we all do it." She frowned, eyeing him suspiciously. "You're asking some weird questions, Kael."
He smiled awkwardly. "I guess I am. Sorry, just trying to get the hang of everything."
Kael stared at the number, his mind reeling. Lira, and the other awakeners in Erendath, used physical currency stored in their pouches. But he had Ascension Coins, the same digital currency that players in his world had used.
He was different. The system treated him differently. And it wasn't just because he was an awakener in Erendath—it was because of the Rebirth Core. He had been reborn here, but he still had access to the Ascension system, the same one players from his world used. This was bigger than he had thought.
He made another mental note—this time to ask Limo how his coins could be used here. Were they even worth anything in Erendath? And why did the system treat him like a player instead of a native of this world?
As he closed his system interface, another notification flashed in the corner of his vision.
[System Alert: Unclaimed Ascendant Awakening Available]
Kael's breath caught in his throat. Ascendant Awakening? He quickly clicked on the notification, and a flood of information poured into his mind. He saw visions of ancient battles, where ascendants clashed with the Darkspawn in massive, bloody wars. And standing at the heart of it all were the Eternals—immortal beings who had been born from the will of Erendath to fight the Darkspawn thousands of years ago.
Among them was Aethlar, the Eternal who wielded void and shadow energy, revered as one of Erendath's greatest guardians. The Eternals had been here long before, fighting for Erendath, their origins lost to time.
Kael's heart pounded as the vision faded. His mind was spinning with new information, but one thing was clear—he was no ordinary awakener. He had been reborn with a purpose, one that was still unclear. But if the Eternals had chosen the ascendants to defend this world, perhaps there was more to his rebirth than just a second chance at life.
As Kael headed back toward the guildhall, he made a mental note to speak with Varin. His mentor had always been a wealth of knowledge, and if anyone could help him untangle the complexity of the Ascension system and its connection to Erendath, it was him.
But one thing was certain—Kael couldn't ignore the truth any longer.
Erendath was real. The Eternals were real. The ascendants were real. And Kael's role in this world was only just beginning.
He would find out the truth. And when he did, nothing would ever be the same again.