Adam Yuan's heart raced in his chest as the blinding light around him faded away, leaving him disoriented. He blinked, trying to make sense of the sudden shift in his surroundings. Just a moment before, he had been on his way home, lost in the monotony of the day, when everything shifted and folded in upon itself. Now he stood in the middle of a great hall, framed with towering columns of marble and gold; the air was thick with an aura of power, and it chilled his spine.

The soft rustling of robes and armor were the only sounds to permeate the large chamber. Several figures, standing in a semicircle before him, pegged their gaze into his own from a point between curiosity and wariness. They were bedecked in the finest royal finery, embroidery of symbols and colours on their clothes announcing power, authority, and loyalty. Adam's gaze swept the room till it fell on the most imposing figure of them all-her.

The Empress

She sat upon an intricately carved throne, almost pulsing with the same energy as the air itself. She sat straight, her face unreadable. Long white hair cascaded down her shoulders; her crimson eyes gleaming like molten fire watched him closely. Though she was still, Adam could feel the weight of her presence-a force of nature constrained within the confines of her body. There was no mistaking it: this was a woman who, with a mere thought, could shatter mountains, who ruled over continents with an iron fist.

One of the figures standing closest to the Empress finally broke the silence-a tall man with sharp features, clad in black and silver robes. He stepped forward, his gaze unwavering as he addressed Adam.

You must be disoriented," the man said in his calm and formal voice tone, "but you are not mistaken. You have been summoned to the Sky Phoenix Continent, home of the most powerful empire in Murim.

Adam's head was still racing, trying to catch up with the utter absurdity of it all. Summoned? This wasn't a dream, and yet it had to feel like some plucked scenario from the bottom of a fantasy novel. His heart pounded as he pushed himself to speak.

"Why? Why am I here?" Adam's voice was strained, trying to hold the rising panic out of his tone.

First, the man looked at the Empress before proceeding to respond. "You have been chosen for a special task. You are here to fulfill a role that only you can."

Those words sent a shiver down Adam's spine. "Chosen? For what?"

"To become the husband of the Empress," he responded without hesitation.

Adam blinked in disbelief. "What?"

"You heard right," another figure, a woman of commanding presence and dark green robes, supplemented, stepping forward. "You have been called to marry the Empress, by the will of fate."

The words made Adam's heart hammer in his chest as his mind raced on. Husband? He wasn't anything special. He had never done anything grand, and now he was to marry. her? His eyes flicked back to the Empress, who hadn't said a word so far, her expression as unreadable as always.

The woman in green began explaining, "Though the Empress is powerful, there are opponents both within and outside the Sky Phoenix Continent. There are rivals, enemies, and even whole sects that will seek to undermine her sovereignty. For her to strengthen her power, she will have to marry someone."

Adam took a deep breath. "And why me? Why can't they choose someone from this world? I don't belong here.

"You were chosen," replied the man in black, gaze turning stark. "A stranger; unmarred by Murim's politics and internal power struggles. One that would be unbiased and not subject to manipulation. Your coming had been foreseen."

Adam opened his mouth, to protest, to scream they had the wrong man, but before he could utter a word, the world spun and his vision darkened for a second, and then—

Initialization.

His body froze as the words flashed before his eyes, some sort of digital overlay impairing his vision. He blinked hard, focusing, but the message did not disappear.

Welcome, Adam Yuan. Objective: Survive. Dominate. Ascend to Ultimate Power.

Adam gasped; his heart started hammering against his chest. What in the world was this? A system? Like something out of a video game? But then, this felt real. Way too real.

More messages followed.

New Quest: Marry the Empress of the Sky Phoenix Continent.

Reward: 500 Experience Points

Skill Unlock - "Infernal Flame."

His breath caught. The words hovered in front of him, impossible, undeniable. He couldn't move, couldn't think as the weight settled upon him. But the others in the room-none of them seemed to notice. The system was his secret, something only he could see, something no one else knew existed.

The man in black stepped closer, his eyes watchful on Adam. "You may think this to be a mistake-that you are not the one for this task. But the forces that brought you here do not make mistakes. Your place is beside the Empress."

Adam's head spun. He had never asked for this, was not some kind of hero, some sort of chosen one intended for great things. Yet, back in his mind, the part of him that had always resented the mediocrity in his old life stirred. This was his chance: to be more than he ever was.

But still… marrying the Empress? The most powerful person in this world?

He looked again up at her. She hadn't moved, hadn't spoken. Yet her gaze was upon him, a predator watching its prey. She was waiting. Gauging him. Measuring him. What was going through her mind? Was he an instrument to be used? An inconvenience? Or was she simply as disinterested in this arrangement as he?

Adam gritted his teeth. The tension in the room was suffocating. "What if I refuse?"

The woman in green raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips. "That would not be advisable."

Adam glared at her. "And what if I don't care? What if I want to go back to my old life?

The man in black gave a cold chuckle. "There is no going back. Your world is beyond your reach now."

Adam's fists clenched at his sides. He had never wanted this. But now, standing here, with the system's promises echoing in his mind, he realized something else. He hadn't wanted the life he had before either. This world… this new reality… it offered him something his old life never could.

Power.

And even more so, a way to take control, to rise above the mediocrity he had always despised.

"I'll do it," Adam said, his voice sure of himself. "I'll marry her. But don't for one moment think I'll be some pawn in your game."

The smile on the man in black's face spread a little. "Good. You have spirit. But, be careful. The Empress does not tolerate weakness."

Adam smirked, his heart racing. "Neither do I.

For the first time, the Empress stirred, her eyes darting sharp as she rose from her throne in grace that sent a shiver down Adam's spine. She started down the steps with gradual pace, her robes flowing down her like waves of silk. She stopped a few feet away from him, boring into his eyes, and for this moment, it seemed the world stood still.

Mistake this for kindness," she said, her voice low but laced with the weight of her power. "You may have been chosen by the forces which brought you here, but to me you are nothing until you prove your worth. And should you fail, know this: I will show no quarter in destroying you.

Adam swallowed hard, her words weighing in. But even as the pressure was building, he felt a hum of the system's presence in the back of his mind. It promised power. It promised growth. It promised he could rise beyond even the greatest of obstacles.

A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

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Quest: Marry the Empress of the Sky Phoenix Continent.

Reward: 500 Experience Points, Skill Unlock - "Infernal Flame."

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