Rainey opened his eyes to a world on the verge of collapse.

The sky above him was fractured, streaked with violent bursts of fire and lightning, the very air vibrating with the clash of unimaginable powers. The ground beneath him trembled, and through the haze of dust and debris, he could see towering figures locked in a battle that defied reason. They moved with blinding speed, bodies glowing with elemental energy—some wreathed in flames, others surrounded by gusts of wind that howled like a storm.

Rainey's head spun. His mind was a void, a blank space where his memories should have been. He didn't know where he was. He didn't even know who he was.

His heart raced as he staggered to his feet, every instinct screaming at him to run. Around him, the ground erupted as colossal beasts collided with the fighters, shaking the very earth with their raw power. Rainey's legs moved on their own, carrying him through the chaos as firestorms and shockwaves raged around him. His only thought was to survive.

He ducked as a massive explosion sent a wave of heat washing over him, singeing his clothes. Gritting his teeth, he pressed on, weaving through the wreckage of a battlefield he didn't understand. The roars of beasts and the clashing of weapons filled the air, drowning out his pounding heartbeat.

Then, he saw it—a sword, half-buried in the ground, its dark blade glinting in the fractured light of the sky. It stood out amid the chaos, untouched by the destruction around it. Something about the sword called to him, pulling him toward it.

Without thinking, Rainey reached for the hilt. The moment his fingers touched the cold metal, an overwhelming weight crashed down on him. His knees buckled, and his breath caught in his throat as a crushing force pressed against his chest. It was as though the sword itself was rejecting him.

But he couldn't let go.

His grip tightened on the hilt as he struggled to lift the blade from the ground. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, and the weight bore down harder, threatening to crush him. Gritting his teeth, he gave one final, desperate pull.

The ground beneath him cracked.

With a deafening roar, the earth gave way, and Rainey plummeted into the darkness below. The sword slipped from his grasp as he tumbled through the void, his heart racing as the world blurred into a swirl of shadows and distant light.

Then, he hit the ground.

Pain exploded through his body as he landed hard on the cold, rocky floor of an underground chamber. Gasping for breath, he lay there for a moment, dazed and disoriented. The air was thick with dust, and the only sound was the faint crackling of energy above, echoing from the world he had just fallen from.

Slowly, Rainey pushed himself to his feet, his body aching from the fall. His gaze swept across the chamber, taking in the strange symbols that glowed faintly on the walls. They pulsed with a soft, ethereal light, casting eerie shadows on the stone.

And then he saw it—the sword.

It lay beside him, the same dark blade he had tried to lift above. But now, there was no weight. No crushing force holding him down. Hesitantly, Rainey reached for the sword once more, and this time, his fingers wrapped easily around the hilt. He lifted it effortlessly, feeling the cold metal hum faintly in his grasp.

But before he could make sense of it, a low growl echoed through the chamber.

Rainey froze, his heart pounding in his chest. From the shadows at the far end of the room, a massive shape emerged—its glowing eyes locked onto him. It was a beast unlike anything he had ever seen, its dark, fur-covered body rippling with power. Its claws scraped against the stone floor as it advanced, a snarl rumbling deep in its throat.

Rainey's grip tightened on the sword as the beast charged.

The creature moved with terrifying speed, lunging at him with jaws wide open. Instinct took over. Rainey swung the sword just as the beast leapt, and the blade connected with its flesh, sending a spray of dark blood into the air.

The beast collapsed, letting out a final, pained roar before falling still.

Rainey stood over the body, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. His hands shook, his grip still tight around the hilt of the sword. The chamber was silent now, the only sound the soft crackling of the strange energy that pulsed through the air.

He had killed it. Somehow, he had survived.

But before he could process what had just happened, a flicker of light appeared in front of him. Glowing symbols materialized in the air, floating just above his head. They shifted and swirled, forming words he didn't recognize.

"Entity Detected."

Rainey stared at the message, his heart pounding in his chest.

The symbols shifted again, and new words appeared.

"Binding Initiated."

The words hung in the air for a moment before fading into the ether. Rainey swallowed hard, his mind racing with questions. Binding? What did that mean?

Before he could find an answer, the chamber rumbled. The ground beneath him trembled, and cracks began to spread along the stone floor. Whatever this place was, it was about to collapse.

With no other choice, Rainey turned and ran, the sword clutched tightly in his hand.