The rain drummed down steadily, mingling with the fresh sensations jolting through my body as I took in this strange, unfamiliar world. Just moments ago, I had been locked in a vicious battle against the Darkness itself, feeling the edge of defeat creep closer. Was this… the afterlife? Had I fallen, or somehow survived to be reborn? Either way, I knew one thing: I would take this opportunity—if it was truly mine—and tear down every foe who dared oppose me.
Yet, even as I stood there, wrestling with the sudden rush of new senses, a strange message blinked before my eyes, etched into the very air itself: "System loading. Please stand still."
Before I could react, searing pain ripped through me. I felt my bones twist, my muscles swell, my very organs rearranging themselves. It was as if I were being molded, reshaped by unseen hands. My body writhed under this invisible pressure, yet I couldn't move, trapped within this agony. Finally, the voice returned, calm and precise: "The completion of System 498 has been instilled into Azreal Lucifer."
Azreal Lucifer. Who is that? The name rang hollow, foreign in my mind, and yet… familiar, too. A sense of power simmered just beneath the surface, pulsing within me, waiting to be unleashed. But as I reached for answers, the system spoke again, cutting me off:
"You do not have the correct power level to access this information. Grow, and you will find out."
So it seemed I would have to earn the truth about myself, piece by piece.
The rain continued to fall, pooling into murky puddles across the barren ground as I finally managed to take a step forward. I was alive—painfully, unmistakably alive—and this world stretched out before me. Somewhere out there, I would find the answers I needed. And anyone or anything that stood in my way would learn just how dangerous it was to face Azreal Lucifer.