Chapter 1: The Awakening
Darkness.
No sound, no form, no sensation. Only emptiness enveloping me. Is this death?
I don't know how long I've been here. Seconds, minutes, or even years have passed without meaning. But then, a light appeared. Small at first, like a candle flame almost extinguished. However, the light slowly grew, warming the void.
I felt drawn, pulled by the light. The light grew brighter, burning through my consciousness.
I woke up.
I opened my eyes, adjusting to an unfamiliar environment. Around me, ancient stone ruins loomed, adorned with wild plants and glowing bluish-green crystals. Cold air hit my skin, but something felt strange. My body felt... different.
I stared at my hands. Glowing lines—like circuit patterns—flowed beneath my skin. I tried to clench my fist, and the patterns responded, glowing brighter as if they contained energy I didn't recognize.
What is this? I thought. I stood up slowly, my body feeling stiff but stable. A sense of confusion overtook my mind. I looked around. There was no technology, no modern buildings—just ancient ruins, surrounded by untamed nature.
"Where am I…?" I muttered.
Memories of my past surged. The world I knew was not this one. I lived in an era of peak technology, where humanity had conquered the skies and seas. Floating cities, driverless vehicles, and artificial intelligence so advanced it almost felt like gods.
But this… this is like a world from ancient fairy tales.
I touched my chest, trying to comprehend what had happened. But before I could search for answers, nearby bushes rustled.
"Hey! Who are you?!"
A loud voice startled me. I turned and saw a young girl emerge from behind the ruins. Her brown hair was neatly braided to the side. She wore tattered robes that looked like adventurer attire. A small magic staff was clenched in her hand.
"I… I don't know," I answered honestly.
The girl furrowed her brow, looking at me with suspicion. "Which guild are you from? There's no way you got here without permission."
"Guild?" I repeated the word confusedly. Of course, I had no idea what that meant.
Before she could say more, the ground beneath us shook. A rumbling noise echoed from behind the ruins, growing louder as something large approached.
"This is bad…," the girl whispered, her face pale.
From behind the shadows of the ruins, the creature appeared. A wingless dragon, its body as large as a small house, with shining black scales and glowing red eyes. Its breath smelled of sulfur, and each step it took shattered the stones beneath it.
The girl gripped her staff, trembling. "The guardian creature of the ruins. We need to leave, now!"
But my body moved faster than my thoughts. I stepped forward, standing between the girl and the massive creature.
"Are you crazy?!" she shouted.
I didn't respond. As the creature moved closer, I felt something strange within me. The glowing runes on my skin began to pulse, as if absorbing energy from the air. Before I realized it, a bright blue light appeared in my hand, forming an energy blade like a sword.
What is this? I thought, but my body didn't give me time to think.
The dragon roared and attacked, slashing with incredible speed. However, somehow, I moved fluidly, dodging its claws and slashing its scales with my energy blade. The strike created a loud crack, followed by the creature's roar of pain.
The girl could only watch with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Who are you really?" she asked, more to herself than to me.
I had no answer. I only knew one thing: this body, this power, is not mine anymore.
The battle ended when the dragon collapsed with a final roar. But my body also felt weak. The runes on my skin began to fade, and I almost lost my balance. The girl quickly approached me, holding my arm to steady me.
"You must be a high-level sorcerer… but I've never seen magic like that before," she said. Her eyes, once full of suspicion, now mixed with awe and curiosity.
I shook my head weakly. "I'm not a sorcerer... I don't even know what I just did."
She stared at me longer, then sighed. "Alright. I'm Reina, from the Cressida adventurer guild. Looks like I don't have a choice but to take you there. You… are really strange."
I wanted to respond, but exhaustion overcame me. As Reina helped me out of the ruins, I gazed into the distance. There was a red light glowing from somewhere, like a fire burning in the shadow of the night.
This world... is full of mysteries.
And I need to find out the truth.