Darkness.
An abyss stretched infinitely in all directions, suffocating in its vastness. Kain floated weightlessly, unable to tell if he was falling or rising. He reached for something—anything—but his fingers grasped only emptiness. His Etherial arm pulsed violently, dark veins spreading further across his shoulder and chest, an ominous sign of his deepening corruption.
And then, the whispers returned.
"Bearer of the shard… you have opened the path. Now, you must walk it."
A surge of raw power coursed through his body, and Kain gasped as his mind was flooded with visions.
The world around him shifted, morphing into a ruined cityscape. Buildings lay in rubble, streets cracked open with tendrils of dark Ether pulsing through them like veins of a dying creature. People ran, screaming, as monstrous figures—twisted, half-formed abominations—emerged from the ether, their soulless eyes locked onto their prey.
And then, amidst the carnage, Kain saw himself.
Or rather, two versions of himself.
One stood atop a throne of bone and steel, his body completely engulfed in dark energy. His Etherial arm had transformed, no longer resembling anything human. The corruption had consumed him entirely, twisting him into something greater… and something far worse. Cities knelt before him, empires shattered at his feet. His word was law, his power absolute. The people did not follow him out of loyalty—but fear.
The second version of himself was different. He still wielded immense power, but his form remained stable, his corruption held in check. He stood at the peak of a tower, the Codex pulsing in his grasp. The people below did not cower—they stood strong, looking to him not as a tyrant, but as a leader.
Two paths. Two fates.
"Rewrite the world… or let it crumble."
The words rang in his mind, carrying weight beyond anything he had ever felt.
The vision shattered.
A deafening roar filled the void, and Kain felt himself being pulled downward. He struggled, but the force was too strong. His body trembled as raw Etherial energy surged into him, burning through his veins, overwhelming every fiber of his being.
He screamed.
And then—
Kain's eyes snapped open.
His lungs burned as he sucked in air, his body drenched in sweat. He was no longer in the abyss, nor trapped in the vision. He was back in the Codex Chamber, lying on the cold stone floor. The room was eerily silent, the oppressive energy from before now a faint whisper in the air.
He pushed himself up, his limbs shaking.
Something was different.
He could feel it—not just within his body, but deep within his soul. The Codex was gone. No, not gone… absorbed. It was now a part of him, its power imprinted onto his very essence.
[System Integration… Successful.]
The shard's voice was weak, but Kain could hear it. The words sent a shiver through him.
Slowly, he clenched his Etherial arm, flexing his fingers. It no longer felt foreign to him. The dark veins had spread further, creeping up his shoulder, wrapping around his collarbone. And yet… he felt stronger. More complete. The overwhelming weight of the corruption was still there, but it no longer crushed him.
It had become part of him.
[New Ability Acquired: Codex Rewrite – Manipulate Etherial structures to alter reality within limited parameters.]
Kain's breath hitched.
Alter reality?
His mind raced with possibilities. If he could manipulate Etherial structures… what did that truly mean? Could he rewrite broken artifacts? Could he restore the ruins of this world? Or… could he change himself?
His gaze drifted to his arm. The corruption, the power—it was no longer something he feared. It was his weapon. His tool.
He exhaled, standing on shaky legs. Every step felt heavier than before, as if the weight of destiny itself pressed against him.
The Codex had shown him the future. The Tower loomed in the distance, waiting for him. The world was on the brink of change.
And Kain was the one who would rewrite its fate.
He looked toward the chamber's exit, where the path forward awaited.
No more hesitation. No more doubt.
The time to act was now.