Breathe.
He sucked in the thick, unfamiliar air around him, his lungs straining to fill with the oxygen—if it was even oxygen. His heart beat rapidly beneath his chest, like it was trying to escape the confines of his ribcage. His eyes fluttered open, blinking against the darkness that surrounded him.
A sharp, cold sensation ran through his fingertips as he reached up, pressing them lightly against something hard, metallic—a ceiling?
"Kael Duskborne. Age: 0 years, 0 months, 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, and 17 seconds," boomed a deep, monotone voice, the sound reverberating, as if coming from all directions.
Kael's fingers trembled against the cold metal, pushing slightly harder, as if trying to make sense of his existence. His mouth felt dry; his mind cloudy. "Where… am I?"
"You are on the planet Selora." The voice's tone never shifted—cold, unwavering, and entirely uninterested in his confusion.
Kael's brow furrowed. Selora? Nothing. It meant nothing. He tried to sit up, but his body didn't respond the way he expected—awkward, stiff, like his limbs were still learning how to move. His mind raced, but it couldn't keep up with his thoughts. Everything was new. Everything. And yet, something deep inside him—something primal—whispered that he wasn't supposed to be here.
"As a new arrival, you are to be given a designation." The voice paused—just long enough for Kael to question whether it had malfunctioned. Then, it continued, cold and detached. "It is decided. You will proceed to the mines. Harvest obsidian. That is what is required of you."
Kael's head spun. Mines? Obsidian? He barely understood the words, but he could feel them settling like weights in his chest, pressing down. He exhaled sharply, trying to push through the haze of confusion that clouded his mind.
"Understood," he said, his voice sounding hollow even to his own ears. He didn't understand. None of this made sense.
There was another pause, brief but unsettling, as though the voice was assessing him—or perhaps waiting for him to prove something.
"Point me in the right direction."
"Exit your pod. Proceed to the mines. Welcome to Selora, newborn."
A whooshing sound, like the escape of air, caused Kael to sit up. The ceiling was moving. Kael's fingers gripped the cold edge of the metal pod more firmly as he steadied himself. The air around him felt thick, too thick, and as he finally pushed himself upright, his body seemed to fight against the movement, reluctant to cooperate. He didn't belong in this body.
The pod's walls were smooth, sterile, unmarked by any hint of life. It felt more like a tomb than a vessel for a living being.
The voice's words echoed through him, cold and indifferent, but they also stirred something inside him—an instinct that told him to move forward, to find the answer to what was happening. The path ahead wasn't clear, but there was no choice but to follow it.
With a shaky breath, Kael took a step forward, uncertainty clawing at him. The voice was already gone, leaving him alone in the stillness.
He stepped out onto the cold tile floor, the hard surface as a wave of cool air washed over his bare body.
A woman in a white coat approached, her eyes unblinking, fixed straight ahead. Her movements were too precise, almost mechanical, like she had been trained to perform this task thousands of times. In her arms, she held clothes made of a dark, thick fabric. "Put these on, newborn."
Kael followed the order without thinking, his body acting on instinct as if the command had been etched into him. Within moments, the clothes were on him: thick black pants, a fuzzy shirt, and a buttoned-up jacket that scratched against his skin. The boots, sturdy and worn, were the last piece. His hands moved automatically, lacing them up with a precision that almost felt… familiar. He double knotted the laces and tucked them in without even considering it.
He paused for a moment. How the hell did I remember how to do that? His mind swirled with questions, but there was no time to search for answers. The woman stood there, waiting, impassive.
"I'm sure you're confused," she said, handing him a sleek tablet, its surface flickering with an unnatural glow. "This will monitor your life force and give you instructions on where to proceed. If you lose it, you will not get another."
Kael glanced down at the tablet, his fingers brushing against its smooth surface. The device seemed to hum with energy, as though it were more than just a simple tool—it was alive in some way. He felt a strange compulsion to take it, like it belonged in his hand.
His eyes flicked up to meet the woman's gaze. Their eyes locked, but there was no emotion behind them.
"Proceed to the mines," she added without expression, and without waiting for him to respond, she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing throughout the room.
Kael stood there for a moment, staring at the tablet in his hand. The weight of it seemed heavy—not just physically, but mentally. Something about the way the words on the screen glowed made him feel like he was being watched. Monitored.
Move forward, newborn, the words on the screen commanded.
Kael obeyed.
He moved through the building, his footsteps echoing down the long, bland hallways. The lights above buzzed intermittently, casting flickering shadows across endless rows of identical doors. Not a single soul was in sight. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, but every time he glanced around, there was nothing but cold, lifeless walls.
The tablet buzzed in his hand, vibrating against his palm like a pulse. He glanced down at the screen, the instructions flickering with that same cold, mechanical tone.
Take the door five meters in front of you.
Kael's brow furrowed. The tablet didn't tell him why. It didn't explain anything. Just an order, devoid of any emotion or context. He raised his eyes and found the door—just as plain and uninspiring as the others. It was slightly ajar, as though waiting for him.
The tablet buzzed again, louder this time, almost impatient.
He had no choice.
With a deep breath, Kael stepped forward and gave the door a firm shove. The old metal groaned against the hinges as it swung open, revealing a world outside that felt... wrong.
The night was thick and oppressive, a darkness that swallowed the horizon. The air felt heavy, almost suffocating, as if the sky itself was about to collapse. No stars. No moon. Just a void that stretched endlessly above him. The ground beneath his boots was uneven, cracked in places, and each step kicked up a cloud of dust. He could smell the faintest trace of something metallic, the scent clinging to the air.
He stepped out into the empty wasteland, the cold biting at his skin, making him shiver despite the unfamiliar heat in his chest. Something wasn't right.
The door slid shut behind him with a soft hiss, leaving him alone in the dark. The faint hum from the building's lights seemed to die away as if they were leaving him here on purpose.
Kael stood still for a moment, his breath misting in the air. There was no sound. No movement. The entire world was silent.
The tablet buzzed again.
Proceed ahead.