Cold.

Not the kind that nips at the skin. No, this was deeper—ancient. A silence so profound it felt like the world itself had been abandoned.

Then came awareness.

Power.

It wasn't a gradual realization. It slammed into him, raw and boundless, thrumming beneath his skin. It wasn't just strength—it was presence. Something vast. Something alive.

He opened his eyes.

A wasteland.

Mountains loomed in the distance, jagged and sharp as blades. Ice covered the land in an unbroken sheet of white, stretching endlessly beneath a darkened sky. The air was still, thick with an eerie silence.

He exhaled, watching his breath crystallize in the freezing air.

Where… am I?

And then-

A shift in the air.

Not wind. Not movement. Something deeper. Like a shadow curling at the edge of his thoughts. A presence—no, a legion.

Slowly, he turned.

And there they were.

A sea of darkness, kneeling before him.

Towering knights clad in obsidian armor. Winged monstrosities with gleaming fangs. Wraiths that flickered like dying embers. Creatures that shouldn't exist, bound together by an unseen force.

By him.

At their forefront, three figures stood apart.

Igris. Crimson-clad, a knight of absolute discipline, unwavering loyalty in his stance.

Beru. Mandibles twitching, eyes gleaming with restless excitement, anticipation vibrating through his form.

Bellion. Towering, unreadable, his gaze ever calm, ever calculating.

He knew them. Somehow, he knew them.

Not just as soldiers. Not just as monsters.

As his.

His army. His legion. His will made manifest.

And then, like a whisper in the back of his mind, the truth settled in.

He wasn't just someone.

He was their king.

A slow smirk curled his lips.

"Interesting."

A Stranger to a New World

He flexed his fingers. Shadows coiled around his hands, shifting, waiting, eager to obey.

It felt… natural. Like breathing.

But the where—that still eluded him.

His eyes scanned the horizon. The ice. The mountains. The darkened sky.

Something about this place felt familiar. Not as memory, but as knowledge. As if he'd seen it before, from a distance, through a screen or a page.

But that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

He exhaled. Questions can come later. Right now, he had only one priority.

Control.

He turned his gaze back to his army.

They were waiting. Watching.

He let the silence stretch, let them feel his presence.

Then—

"Rise."

Like a storm breaking over the horizon, his shadows moved as one.

The sound was immense.

Armor clanked. Wings unfurled. Claws scraped against the ice. A force so overwhelming it could erase civilizations stood at attention.

Igris stepped forward, fist over his chest. "My liege. We await your command."

Beru twitched, his voice an eager chitter. "K-King! King! What do we hunt? Shall we consume this land?"

Bellion remained silent, his gaze unreadable.

The conqueror exhaled, tilting his head. Listening.

Distant. Faint. A heartbeat in the cold.

Not his. Not his army's.

Something else.

Someone watching.

His smirk widened.

"Then let's introduce ourselves, shall we?"

And with that—

His army moved.