Darkness.
A vast, endless void. No sound, no light.
I wasn't floating. I wasn't falling.
I just… was.
No body. No breath. Just the raw, quiet awareness that I existed.
Then, suddenly—
PAIN.
Like being yanked through a thousand different realities at once, my mind cracked apart and slammed back together.
And just like that—
I was alive again.
Step One: Wake Up. Try Not to Die Immediately.
I gasped, lurching upright.
Too fast.
The moment I moved, my entire nervous system rejected reality.
My stomach flipped. My head spun. My muscles screamed at me—
And then, in true majestic fashion, I toppled over face-first into the floor.
THUD.
"…Ow."
For a long moment, I just laid there, processing.
✔ I was alive.
✔ I had a body.
✔ I had memories.
And yet… something was off.
I knew, instinctively, that someone had given me this body. That this wasn't just some random act of fate.
But who?
I reached for the memory—
And found nothing.
Like a word on the tip of my tongue, just out of reach.
I clenched my fists. Frustration burned in my chest.
Whatever. Focus on what I do know.
Step Two: Assess the Situation
I forced myself to sit up.
The first thing I noticed? The air.
✔ Stale. Damp. Metallic.
✔ The scent of rust and concrete.
✔ Cold, unmoving air—like a basement or underground structure.
The second thing? I was blindfolded.
No—not blindfolded.
I reached up, fingers brushing against thick, coarse bandages wrapped tightly around my head.
And worse—
The fabric was wet. Sticky. Cold.
Blood.
My breath hitched. A slow, creeping horror settled in my gut.
I reached up, fingers trembling, ready to rip them off—
[WARNING: DO NOT REMOVE THE BINDINGS.]
[CONSEQUENCE: UNKNOWN.]
I yanked my hands back.
"Okay. Okay! Keeping them on. No problem."
Except it was a problem.
Because despite the bandages, I could see.
Not in the usual way.
There was no colour. No light. No shadows.
Just… awareness. A sense of space, of movement, of distance.
Like the world was whispering its shape into my mind.
"…That's new."
Step Three: My Body is Not Normal.
I took a slow, deep breath.
First things first—this was not my old body.
✔ My breathing was slow. Too calm.
✔ My heartbeat was steady. Too controlled.
✔ My muscles didn't ache, despite whatever the hell just happened to me.
I ran a hand through my hair—
And immediately froze.
That's not right.
✔ My hair was long. Too long.
✔ Silky smooth.
✔ Cold silver in colour.
What the hell?!
I curled my fingers—and noticed my nails.
✔ Slightly elongated. Razor-sharp.
✔ Perfectly shaped, almost unnatural.
This… this wasn't just a new body.
It was built for something.
Something inhuman.
Step Four: Where the Hell Am I?
I inhaled deeply, trying to get a better feel of my surroundings.
✔ The air was stale, metallic, and thick with dust.
✔ The ground beneath me was solid concrete.
✔ The walls were rough, cracked, and cold.
Definitely underground.
A warehouse? A bunker? An abandoned lab?
Either way, not great.
I slowly stood up, bracing against the wall.
And the moment my foot hit the ground—
My entire world exploded.
Step Five: The System Awakens
[SYNCHRONIZATION: 100%]
[ECLIPSE SYSTEM ACTIVATED.]
[ASSIGNING PATHWAYS…]
A pulse of power tore through me.
I gasped, clutching my head as raw knowledge flooded my mind.
Three distinct forces. Three paths to power.
[ECLIPSE SYSTEM: USER-CREATED POWER TREE]
THREE PATHS AVAILABLE:
✔ [Shadow Eclipse] – The Path of Erasure
→ Stealth, intangibility, avoiding attacks.
→ Risk: Overuse leads to self-erasure.
✔ [Primordial Eclipse] – The Path of Rewriting
→ Altering abilities, self-boosts.
→ Risk: Misuse can cause permanent corruption.
✔ [Cataclysmic Eclipse] – The Path of Destruction
→ Overwhelming force, annihilation.
→ Risk: The more I destroy, the more unstable I become.
I swallowed hard.
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: CHOOSE A PRIMARY PATH TO TEST.]
I hesitated.
Then, carefully, I focused on Shadow Eclipse.
The moment I did—the world shifted.
The air around me grew cold, silent. My body felt lighter, less tangible.
I took a breath, stepping forward.
And immediately—
I vanished.
Step Six: Gravity Still Exists, Apparently
[SHADOW ECLIPSE ACTIVATED.]
[CURRENT STATE: PHASED.]
I stared at my own hands—only to realize I couldn't see them.
I was completely invisible.
"…Holy shit."
I took another step—
And fell through the floor.
[ERROR: UNCONTROLLED PHASING DETECTED.]
[WARNING: SHADOW ECLIPSE IS NOT STABLE.]
I plummeted.
I didn't scream (much).
Then, suddenly—
I stopped falling.
I was suspended in darkness, my body flickering between solid and intangible.
Okay. Not ideal.
[RECOMMENDED ACTION: CANCEL ABILITY.]
"Gee, thanks, System!" I growled.
Focusing everything on being solid again, I forced myself out of the phased state.
The moment I did—
I crashed onto a lower floor, landing in a heap.
"Ugh…"
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU DIDN'T DIE.]
I groaned. "I hate you."
[YOU'LL GET USED TO IT.]