Chapter 1: Swipe, Strike, and Soul Transfer
Kenzo Takahashi never thought his last living act would be swiping right on a girl named LilithBlaze69. Her profile pic had been alluring—half-lit, a mysterious smile, and eyes that made you feel like she already knew your secrets. His thumb hovered for a second, hesitating as if some invisible instinct warned him. Then he shrugged.
Right swipe.
Matched.
Of course.
It was Friday night in Tokyo, and the neon signs of Shibuya shimmered in the puddles below. Kenzo stuffed his phone into his hoodie and jogged toward the station. The cool breeze bit at his ears as he weaved through the crowd, heart pounding—not from excitement, but something else. An unease. A tension crawling across his skin like static.
He'd lived a mostly average 18 years. Gamer, loner, physics nerd, half-decent at parkour when dared by friends. No real enemies. No epic rivalries. Nothing worthy of a Netflix adaptation. Just an ordinary teen looking for some thrill to distract him from exams and existential dread.
So when the shadow moved between the flickering vending machines near the station—silent, too fast—he barely had time to blink.
Something slammed into him from behind.
Kenzo stumbled forward, chest bursting with pain. He tried to turn, but his body refused. There was no scream. No time for last words. Just the glint of steel. And warmth spreading down his torso.
He dropped to his knees.
The world tilted.
His phone clattered to the pavement. The screen stayed lit, LilithBlaze69 still open in chat.
"Heyyy you coming? 😉"
His fingers twitched. Then—darkness swallowed him whole.
But death wasn't the end.
He woke—or rather, became aware—in a place beyond comprehension. No floor. No ceiling. Just endless void swirling with data, runes, and patterns shifting like living code. Shapes moved in and out of focus, speaking in mathematical pulses that made his very soul vibrate.
Kenzo was floating, or maybe suspended—his body no longer physical. He tried to scream but had no lungs. He tried to cry but had no eyes. All that remained was Kenzo, the essence of who he was, reduced to pure thought, pure consciousness.
Then a voice boomed—not with sound, but with presence.
"Soul Signature 117-K. Vital signs: expired. Neural imprint: stable. Emotional residue: fragmented. Memory clusters: 84% intact."
It was cold. Unfeeling. Like an AI god scanning through his life like a file.
"Genetic origin: Earth – Class 6 civilization. Spiritual resonance: fluctuating. Suitability for rebirth… confirmed."
"Initiating Soul Transfer Protocol."
Wait—what?
Rebirth?
He wanted to protest, to ask questions, but it was like being strapped into a rollercoaster with no brakes. Something massive opened above him—an interdimensional spiral that glowed with cosmic circuitry. He felt himself being pulled, dragged, through it.
As he passed through the spiral gate, images burned into his mind:
A sky with three suns, bleeding light onto crystalline mountains.
Cities floating on electromagnetic fields, towers made of mirrored alloy.
Children wielding gravity like toys.
Giants forged of antimatter and cloaked in halos of pulsars.
And a golden throne where a man with electric-blue eyes ruled a thousand stars.
The final vision was a sigil—etched in lightning and magnetism—searing itself into his soul like a brand.
Then—
Kenzo gasped.
Air flooded into lungs he didn't know he had.
He flailed, screaming like a newborn—because he was one.
Soft arms lifted him, and for a brief moment, he saw the woman holding him. Her eyes glowed with flickers of violet energy, and her voice trembled with awe.
"His pulse… it's already syncing with the Voltrax Field. My son—he's awakened with an Essencia pattern at birth…"
A man leaned into view, regal and stern, sparks dancing across his palms. "A natural-born Core Wielder. The prophecy wasn't wrong. He will carry the legacy of Voltraxia."
Kenzo didn't understand a word. But the sigil in his soul pulsed in response.
And though his mouth could only wail, deep within, he thought one thing:
What the hell kind of Tinder date was that?