Somewhere Between Life and Death
It wasn't a dream.
But it wasn't real either.
Kael floated in a sea of white. Not clouds. Not light. Just... absence. Like the world had hit pause and someone had forgotten to press play again.
He blinked. Or thought he did.
"Where am I?" he asked the void.
His voice didn't echo. It just vanished.
Then—
A sound.
Not a voice, but a pulse. Like a heartbeat made of thunder.
> "Subject: Kael Ardyn. Origin: Earth. Status: Terminal."
Kael frowned. "What?"
> "Soul integrity—unstable. Core potential—untapped."
"What does that even mean?"
> "You were meant to die. Probability of natural survival: 0.001%."
"Oh. Great."
He sighed, folding imaginary arms across his imaginary chest. "So I'm dead. Is this some judgment zone? Because honestly, I—"
> "Reassignment in progress."
Kael blinked again. This time, reality twitched. Like a cracked screen trying to redraw itself.
> "Transmigration Path Selected: Ash Circle."
"Ash—what? Wait—hang on, I didn't agree to—"
> "Core system incompatible. Adjusting... recalibrating..."
Suddenly, pain.
Not a lot—all of it. Every nerve set on fire, spine twisting, skull compressing like someone tried to download a thunderstorm into a wine glass.
Kael screamed.
> "Reassignment complete."
> "Survive."
Then everything shattered.
---
Voidfall Tunnel — Moments Before Arrival
Kael's body formed mid-fall. Clothes torn, breath stolen.
He was falling through clouds of ash, flickers of heat brushing past him like fireflies on fire. Above him, a massive glyph pulsed once, then cracked—vanishing behind smoke.
Wind howled. Earth rushed up to meet him.
Kael managed a curse before the world went black.
---
Unknown Observation Post
A figure in robes stood before a flickering dome of glass and starlight. The chamber pulsed with thousands of sigils, all marking one thing:
An arrival.
"He made it," the watcher whispered. "He actually made it."
Another voice, cold and ancient, responded.
> "And the seal?"
"Gone."
> "Good. Let him run. Let him burn."
---
Ash Circle — Earthfall Crater
The ash had barely settled when the beast arrived.
It sniffed the air, sniffed again. Bone cracked as it moved closer. Its eyes burned—a coal-fed hunger that hadn't dimmed in centuries.
Then Kael stirred.