The sky cracked open like shattered glass, fragments of reality dissolving into the void. A suffocating silence followed, stretching endlessly—until a low, guttural hum resonated from the abyss above. The sound was not of this world. It crawled into my bones, sending a tremor through my very soul.
My breath hitched. My instincts screamed. Something was emerging.
A massive tear in the sky pulsed with an eerie, shifting light. From within, a shadow slithered into existence—its form indiscernible, its presence suffocating. The weight of an unknown force pressed against the world, warping the very air around me.
I gritted my teeth. The system's cold voice echoed in my mind:
[New Quest Activated: ???]
"What the hell does that mean?" I muttered, but there was no answer. The system remained silent, offering no explanation.
A cold breeze swept through the ruined landscape. The ground beneath me quaked, cracks snaking outward as if the world itself rejected what was coming. My grip tightened on my sword. I had faced nightmares before, but this… this was different.
A single, glowing eye blinked open within the rift. And then—
BOOM.
A shockwave erupted, hurling me backward. My vision blurred as I slammed into the ground, pain lancing through my spine. The sky above twisted and churned, an unnatural storm brewing within the broken heavens.
Through hazy vision, I saw it—a figure stepping through the rift, draped in shadows, exuding a presence that made the very fabric of existence tremble.
"Impossible…" I whispered. I knew that presence. Even without my memories, my soul recognized it.
[WARNING: Anomaly Detected]
The system's message flashed red in my vision. I forced myself to stand, every instinct screaming at me to flee, yet my feet remained rooted in place.
The figure spoke, its voice a thousand echoes layered upon one another.
"You should not exist."
A chill ran down my spine. The weight of the entity's gaze was suffocating, pressing into my very essence. My heart pounded in my chest, my fingers twitching as I fought the primal urge to turn and run.
The sky behind the entity continued to warp, shifting as if reality itself struggled to contain its presence. Shadows coiled around its form, moving unnaturally, defying the very laws of physics.
I swallowed hard, forcing steel into my voice. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head, as if amused by my question. "Who am I?" it repeated, the words laced with an unsettling mirth. "A better question would be—who are you?"
My grip on my sword tightened. "I'm Rael."
The entity let out a hollow chuckle. "Rael… a name stripped of its meaning. A king without a kingdom. A shadow of what once was."
I clenched my jaw. "You're speaking in riddles. If you have something to say, say it."
The figure extended a hand, and in an instant, the very air around me shifted. The weight of existence bent under its influence. My knees nearly buckled as an overwhelming pressure crashed into me, pressing against my chest like an unseen force trying to crush me.
[Warning: Unknown Force Affecting Host.]
I gasped, struggling to remain standing. The figure loomed over me, its hollow gaze piercing into my very soul.
"You were cast out for a reason," it whispered. "You do not belong here."
My vision flickered, my mind swimming in fragmented memories—blood, betrayal, a throne wrenched from my grasp. My fists clenched as I fought against the chaos swirling inside me.
The system's voice cut through the fog.
[New Ability Unlocked: Sovereign's Dominion.]
A surge of power erupted from within me. The suffocating force pushing me down shattered like glass. My body felt lighter—stronger. The figure recoiled slightly, its form flickering.
I smirked. "If I don't belong here, then why is the system making me stronger?"
The figure's form began to waver, its edges unraveling. "Interesting…" it murmured, its voice fading. "Then let's see how far you can go… Forgotten King."
The rift behind it pulsed once more. In an instant, the figure was gone—vanished into the void as if it had never been there.
The sky remained fractured, the land still trembling from the aftershock of its presence. But I had survived.
For now.
[Quest Updated: Prove Your Worth.]
I exhaled sharply, sheathing my blade. The war was just beginning.
[Chapter 4 end]
And yeah you guys our MC's name is "Rael"