Prologue 1 — "Awakening in the Crucible"
The world was silent.
Erik Stahl's last breath lingered in the rain-slick air, but there was no pain. No cold. No fear.
His eyes fluttered open, but the world around him was nothing like it had been a moment ago. The crashing sound of an oncoming car was gone, replaced by an eerie hum that filled the air, a low, resonating thrum deep beneath his skin. He blinked, expecting to see the rain-soaked street of his hometown, but instead, he found himself in a chamber made of stone and light.
The space was vast—too vast for him to fully comprehend. Golden veins of energy traced the surfaces of towering bone-white pillars, stretching high into shadows above. Air thick with metallic scent hung around him, vibrating with strange, ethereal hums. Floating orbs of violet light drifted lazily in the dark, illuminating symbols—arcane, foreign—on the walls.
A sharp gasp filled his lungs as he sat up abruptly, but the sensation was unlike anything he had ever felt. His body was lighter—stronger, even—but the strangest part was how familiar it felt. He had memories of his old life, of his twenty years of existence back on Earth. But now, in this strange place, he was young again.
Eighteen years old. Not the twenty he had been, moments ago, before he threw himself into harm's way to save a child from an oncoming car.
His hands trembled as he wiped his face. No scars. No marks from years of study, work, and life. Only smooth skin and calloused palms. His breath quickened.
"What… what is this?" he muttered to himself, his voice ragged, unfamiliar. The sound echoed in the chamber, swallowed by the silence.
A soft, metallic clink broke the stillness. From the shadows, a large, translucent pod slowly split open beside him, revealing its contents: a pool of liquid, glowing faintly with a golden hue. Its surface was disturbed by the subtle ripples as the pod's sealing mechanism whined and released.
Erik instinctively stood, staggering at first, but quickly regaining balance. His legs, though feeling unfamiliar, moved with newfound strength. Before him, the pod's interior displayed strange symbols—complex geometric shapes that shimmered as if alive.
Words appeared in the air, glowing crimson.
"DUNGEON CORE: SEED TIER [Dormant] — NEW HOST CONFIRMED"
He furrowed his brow, confusion giving way to dread. The air felt wrong—heavy. He instinctively reached out to touch the pod, but the moment his fingers brushed against it, an intense warmth surged through his veins, pooling deep in his chest. A whisper reached his mind, barely audible.
"Transmigrant… Hero… Erik Stahl."
His heart raced. He knew those words. It had to be a mistake. It wasn't possible. He should be dead.
The sound of footsteps echoed from deeper within the chamber. Erik turned, his body coiled with adrenaline. But what he saw made his breath catch in his throat.
A massive staircase spiraled downward, carved from stone and bone. At its base, a towering figure emerged from the darkness. Its presence was overwhelming, a silhouette that seemed to blur the boundaries of reality itself.
Erik felt a sudden pressure on his chest—an invisible force pushing down on him, like an unseen weight on his very soul. He instinctively took a step back, his heart pounding against his ribs.
Before he could react, the figure's voice rang out, deep, ancient, and echoing across the chamber.
"You are reborn, Erik Stahl. Welcome to Velhraz."