Darkness.
And an indescribable haze.
That's what Damien stirred awake to. He was lying on his back, and he felt something soft and damp against his neck—grass. His heart skipped a beat. He squeezed his hand into a fist, and when he opened it, there was dirt and blades of grass tangled in his fingers.
Birds chirped above. A gentle breeze brushed his skin, carrying with it the clean, piney scent of wild woods.
Beyond his shaking hands, Damien saw shafts of golden light streaming down through a thick canopy of trees. His breath trembled as he exhaled.
"Holy shit, I've been kidnapped!" he screamed, lurching upright.
The last thing he remembered was being at his PC, about to log into EverTale. Now… he was here, in the open air, surrounded by a forest?
This has to be a dream, Damien thought desperately. It has to be.
Still groggy, he slowly sat up, blinking as his eyes adjusted. The scene before him looked like something out of a surreal dream—or a beautiful nightmare.
He was in a vast grove, tall grasses rising almost to his chest, speckled with wildflowers of every imaginable color. Around the grove stood enormous trees, each the width of a house and rising high beyond sight. Their trunks were gnarled and ancient, their branches woven so tightly together they darkened the forest floor.
In the distance to the north, a titanic mountain range loomed—one peak so massive it pierced the clouds themselves. Damien's breath caught. He could see the mountains over the treetops, which meant they had to be unimaginably colossal—possibly visible from space.
"This… this isn't right! Where am I? What is this!?"
Damien refused to even entertain the idea that he wasn't on Earth. Maybe he was just in another country… somewhere remote? Maybe hallucinating?
Panic set in. He stomped his foot hard, wincing as pain shot through it. Then he slapped himself. Hard. Pinched his arm, hard enough to bruise.
Not a dream.
Tears welled in his eyes—not from pain, but from the staggering realization: he had been taken. Transported. Somehow, impossibly, ripped away from everything he knew.
Then came the sounds. Strange, otherworldly sounds.
He'd watched Animal Planet for years—he knew animal sounds—and these weren't anything like he'd ever heard. Echoes of deep, melodic calls, strange clicking, high-pitched trillings that raised the hair on his neck.
And then he saw it.
A bizarre, furry creature—half-turtle, half-feline, no more than two feet tall, with fluffy pink wings—hopped from flower to flower, nibbling buds and ignoring the petals. Its catlike eyes glinted as it moved gracefully through the flowers.
Damien blinked in disbelief and awe. Ignoring the impossible creature he quickly assessed his current situation in his mind. He could breathe. There was gravity. The air was oxygen-rich. Whatever this place was, it functioned like Earth. But it clearly wasn't Earth.
Then the thought hit him like a freight train:
"Tasha!"
His daughter. Alone. In her room.
"Please, God! Someone hel—!"
Before he could finish, symbols and glowing text exploded across his vision like a heads-up display. Damien dropped back onto his butt, clutching his head as data flooded into his mind.
(Ting)
Divine System initializing... 50%... 69%... 82%... 100%.
Divine merging process completed. Host has successfully merged with the system. Mental integration successful.
A robotic female voice spoke inside his mind—clear, emotionless, and impossible to ignore.
"System—no, no, no. This is real life, not some crappy novel or VR game! Why am I here? WHAT ABOUT MY DAUGHTER?!" Damien shouted aloud, eyes wild.
> Sentient host is correct. This is reality. The host's new reality. The Divine System exists to assist the host's transition to this planet and guide you through the secondary stage of soul integration.
> To answer the host's first concern: your daughter was safely transported to her mother's location upon your arrival to this planet. She is unharmed. The host need not worry.
Damien's breath caught. Relief flooded him like a tidal wave. Tears pricked his eyes again—but this time from gratitude.
Then came the rage.
"Why?! Who did this to me? I didn't ask for this—I didn't want this! I'm no one! A freaking nobody!" Damien shouted. "I pushed people away... I didn't matter enough to be taken!"
Was that why he'd been chosen? Because no one would notice? Was this all because he'd alienated the people who cared? That bitter irony twisted in his gut.
His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white. His teeth ground together. And that's when the earth responded.
The ground beneath him trembled. Fissures cracked through the soil. Trees groaned and crashed around him. Birds scattered in chaotic flight.
Damien dropped to his hands and knees.
"Wait—did I just do that?!" he gasped.
His palms pressed into the dirt—and a warm, tingling pressure surged up through his arms. A new wave of information pinged in his mind.
(Ting)
Host absorption complete. Host has unlocked the [Absorption] skill.
Host has successfully drawn elemental material from the environment in a 100-foot radius. Earth-based resources (wood, stone, tin, copper, iron, steel) can now be converted into structures, weapons, or cast into elemental magic.
This ability is undetectable to appraisal skills, regardless of their level.
"Wha—Spells?! Real magic?! Where the hell am I?!"
> System anticipated the host would be pleased. Based on your in-game preferences as an Elemental Archmage in EverTale, this class was selected to ease your transition.
> Host has now absorbed elemental mana within a 1,000-yard radius. Air and Earth branches are now accessible. You may cast, create, or bend these elements based on your level and willpower.
"What are you on about?! Pleased? I'm pissed! What even Are you an alien AI or something? Why am I even talking about that like it's normal or something!"
Damien was about to lose his sanity.
> Negative. The Divine System is an artificial intelligence created by the Great Divine One to assist his Harbinger.
> Due to your prior class experience, your affinity with elemental magic is near-instantaneous. However, your powers scale with contact, control, and experience.
> Warning: protection barrier will wear off shortly. Unknown dangers exist nearby. It is strongly advised the host create shelter immediately.
But Damien wasn't listening.
He was panicking, hyperventilating. The truth was sinking in—he was a vassal of some god, forced to build a kingdom and convert followers. On an alien world. With magic.
He collapsed forward, breathing hard, fists in the dirt.
The ground began to quake again. Insects fled. Animals bolted. Trees swayed, then cracked and fell. A low rumble echoed across the land.
Damien's breath caught.
He inhaled. Slowly. Deliberately.
And the shaking stopped.
He exhaled.
Something… no—someone… was watching. He felt it. Like the very earth was trembling under the weight of his emotions.
> Host is correct. Terra Gaia—the spirit of this world—reached out. Your rage terrified it. Had you continued, it would have been forced to defend itself. Host must learn to control this power. You are unbound. You are dangerous.
Unbound? What the heck is that?
Damien forced himself to calm down.
He needed to think logically and calmly for a second.
He was on a new planet—a world shaped by magic and divine design. He had a system, similar to the game EverTale. He he was alive and his kid was safe, but was he?
"This is insane," he muttered, eyes scanning the surreal landscape. "But it's real. I'm really here."
And with that clarity came focus.
"If I have a system… then there must be stats."
He took a breath and thought clearly:
"System, I need to see my stats."