As Lee Jin's eyelids fluttered open, the darkness of his surroundings made it challenging for him to perceive any distinct shapes or forms; the inky blackness seemed to play tricks on his mind, shifting and swirling like smoke.
The air he breathed was laden with a strange, musty scent that prickled his nose and made his throat itch. The absence of any natural sound intensified the eerie silence, as if the darkness itself devoured any noise that dared to exist.
His heart thumped louder in his chest, its rhythmic beat becoming erratic, a percussion of anxiety reverberating through his entire body. With every futile attempt to move, the sensation of unseen restraints tightened around him, like spectral tendrils clutching at his limbs, trying to hold him in place.
"Hello?!" he called out, his voice quivering, only to be met with haunting echoes that twisted and distorted his own words, as if the darkness was toying with his sanity. He reached out his hand, hoping to find something, anything, to anchor himself to reality, but his fingers met only empty space.
As Lee Jin struggled to make sense of his surroundings, the darkness seemed to take on a life of its own, swirling and shifting in response to his movements.
Each attempt to escape only resulted in a tightening grip, as if the darkness itself seemed sentient, determined to keep him trapped.
"Is anyone there?" he called out again, his voice echoing through the abyss. But the only response he received was the eerie silence that seemed to consume his words. "Is this a dream?" he murmured.
Lee Jin's mind raced, trying to grasp the reality of his situation. To confirm whether he was trapped in a dream or facing an inexplicable reality, he pinched himself hard. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, feeling the sharp pain in his arm. "This isn't a dream."
His heart pounded even faster, and a sense of urgency filled him. He needed to find a way out of this ominous darkness, but every attempt to move seemed futile as the spectral tendrils held him in place.
"What is this place?" he wondered aloud, his voice trembling with fear and confusion.
"I was trying to awaken my Divine essence, but then..." he murmured, struggling to remember the events that had led him here.
The darkness had devoured his memories, like an endless void, swallowing up all traces of his past. Everything was gone, except for the terrifying present that surrounded him.
"My name... my name is Lee Jin," he said, desperately trying to recall who he was and where he had come from, but his memory remained stubbornly blank.
The name felt alien on his tongue, as if it was only just now coming to life. "No... no, this can't be happening," he cried, the horror of his situation overpowering him.
He struggled to hold back his tears, but they soon streamed down his cheeks like rivers of emotion, fear, and anxiety overwhelming him. "Why does my mind reject who I am?" he wondered aloud.
Suddenly, as if to ease his writhing mind, a glimmer of hope appeared in the distance. A bright light, like a distant star, flickered in the inky blackness, catching Lee Jin's attention.
He squinted, trying to make sense of the ethereal glow that seemed to move toward him.
"Huh?" he gasped, a mixture of surprise and curiosity flooding his senses. The light pulsed with a gentle rhythm, almost like a heartbeat, and it exuded a warmth that contrasted sharply with the cold grip of the darkness surrounding him.
With each beat of his heart, the light drew closer, the rhythmic pulsation drawing him in like a beacon of warmth. The darkness seemed to melt away, like a soft haze, and his heart rate slowed to match the rhythm of the light.
As the light drew closer, Lee Jin's eyes widened in astonishment and fear. The glimmering object that had initially seemed like a beacon of hope now revealed itself to be a black, shining sword aimed directly at him.
"What is that?" he exclaimed, his voice trembling with unease. The sight of the ominous blade filled him with dread, and he instinctively tried to move away, but the spectral restraints continued to hold him in place.
The sword seemed to hover in the darkness, its surface reflecting the faint light around it. Its edges glinted with an eerie, ethereal glow, as if it possessed a life of its own.
Lee Jin's heart pounded even faster, and he felt a sense of impending danger, as if the sword itself was a malevolent force.
As he watched, the sword began to rotate slowly in the air, its ethereal glow swirling around it in hypnotic patterns. Lee Jin's mind screamed at him to run away, but his body remained rooted in place, as if being chained by invisible bonds.
'Why won't my body move?' he wondered, his eyes transfixed on the sinister sword.
As he struggled to move, the blade spun faster and faster, its speed increasing rapidly as it neared him, the darkness seemed to shift again, its tip almost touching his chest. Lee Jin's breath quickened, and he could feel the coldness of the blade against his skin, even though it didn't physically touch him.
'Am I going to die...? Is this my end?' he wondered, 'But I still haven't proved myself to the world. I can't...'
As Lee Jin's thoughts raced with fear and desperation, the swirling sword finally made its move. With a swift, dreadful motion, it lunged towards him, its dark blade piercing through his chest with a sickening sound.
"Guh!" a pained gasp escaped his lips as the excruciating agony consumed him.
The world of darkness around him seemed to slow down, and he felt a mix of disbelief and acceptance wash over him. He had always known that the path to awakening his Divine essence was fraught with danger, but this outcome was beyond anything he could have imagined.
The black sword was now embedded in his chest, and its eerie glow pulsed in rhythm with his weakening heartbeats. Lee Jin's vision blurred as he felt himself losing consciousness. His body, once constrained by spectral tendrils, now felt heavy and lifeless.
"Urrg!" he gasped, the pain slowly subsiding as the darkness slowly crept in from the corners of his vision.
'... I... still haven't... fulfilled my promise... with them...' He thought, 'I can't die yet!'
With his last ounce of strength, Lee Jin's hand reached for the hilt of the black sword lodged in his chest. It felt cold and unforgiving, and yet, he clung to it as if seeking solace in the midst of torment.
As Lee Jin's trembling hand touched the hilt of the black sword, a blinding blue light suddenly erupted before him, forcing his eyes shut. The intense radiance enveloped him, making him feel as though he were surrounded by an astral blaze.
In the midst of the blinding light, he heard a voice, clear and resonant, echoing within his mind. [Celestial Bloodline Detected], the voice announced, and the words seemed to vibrate through his very being.
'Huh... Celestial... what?' he thought, unable to comprehend what was happening, but he could feel a sense of power growing inside of him, as if awoken by the mysterious words.
He felt a strange sensation washing over him. It was as if he was being enveloped by a vast, cosmic force that transcended time and space. The voice within his mind continued to echo, [Activating the System], as if affirming his every thought.
'Wait... what activating?' he wondered, and then the voice replied, [System activation complete], the words reverberated with an overwhelming force.
The intense radiance that surrounded him gradually began to dim, and Lee Jin's eyes slowly adjusted to the luminous glow.
Before him, the blinding light transformed into an intricate holographic screen, displaying strange patterns and symbols that seemed to dance and weave like constellations in the night sky.
As he gazed at the holographic screen, the voice within his mind spoke again, but this time with a sense of purpose and authority. [Initiating Celestial Awakening Protocol], it announced.
'Huh? My body...?'
Lee Jin felt a surge of energy coursing through his entire being. The black sword embedded in his chest, which had once caused him excruciating pain, now felt like an extension of himself. It no longer symbolized death but rather a conduit for the celestial power that now flowed within him.
[Celestial Essence: Divine Extractor Awakened]
The voice inside his mind sounded again, its words filling his very soul. He could feel the celestial energy coursing through him, like a blazing fire that was transforming his mortal body.
As the surging energy spread throughout his body, the blue hologram which was displaying some strange symbols before him, transformed into a language he could understand.
'Woah, what is that?' he thought, confused by the mysterious process taking place.
Before him, the mysterious screen displayed some strange countdown, which seemed to be counting down the seconds until a mysterious event was due to take place.
— Awakening Complete...
— Rebooting...
— 5 seconds...
— 4 s...
— 3 s...
— 2 s...
— 1 s...