Listening to the voice—Nytheron, as it called itself—Sareth found himself, for once, truly speechless.
From the moment he'd opened his eyes in that field of corpses, reality had only gotten more twisted. Not once had anything felt normal. Not for a single second.
But now? Now he was a glowing ball of cosmic soup having a conversation with a sentient light about rewinding time to survive an encounter with a lunatic who thought he was someone else.
He didn't even try to understand it anymore.
"Maybe it's better not to think too hard," he mused. "I've been a lot less stressed since I stopped asking questions".
[Sareth, we don't have much time. Focus and listen to me. What I'm about to say is our only shot at survival.]
[I cannot explain everything yet, but here's what I can tell you: the moment our conversation ends, I'll rewind time—taking you back to the exact instant you first woke up.]
[Your mission is simple: uncover the secrets of Zoran's Soul Engraving ability. Learn its weaknesses. Only then can I act to help us escape this outcome.]
[I know you don't understand what Soul Engraving is, and that's fine. For now, just watch him carefully. Observe.]
Sareth cut in, his tone more grounded now.
"Alright, Nytheron. I'll play along," he said. "I don't get all of this—and honestly, I don't want to. But if doing what you say means I survive, then I'll do it."
He paused a moment, voice softer.
"You know, people talk a big game about death. But it's only when you're staring it in the face that you really understand what living means. Doesn't matter how shitty or confusing life is—when the end comes knocking, you'll crawl through fire to keep going."
That was exactly how Sareth felt.
He didn't fully understand what was going on. He wasn't even sure what questions to ask. But he didn't need to.
First, there was no time. Nytheron had already said as much, and he could feel the clock ticking.
Second, even if he did have time, he needed to understand more before he could even begin to question properly.
So he kept quiet.
He just… trusted.
A strange, instinctive trust. Not because he liked Nytheron, or believed every word—but because the alternative was worse.
[Understood, Sareth.]
Nytheron was about to continue when Sareth's eyes widened slightly.
"Wait. I might've already seen part of his ability," he said quickly. "He was moving stuff—bodies, energy, me—just by pointing. Like, straight-up telekinesis or force manipulation. But every time he used it, he had to point first."
[If that's true, it gives us a head start. One moment…]
There was a faint pause. Then:
[Ding]
[Ability confirmed]
[Good news: his Soul Engraving ability is indeed telekinetic in nature. It's called Axis Field. And yes—one of its weaknesses which I just confirmed is that he must point directly at the area where the effect is to be applied.]
[Sareth, you must uncover the other two more weaknesses. Only then can I help. I am initiating the rewind sequence now.]
[You will not be able to contact me for the first few minutes after the rewind begins. Stall him. Buy time. Survive.]
[If you die before the connection is reestablished—we're both doomed.]
[Get ready.]
⸻
The world froze.
Sareth didn't blink. Couldn't. Everything around him seemed to stop existing.
Then came the pull.
It wasn't like being dragged. It was like his entire being was being unraveled—thread by thread—until he was a tapestry torn apart in reverse. He saw moments flicker before him like shattered glass spinning backward through time.
The pain of his arms being ripped away.
The manic grin on Zoran's face.
The blood.
The scream.
The laugh.
The light.
The dark.
Each scene rewound faster and faster until it became one endless stream of color and sound.
He felt himself folding inwards. Compressing. Imploding.
And then—
Stillness.
⸻
Sareth opened his eyes.
He gasped—and realized he had lungs again. A body. A heartbeat.
The cold, scorched earth lay beneath him. The sky above burned with flickers of red flame. Corpses. Smoke. Blood.
He was back.
But unlike last time, he wasn't panicking. He wasn't confused.
He had a mission.
And he'd already spotted something different. This body—this wasn't his at least not like he remembered. It moved slightly off, like a suit tailored for someone else. A bit shorter in the shoulders. Somewhat lean at the waist.
"This isn't mine…" he thought. "I'm not in my body. I can feel the difference now. It's subtle—but it's there."
"So I'm in this Kaelen guy's body. Great. Would've appreciated the upgrade more if it didn't come with a homicidal maniac attached."
As if on cue, Zoran appeared.
A slow, delighted grin stretched across his fox-like face as he stepped forward.
"So… you're finally awake, Kaelen Virelius," he said, voice practically purring. "You can't imagine how many times I've envisioned this exact scenario."
"Here we go again," Sareth thought with a mental sigh. "Round two with crimson creep show."
"Honestly, if he weren't a murderous jackass, I'd admire the commitment. He speaks exactly like an idiotic villain who's doom is near"
But this time, Sareth didn't provoke him. No sarcastic retorts. No brave declarations.
This time, he played the part.
His face twisted with faux fear. His lips trembled. His eyes widened just enough to seem desperate, confused.
"W-Who are you?" he stammered, voice cracking. "What do you want from me?!"
Zoran's smile widened.
Oh, he was loving this.
"I want what your father took from me," Zoran growled. "For years I suffered in the shadows while he basked in glory. The humiliation he gave me… it burned every day. But now? Now I'll show everyone who's truly superior."
He paused, eyes narrowing with faint melancholy.
"You may look like your father… but there's something of Sylra in you, too." His voice dropped. "If only she were still alive…"
There was a moment—just a flicker—of real sadness in Zoran's voice. Then it was gone.
"Oh well. Even if you did look like her, I'd still kill you."
Sareth kept up the act. His expression contorted in terror, but inside?
"Okay, I'll admit… If this guy wasn't trying to kill me and I had some popcorn, this would be peak entertainment."
"But nope—no popcorn. No power. Just pure survival. Dammit, if I had even a smidge of abilities like his, I'd make this bastard bite his own tongue off mid-yapping."
Still, he whimpered, "Please… please don't kill me. I-I don't know what happened, but if my father hurt you, I'll—I'll talk to him. Just don't hurt me…"
That did it.
Zoran practically shuddered with pleasure. His ego was soaking it in like sunlight.
Yes… he thought. This is it. This is what I wanted. The fear. The begging. The perfect prey—before the slow, beautiful kill.
A wicked grin split his face.
"Kaelen… I'll give you a chance," he said, voice gleeful. "If you can win a little game of mine… I might let you live."