[Bearer No.21
Power: Skin of Stone]
[Survived: 11 hours]
[Cause of death: Crushed under collapsing terrain while fighting mutated beasts.]
[Bearer No.29]
[Power: Illusion Casting]
[Survived: 17 hours]
[Cause of death: Torn apart after illusions failed against sound hunting predators.]
[Bearer No.34]
[Power: Venomous Blood]
[Survived: 9 hours]
[Cause of death: bitten, bled out before predators succumbed to venom.]
[Bearer No. 40]
[Power: Shadow Blink]
[Survived: 1 day 3 hours]
[Cause of death: Blinked into the wrong space, embedded into a rock wall.]
[Bearer No. 51]
[Power: Gravity Pulse]
[Survived: 8 hours]
[Cause of death: Overused power, collapsed own organs under pressure.]
[Bearer No.67]
[Power: Beast Tamer]
[Survived: 1 day]
[Cause of death: Betrayed by tamed creatures sensing fear.]
[Bearer No. 74]
[Power: Fire Manipulation]
[Survived: 2 days]
[Cause of death: Ran out of fuel in snowstorm, froze to death]
[Bearer No. 88]
[Power: Bone Armor]
[Survived: 22 hours]
[Cause of death: Crushed by an airborne siege beast.]
.
.
.
.
Many more failed; hundreds of bearers died like sparks in rain, their countless powers wasted in the process.
[Bearer No. 664]
[Power: Regeneration (Weak)]
[Survived: 2 days]
[Cause of death: Overrun by crawling horrors. Died screaming.]
[Started selecting the next bearer….]
[Bearer No.665 is selected]
[Deployed to Area No. 998]
In another distant land, a black portal opened, throwing a man out of it. The moment he appeared in Area 998, he dropped to one knee. The sky was gray, not from clouds but from something thick, dry, and floating, like powdered stone. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he stood. It was warm, not lava hot, just warm.
He looked around, no trees, no buildings, just rocks stacked unnaturally like they were shaped on purpose. The silence wasn't peaceful; it was tense, waiting.
His name was Kairo, twenty-eight years old, a former firefighter in his own world. Average in size, but strong from work. His mind was practical, with no panicking, no screaming. He didn't know why he was here, but he knew fear wouldn't help.
The only clue he got was a voice in his head that spoke clearly the moment he landed.
[Ability: Repel. All physical force within two meters can be pushed away with will.]
That was it: no instructions, no map, no weapon. Just himself, his strength, and this strange power.
He moved carefully, every few meters he stopped, checking the rocks. Some had blood on them, dry and dark, not human. He stayed low and made as little noise as possible. Around midday, if time even worked here, he heard a sound like tearing cloth; then the creature came.
It looked like a wolf but moved like a spider, which was strange to see. Its legs were long and jagged, its mouth had no shape, just rows of teeth wherever you looked. It didn't howl, it hissed like steam from a broken pipe.
Kairo didn't run; he stood still, waiting. When the beast jumped, jaws wide open, he shouted instinctively and pushed his hand forward, hoping the ability would activate.
A pulse of invisible force shot out; the monster was thrown back midair and slammed into a stone column. It worked, broken bones poked from its side.
It didn't attack again; it limped away, watching him cautiously. Kairo didn't chase it; he knew better, as chasing it would only lead to worse situations. He found a high ledge, climbed it slowly, and used his jacket as cover from above. Using it to create a shadow to hide himself in. He didn't sleep, he just continued to watch his surroundings. But the tiredness overwhelmed him and led him to sleep.
Kairo woke up to the sound of distant howls. His back ached from sleeping on the rock-hard ground, and his throat was dry with no water. The strange land had no sun, only a soft purple glow in the sky that never changed. Time moved, but it was very hard to tell how fast.
He stood, stretched carefully, and looked around. The ruins from yesterday still stood behind him, half covered in vines with black leaves. They seemed quiet now, but he knew that quiet didn't mean safe.
His stomach growled, he hadn't eaten since being thrown into this world. The thought crossed his mind: Do I even need food here? Or water? But his body still felt hungry, still felt human; he thought that ability had changed his body somewhat.
Kairo moved slowly and steady through the broken paths of the ruins, staying low. He used his power, Ebony Veil, which is a sub-ability he'd acquired, he used it to cover himself in shadow when he heard anything strange. The power let him disappear from sight for a few seconds at a time. It saved him once already; he wouldn't waste it.
By midday, or what felt like it, he found a small pond; the water looked still, but he didn't trust it. There were bones near the edge, some long, some short, some not human.
He walked away from it. Instead, he found a cave with only one way in. That was good, less to watch. Inside, it was dark and cold. He sat there for a while, listening to the world outside. Screeches came from far away; once, the ground shook lightly, as if something huge had passed nearby.
He didn't go out again until he heard nothing for an hour. Then he crept from the cave, keeping low, moving between broken walls and tree roots.
As the night came or something like it, he was near a ridge. From there, he saw movement in the valley below.
Three figures, tall, thin, their heads twisted as if always listening. One of them bent down and sniffed the ground, then looked right in Kairo's direction. Even from that distance, Kairo felt his skin crawl.
He didn't move, not even an inch. He used the Ebony Veil to cover him and stayed hidden for what felt like forever. The things below didn't climb up, they left.
When he returned to his cave, Kairo blocked the entrance with stones. He curled up and tried to rest, but his eyes stayed open; sleep would come slowly tonight.
Kairo woke up startled. He heard something—not loud, but strange, like a whisper too close to his ear. When he sat up, the cave was empty, just the sound of his own breath echoing.
His stomach growled again, sharper than yesterday. Hunger was becoming a real problem. He hadn't seen anything edible, no animals, no plants, nothing but stone, dust, and bones.
But he needed to move, he stepped out of the cave and kept low, eyes scanning every ruin and shadow. Every broken wall felt like it could hide something dangerous.
He found a ruined fountain in the center of a cracked plaza. There was stagnant water pooled at the base. He crouched, sniffed it, hesitated, and then drank it. It was bitter and cold, but it didn't burn his throat, that was enough.
Farther down, he passed collapsed buildings, one of which still had old, rusted tools inside; one was a blade. He picked it up and kept walking.
By midday, or what felt like it, he heard footsteps behind him; he stopped, and waited. It was too foggy to see anything. The footsteps also stopped. He turned a corner quickly and ducked behind a half-fallen pillar. Moments later, a creature passed through the fog. It was tall, thin, and dragging a twisted weapon behind it. Its eyes were black, glowing slightly in the mist.
Kairo didn't breathe. He stayed still, not daring to move a muscle. He used his ability to hide himself. The creature stopped, sniffed the air. Then it turned and walked away. Only after a full minute did Kairo move again; his heart was racing.
He wandered until he found another shelter, the base of an old tower, collapsed sideways. He squeezed inside and waited out the rest of the cycle, blade in hand, invisible under the Ebony Veil.
Midnight or what felt like it. He slept inside a half-collapsed tower, using broken stone and cloth as makeshift bedding. The air was still, the night too quiet. Then, without warning, a massive black hand appeared in the sky, covering the stars. It came down like a hammer, crashing into the tower. There was no noise, no warning, no struggle. Just one sudden strike. The tower crumbled instantly. He was gone before he even opened his eyes.
[Bearer No. 665: Eliminated]
[Time survived: 4.1 days]
[Cause of death: Crushed by massive hand of Unknown Entity]
[Result: Failure]
[Started selecting a new bearer….]
[Detected, no one from the current time line is suitable for 'bearer'. Searching for suitable being.]
[Found suitable being from future time.]
[Detected possibilities of getting damaged in the process of transferring.]
[Damage can be healed.]
[Damage ignored.]
[Transportation of Bearer No. 666 had begun.]
In the year 2012, in Tokyo, Japan. Aelric was walking along the road, relaxed and unaware.
A sudden suction pulled him into a black portal.
[Bearer No. 666 transportation is in process. Sent to area No. 999. Entering repair mode. All functions are shutting down.]
[Giving Bearer No. 666 a few Abilities before shutting down.]
[Gluttony is given.]
[Voice of Abyss is given.]
[Detected memory loss in the way of transportation.]
[Adaptability is given.]