Leon woke up gasping for air. His heart pounded like a drum in his chest. He sat up on his straw bed, his eyes wide, trying to catch his breath. The small room was dark, lit only by a flickering oil lamp on a wooden table. Shadows moved on the walls, making the place feel strange and creepy. He wiped sweat from his forehead, his hands shaking. What had happened? Was it a dream?
He remembered a forest. Not a normal forest with trees and leaves, but one made of bones. Tall, twisted bones reached up to a black sky with no stars. The air smelled like death, heavy and gross. The Bone Waste, he thought. That's what they called it. A scary story everyone in the village knew. A place where monsters lived. Monsters called Beasts of Darkness. They ate everything—wild animals, spirit animals, humans, even half-humans. Anything that went into the Bone Waste came out as bones. Nothing else was left.
Leon whispered to himself, "Memories are weird." His voice sounded strange, like it didn't belong to him.
He wasn't from this world. He was sure of that. It was the only thing he knew for certain. But he didn't know who he was. Where did he come from? What was his life before this? Why was he here? He had no answers. All he knew was that he woke up two months ago in this body—Leon's body. The real Leon had been in a coma for three months. He got hurt fighting wild beasts to save the village's food shed last winter. Nobody asked questions when he woke up. They thought he was still Leon. But he wasn't.
At first, he had none of Leon's memories. It was like his mind was empty. Slowly, bits and pieces came back. Memories of growing up in the village. Memories of training with a knife. Memories of wanting a spirit beast. In this world, everyone needed a spirit beast to survive. They were special animals that bonded with people, giving them strength to fight the wild beasts that roamed the land. Without a spirit beast, life was hard. Dangerous.
The more memories came back, the more confused he got. If he had Leon's memories, was he Leon? He didn't think so. Something deep inside told him he was someone else. Someone from another world. But every time he thought of himself as Leon, a sharp pain stabbed his head. It hurt so bad he could barely think. It was like his mind was fighting him, telling him, You're not Leon.
The pain came again now, sharp and burning. He groaned, pressing his hands to his head. It felt like his skull was splitting. He waited, breathing hard, until the pain faded. Then he noticed something new. His right hand felt hot, like it was on fire. He lifted it and stared. A strange mark was burned into his skin. It looked like a circle made of chains, all locked together. In the middle, a claw broke through, like a monster trying to escape. The mark glowed faintly, silver and creepy.
"What is this?" Leon said, his voice shaking. He touched the mark with his other hand. It was real. Not a dream. He tried to remember where it came from. Nothing. His mind was blank. He tried harder, closing his eyes and focusing. Then, a picture flashed in his head.
He saw the Bone Waste. A flat hill stood in the middle, covered in strange symbols carved into the stone. Runes, maybe. They glowed with a weird light. And there he was—Leon, or whoever he was—standing in the center. He was doing a ritual, like the ones in the village's Sacred Hall. His hands moved, drawing shapes in the air. He chanted words he didn't understand. It was the kind of ritual people did to bond with a spirit beast. But why was he doing it in the Bone Waste? That place was death. Nobody went there.
The picture faded. Leon opened his eyes, his heart racing. "What did I do?" he whispered. He looked at the mark again. It felt important, like it held a secret. He pressed his left hand over it, squeezing tight. Suddenly, gray smoke poured out of the mark. It swirled in front of him, forming a rectangle in the air. Words appeared in the smoke, glowing softly.
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Name: Leon
Age: 16
Race: Human
Class: Shadow Beast Summoner
Level: 1 Experience: 0 / 100
Titles: None
Stats:
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 9
Vitality: 12
Charisma: 7
Luck: 5
Skills:
Beast Gate Level 1 – Summon a shadow beast.