"Arghhhhhh!" Gavin's cry tore through the place as he jolted awake, clutching at the pain that went through his body.
The first thing he saw was a small device looking like a radio - battered and dented like everything else in this place, but somehow still functioning. Its metal surface was scratched and scorched, with a single red light blinking weakly as he heard a voice:
"The stronger the weapon you awaken, the stronger your survival on Mars."
Confusion flooded through him.
Why was he being told this information, the hell was his business with mars?
Where was he?
He tried to look around and all he could see was unfamiliar metal walls curving around him like the inside of an egg.
He lay on a cold floor and directly ahead, a massive transparent screen stretched across the front wall, cracked down the middle but still clear enough to show the barren, rust-colored landscape outside.
The alien looking sky was a dull orange, and rocky hills stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
Control panels surrounded him on three sides, their surfaces covered in buttons, switches, and small screens. Most were dark and lifeless, but a few still glowed with soft blue or green lights, displaying symbols that meant nothing to him. Some panels sparked occasionally, sending tiny flashes across the curved walls.
The space felt compact but sophisticated, clearly designed for a single pilot. Everything was within arm's reach of a central seat that had been thrown sideways in whatever crash had brought the ship here.
The air was thin but breathable, carrying the metallic taste of recycled atmosphere and the faint smell of burnt electronics.
'The f**k, I'm in a spaceship?'
The realization of where he was felt like accepting that magic and magic spells were real.
A spaceship?
How is this possible?
The last thing he remembered was being crushed to death by a building as he rushed to save his dog and his girlfriend.
From his last vision, he saw a building falling on the three of them, him included.
His dog, Pearl, had felt like a daughter to him and his girlfriend? He had wanted to propose to her in a week's time before the incident.
He had wanted to settle down with the woman he had loved for a larger part of his life…, before the incident occurred, the incident that left earth in shambles.
The incident that ended earth.
Before he could reminisce on what happened, the radio crackled, like it was about to be cut off because of poor signal reception, spitting static through its dented frame before the voice cut in, continuing what it was saying, electronic, flat and almost mechanical.
"A century ago, Earth was left in ruins by space dragons. They descended in swarms, tearing through the sky in numbers beyond counting, razing cities to ash. Among them was echoed the name of the Red Space Dragon, the strongest of them all. They brutally scoured Earth to find its spaceship, and when they failed, they turned upon each other in a war of fire and void. The clash ended in a cosmic detonation that scarred the world forever."
Static hissed as Gavin lay still, listening, his mind struggling to catch up.
"From the aftermath of that explosion, the human survivors awakened legendary weapons, artifacts of power unlike anything before. With them, humanity abandoned the wreckage of Earth and came here, to Mars, to begin again. But survival here depends only on one thing: the weapon you awaken. Without it, you will not endure the monsters and horrors that hunt this world."
The voice died into silence and Gavin pushed himself upright, the faint glow of broken control panels reflecting off his face. His gaze now went across the cracked viewport which stretched a barren, rust-colored wasteland under a dull orange sky.
Mars.
The thought alone made a chill crawl down his spine.
It was impossible, or so he had thought before he found himself here. If he could be still alive after being crushed to death by a falling building…, then anything could happen.
He remembered the voice from the radio:
'A century ago'
So it had been a century since he died or was he simply reincarnated in the future?, in the body of a…
Wait— if a century had passed, how was he even alive? And whose body was this?He needed to see his reflection.
Frantically searching the ship's interior, he spotted what looked like a mirror materializing in front of him. He jumped back, startled. But when he looked closer, he realized it wasn't a real mirror, just a hologram.
He reached toward it, his hands passing through empty air.
'A hologram mirror?..., such futuristic invention.'
Nevertheless, Gavin stared at the slightly large hologram mirror, examining himself…
He was no longer Gavin.
Before coming here, he was an average heighted young man, with smooth dark hairs, dark eyes and a normal face (meaning he wasn't so handsome).
But now, he was slightly slender, with curly dark hairs, slightly golden eyes and a well…, handsome face.
Also he was a bit taller than before and way more attractive.
Gavin was bewildered, he had so many questions.
Who is that in the mirror and what was he doing here, he ought to be dead.
Something felt deeply wrong. He tried to summon tears for his girlfriend, for Pearl, for the life he'd lost— but nothing came. The grief was there, a hollow ache in his chest, but his body refused to respond the way it should. It was as if this new form had forgotten how to mourn, how to be human.
Suddenly he heard a low chiming sound, it grew louder…, and louder until he heard:
[You have awakened the spaceship of the Red Space Dragon]
Stunned, he looked around, a bit scared.
And then, the once dim spaceship that would have been completely dark save some lights that flickered, was now bright with light.
Bulbs flickered on occasionally, doing so with a subtle rhythm (rather too tenderly), it felt like the humming of piano in Gavin's ear.
Power went through him, not physical strength, but something much deeper. He could feel the ship responding to him, its systems awakening after what felt like eons of slumber. His skin tingled with unfamiliar energy.
And then the voice continued:
"While the other space dragons fought and searched everywhere for this ship, they never found it. The Red Dragon hid it here on Mars before it died, though the crash left it broken and barely functional."
Gavin squinted his eyes, this wasn't making sense.
"Why would a space dragon have a spaceship in the first place, what is it for?"
The voice answered:
"Space dragons are massive, powerful creatures. To travel between galaxies quickly and discreetly, they built spaceships they could merge with. Each dragon had its own vessel."
Gavin furrowed a brow.
"What killed the Red Space Dragon?" he asked.
"An inexplicable illness." the voice quickly replied.
Gavin didn't know what to say, this was too much to take in.
"You were chosen by…" the voice suddenly seemed hesitant to speak. "Fate!, and now you are Tatehan, aged seventeen and while other humans awaken swords and other weapons, you have awakened the spaceship of the legendary Red Space Dragon."
Gavin suddenly looked at the radio and he could see that the voice is from it.
"[Congratulations host]"
"[You have awakened a system]"
"[A system that grants you alien abilities]"
"[ Initiating body enhancement!]"
Tatehan squinted his eyes in surprise.
"Body.. enhancement…?"
Searing pain shot through his body, burning, mind-splitting agony. It felt like his body was undergoing a transformation.
His scream died in his throat and for nine whole seconds, it felt like hell, until…, it stopped and he could only kneel down, panting hard.
Runes appeared across his retina and with the voice from the radio making it verbal, he heard and saw concurrently:
[Body enhancement complete]
[ENHANCED PHYSIOLOGY]
Eyes: Golden Enhancement Complete
Reflexes: Accelerated Response
Strength: Muscle Density Increased
Bones: Structural Reinforcement
Mind: Processing Speed Enhanced
"[Awakening system and first ability]"