Time passed.
Or maybe it didn't. Arin couldn't tell. There was no light, no sound, no heartbeat to count the seconds. He only knew one thing—he existed. His body felt weightless, unanchored, floating in an endless ocean of nothingness.
Then, slowly, awareness crept in. He could feel the faint shape of his hands, trembling in the void. When he raised them, they glowed faintly, almost translucent, like light seen through water.
His breath hitched.
I… I died. So why am I still here?
The thought clawed at his mind. His last memory was sharp—too sharp. Pain, fear, the final snap of life tearing away. He should be gone. Yet something kept him here, tethered in this dark place.
"What is this…?" His voice cracked, barely a whisper.
The void rippled in answer. A sound drifted toward him, soft and melodic, a laugh so delicate it almost felt out of place here.
"Easy now," a voice soothed, calm but steady. "You'll get your answers… just not all at once."
Arin froze. His heart—or whatever had replaced it—thumped wildly. "Who's there?" he demanded, though his voice trembled.
The shadows ahead stirred. From them stepped a figure woven from pale, silvery light. Her outline glowed faintly, as if the night itself had given her form. When Arin's eyes met hers, his breath caught.
Her face… it was familiar. Not in the way of memory, but in the way of déjà vu, like a dream half-remembered after waking. Her eyes sparkled faintly, scattering light like stars, and her smile was warm—steadying, even in this endless dark.
"You're no longer in the world you knew," she said softly, as though stating a simple truth. "This place is something else entirely."
Arin's throat tightened. "Another… world?" The words felt foreign in his mouth. "But why… why can't I remember everything? All I remember is—" He swallowed hard. "…how I died."
The girl's glow brightened, her voice gentle. "That's normal. Death is… a heavy thing to carry. Your memories will return in pieces. For now, you're here. That's what matters."
Arin's heart pounded. None of this made sense. "Who are you? Are you… some kind of angel?"
The girl tilted her head, her lips curving into a soft laugh. "Angel? No, nothing like that. Think of me as your guide. I'm not a person the way you are—I'm a system. The system that came with you when you crossed over."
"A… system?" Arin repeated, the word strange, mechanical against the quiet of the void.
She nodded. "Yes. But calling me 'system' feels cold, doesn't it? If I'm to walk this journey with you, it might be easier if I had a name."
Arin blinked at her, confused. "A name?"
"Exactly," she said gently. "Something you can call me. Something to make all of this less… empty." She spread her glowing hands, motioning at the darkness. "I don't have one. Why don't you give me one?"
The request caught him off guard. Here he was, lost between life and death, and she was asking for something so simple, so human. But the idea grounded him. A name. Something real. Something familiar.
He thought for a moment. His mind clawed through the haze, searching for something that felt right. Then, quietly, a word surfaced from somewhere deep inside, a word that carried the weight of comfort and beauty.
"…Iris," he whispered.
The girl of light seemed to glow brighter at the sound, her starry eyes softening. "Iris," she repeated, savoring it. "Yes. I like that. Thank you."
Arin felt a strange relief at the name. In this endless void, where everything was alien and terrifying, giving her a name felt like reclaiming a small piece of himself. But Iris wasn't finished.
Her gaze lingered on him, knowing. "And what about you?"
"Me?"
She nodded. "This world is not the same as the one you left behind. The life you had—the person you were—it doesn't have to bind you here. You can carry your old name, if you wish… or you can start fresh."
Arin hesitated. His name. Arin. Hearing it in her voice felt strange, heavy, almost wrong. It tied him to memories that were already slipping, to a death he couldn't escape. Did he really want to keep that weight?
He clenched his fists. If this was truly a new world… maybe he needed a new self.
A name came to him slowly, rising from somewhere he couldn't explain. A short, steady word that felt light on his tongue, but strong in his chest.
"…Kai," he said finally. "Call me Kai."
Iris's smile widened, glowing like dawn. "Kai," she echoed warmly. "Yes. That suits you."
Her voice softened, almost affectionate. "In this world, you are Kai. And I… I am Iris. I will guide you, warn you, help you understand. But remember—this journey is yours to walk."
Kai let out a shaky breath, the knot in his chest easing slightly. A new name. A new start. Maybe, just maybe, he could believe in that.
His voice was quiet when he asked, "So… what do I do now?"
"For now?" Iris's tone grew serious. "You need to go north. To the capital city. There lies the Academy—a place where you will learn to control your power and survive what lies ahead. It will take days to reach it. Use that time to adjust."
"But—" Questions spilled onto his tongue, but Iris only smiled, lifting a finger to her lips.
"Not yet, Kai. Answers will come when you're ready. For now… wake up. Survive. Live."
Before he could argue, warmth surged through his chest, spreading through his whole body. The darkness peeled away like smoke in the wind.
A pale sky stretched above him when his eyes opened. Wide, endless, almost blinding in its purity.
Kai lay flat on his back, the earth soft beneath him. Tall grass swayed around him, brushing against his arms as the breeze whispered through the field. In the distance, mountains rose sharp against the horizon, their peaks veiled in drifting mist.
He sat up slowly, his heart still hammering, his mind a storm of questions with no answers. The air filled his lungs with a freshness he had never known—cool, sharp, almost buzzing against his skin. It didn't feel like Earth.
But one truth stood clear in his chest. He was alive. Somehow, impossibly, he had survived.
Kai pushed to his feet, swaying unsteadily. His legs felt strange, light, as though they weren't fully his. The ground beneath him was soft, the grass finer than silk, resilient yet springy.
He looked at his hands and froze. They still shimmered faintly, just as they had in the void. He flexed his fingers, watching the ghostly light bend with them. Tiny motes of brightness floated in the air around him, like fireflies drifting in daylight.
Curious, he reached out. One of the lights touched his fingertips and dissolved instantly, warmth flooding through his veins. A buzzing energy pulsed down to his fingertips before fading away.
Kai stared, breathless. This world… it's real. And it's not mine.
The panic rose again. "Iris," he whispered desperately. "If you're really there… what the hell am I supposed to do now?"
As if on cue, the air shimmered. A translucent window appeared before his eyes, floating in the air with elegant letters written across it.
[ Name: Kai ]
[ Condition: Stable ]
[ Objective: Reach the Capital ]
[ World: Veridia ]
[ System Message: Welcome to Veridia, Kai. Your journey begins. ]
Kai stumbled back, startled. "What—?!"
"I told you," Iris's voice murmured in his mind, calm and clear. "I am here when you need me. This is your interface. It will help you understand yourself and your path."
Kai's mouth went dry. The glowing screen, the voice in his head—it wasn't just a hallucination. It was real. Proof that everything he had just experienced wasn't a dream.
"Now," Iris said gently, "your journey begins."