The sky above Spiritwater Cliff roiled, clouds torn into jagged shapes, as if some invisible blade had slashed the heavens. Lightning streaked across the peaks, briefly illuminating the lone figure of Lin Chen standing at the cliff's edge. His coat flapped violently in the wind, but his eyes—sharp, focused—never left the glowing lotus lamp hovering ten feet above the void. Its soft, otherworldly light rippled warmth across the cold mountain air.
"Final warning," the mechanical voice echoed again, firmer this time, as if the lamp itself demanded obedience. "Reject the awakening, and you will remain mortal—your bloodline buried, your potential wasted."
Lin Chen smirked, a faint, cold curve of his lips. Mortal? Wasted potential? Words like these had haunted him for years, yet now they bounced off him like empty echoes. He had dreamed of this moment—this chance to break free from the ordinary life he had always despised.
Before he could speak, the lotus lamp trembled violently and shattered into hundreds of translucent fragments. They swirled around him, glowing brighter, until they coalesced into a holographic screen floating in midair:
-Celestial Override Protocol 0.1 – Activation Pending-
Lin Chen's pulse quickened. This was it—the system he had sensed since childhood. One fragment shot into his palm, burning with an intensity that made him gasp. Energy surged through his veins, hot and electric. The screen flickered and updated:
-Host Confirmed: Lin Chen. Novice Ability Unlocked – Temporal Rewind (Basic).-
The lightning faded, the sky clearing as though the world itself had taken a deep breath. Lin Chen clenched his fist, feeling the hum of time itself coursing through him. He was no longer mortal. Not anymore.