Chapter One: The Awakening
The world was burning.
Or at least, that was the first thought that struck Arin as his eyes snapped open. The sky above him was a canvas of crimson and gold, streaked with smoke that curled like serpents. His body ached, his lungs screamed, and yet—he was alive. Alive in a place that was not his own.
He pushed himself up from the cracked earth. Around him lay ruins: shattered towers, broken weapons, and the faint echoes of battle. The air carried the metallic tang of blood and the bitter scent of ash. It was a battlefield, long abandoned, but still whispering of death.
"What… happened?" His voice was hoarse, unfamiliar. He froze. That wasn't his voice. It was deeper, heavier, resonating with a strength he had never possessed.
Arin stumbled toward a fragment of polished steel lying half-buried in the dirt. He lifted it, and the reflection staring back at him was not his own. A stranger's face glared from the shard—sharp jawline, eyes glowing faintly with an unnatural light, and a mark etched across the forehead like a brand.
Panic surged. He remembered falling asleep in his cramped apartment, exhausted after another day of meaningless work. He remembered the hum of the city, the flicker of his computer screen. And then… nothing. Now, he was here, in a body that wasn't his, in a world that felt like the aftermath of a war between gods.
A sudden tremor shook the ground. The ruins groaned, stones tumbling. From the shadows of a collapsed archway, something stirred. A figure cloaked in black stepped forward, its eyes gleaming like embers.
"You've finally awakened," the figure said, voice low and dangerous. "The seal is broken. The war begins anew."
Arin's heart pounded. He didn't understand, but instinct screamed at him: run, fight, survive. His fingers tightened around the shard of steel, and for the first time, he felt power thrumming beneath his skin—raw, volatile, waiting to be unleashed.
The cloaked figure raised a hand, and the air itself seemed to bend. Arin's breath caught. He had no idea what was happening, but one thing was certain: his ordinary life was gone forever.