Sirens grew louder through the storm.
At first they were distant—thin wails carried through the rain—but they quickly became overwhelming as emergency vehicles pushed through the flooded streets toward the wreckage.
Soren lay slumped in the crushed back seat of the car, his breathing shallow and uneven. Rain slipped through the shattered window beside him, running cold against his cheek. The metallic smell of blood filled the air.
Above his fading vision, the silver System Interface flickered.
[First Exchange Completed]
[Immortal Life Source Gained: 1]
One point.
Once, Sorenth had commanded power capable of reshaping galaxies. Now he could barely keep himself alive.
The irony might have been funny if it didn't hurt so much.
His chest rose slowly as he struggled to breathe. Pain pulsed through his ribs and shoulder, but the exchange had done just enough to stop him from slipping into death.
Not healing.
Not strength.
Just survival.
Outside the vehicle, voices were growing clearer.
"Over here!" someone shouted through the rain.
"There are people inside!" another voice called.
Flashlights cut through the darkness as responders ran toward the wreck.
Soren tried to move again, but his body refused. His muscles trembled uselessly. The effort sent a sharp stab of pain through his side.
He turned his head slightly.
His father was still slumped against the steering wheel.
His mother hadn't moved either.
Fear gripped him harder than the pain.
Move.
He forced his voice out again.
"…Mom…"
The word barely escaped his lips.
No answer.
The world around him blurred.
The silver interface dimmed as exhaustion pulled at him from every direction.
Through the rain-streaked window he saw figures rushing toward the car. Red and blue lights flashed across the wet pavement, painting the scene in shifting colors.
Someone reached the driver's door.
"Driver's alive!" a paramedic shouted.
Another responder moved toward the passenger side.
"We've got three inside!"
Soren wanted to say something.
Anything.
But the strength left his body all at once.
The last thing he heard before darkness swallowed him was the piercing scream of the sirens overhead.
The next sound he heard was a steady beeping.
Slow.
Rhythmic.
Annoyingly consistent.
Soren's eyes opened halfway before quickly squeezing shut again as bright white light stabbed into them.
His head throbbed.
Every part of his body felt heavy, like he had been submerged underwater for hours.
For several seconds he lay still, trying to understand where he was.
The air smelled different.
Clean.
Sterile.
Not rain.
Not blood.
Not twisted metal.
The beeping sound continued nearby.
Carefully, he opened his eyes again.
This time he kept them open.
White ceiling.
Fluorescent lights.
Medical equipment.
Hospital.
The memory hit him instantly.
The crash.
The truck.
The pain.
And then—
His heart jumped.
The system.
Soren jerked upright too quickly, immediately regretting it as pain exploded through his ribs.
"Ah—!"
His breath caught as he clutched his side.
A bandage wrapped tightly around his torso beneath the hospital gown. His arm had an IV connected to a stand beside the bed. Bruises covered most of the visible skin on his arms.
But he was alive.
More importantly—
His eyes darted around the room.
"Mom?"
No answer.
"Dad?"
Still nothing.
Panic surged through his chest.
He swung his legs off the bed, ignoring the dizziness that followed.
The moment his feet touched the floor, the silver interface flickered briefly at the edge of his vision.
Name: Sorenth
Current Identity: Soren Vale
Level: 1
Immortal Life Source: 1
Authority: Minor
The display vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Soren barely noticed.
His attention was locked on the door.
He staggered toward it, gripping the wall for balance as the room tilted slightly.
"Hello?" he called hoarsely.
His voice sounded weak.
Too weak.
The hallway outside was quiet except for distant hospital activity—rolling carts, muffled voices, and the occasional announcement over the intercom.
Soren stepped into the hallway.
The bright lights forced him to squint.
A nurse sitting at a nearby station looked up immediately.
"Hey—!" she stood quickly. "You shouldn't be out of bed!"
Soren ignored her.
"Where are my parents?" he demanded.
The nurse moved toward him carefully.
"You were in a serious accident," she said gently. "You need to sit down before—"
"Where are they?"
His voice cracked with panic.
The nurse hesitated.
And that hesitation made his stomach drop.
"They're alive," she said quickly.
The tension in his chest loosened slightly, but not enough.
"What condition are they in?" he pressed.
The nurse guided him back toward the room, keeping a steady hand on his arm.
"They're being treated right now," she explained. "Your father had a head injury and several broken ribs. Your mother suffered a concussion and internal bruising."
Soren's breathing slowed a little.
Alive.
Both of them alive.
The nurse helped him sit back on the bed.
"You're lucky," she continued. "You had a laceration on your side that was pretty deep, but the surgeons were able to stitch it up without major complications."
Soren blinked.
Laceration?
He remembered.
He had traded the metal fragment.
A small smile almost formed at the corner of his mouth.
The exchange had worked.
Even in this weakened state.
The nurse watched him carefully.
"You should rest," she said. "Your body needs time to recover."
Soren leaned back slowly against the hospital bed.
The tension in his shoulders eased just a little.
His parents were alive.
That was enough for now.
But as he stared at the ceiling, the memories from earlier began creeping back into his mind.
The void.
The thrones.
The betrayal.
And the silver system interface.
He focused.
Immediately the faint glow of the system appeared again in front of his eyes.
Immortal Life Source: 1
One point.
Pathetic.
But it was something.
His gaze drifted toward the hospital window where rain continued to fall against the glass.
The Immortals still believed Sorenth had vanished forever.
Good.
Because right now, he was weak.
Too weak.
But that would change.
Carefully.
Trade by trade.
Soren Vale closed his eyes again, letting exhaustion pull him back toward sleep.
For now, he would recover.
But once he left this hospital…
The rebuilding would begin.