I was in a wooden box.
I pushed against the rough lid. Fortunately, it wasn't nailed shut. After several moments of struggling, I finally forced it open and crawled out.
Endless white space surrounded me. No ground. No sky. Just… nothingness. As I tried to comprehend the bizarre events--the dying sensation, the scarred mark, and that hairy beast--a powerful presence made the air heavy.
I turned.
A white humanoid figure stood before me. Before I could step back, he vanished and reappeared right in front of me--like teleportation.
"You failed," he said coldly.
"Failed? What are you talking about?"
He placed a hand on my forehead.
Darkness swallowed me.
I tried to speak. To move. To scream.
Nothing.
And then… a pulse.
"Initiating Soul Drift… Target Found."
That voice--neither divine nor human. Cold. Mechanical. Like reality itself spoke through an embedded system.
Cracks formed in the darkness--like an eggshell breaking apart. With each fracture came fragments: sounds of war, dying warriors, commands from unknowable beings.
I gasped.
Cold, wet mud filled my mouth as I clawed at the dirt. I was no longer in the void.
But on green land.
How?
How did I die? Snake bite? A falling rock?
I didn't know.
All I knew was that I was somewhere else now. My soul had moved. Or been pulled.
I lay still, heart pounding, breath shallow. My body trembled violently. My limbs ached as if they carried a burden I didn't earn. I looked down at my hands--longer, calloused. A warrior's hands.
Not mine.
His.
Memories surged--flooding into my consciousness.
Eryndor Vaal.
Born of a pure bloodline. A genius of the Human Universal Clan. But even he had limits.
He died when the King's Inner Universe collided with the chaotic storm of the Dark Universe.
And now…
I was in his body.
No longer on Earth. No longer human in the way I remembered.
But I wasn't him either.
The Human Universal Clan--rulers of galaxies, guardians of ancient star corridors--was falling. Not from within, but from beyond. Beings from the Dark Universe, eldritch and unexplainable, had invaded. Creatures that defied laws and reason poured in--a wave of entropy.
The last Human King, wounded and desperate, made a final move. Using what remained of his power, he unleashed his Inner Universe--a vast living realm cultivated within his soul.
A thousand warriors, prodigies, and scholars were cast into this realm--not to survive, but to serve as seeds for rebirth.
Among them: Eryndor Vaal.
But something went wrong.
The King's damaged soul left fractures in the realm. From those cracks, Dark Universe energy leaked in.
Even with all his cultivation, Eryndor couldn't survive.
Not even a genius can stop death when the laws of reality begin to melt.
Suddenly, a translucent screen flickered before my eyes.
"System Integration Complete."
[Soul Anchor Detected.]
[Host: Ethan. Vessel: Eryndor Vaal.]
[Soul Merge Ratio: 87%]
[Protocol Activated: Shattered Genius Rebirth]
[Survive. Rebuild. Ascend.]
I stared at the screen. It displayed a strange script--but somehow, I understood it. My thoughts were being filtered and enhanced.
A flood of information passed through my mind.
The AI system had completely bonded with my soul. Its voice echoed in my thoughts, cold and precise:
-- "Planet-wide scanning possible using Qi interface. Place hand on the ground to initiate scan."
-- "Material analysis enabled. Herbs, elixirs, and minerals can be identified via touch, taste, or energy pulse."
-- "Host retains Eryndor's partial martial memory. Combat techniques, internal meridian maps, and pressure point charts accessible."
-- "Advisory mode active. Danger assessment and tactical guidance available."
The world was becoming clear.
I stood up slowly, trying to orient myself. The translucent screen dimmed and hovered quietly at the edge of my vision.
The ground beneath me was soft. I looked around, taking in the strange trees--tall, bark lined with bioluminescent moss. The wind carried unfamiliar scents. I heard a stream nearby, its gentle flow calming my frantic mind.
Drawn by the sound, I walked cautiously through the underbrush until I reached a river. The water was crystal-clear, running over smooth stones.
I leaned in and saw my reflection.
Silver eyes. Ink-black hair. Faint glowing Qi lines traced across my skin.
A face once known as Eryndor Vaal. A face that had commanded fear and awe.
I touched the water, watching the ripples distort the reflection. My mind buzzed with fragments--his memories, my memories. Overlapping. Fighting for dominance. Slowly merging.
What am I now?
The AI answered unprompted:
[Soul Dominance: Ethan – 57% -- Eryndor – 30% -- Sync Residue – 13%]
[Advisory: Maintain mental stability. Emotional spikes may cause Memory Conflicts. Recommend Meditation Protocol #2.]
I sat by the stream, closed my eyes, and breathed.
Not human. Not him.
Something in between.
And this… was only the beginning.