.
The Price of Power
Arora awoke screaming.
Golden chains of light coiled around his arms, searing his skin like molten metal.
The system screen burned crimson in his vision:
Reality Destabilization Penalty
Forced Stabilization Protocol Engaged.
Punishment: Soulbrand (Duration: 48 hours)
Effect:
All abilities locked.
Pain multiplier x10.
Reward Upon Survival: Vitality +20, Willpower +15
He collapsed onto the floor of Gerren's hut, gasping. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass. Liora whined, pressing her warm muzzle against his cheek as the chains faded, leaving glowing runes etched into his flesh.
"Stupid… system," Arora hissed, clutching his chest. "You call this a reward?"
But the pain had a strange clarity to it. His senses sharpened – he could hear villagers whispering outside, smell herbs drying in the next room, feel the faint hum of energy in the air.
Survive, he told himself.
Then get stronger.
The Village of Thalara
Three days passed.
Between waves of agony, Arora explored the village. Thalara was small – thirty wooden huts with roofs of woven glowvine, surrounded by fields of bioluminescent wheat. The villagers eyed him with wary awe, whispering "Worldshaper" as he passed.
Gerren became his shadow, explaining the world's basics between Arora's pain-induced blackouts:
The realm was called Veyra.
"Harbingers" were corrupted beasts spreading from the northern wastes.
The last Worldshaper died defying an empire now forgotten
But it was Mira who shattered Arora's defenses.
The Old Woman
He found her in the village square, hunched over a loom. Her hair was snow-white, her hands gnarled with arthritis, but her eyes – sharp and amber – froze him in place.
Mother.
The resemblance was uncanny. Same stubborn set to the jaw. Same faint scar above the brow.
"Sit, boy," Mira rasped, not looking up. "You're blocking the light."
He sat. The loom's rhythmic click-clack soothed his throbbing scars. She wove a tapestry showing a lion-eagle soaring over mountains.
Liora.
"You control life and death now," Mira said suddenly. "Will you weave beauty or bloodshed?"
Arora's chest tightened. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
She snorted. "The Harbinger's corpse says otherwise."
Her hands trembled as she thrust a shuttle into his grip. "Weave."
He tried. The threads tangled instantly.
Mira laughed – a warm, raspy sound that made his eyes sting.
Just like Mom's laugh.
The Reflection
That night, Arora faced a mirror for the first time.
Gerren's hut had a polished obsidian slab hanging by the door. In his old world, Arora had been lean and scarred, with hair prematurely grayed by stress. The man staring back was a stranger.
Youthful. Unmarred.
High cheekbones, eyes like liquid gold (a system side-effect?), hair black as voidstone.
He wore Veyran clothes now – a sleeveless tunic of iridescent spider-silk, trousers reinforced with dragonhide, and a cloak lined with Liora's shed feathers. The outfit should've looked absurd, but it exuded quiet authority.
Like a king from a fairy tale.
"Vanity suits you," Gerren teased, entering with a tray of food.
Arora flushed. "I… didn't recognize myself."
"The Worldshaper's power remakes flesh. You'll get used to it."
But Arora kept staring.
This face – is it even mine anymore?
The Training
When the Soulbrand lifted, the system greeted him coldly:
Punishment Complete.Rewards:
Vitality: 100 → 120
Willpower: 20 → 35
New Perk: Pain Resistance (Basic)
Arora stood in the forest clearing, Liora at his side. The quill felt heavier now.
"Let's try something small," he muttered.
He wrote:
[Create a floating light.]
Energy cost: 1.
A orb of golden light appeared, bobbing like a firefly.
Simple. Safe.
Next:
[Lift that rock.] (Energy: 3)
The stone hovered, wobbling.
[Heat the air.] (Energy: 5)
Sweat dripped down his neck as the temperature rose.
By sunset, he'd learned:
Energy costs scaled with complexity.
Direct effects (heat, force) were cheaper than conjuring objects.
The system hated paradoxes.
Requesting [A sword that cuts anything] drained 50 Energy and failed.
But progress came.
His Reality Edit rank inched upward, and the villagers began asking for help.
The BondsKael, a boy of twelve with a lame leg, became his shadow.
"Can you fix my leg, Worldshaper?" he asked one morning, eyes too old for his face.
Arora checked the system.
[Heal Kael's leg] – Cost: 25 Energy.
He hesitated. "It'll hurt."
"I don't care!"
Arora wrote the command.
Kael screamed as bone cracked and reknit. But when it ended, the boy took his first unaided steps… and hugged Arora so tightly his ribs ached.
Mira taught him to weave, her hands guiding his. "Power is a thread," she said. "Pull too hard, it snaps."
Gerren made him taste bizarre foods. "Eat the firepepper! It'll make your breath burn demons!"
And Liora – always watching, always loyal.
The Test
A week later, screams tore through the night.
A child had fallen into a sinkhole, the earth collapsing as toxic gas billowed upward.
Arora sprinted, villagers at his heels. The system calculated:
[Save the child] – Estimated Cost: 60 Energy (Current: 72/100)
But the ground trembled, the hole widening. Families sobbed. Kael gripped Arora's arm. "Please!"
He wrote:
[Stabilize the earth. Purify the air. Lift the child safely.]
Energy drained violently. 60… 65… 70…
The Soulbrand runes flared, agony spiking through him. But he held on.
The child rose, cradled in golden light, as the villagers cheered.
System Alert!
Level Up! (3 → 5)
New Ability: Energy Efficiency (Reduces cost by 10%)
Villager Reputation: Beloved
Title Updated: Worldshaper of Thalara
Mira found him retching in the woods afterward.
"You pushed too hard," she chided, wiping his brow with a cloth.
"Had to," he gasped.
She sighed. "You're just like my son. Stubborn. Kind. Gone too soon."
Arora froze. "What happened to him?"
"The Harbingers." Her voice broke. "Remember, boy – power means nothing if you're alone."
He helped her back to the village, her weight leaning into his.
I won't let this family die too.
The Calm Before
That night, the system delivered a warning:
Adaptive Protocol Complete.Next Trial Available: Confront the Storm.
Location: Northern Wastes (3 Days' Journey)
Objective: Stabilize the Reality Tear.
Arora packed quietly, Liora nuzzling his hand.
Kael sneaked in, clutching a crudely woven bracelet. "For luck."
Mira gave him a new cloak – her tapestry of Liora, now enchanted to repel heat.
Gerren pressed a dagger into his palm. "Come back alive."
As Arora left, he glanced at the village one last time.
This is worth protecting.
The system's chains hummed, not with pain… but purpose.