Chapter 8 – The Second Beginning
Darkness.That was the first thing Arin saw.
No sound, no air — only silence.It felt like he was floating in an endless void, where time itself had stopped.
Then, slowly, a faint light appeared — like a single spark in a sea of black.
Arin's eyes opened.The sky above him was gray, filled with swirling mist. Cold wind brushed his face as he gasped for air.
"Where… am I again?" he muttered weakly.
He looked around — a ruined forest, trees twisted and burned, the ground cracked as if struck by lightning. Nothing familiar.Only that heavy feeling inside his chest — like his heart didn't belong to him anymore.
Suddenly, a voice echoed deep within his mind — calm, hollow, and distant.
"You are dead, Arin Kaito."
His breath caught. "What… who are you?!"
No reply. Only silence.
The air grew colder. Arin could hear his own heartbeat — faint and slow, like it was struggling to exist.
"Dead…? Then why can I still think? Why can I still move?" he whispered.No answer came.
He clenched his fists, anger mixing with confusion."Then what do I do now? Just… stay here?"
The moment he spoke those words — a deep mechanical chime echoed in his head.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATION COMPLETE][Welcome, User: Arin Kaito][Status Synchronizing…]
A blue screen flickered before his eyes — transparent, glowing faintly.Arin stepped back in shock.
Name: Arin KaitoAge: 15Race: Human (??? - Incomplete)Title: NoneClass: —Skills: UnknownCondition: Soul Stabilizing (34%)System Level: 1
Arin stared at it, completely stunned."A… system? Like in those games?"
The interface pulsed again — as if responding to his thought.
[Yes. This world functions under the Laws of Echo.][Your system has awakened through death.]
"Through… death?" he repeated slowly.He remembered that blinding light, the lake, Lyra's voice — and then, nothing.
"So I really… died?"
The wind rustled through the forest again. No one answered.
Arin took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.If this "system" had chosen him, then maybe it meant something. Maybe this was his second life.
He whispered softly, "Alright then… show me what I can do."
The screen flickered again — faintly glowing, as if smiling.
[Tutorial Initiating: Path of the Necromancer]
A dark wind swirled around Arin's feet, and the shadows beneath him rippled — alive.
For the first time, his eyes glowed faintly — one blue, one black.
A new beginning had just started.