Darkness surrounded me.
Why?
The question echoed endlessly, unanswered.
Five thousand years.
Five thousand years of running, dying, awakening, repeating.
No matter the era.
No matter the body.
No matter how far I fled.
The system followed.
"I never chose this…" I muttered, as my voice echoed in the darkness.
Memories surfaced—worlds burned, companions erased, names forgotten by time. Every life ended the same way.
Power was never a gift. It was a curse.
The darkness pulsed in response, reacting to my thoughts. It recognized me. Accepted me as if the shadows themselves knew I belonged among them.
My fists clenched.
"If I'm cursed," I whispered, lightning flickering beneath the shadows, "then I'll make this curse fear me."
The darkness stilled.
[System message]
[Have you forgotten that it was you who called me? ]
"Huh"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT." I yelled at the top of my lungs.
[System message]
[It's been so many years, yet you still don't understand?]
[You should have let her die]
[This is the price you must pay]
My breath grew shallow. Memories I had buried clawed their way back to the surface—blood-soaked hands, a broken body in my arms, and a scream that wasn't mine… but hers.
"I called you?" I whispered, my voice shaking now. "No… that's impossible."
My vision snapped back.
"Hey."
A voice cut through the void.
"Wake him up."