The world ended in a flash of green light and the smell of ozone. One moment, Astraeus Ren was standing in the Valdris ruins, trying to decipher the crumbling glyphs on a forgotten altar. The next, he was on his knees, a searing pain in his chest and the sound of his own heart failing in his ears. He looked down to see a hand—not his own—phasing through his chest, its fingers wrapped around his still-beating heart. The hand belonged to a creature of shadow and malice, a being that called itself Kha'Zul.
"You were not meant to be here, little mage," the shadow whispered, its voice a chorus of dying stars. "But your life force will make a fine appetizer."
Astraeus tried to scream, to cast a spell, to do anything other than die, but his body wouldn't obey. His vision tunneled, the ancient ruins fading to black. The last thing he saw was the triumphant grin on the shadow's face as it squeezed, and then there was only darkness.
He woke with a gasp, his lungs burning as if he'd been holding his breath for an eternity. He was lying on the cold stone floor of the ruins, but something was different. The air was still, the scent of ozone gone. The pain in his chest was a dull ache, a memory rather than a reality. He sat up, his hands instinctively going to his chest, but there was no wound, no blood, not even a tear in his robes.
[System Initializing...]
[Welcome, Host. You have been chosen as the new Reality Anchor.]
A feminine voice, calm and melodic, echoed in his mind. It wasn't Kha'Zul's dying-star whisper. This was something else, something clean and structured.
"What... what is this?" Astraeus stammered, looking around the empty ruins. "Who's there?"
[I am the God System. I have resurrected you to fulfill a critical function. The previous Reality Anchor was destroyed. Without a replacement, this dimension will collapse.]
"Reality Anchor?" Astraeus repeated, his mind reeling. "I don't understand. I was just killed. That thing... Kha'Zul..."
[The entity you refer to as Kha'Zul is a Demon King from a decaying dimension. His attempt to consume your life force triggered a failsafe protocol. To save this reality, I was forced to bind him to your soul. He is now your responsibility.]
As if on cue, a new voice—this one familiar and filled with rage—erupted in his mind. You! You did this to me! Trapped me in this mortal shell! When I get out, I will devour your soul and then your entire pathetic world!
"Kha'Zul?" Astraeus whispered, a cold dread washing over him. He wasn't just alive; he was sharing his body with the monster that had killed him.
[Correct. The Demon King is now your symbiote. His power is your power. His knowledge is your knowledge. But be warned, Host. If you die, he will be released, and this world will be his to consume. Your survival is now paramount.]
Astraeus stumbled to his feet, his legs shaking. He could feel Kha'Zul's rage simmering beneath his own consciousness, a constant, burning pressure. He could also feel a new strength coursing through his veins, a power he'd never known before. It was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure.
[New Quest Issued: Return to Civilization]
[Objective: Reach the city of Thornhaven and report to the Mage's Guild.]
[Reward: 100 System Points, Basic Information Packet]
"Thornhaven?" Astraeus said, the name a distant memory. "That's a week's journey from here."
A week you won't survive, Kha'Zul sneered in his mind. This body is weak, fragile. The first wild beast we encounter will tear you apart.
"We'll see about that," Astraeus muttered, his fear giving way to a flicker of defiance. He wasn't the same person who had died on this floor. He was something more, something stronger. He had to be.
He started walking, his steps unsteady at first, then more confident as he moved through the ruins and out into the surrounding forest. The sun was setting, casting long shadows that seemed to twist and writhe in his peripheral vision. He knew he needed to find shelter, to make a fire, to do all the things a traveler in the wilderness should do. But all he could think about was the rage in his mind and the power in his veins.
That night, he was attacked by a pack of void hounds, creatures of shadow and teeth that hunted in the twilight hours. The old Astraeus would have frozen, would have been torn to shreds before he could even cast a spell. The new Astraeus was different.
As the hounds closed in, their red eyes glowing in the darkness, Kha'Zul's voice echoed in his mind. Use my power, you fool! Let the chaos flow through you! Destroy them!
Astraeus didn't need to be told twice. He reached out, not with his own magic, but with the chaotic energy that now resided in his soul. A torrent of black and purple energy erupted from his hand, not a spell he'd learned, but something raw, something primal. It struck the lead hound, and the creature didn't just die; it unraveled, its form twisting and distorting until it was nothing more than a puddle of screaming, molten shadow.
The other hounds recoiled, their predatory instincts overwhelmed by a primal fear. They turned and fled, disappearing into the darkness as quickly as they had appeared.
Astraeus stood there, his hand still outstretched, his heart pounding. He had just erased a living creature from existence. And it had felt... good.
See? Kha'Zul said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. That is true power. The power of a king. The power you now wield. Embrace it, boy. It is the only thing that will keep you alive.
Astraeus looked at his hand, then at the spot where the hound had been. He was a monster. A monster with the power to unmake reality. And he was the only thing standing between his world and utter annihilation.
He took a deep breath, the cold night air doing little to calm his racing heart. He had a long journey ahead of him. A journey to Thornhaven, a journey to understand what he had become, a journey to learn how to control the demon in his soul.
And he had a feeling it was going to be a very, very long journey indeed.