Nyxaris stood in the bustling streets of Astrid, the largest trade city in Evolvera. But something felt… off.
The air was heavier, the usual ambient sounds of NPC chatter and player interactions were still present, but there was an unnatural stillness beneath it all. His instincts flared—something was watching.
He glanced around. Players rushed to and from shops, unaware of the underlying tension. But then—
[SYSTEM ALERT: GLOBAL EVENT UPDATE!]
[A Mysterious Force Has Begun to Influence Evolvera. Unknown Anomalies Detected. Proceed With Caution.]
Whispers filled the chat channels. Players were confused. What anomalies? Was this a new expansion event? A hidden questline?
But Nyxaris knew better.
This wasn't planned.
It was connected to him.
Before he could investigate further, a voice rang out.
"You again."
Nyxaris turned to see Eleanor, the battle-scarred heroine he had saved during his Trial of Evolution.
He blinked. "Eleanor? What are you doing here?"
The armored woman frowned, adjusting the greatsword on her back. "I should be asking you the same thing. One moment, I was preparing for another battle in my world, and the next… I was here."
Nyxaris' brows furrowed.
That wasn't normal.
NPCs from past events weren't supposed to randomly appear in new locations—especially not outside their own worlds.
"This city…" Eleanor murmured, scanning the surroundings with sharp, calculating eyes. "It feels… strange."
Nyxaris tensed. "Strange how?"
Eleanor hesitated, then looked at him directly. "It's as if something is… rewriting the rules."
A shiver ran down his spine.
That confirmed it.
Evolvera was changing—and it was because of him.
Before Nyxaris could respond, a chilling presence flooded his senses.
His vision blurred, his heartbeat slowed, and for a brief moment—he felt like he was somewhere else.
Somewhere cold.
Somewhere… wrong.
And then—
A voice.
Low. Ancient. Filled with something that wasn't human.
"You should not exist."
Nyxaris gasped, stumbling back.
Eleanor's eyes widened. "Nyxaris?"
But before he could explain—
[SYSTEM WARNING: UNKNOWN FORCE DETECTED.]
[STABILIZING CONNECTION…]
The weight lifted. The city came back into focus.
Nyxaris clenched his fists, breathing heavily.
That voice…
It wasn't from the game.
It wasn't from an NPC.
It was from something else.
Something that didn't want him here.
The moment the sensation faded, another notification popped up.
[NEW QUEST: ECHOES OF THE FORGOTTEN]
Description: A force beyond mortal understanding has noticed you. Find the source before it finds you.
Objective: Investigate the anomalies appearing across Evolvera.
Rewards: ??? (Unknown Tier)
Nyxaris exhaled sharply. No turning back now.
Whatever this was, it was bigger than just a glitch or a hidden questline.
Evolvera itself was changing.
And at the center of it all…
Was him.
Nyxaris took a deep breath, steadying himself. The world around him seemed normal again—players walking by, NPCs going about their routines—but he knew better.
Evolvera was shifting.
And now, something far beyond the game's intended design had taken notice of him.
Eleanor stepped closer, her expression tense. "You heard it too, didn't you?"
Nyxaris turned to her, startled. "You—?"
She nodded. "That voice. It wasn't normal." Her grip on her greatsword tightened. "It was like a whisper in my bones. Something old. Something wrong."
Nyxaris frowned. NPCs weren't supposed to react to system anomalies—at least, not in a way that felt so real.
Zeraldris, the ancient dragon within him, rumbled in his mind.
"This is no mere coincidence. Whatever force has taken an interest in you… it exists beyond this world. Be wary."
Nyxaris' hands clenched into fists.
The system warning. The voice. Eleanor being dragged from her world into Astrid.
None of this was supposed to happen.
He glanced at the quest notification hovering in his vision.
[NEW QUEST: ECHOES OF THE FORGOTTEN]
A force beyond mortal understanding had noticed him.
But why?
And more importantly—what was it planning?
Eleanor exhaled sharply. "You have that look again."
Nyxaris raised an eyebrow. "What look?"
"The one that says you're about to throw yourself into danger without a second thought."
He smirked. "Guilty."
Eleanor sighed, shaking her head. "Then I'm coming with you."
Nyxaris blinked. "Wait—what?"
"You think I'm just going to ignore whatever that was?" She gestured to the sky. "Something ripped me out of my world and threw me here. I'm not leaving until I figure out why."
Nyxaris hesitated. Having Eleanor with him would be an advantage—she was strong, skilled, and her experience as a hero would definitely come in handy.
But…
Was she even supposed to be here?
He glanced at the city around him. What if other NPCs started breaking free from their stories? What if the entire game world began to unravel?
Before he could answer, another notification appeared.
[QUEST UPDATE: ECHOES OF THE FORGOTTEN]
New Objective: Seek out the hidden disturbance in Astrid. The city itself is no longer stable.
Nyxaris cursed under his breath. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.
He turned to Eleanor and nodded. "Fine. But if things get too dangerous—"
"I'm not leaving," she interrupted.
Nyxaris sighed. "Figured you'd say that."
Eleanor smirked. "Then let's get moving."
As they walked through Astrid's streets, Nyxaris couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him.
Zeraldris remained silent, but his presence burned in the back of Nyxaris' mind—like the dragon was bracing for something big.
Eleanor suddenly stopped. "Do you feel that?"
Nyxaris paused.
A low hum filled the air—almost like static. The cobblestone streets beneath them wavered, as if the world itself was… flickering.
Then—
A wave of distortion rippled through the city.
Buildings shuddered, NPCs froze in place, and the sky above glitched, momentarily revealing… something else.
A vast expanse of darkness, filled with countless watching eyes.
Eleanor's breath hitched. "That's—"
Before she could finish, a deep, resonating voice echoed through the air.
"You should not be here."
Nyxaris barely had time to react before the world around them shattered like glass.
When the distortion cleared, Nyxaris found himself in a completely different realm.
The sky was a swirling vortex of black and violet, with towers of shifting stone rising in impossible directions. The air felt thick, almost suffocating.
Eleanor was beside him, her greatsword already drawn. "Where are we?"
Nyxaris checked his map—only to find it completely blank.
"This is no longer Evolvera." Zeraldris' voice rumbled through his mind, filled with grim certainty. "This is something far older… far more dangerous."
A new system prompt appeared.
[WARNING: YOU HAVE ENTERED AN UNIDENTIFIED DOMAIN. SURVIVAL IS NOT GUARANTEED.]
[NEW OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE.]
Nyxaris barely had time to register the message before the ground beneath them erupted.
Shadowy figures emerged from the darkness—distorted, half-formed creatures with glowing red eyes. Their movements were unnatural, as if something was controlling them like puppets on strings.
Then the real threat appeared.
A towering figure materialized from the void, its form twisting and shifting, never fully settling on one shape.
Its voice was a chorus of whispers and screams.
"The Eldros Keys do not belong to you."
Nyxaris' eyes widened.
It knew.
Before he could react, the entity lunged.
Nyxaris blinked away, reappearing fifty meters to the side just as the entity's clawed hand smashed into the ground where he had stood. The impact sent shockwaves through the air, distorting reality itself.
Eleanor charged, her greatsword glowing with golden light. She slashed at the nearest shadow creature, her blade cutting through its unnatural flesh—only for it to reform instantly.
Nyxaris cursed. "They're regenerating!"
Zeraldris' voice cut through the chaos. "Destroy their core essence—physical attacks won't work alone!"
Nyxaris raised his hand. **"Arcane Barrage!"