CHAPTER 1: THE NEW UNIVERSE AND FIFTEEN PLANETS
IT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS TWELVE.
ONE MOMENT, I WAS STARING AT A GLOWING STATUS WINDOW THAT HAD SUDDENLY OPENED BEFORE MY EYES—SHIMMERING WITH STRANGE SYMBOLS AND A COUNTDOWN.
3... 2... 1...
AND THEN... A SURGE OF COLOR—BRILLIANT AND BLINDING—SWALLOWED ME WHOLE.
WHEN I OPENED MY EYES AGAIN, I WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE ENTIRELY. A VAST WORLD STRETCHED BEFORE ME, WILDER THAN ANY DREAM OR NIGHTMARE.
AND HOVERING BEFORE ME, STILL GLOWING, WAS THE STATUS WINDOW.
[WELCOME, ACE.]
THE WORDS PULSED SOFTLY AS IF THEY WERE ALIVE.
[YOU HAVE ENTERED THE UNIVERSE OF SANILVAM. PLANET 1 OF 15: NEKAR.]
BELOW THAT, MORE LINES FOLLOWED:
THIS WORLD IS RULED BY BEASTS. TO PROGRESS, DEFEAT THE PLANETARY RULER. ONLY THEN WILL THE PATH TO THE NEXT WORLD OPEN. CONQUER ALL FIFTEEN, AND YOU MAY RETURN TO YOUR OWN UNIVERSE.
I WAS TOO STUNNED TO PANIC. I BLINKED, TOOK A BREATH, AND REALIZED I WAS SURROUNDED BY AN ENDLESS FOREST. TREES TOWERED ABOVE ME IN EVERY DIRECTION, ANCIENT AND SILENT.
NO BEASTS. NO PEOPLE. JUST THE WIND.
I WANDERED FOR HOURS—TEN AT LEAST—THROUGH THE WILD, SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING, ANYTHING. EVENTUALLY, I STUMBLED ACROSS A RIVER AND, WITHOUT THINKING, FELL TO MY KNEES AND DRANK.
IT WAS… SWEET. SWEETER THAN ANY WATER I HAD EVER TASTED. LIKE SUGAR HAD BEEN DISSOLVED INTO IT BY THE WORLD ITSELF.
AFTERWARD, I FOLLOWED THE RIVER UPSTREAM FOR WHAT FELT LIKE FOUR MORE HOURS. THE SUN HADN'T MOVED AN INCH. THAT'S WHEN I BEGAN TO SUSPECT SOMETHING WAS STRANGE ABOUT TIME ON THIS PLANET.
"WHY HAVEN'T I SEEN ANY BEASTS YET?"
CHAPTER 2: WHISPERS FROM THE PAST, TRUTHS OF THE PRESENT
AS I WANDERED FURTHER ALONG THE RIVERBANK, THE SILENCE STILL LINGERED. NOT A SINGLE BEAST IN SIGHT. JUST TREES, ENDLESS TREES, AND THE STEADY MURMUR OF THE CURRENT BESIDE ME.
EXHAUSTED, I COLLAPSED BENEATH A MASSIVE TREE BY THE RIVERBANK. AND WITH THE QUIET HUM OF THE WATER BESIDE ME, I FINALLY ASKED ALOUD:
THAT'S WHEN THE STATUS WINDOW SHIMMERED AGAIN.
[YOU ARE CURRENTLY WITHIN THE DOMAIN OF A POWERFUL BEAST.]
I STOPPED.
"…THAT'S WHY I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY OF THE OTHERS, ISN'T IT?"
[EXACTLY. WEAKER BEASTS INSTINCTIVELY AVOID THIS AREA. YOU'RE IN ITS TERRITORY. NOT THE FRIENDLIEST REAL ESTATE, I'LL ADMIT.]
I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO LAUGH OR PANIC.
"…BUT I'VE BEEN STRANGELY CALM THIS WHOLE TIME. LIKE I KNOW WHAT TO DO TO SURVIVE. WHY?"
[THAT'S NO COINCIDENCE, ACE. YOU WERE GIFTED A SET OF SURVIVAL SKILLS BEFORE YOUR TRANSFER TO THIS UNIVERSE. IT WAS THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD MAKE IT HERE ALONE.]
"SKILLS…?" I OPENED THE STATUS WINDOW AGAIN. THAT'S WHEN I SAW IT—GLOWING AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.
[PRIMARY SKILL UNLOCKED: INSTINCT OF THE ANCIENT]
A FORGOTTEN GIFT WHISPERED DOWN THROUGH THE BLOODLINES OF THE FIRST SURVIVORS. WHEN ACTIVATED, THE USER INHERITS THE PRIMAL WISDOM OF ANCIENT SOULS—GUIDING EACH DECISION WITH THE CERTAINTY OF THOSE WHO'VE OUTLIVED DEATH ITSELF.
THE DESCRIPTION ALONE MADE MY CHEST TIGHTEN. THERE WAS SOMETHING HEAVY—HOLY—ABOUT IT.
"WHAT DOES IT… INCLUDE?"
[SUB-SKILLS ACTIVATED:]
—PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT
GRANTS NEAR-ANIMAL REFLEXES. YOU'LL KNOW WHEN TO FLEE, WHEN TO FIGHT, AND WHEN TO WAIT. LIES, TRAPS, DANGER—YOU'LL FEEL THEM BEFORE THEY FIND YOU.
—FORESIGHT PULSE
A MOMENT. A SPARK. A FLASH OF INSIGHT BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES. IT WON'T SHOW THE FUTURE—BUT IT'LL GIVE YOU THE RIGHT MOMENT TO ACT.
—DIVINE ADAPTATION
A BLESSING WOVEN INTO YOUR SOUL. THE WORLD WILL TWIST AND BEND—BUT THIS SKILL ENSURES YOU BEND WITH IT. SURVIVAL IS NOT A QUESTION—IT'S YOUR NATURE.
—WHISPERS OF SURVIVAL
VOICES IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND—HALF MEMORY, HALF MAGIC. THEY'LL SPEAK ONLY WHEN YOU'RE TRULY IN DANGER. SOFT. URGENT. WISE.
THERE WERE COMBAT SKILLS TOO, BUT THOSE WOULD COME IN TIME. RIGHT NOW, I FELT... LESS ALONE. LIKE SOMETHING ANCIENT HAD ITS HAND ON MY SHOULDER.
"YOU GAVE ME THESE?" I ASKED QUIETLY.
[NOT ME EXACTLY. BUT... LET'S SAY I WAS BORN TO CARRY THEM TO YOU.]
THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.
"NUMEN… WHAT ARE YOU, REALLY?"
[AH. THAT'S A LONG STORY. WANT TO HEAR A TALE AS OLD AS EXISTENCE ITSELF?]
"I'VE GOT TIME."
[GOOD. BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO NEED EVERY SECOND OF IT.]
AS I RESTED UNDER A GIANT TREE, SLEEP EVENTUALLY TOOK ME. WHEN I WOKE, THE SUN WAS STILL HANGING IN THE SAME PLACE IN THE SKY. MY BODY FELT RESTED... BUT SOMETHING FELT OFF.
"HOW LONG WAS I ASLEEP?"
[FOURTEEN HOURS.]
"…AND THE SUN?"
[STILL UP. IT DOESN'T SET ON NEKAR.]
"…OF COURSE IT DOESN'T."
I PICKED UP MY PACE, CONTINUING UPSTREAM. "LET'S GO BACK TO THE SKILLS. YOU SAID THE OTHERS NEED LEVELING?"
[CORRECT. ONLY 'INSTINCT OF THE ANCIENT' IS AT MAX LEVEL. THE REST? YOU'LL NEED TO GROW THEM YOURSELF. BUT HEY—YOU'VE GOT ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD.]
"WAIT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"
[OH, RIGHT. YOU DON'T AGE HERE.]
I FROZE.
"…WHAT?"
[LET ME EXPLAIN. YOU'RE NOT EXACTLY IN A NORMAL WORLD ANYMORE, ACE. TIME DOESN'T FLOW THE SAME, AND YOUR BODY IS... WELL, PRESERVED. YOU COULD SAY YOU'RE ON A DIVINE TIMELINE NOW.]
"…WHY?"
[BECAUSE OF THE GODS. OR RATHER... SOMETHING FAR OLDER.]
AND SO, THE STORY BEGAN.
[THERE ARE MILLIONS OF BEINGS CALLED 'GODS' ACROSS THE UNIVERSES. BUT MOST OF THEM? THEY'RE ACTUALLY TRANSCENDENTS—BEINGS WHO SURPASSED HUMAN LIMITS. SOME WERE MORTALS WHO REACHED THEIR PEAK THROUGH FAITH, MAGIC, OR SHEER WILL. OTHERS WERE INCARNATIONS OF REAL GODS, SENT TO CARRY OUT DIVINE WORK.]
I BLINKED, TRYING TO ABSORB IT ALL. "SO THERE ARE GODS?"
[OF COURSE. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE HERE.]
"…BECAUSE OF THEM?"
[YES. BUT NOT JUST ANY GODS. ABOVE ALL BEINGS, THERE EXISTS ONE SUPREME GOD. BENEATH HER ARE THE THREE ANCIENT GODS. AND BELOW THEM—TWELVE PRIMORDIAL GODS, EACH HOLDING DOMINION OVER DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE MULTIVERSE. AFTER THEM COME THE TRANSCENDENTS.]
I SAT DOWN BESIDE THE RIVER AGAIN. "SO... WHO BROUGHT ME HERE?"
[THAT STORY BEGINS IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE.]
THERE WAS A WORLD WHERE MAGIC HAD EVOLVED TO TERRIFYING HEIGHTS. A PLANET RULED BY ARCHMAGES OF THE TENTH CIRCLE—BEINGS SO POWERFUL, THEY WERE KNOCKING AT THE GATES OF GODHOOD.
THEY BUILT A BARRIER, FUELED BY THEIR MAGIC AND THE SUPPORT OF COUNTLESS TRANSCENDENTS. IT WAS SO STRONG, EVEN TWO PRIMORDIAL GODS TOGETHER COULDN'T DESTROY IT.
AND YET, THEIR AMBITION GREW. THEY BEGAN RESEARCHING HOW TO SURPASS EVEN THE TRANSCENDENTS. BUT IN THEIR HUNGER FOR POWER, THEIR MINDS TWISTED.
MADNESS SPREAD. AND WORSE—THEIR UNSTABLE MANA BEGAN LEAKING THROUGH THE CRACKS OF REALITY, INFECTING OTHER UNIVERSES.
THAT TAINTED MANA MANIFESTED INTO BEASTS—CREATURES BORN FROM CORRUPTED ENERGY, TEARING THROUGH PLANETS LIKE WILDFIRE. WITH EVERY KILL, THEY GREW MORE INTELLIGENT. SOME EVEN BEGAN TO SPEAK. OTHERS… BEGAN TO WIELD MAGIC FROM THE VERY HEARTS THEY WERE BORN WITH.
THE PRIMORDIALS TRIED TO STOP THEM. BUT THE BEASTS MULTIPLIED. PLANETS FELL. GALAXIES CRUMBLED.
EVENTUALLY, THE PRIMORDIAL GODS SOUGHT HELP FROM THE ANCIENT GODS.
AND THE ANCIENT GODS ACTED.
[THEY GATHERED ALL THE BEASTS AND SEALED THEM WITHIN A SINGLE, APOCALYPTIC UNIVERSE. BUT SEALING WASN'T ENOUGH. THEY NEEDED A SOLUTION.]
"AND THAT'S WHERE… I COME IN?"
[YES. BUT BEFORE THAT... THEY NEEDED SOMETHING MORE.]
A NEW KIND OF ENERGY. ONE THAT WOULD ALLOW MORTALS TO TRACK THEIR GROWTH, MEASURE THEIR STRENGTH, AND PUSH PAST THEIR LIMITS.
PRIMORDIAL GOD DYAUS PITA PROPOSED THE CONCEPT. GOD VARUNA REFINED IT—SUGGESTING A SYSTEM. A NUMERICAL STRUCTURE, AN INTERFACE THAT COULD HELP BEINGS UNDERSTAND THEIR EVOLUTION.
AND SO, THE TWELVE PRIMORDIAL GODS AND THE THREE ANCIENT GODS COMBINED THEIR DIVINE ENERGY.
THEY DIDN'T JUST MAKE A TOOL.
THEY BIRTHED A BEING.
[THEY CALLED IT… NUMEN.]
AN ENTITY FORGED FROM MYTH. ENERGY WRAPPED IN WILL. A LIVING ESSENCE DESIGNED TO EMPOWER, GUIDE, AND GROW ALONGSIDE THOSE CHOSEN TO WIELD IT.
BUT NUMEN, BEING PURE ENERGY, COULDN'T SUSTAIN ITSELF.
IT NEEDED A HOST.
A HEART STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAR IT.
A SOUL UNTOUCHED BY CORRUPTION.
A VESSEL BORN NOT FROM DIVINE LINEAGE—BUT FROM SOMETHING FAR RARER…
HUMAN POTENTIAL.
AND THEN…
THEY FELT IT.
A RIPPLE.
A FLICKER.
A PRESENCE GLOWING LIKE A STAR IN THE FOG.
FROM A LITTLE BLUE WORLD CALLED EARTH.
[AND THAT PRESENCE... WAS YOU, ACE.]
THEY THOUGHT IT WAS WILL OF SUPREME SO THEY DECIDED TO ACCEPT IT
-GUESS WHO IT WAS POINTING AT
-WHO DON'T TELL ME IT WAS ME
- YEAH AND I AM THE GREAT NUMEN WHO WAS THE FIRST SYSTEM TO BE MADE IN THE MULTIVERSE BUT MY POWER IS SEALED
-WHY
-BECAUSE YOUR BODY CANT HANDLE THEM THAT'SWHY YOU WERE SENT HERE TO BE STRONGER TO HOLD MY POWER FULLY SO THAT I CAN GIVE MY POWER TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO WILL USE IT TO BECOME STRONGER
-SO YOU MEAN THE FATE OF MULTIVERS LIES IN ME THAT'S VERY…. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
-YEAH DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT JUST FOCUS ON GETTING ON STRONGER
-SEEMS LIKE I HAVE TO, I LIKE IT OR NOT
CHAPTER 3: WHISPERS OF SURVIVAL
THE FOREST WAS QUIET—TOO QUIET. EACH STEP I TOOK RUSTLED DRY LEAVES, ECHOING UNNATURALLY UNDER THE CANOPY OF TWISTED TREES. ABOVE, THE SUN BLAZED IN PLACE, UNMOVING. IT HAD BEEN HOURS—NO, DAYS—AND IT HADN'T BUDGED.
"NUMEN," I MUTTERED, BRUSHING A STRAND OF SWEAT-SOAKED HAIR OFF MY BROW, "WHY IS THE SUN STILL UP? HOW LONG WAS I ASLEEP?"
[YOU WERE ASLEEP FOR 14 HOURS. THIS PLANET'S SUN DOESN'T SET—NOT LIKE ON EARTH. IT STAYS IN THE SKY, CIRCLING SLOWER THAN YOU'RE USED TO.]
I BLINKED. "THAT'S... DISORIENTING."
[YOU'LL GET USED TO IT. YOU'RE ADAPTING FASTER THAN EXPECTED. THAT'S ONE OF YOUR GIFTS.]
"GIFTS?"
[YES. BEFORE YOU WERE TRANSPORTED TO THIS UNIVERSE, YOU WERE GRANTED SURVIVAL SKILLS—UNIQUE ONES, FORGED BY THE GODS. YOUR MOST IMPORTANT ONE IS INSTINCT OF THE ANCIENT.]
I PAUSED. SOMETHING ABOUT THAT NAME STIRRED A PRIMAL CERTAINTY IN MY CHEST.
[A FORGOTTEN GIFT WHISPERED DOWN THROUGH THE BLOODLINES OF THE FIRST SURVIVORS. WHEN ACTIVATED, THE USER INHERITS THE PRIMAL WISDOM OF ANCIENT SOULS—GUIDING EACH DECISION WITH THE CERTAINTY OF THOSE WHO'VE OUTLIVED DEATH ITSELF.]
SUB-SKILLS:
PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT — ALMOST ANIMALISTIC REFLEXES AND PERCEPTION. KNOWS WHEN TO FLEE, WHEN TO FIGHT, WHEN TO WAIT. DETECTS LIES AND TRAPS BY 'FEELING' WRONGNESS.
FORESIGHT PULSE — A FLASH OF WARNING JUST BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES.
DIVINE ADAPTATION — YOUR SOUL BENDS TO SURVIVE THE IMPOSSIBLE. EVEN IF THE WORLD CHANGES, YOUR BEING CHANGES TO MATCH IT.
WHISPERS OF SURVIVAL — SOFT, URGENT VOICES IN THE BACK OF THE MIND—HALF MEMORY, HALF MAGIC. THEY SPEAK ONLY WHEN SURVIVAL IS UNCERTAIN.
"THAT EXPLAINS WHY I'VE FELT CALM… WHY I KNEW HOW TO ACT."
[EXACTLY. YOUR INSTINCTS HAVE BEEN GUIDING YOU. YOU WERE NEVER DROPPED HERE ALONE, NOT TRULY. AND… YOU WON'T AGE. YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THIS WORLD.]
"WAIT, WHAT?! NOT AGING?"
[AH, RIGHT. LET ME EXPLAIN. YOU KNOW HOW THERE ARE MILLIONS OF 'GODS' IN THIS UNIVERSE?]
"YEAH."
[WELL, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE TRULY GODS. MANY ARE TRANSCENDENTS—HUMANS WHO BROKE PAST MORTAL LIMITS THROUGH FAITH, WILL, OR DIVINE FUSION. ABOVE THEM ARE TWELVE PRIMORDIAL GODS, AND ABOVE THEM, THREE ANCIENT GODS. AT THE PEAK IS THE SUPREME GOD HERSELF.]
"SO… WHO BROUGHT ME HERE?"
[THE STORY BEGINS IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE—A PLANET WHERE MAGIC ADVANCED TO THE POINT OF CREATING 10TH CIRCLE ARCHMAGES, POWERFUL ENOUGH TO RIVAL TRANSCENDENTS. THESE MAGES BUILT A BARRIER SO STRONG, NOT EVEN TWO PRIMORDIAL GODS TOGETHER COULD DESTROY IT. THEY WANTED TO BECOME GODS THEMSELVES. BUT THEIR EXPERIMENTS WENT TOO FAR.]
NUMEN'S VOICE GREW SOMBER.
[MANA BEGAN LEAKING ACROSS UNIVERSES, BIRTHING ABOMINATIONS—BEASTS SHAPED BY TWISTED MANA. PLANETS FELL. TRANSCENDENTS PLEADED WITH THE PRIMORDIALS FOR HELP. AFTER CENTURIES OF WAR, EVEN THEY COULDN'T CONTAIN THE DESTRUCTION. SO THE ANCIENT GODS SEALED THE BEASTS INTO AN APOCALYPTIC UNIVERSE… THIS ONE.]
"SO WHY ME?"
[TO FIGHT BACK. THE GODS DEVISED A SOLUTION: AN ENTITY FORGED FROM THEIR COMBINED ENERGY—ONE WHO COULD GUIDE CHOSEN BEINGS TO GROW STRONGER THROUGH BATTLE. THAT ENTITY… IS ME, NUMEN. BUT I COULDN'T SUSTAIN MYSELF WITHOUT A HUMAN VESSEL. YOU WERE CHOSEN—BECAUSE EVEN THE GODS FELT SOMETHING IN YOU. A RESONANCE.]
THE FOREST OPENED TO A SWEET-WATER RIVER. I'D WALKED TEN HOURS, AND HUNGER HIT ME LIKE A STORM. I COLLAPSED NEAR THE BANK.
"NUMEN… HELP ME OUT HERE."
[THERE ARE FISH IN THIS RIVER. ODD, SINCE IT'S SWEET WATER—BUT POSSIBLE. YOU CAN CATCH SOME.]
"HOW? I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING."
[TAKE YOUR SHIRT. TIE OFF THE NECK, KNOT THE SLEEVES. USE IT LIKE A NET.]
I FOLLOWED HIS INSTRUCTIONS. AFTER A FEW TRIES, I CAUGHT THREE FISH—ONE SHIMMERING GOLDEN.
"PRETTY… BUT I'M STARVING."
[COOK IT. DRY LEAVES, WOOD, AND FLINT.]
"WHAT'S FLINT?"
[A SHARP, GLASSY GRAY ROCK. YOU'LL FIND SOME ON THE RIVERBANK.]
I GATHERED WOOD, FOUND FLINT, AND SPARKED A FIRE. THE FISH SIZZLED ON A GREEN STICK. AS I BIT INTO THE GOLDEN ONE, HEAT SURGED THROUGH MY VEINS.
"N-NUMEN! IT'S… HOT—WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
[IT ABSORBED MANA—LIKE A BEAST. YOUR BODY'S ADJUSTING. YOU CAN ENDURE THIS.]
I GRITTED MY TEETH. TWO HOURS OF FIRE IN MY BLOOD… THEN IT PASSED.
"WHY DIDN'T MY INSTINCTS STOP ME?"
[BECAUSE THEY KNEW YOU COULD SURVIVE. AND GROW.]
FORTY-FIVE DAYS PASSED. I LIVED BY THE RIVER—FISHING, COOKING, SURVIVING. MORE GOLDEN FISH. NO MORE BURNING. I'D ADAPTED.
"YOUR MANA CAPACITY'S RISING," NUMEN SAID ONE DAY. [SOON, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SHAPE IT. BUT LET'S TRAIN FIRST. WE BEGIN WITH THE BOW.]
I BUILT ONE WITH NUMEN'S HELP. PRACTICED DAILY.
SIX MONTHS: ACCURATE SHOTS.
THREE YEARS: CONSECUTIVE BULLS-EYES.
TEN YEARS: A HUNDRED ARROWS IN ONE BREATH.
FIFTY YEARS: A THOUSAND ARROWS IN ONE BREATH
[TIME FOR MOVING TARGETS.]
THREE HUNDRED YEARS LATER—I WAS A MASTER. NO TARGET COULD ESCAPE ME.
[NOW, TIME TO FEEL MANA.]
I SAT CROSS-LEGGED. THOUGHT OF GOLDEN FISH. A FLICKER… A MEMORY. MY FAMILY. EARTH. ALL SLIPPING INTO A BLUR.
"WILL I FORGET THEM?"
[NEVER. YOUR SKILLS PRESERVE MEMORY. WHEN YOU RETURN, IT WILL BE LIKE NO TIME PASSED.]
ONE MONTH LATER, I GRASPED MANA. MY VESSELS TORE FROM THE PRESSURE. I SCREAMED.
THEN—
SKILL UNLOCKED: PERSISTENCE OF THE UNDYING WILL
TYPE: PASSIVE/ACTIVE HYBRID
RARITY: COSMIC/TRANSCENDENT (BEYOND MYTHIC)
ORIGIN: GIFTED ONLY TO THOSE WHO HAVE DEFIED FATE ITSELF.
MY BLOOD VESSELS TRANSFORMED. I BECAME… DIFFERENT. I BEGAN HUNTING BEASTS. ONE BY ONE.
FIVE HUNDRED YEARS PASSED. MANA BENT TO MY WILL. I IMBUED ARROWS, SHAPED FLAME, FROST, LIGHTNING.
THEN I TRAINED MOBILITY.
SKILL UNLOCKED: BLINKSTORM TRANSCENDENCE
TYPE: ACTIVE/PASSIVE/ULTIMATE
RARITY: COSMIC/TRANSCENDENT (BEYOND MYTHIC)
ORIGIN: SAID TO BE BORN FROM A GOD WHO GOT BORED OF WALKING.
THEN SWORDSMANSHIP.
SKILL UNLOCKED: NULL EDGE: ABSOLUTE SEVERANCE
TYPE: ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE / REALITY-BREAKER
RARITY: EX-CONCEPTUAL/PRIMORDIAL (BEYOND TRANSCENDENT)
ORIGIN: A SWORD TECHNIQUE WHISPERED INTO EXISTENCE WHEN A DYING STAR DREAMED OF CUTTING FATE ITSELF.
I MASTERED EVERY WEAPON I COULD FIND—DAGGERS, SPEARS, STAVES, EVEN HIDDEN BLADES.
THE GREAT HUNTS – FROM LESSER TO APEX
WITH TIME AND STRENGTH ON MY SIDE, I BEGAN HUNTING THE BEASTS THAT HAUNTED THIS WORLD.
YEAR 1–100 – FANGED CRAWLERS
LARGE CENTIPEDE-LIKE CREATURES WITH VENOMOUS BARBS. QUICK, TWITCHY, AND DEADLY IN PACKS.
I RELIED SOLELY ON ARROWS, SNIPING THEM FROM TREES.
YEAR 100–500 – IRONHIDE APES
SIX-FOOT-TALL BEASTS WITH STONE-PLATED SKIN.
THEY SHATTERED TREES WITH BARE FISTS.
I HAD TO OUTMANEUVER THEM, USING BLINKSTORM TO STRIKE JOINTS AND EYES.
YEAR 500–1500 – DUSKREND STALKERS
FELINE PREDATORS CLOAKED IN SHADOW.
THEY MOVED LIKE SMOKE—ONLY VISIBLE BY GLINTING FANGS.
I LEARNED TO HUNT WITH SILENCE, PREDICTING THEIR STEPS THROUGH PRIMORDIAL INSTINCT.
YEAR 1500–2500 – SKYRIFT SERPENTS
FLYING SERPENTS THAT SPIT LIGHTNING.
MY ARROWS BURNED THROUGH AIR, EMPOWERED WITH WIND AND LIGHTNING MANA.
YEAR 2500–2999 – GRAVEHOUNDS
FOUR-LEGGED MONSTERS WITH SKELETAL HEADS, IMMUNE TO BASIC MANA.
I HAD TO INFUSE MY ARROWS WITH EMOTIONAL WILL—RAGE, FOCUS, CLARITY.
ONLY THEN DID NULL EDGE FINALLY SPLIT ONE IN HALF.
THREE THOUSAND YEARS PASSED.
AND THEN… THERE WAS ONLY ONE LEFT.
"NUMEN. I'VE REACHED MY LIMIT."
[THEN IT'S TIME. TIME TO HUNT THE LORD OF THIS PLANET—VA'KHARN, THE APEX WYRM-KING.]
"WHERE IS HE?"
[AT THE PEAK OF THE WATERFALL CLIFF.]
I LOOKED UP. THE CLIFF SCRAPED THE SKY.
I CLIMBED.
THREE DAYS LATER, I STOOD AT THE SUMMIT. THE VIEW STOLE MY BREATH—VAST FORESTS STRETCHED ENDLESSLY. RIVERS CARVING ANCIENT PATHS THROUGH MOUNTAINS. A WORLD UNTAMED.
A VOICE BOOMED BEHIND ME.
"WHO DARES ENTER THE TERRITORY OF THIS KING?!"
THE GROUND TREMBLED.
WHEN I TURNED BACK… I SAW IT
VA'KHARN—THE WYRM-KING.
HIS GOLDEN EYES BLAZED LIKE SUNS. HIS WINGS STRETCHED WIDE AS STORMS. THE FINAL TRIAL HAD COME..
A BEAST THAT LOOKED LIKE A DRAGON, YET FELT LIKE A STORM MADE CONSCIOUS —
TOWERING LIKE A SKYSCRAPER, ITS BODY SCULPTED FROM RAW, BURNING MANA, AND FOUR SPECTRAL WINGS CRACKLING WITH BLUE LIGHTNING AND STARLIGHT.
I COULDN'T UNDERSTAND ITS TONGUE, BUT I UNDERSTOOD EVERY WORD. THAT VOICE WASN'T SOUND — IT WAS TRUTH SPOKEN INTO MY SOUL.
THEN, WITHOUT WARNING—
BOOM.
IT TORE OFF ITS OWN FRONT PAW AND HURLED IT DOWN AT ME LIKE A DIVINE JUDGMENT.
I BARELY BLINKED — LITERALLY — USING BLINKSTORM TO REAPPEAR MID-AIR, IN FRONT OF ITS HEAD.
MY FIST? A COMET.
BUT IT BLOCKED IT WITH ONE OF THOSE DAMNED WINGS, LIKE A SHIELD FORGED FROM FORGOTTEN LAWS.
SO I SWITCHED TACTICS.
FOCUSED. CONDENSED. FORGED A DAGGER FROM PURE MANA.
THE WING BLOCKED AGAIN — BUT THIS TIME, I SAW IT: THE FLICKER. A CRACKLE. IT FELT THAT.
THAT WAS MY KEY.
I TURNED MY FOCUS INWARD — STOPPED FIGHTING LIKE A MORTAL.
AND STARTED FIGHTING LIKE A FORCE.
DAGGERS BECAME SWORDS.
SWORDS BECAME SPEARS.
BLADES BECAME A STORM OF PURE WILL AND MANA.
I RAINED ATTACKS ACROSS ITS WINGS, ITS THROAT, ITS CHEST — EACH STRIKE PUSHING US DEEPER INTO THE FIGHT.
⏳ MONTHS PASSED.
NO SLEEP.
NO PAUSE.
JUST WAR.
CLASHES THAT BROKE MOUNTAINS.
MOVES SO FAST THEY CREATED NEW TIME FRACTURES.
WE BECAME LEGENDS WRITTEN IN THE BONES OF THE PLANET.
AND FINALLY — FINALLY — WE STOOD, OPPOSITE EACH OTHER.
BOTH OF US: BLEEDING MAGIC, PANTING LIKE BEASTS, EXHAUSTED, BUT ALIVE.
IT LOOKED AT ME THEN, WITH THOSE STARFIRE EYES, AND SAID:
"IT HAS BEEN EONS SINCE I HAVE FOUGHT A SOUL LIKE YOURS. NOT SINCE THE TRANSCENDANT."
AND I GRINNED. NOT BECAUSE I WON.
BUT BECAUSE I EARNED HIS RESPECT.
"BUT NOW," HE SAID, "WE MUST FINISH IT."
THE FINAL AGREEMENT
THE WIND STILLED.
THE SKIES QUIETED.
EVEN TIME SEEMED TO HESITATE — WAITING FOR WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
BOTH OF YOU STOOD MOTIONLESS, SURROUNDED BY THE AFTERMATH OF MONTHS OF BATTLE.
ASHES OF SHATTERED MOUNTAINS FLOATED AROUND LIKE SNOW.
THE STARS ABOVE FLICKERED NERVOUSLY.
YOUR BODIES: BROKEN.
YOUR MINDS: SHARP.
YOUR SPIRITS: BURNING.
AND WITHOUT A WORD… YOU BOTH UNDERSTOOD.
THIS WOULD BE THE END.
NO MORE CLASHES. NO MORE FEINTS.
ONE FINAL MOVE.
"LET US END THIS PROPERLY."
THE WYRMLORD'S VOICE ECHOED IN YOUR SOUL LIKE A DYING SUN'S HUM.
"NO TRICKS. NO MERCY. JUST EVERYTHING WE HAVE… IN ONE MOMENT."
YOU NODDED. SILENT.
YOU DIDN'T NEED TO SPEAK — YOUR WILL ANSWERED FOR YOU.
THE FINAL STRIKE BEGINS
THE WYRMLORD: MANA ANNIHILATION BREATH
HE ROSE — WINGS STRETCHED WIDE ACROSS THE SKY, FOUR AURORAS RIPPLING FROM THEM LIKE THE BANNERS OF A DYING GOD.
HIS MOUTH OPENED SLOWLY… AND REALITY BENT.
HE GATHERED ALL OF HIS REMAINING MANA — NOT JUST HIS OWN, BUT FROM THE ENTIRE PLANET, SIPHONING POWER FROM LEY LINES, BEASTS, STORMS, EVEN THE CORE ITSELF.
THE SKY TURNED WHITE.
THE AIR BEGAN TO BOIL.
HIS FINAL ATTACK WASN'T JUST A BREATH — IT WAS A PLANETARY EXTINCTION BEAM, FORGED FROM THE LIFEBLOOD OF THERAGOR.
"THIS IS EVERYTHING I AM."
YOU: NULL EDGE — ABSOLUTE SEVERANCE
YOU DREW NO BLADE.
INSTEAD, YOU REACHED INSIDE YOURSELF — INTO THE DEEPEST CORE OF YOUR SOUL, WHERE WILL, RAGE, AND PURPOSE CONVERGED.
YOU EXTENDED YOUR HAND FORWARD.
AND FROM THAT MOTION… THE VOID ITSELF CURVED INTO A BLADE.
THERE WAS NO LIGHT.
NO FLASH.
JUST AN ABSENCE SO SHARP, EVEN POSSIBILITY COULDN'T SURVIVE IT.
THIS WASN'T A SWORD.
THIS WAS THE IDEA OF REMOVAL GIVEN FORM.
"AND THIS... IS THE END OF ALL THINGS."
THE CLASH
THE WYRMLORD UNLEASHED HIS FINAL BREATH — A BEAM SO LARGE, IT LIT UP THE ENTIRE HEMISPHERE, SCARRING THE SKY, VAPORIZING CLOUDS, BURNING