The moment my hand touched the mirror, the desert vanished.
I fell. Not through space—but through thought. Through time. Through someone else's pain.
A memory—raw and violent—exploded behind my eyes.
Steel. Fire. Screams. I stood in the body of a man far older than I'd ever been. He wore crimson armor, cracked at the edges, and his lungs burned as he shouted orders into a war-torn sky.
"Hold the line! Do not let the Gate fall!"
Behind him, a massive stone arch pulsed with golden light. Figures poured from it—some human, some not. All armed. All afraid.
Then—blackness. My body jerked back into itself, kneeling in the cold silence of the Hollow Shrine.
[New Skill Acquired – Fragment Memory (Lv. 1, Rank B)]
[Effect: 10% chance to glimpse memories of absorbed beings. May reveal hidden knowledge or minor passives.]
[Passive Trait Acquired: Forgotten Command Lv. 1 – Slight increase to Leadership and Morale when fighting alongside others.]
HP: 35 / 110
MP: 10 / 55
Strength: 8
Agility: 4
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 6
Willpower: 5
Charisma: 1 (+1)
Luck: ???
Recent Gains: Skill Gained – Fragment Memory (Lv. 1, Rank B), Passive Gained – Forgotten Command Lv. 1
I exhaled shakily and rose to my feet. My hand still tingled from the mirror's touch.
"That wasn't just a skill," I muttered. "That was someone's last moment."
What the hell kind of system was this?
I didn't get long to wonder.
The shrine trembled.
Stone cracked along the walls. Dust rained down like snow. Then came a sound I hadn't heard since awakening in this world—laughter.
Cold. Distant. Unnatural.
And wrong.
A jagged silhouette emerged from the shadows above the altar. It slithered down the broken wall—half-man, half-carrion-bird, cloaked in rotten feathers and whispering mouths.
[System Notice: Lesser Watcher of Ash has detected the binding sigil.]
Threat Level: Unknown – Avoid Direct Confrontation.
"Of course," I growled, backing away. "You never give gifts for free."
The creature didn't chase. It only watched.
I darted out of the shrine's side door—into a mist-laced ravine lined with crumbling statues and long-rotted banners. I didn't stop until the shrine was a speck behind me.
Only when I collapsed behind a fallen pillar did I allow myself to breathe.
Fragment Memory... what else will it show me?
And more importantly—who else is watching me now?