After nearly an hour of conversation, Damien finally turned to the dark entity.
"I'm ready," he said, voice calm.
The entity nodded slightly. "Any last words or wishes for your 'heir'?"
Damien looked at Elijah and gave a small smile.
"Please take care of Aria and Enzo. They're like family to me. And don't worry—they won't betray you. Trust me, they've had thousands of opportunity to kill me in the past five years if they wanted to. But here I am still alive… well I am dying now but you understand what I mean right."
"I'll do my best," Elijah nodded as he replied, meeting his gaze. "I promise."
Damien gave a small, grateful nod.
"Don't worry, I'll pass my memories to you. That should make it easier to adjust to my life." He glanced at the entity. "Can you transfer them?"
The dark entity raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain?"
"I am."
The entity turned to Elijah. "Just so you know—receiving someone else's memories can affect your personality. Small shifts even feelings… it happens especially for short lived races like you. Are you willing to take that risk?"
Elijah didn't hesitate. "Yes. If I'm going to walk in his shoes, I'll need to know where he's been. I can handle a few changes."
The entity nodded and reached into the air, pulling out a strange, cylindrical device. As it hovered in his hand, he moved to Damien.
But before the process began, Damien raised a hand. "Wait. There's one condition. You can't alter the memories—no edits, no peeking. Nothing."
The entity shrugged. "I have no reason to tamper with them. So I agree. Anything else?"
"No. That's it. Let's do this."
The process began. The entity tapped the device gently against Damien's chest, holding it there for a few long moments.
Then he did the same to Elijah.
As the transfer completed, the device glowed faintly… then dissolved into dust.
Elijah staggered slightly. A sharp, searing headache gripped him—like his mind was being stretched to fit something far too big.
Damien and the entity waited silently as he fought through it, memories flooding in like a storm breaking through a dam.
After what felt like an eternity, Elijah's breathing steadied. He opened his eyes and looked at Damien.
"Thank you," he said quietly.
"You're welcome," Damien replied with a faint smile. He turned to the entity. "I'm ready."
He looked back at Elijah one last time.
"Farewell, Elijah. I hope you find what you're looking for."
As his soul began to rise from the body, Elijah felt his own being pulled forward.
Without warning, he was shoved into Damien's body, taking control just as Damien's soul faded into light.
Elijah blinked, adjusting to the strange weight of being alive again—this time, in someone else's skin.
He turned to the dark entity. "I thought you were going to take his soul."
The entity shrugged. "Didn't feel like it."
Elijah narrowed his eyes. Something didn't sit right. But then, one of Damien's memories floated to the surface. It clicked.
"No… more like you couldn't."
The entity didn't respond, but the silence said enough.
"You're hiding from something," Elijah said quietly. "That darkness around you… at first I thought it was to project a mysterious image but now… I think whatever this darkness is, it is hiding you from something."
The entity gave a faint, almost amused chuckle. "Smart guess. But that's not a conversation I'm want to have."
He stepped forward, eyes gleaming.
"Instead, let me offer you something better."
Elijah sat up awkwardly. At first, every movement felt foreign... like steering a machine with a slight delay.
There was a noticeable lag between thought and action, but after a few slow breaths and some effort, he started to find a rhythm.
Then the next thing hit him.
Weakness.
Not the usual kind.
This was deeper—like his very bones had been hollowed out.
He felt starved.
But that didn't make sense.
"I see you've noticed the weakness," the dark entity said, watching the frown forming on Elijah's face. "That's the price of using a beauty-enhancing potion in a pre-awakening world."
"Pre-awakening?" Elijah echoed, confused.
The entity nodded. "A world before mana."
That didn't help much, so Elijah waited. The entity seemed to consider how much it was willing or rather… able to share.
"Your world is currently undergoing the first stage of world evolution," it said finally.
"Officially, it's called the Genesis Phase. But more commonly… it's known as the Tutorial Stage."
"The tutorial…" Elijah repeated, thinking. "So the world is introducing us to… what? Awakening?"
"Exactly," the entity replied. "It's an introduction to how awakening will feel. Every world receives it in a way its people will understand. Sometimes it's through visions. Sometimes, stories. In your case… an online game."
Realization clicked.
"Terra Online," Elijah muttered.
"Yes," the entity confirmed. "A familiar format for a tech-heavy society like yours. That's how your world chose to ease you into it. Other worlds might chose fairy tales, dreams, even visions. Yours got a game."
There had been rumors when Terra Online first released.
Rumours that it was real. That it was too detailed to be fiction.
But three and a half years passed, and no one showed any signs of supernatural power. The hype faded and the world moved on.
"Why not just tell people outright?" Elijah asked. "Warn them. Let them prepare."
The entity tilted its head slightly. "Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the awakening?"
Elijah asked. "Which is?"
"To weed out the weak," the entity said plainly. "And feed them to the strong."
Elijah felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The entity continued, voice colder now, as if stating an undeniable truth. "Take your world, for example. A world where fools are celebrated so as not to hurt their feelings... Where gender confusion is praised… where obesity is a trend… where family structures collapse by the hour… where racial hatred is wild spread... where Lack of ambition is sky high… where Oversensitivity and victimhood are rewarded."
It paused.
"If your world went straight to the Ascendance Phase, you would all be slaughtered in three days max."
Elijah wanted to argue—but what could he say?
In a world where survival might depend on negotiating with an orc, some people would probably refuse food and attack him just because the orc did not look like them.
Best-case scenario? Starve.
Worst case? Well… best not to imagine.
Or a world where physical movement was survival but you are stuck in a place not because of a disability but rather because you are too big and need a crane.
All because of excessive body positivity.
Or where you depend on your partner for survival—and your first instinct in their absence was to cheat?
Yeah. Quick death would be mercy.
No handouts.
No safety nets.
No pity.
If you didn't move, didn't kill, didn't adapt—you'd die. Crying because a rabbit refused to let you slaughter it wouldn't help.
Or even worse refusing to kill an animal because you feel it is animal brutality… because they have the right to life.
Because according to Terra Online such a world… mercy wasn't part of the system.
(A.N: Just to clarify a few things from this chapter.
Firstly, to the vegans reading this novel—I don't mind your lifestyle. It's none of my business, and you're entitled to your opinion just like everyone else.
Next, about obesity. I said what I said. Don't get me wrong… there's nothing wrong with having a little fat. I've got a bigger stomach myself. But when it reaches a point where it starts to affect your life, that's a problem. You don't have to be ripped or anything, just keep it manageable… and you might just live to see your 70s.
Also, while I don't personally support gender transition, I don't think it's my place to tell anyone how to live. Your life, your choice—do what you want. Just be upfront with your partner before it goes too far.
Furthermore, yes, cheating will come up in this story—but for the record, I don't think it's right. If you're unhappy or found some else, just break up but don't expect anyone to wait for you.
Also, racism is trash, no matter who it's coming from. White, yellow, pink all the way to black—it doesn't matter. Anyone can be racist, and saying otherwise is just trying to justify your wrong doing.
And lastly—if you're overly sensitive or enjoy playing the victim, just know: there are people out there like me who genuinely don't care. Life won't always accommodate your feelings.
In the end, everyone's entitled to their opinion.
Peace.)