### Chapter 3: A New Stage
**Dawnspire, Eldoria – Year 0**
Darkness faded, replaced by a suffocating warmth. Zane Ryde's eyes fluttered open, but his body refused to obey. His limbs were tiny, weak, wrapped in coarse linen that scratched his skin. A soft voice hummed above him, speaking words he didn't know but somehow understood—*Eldic*, his mind whispered. A woman's face came into focus, her dark hair damp with sweat, her eyes warm but weary. "Taren," she murmured, cradling him. *Taren?* Zane's mind recoiled. He was Zane Ryde, global icon, born into one of Earth's top three wealthiest families, a man who'd conquered industries, arenas, and hearts. Not this… infant.
His heart raced, his genius intellect kicking into overdrive. The *Celestine*'s final moments flooded back: the storm's roar, waves tearing his $3 billion yacht apart, his tattoos burning as he shoved a crewman to safety. He'd died, pinned under a beam, Marcus's desperate shout echoing as the sea claimed him. Yet here he was, alive, in a body not his own. *Reincarnation.* He'd read about it in novels, dismissed it as fantasy. But the glowing runes on the stone walls around him, pulsing with faint light, were no fiction. Neither was the sky outside, visible through a narrow window, fractured with glowing **Starcracks** like veins of silver fire.
The room was modest, a far cry from his Earth penthouses. A wooden cradle, a flickering candle, a bearded man—his new father, he guessed—stood by the door, muttering to a robed figure outside. The figure's cloak bore a star emblem, a **Starwarden**, Zane's instincts told him, though he didn't know how. His daily life on Earth had been relentless: mornings in boardrooms outsmarting tycoons like Elena Voss, afternoons sparring with masters, evenings mentoring talents or dodging assassins—three attempts this year alone. At 5, he'd lost his parents to a terrorist bomb, their anonymity his family's curse. At 12, he'd ended their killers, guided by his grandparents' secrets: shadow banks, hidden tech, global power. He'd rejected that secrecy, building a public empire—movies, music, businesses. Now, he was a helpless baby in a world of magic and danger.
A sharp *ding* pierced his thoughts, and a red-and-black panel flickered before his eyes, text scrolling in English:
**[Low Profile System: Initialized]**
**Greetings, Dear Host. Welcome to Eldoria, your new stage. I am your guide to power—unseen power.**
**Objective: Observe and Learn – Understand your surroundings without drawing attention. Reward: Basic Eldic Comprehension. Penalty: +10 Profile Points (PP).**
**Warning: Fame attracts death. Stay in the shadows, Zane Ryde.**
Zane's tiny fists clenched, a spark of his old defiance flaring. *Stay in the shadows?* He'd spent his life defying that, turning his family's trillion-dollar legacy into a global spectacle. He'd mastered five languages, solved quantum equations, knocked out champs, and outwitted spies. The system's voice, smooth and taunting, grated on him. *Zane Ryde doesn't hide.* But he was no fool. Trapped in this body, in a world he didn't know, he needed answers. The panel shifted:
**Profile Points (PP): 0 (Optimal)**
**Status: Host is too weak for full system access. Perfect Body fusion in progress (12 years remaining). Limited functions available: All-Seeing Eyes (Sealed), Transformation (Sealed), Creation Magic (Sealed).**
**Note: High-profile actions will incur penalties. Thrive in silence.**
Taren—*no, Zane*—forced himself to stay calm. His Earth life had taught him patience, even if he hated it. He'd dodged bullets in Dubai, outsmarted Elena Voss in boardrooms, laughed with Marcus over whiskey. His grandparents' pride had grounded him, their worry a reminder of his mortality. *"The sky's looking strange,"* they'd said hours before his death. Had they sensed this? The Starcracks outside mirrored Javier's warning about the storm's unnatural clouds. *Something's watching,* the mercenary had said. Now, Zane felt it too—a weight in the air, like Eldoria itself was alive.
His new mother, Lira, rocked him gently, humming an Eldic lullaby. Her hands were calloused, a merchant's hands, not the polished ones of Earth's elite. His father, Gavren, spoke gruffly to the Starwarden outside, their voices low. "The Starstone's glowing brighter," Gavren said. "Good omen for the boy?" The Starwarden's reply was cryptic: "Or a warning. Keep him close."
Zane's mind churned. *Starstone?* He glimpsed it through the window—a glowing crystal in Dawnspire's square, drawing a crowd of humans, elves, and beastmen. His All-Seeing Eyes, though sealed, itched to activate, to reveal the crystal's secrets. On Earth, his days were spent reading people—tycoons, fans, enemies. He'd mentored young fighters, taught them to think like him, sharp and unyielding. Here, he'd do the same, but smarter. The system wanted him low-profile? Fine. He'd play its game, but on his terms. He'd build a new empire, one Eldoria would fear and revere.
The system's voice returned, colder: **"Careful, Host. That Starwarden senses power. Cry, and you'll spike your PP. Observe, learn, live."**
Zane stifled a wail, his infant body betraying his will. He focused on Lira's face, her tired smile, Gavren's stern gaze. This family wasn't his, but they were all he had now. He'd protect them, just as he'd sworn to protect his grandparents after his parents' death. The Starcracks pulsed outside, and a faint memory of his tattoos burning flickered. *Bow to the shadows, or be consumed by them,* he thought, his future slogan forming even now. He'd make Eldoria bow, not him.
**[Quest Accepted: Observe and Learn]**
**Time Limit: 24 hours. Reward: Basic Eldic Comprehension. Penalty: +10 PP.**
**The stage is set, Host. Don't disappoint.**
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