[Location: Earth – The Ragnvaldr Estate]
[Time: 20:00 PM]
The screech of tires. The blinding headlights. The scream of a young girl.
It happened in slow motion. Andrews Ragnvaldr didn't think; his body moved on its own. He shoved his younger sister, Akari, out of the path of the out-of-control truck, taking the full force of the impact himself.
CRUNCH.
Pain. Unimaginable pain. His body felt like it had been put through a shredder. He hit the asphalt, his vision turning red.
"Akari... is she safe?"
Through the fading blur, he saw her. Scraped knees, crying, reaching out to him. Good. She was alive.
"I... I can't die yet. I'm too weak. If I die, who protects her? I need to be tougher... harder than steel..."
[System Message]
The cold was seeping in. The pain was unbearable. It felt like his soul was being ripped from his flesh.
"It hurts... make it stop... I wish I could just swallow this pain. I wish I could devour the bastard who did this..."
[System Message]
His consciousness began to fade into the void.
"Akari... live. Please, live a long, happy life. I wanted to give you the world..."
[System Message]
"I don't want to be alone... Someone... tell me what to do..."
[System Message]
[Location: Teyvat – Wolvendom, Mondstadt]
[Time: Unknown]
Darkness. Then, the smell of wet earth and pine needles.
I gasped, my eyes snapping open. But instead of the smoggy air of the city, my lungs filled with crisp, magical air. I tried to sit up, but my body felt wrong. Heavy. Long.
I looked down at my hands.
They weren't hands. They were claws. Obsidian-black scales covered my forearms, shimmering with a faint blue luster. I turned my head—which felt incredibly long—and saw a tail flicking behind me.
"What the hell...?"
[Great Sage]
A robotic, feminine voice echoed in my head.
"Reincarnated?" I tried to speak, but a low, guttural growl came out of my throat. Grrrr-krak.
[Great Sage]
I stumbled forward, getting used to walking on four legs. I was small—maybe the size of a large dog—but I felt dense. Powerful. The memories of the truck rushed back. Akari. The blood.
I shook my head, my reptilian slit-pupils narrowing. I couldn't dwell on it. I had to survive. If I had been given a second chance, I wouldn't waste it being weak.
Snap.
A twig broke nearby.
My head snapped toward the sound. My new eyes zoomed in with terrifying precision. Through the bushes, a boy with messy grey hair and scars walked out. He held a claymore that looked too heavy for him.
Razor.
I recognized him instantly from the game Akari used to play. But seeing him in person was different. He smelled of rain, wolf fur, and Electro energy.
Razor stopped, sniffing the air. His red eyes locked onto me. He didn't raise his weapon. He tilted his head.
"Smell..." Razor muttered, his voice raspy. "Strange. Smell like... lizard. But also... like Lupical."
I tensed, my tail lashing. Was he going to attack?
"You... hurt?" Razor stepped closer, lowering his guard.
He reminded me of Akari. Innocent. Curious. My "Big Brother" instincts flared up, overriding my caution. I chuffed, lowering my head to show I wasn't hostile.
ZZZRRRT!
Suddenly, the air behind Razor ripped open. A jagged purple tear in reality appeared—a Rift.
[Great Sage]
Two massive, floating wolf heads emerged from the rift. Rifthounds. Their jaws dripped with corrosive slime.
"Danger!" Razor yelled, spinning around and raising his claymore.
He swung, blocking a bite from the first hound, but the second one lunged for his exposed back.
No.
I saw the image of the truck again. I saw Akari in danger.
"NOT THIS TIME!" I screamed in my mind.
My body moved faster than I thought possible. [Steel Strength] activated, my muscles bunching up like coiled springs. I launched myself off the ground, a blur of black and blue scales.
I intercepted the second Rifthound in mid-air.
CRUNCH.
My jaws clamped around the Rifthound's neck. Unlike my human teeth, these fangs sheared through the magical construct like butter.
[Great Sage]
"EAT IT!"
A black mist erupted from my body, engulfing the Rifthound. The monster screeched as it was dissolved instantly, pulled into the infinite void of my stomach.
[System Message]
Acquired: [Corrosion Resistance].
Acquired: [Space Manipulation (Minor)].
Magicule capacity increased.>
I landed on the ground, swallowing the energy. It tasted like static electricity and rotten meat, but it made me feel stronger.
Razor stared at me, his eyes wide. He had just watched a small dragon eat a monster half its size in one bite.
I stood over the spot where the enemy had been, electricity crackling between my horns. I looked at Razor and projected my thought, my voice echoing in his mind for the first time.
"Are you hurt, little wolf?"
Razor blinked, then slowly shook his head. A small smile appeared on his face.
"You... strong," Razor said. "Friend?"
I looked at my claws, then back at him.
"Yeah," I replied, feeling the start of a new destiny. "Friend."