Kael woke up to a strange sensation. His body was floating in an endless void—no weight, no gravity. He slowly opened his eyes, confusion striking him like a cold slap.
He wasn't in his room.
An infinite white space stretched in all directions. No ground, no sky—only absolute, pure whiteness. The silence was total, the kind of silence that made his heartbeat echo through the void like a lone war drum.
He looked at his hands, raising them in front of his face. They were real—but something was wrong.
"A dream," he whispered calmly. "Just a strange dream."
But the words didn't convince him. Dreams didn't feel this vivid, didn't carry this much weight of reality.
He tried to move, taking a step forward—but there was no sound. Only the sensation of walking on an invisible surface, as if he were stepping on the air itself.
"What the hell is this?"
Then, something appeared.
A distant shape in the white horizon, slowly approaching. A tall, slender body, bluish-white skin faintly glowing. No clothes. No hair. No clear facial features—just a smooth, blank surface. And yet, somehow, Kael felt that it was looking at him, examining him, evaluating him.
The entity stopped at a close distance, and suddenly—despite having no mouth—a voice echoed directly inside Kael's mind.
"Welcome, human."
Kael's muscles tensed instinctively, his body shifting into a combat-ready stance. His gray eyes locked onto the strange being.
"Who are you?"
"A complicated question. You may call me the Entity, or the Observer. Names are not important to me."
"Where am I? How did I get here?"
"You are in a place between places—a space outside the fabric of the reality you know. As for how you arrived… you didn't. I brought you here, after you died in your world."
The words fell like a heavy stone.
Died.
The word echoed again and again.
"Died? I didn't die."
"Death is not always dramatic or grand. You don't always feel it. Simply put—your heart stopped in your sleep. A small cerebral hemorrhage ruptured quietly. You died in seconds. No pain. A simple end to a complicated life."
Kael stood silent, processing. Part of him rejected it, but the rational part told him to listen.
"If I'm dead, then why am I here?"
"Because physical death is not always the end of consciousness. I chose to intervene before your soul dispersed into nothingness."
"Why? Why me?"
"Because you are not random. I observed you for years. I saw how you transformed from a weak, crying child into a man who forged himself through pain and willpower. I saw the pride that refuses to bow, the greedy ambition, and the wish you whispered last night."
A chill crawled up Kael's spine.
"You were watching me."
"I watch many across countless universes. Interesting souls are rare. You are different. Your soul carries hunger—a relentless desire for power. That is why I decided to grant you an opportunity."
"An opportunity for what?"
"An opportunity to be reborn in another world. A world of magic and aura, dragons and demons. A world where an individual can become strong enough to shatter mountains, to make kings kneel."
Silence followed. Kael didn't answer immediately—his mind worked fast, analyzing.
"And the price? No one gives something for nothing."
The entity laughed.
"You are intelligent. Most would agree instantly, but you ask about the price first.
There is no direct cost. I won't take your soul. I won't enslave you. I am simply interested in watching what you will do. Powerful souls are entertaining—and boredom is a real problem in eternity."
Kael stared at the entity for several seconds, then decided to go along with it.
"Fine. What are the details? What do I get?"
The white space shifted. Images began to form—vast landscapes, massive cities surrounded by stone walls, dense forests, towering mountains, dragons soaring through the skies.
"This is the world of Aetherion. A world filled with power, conflict, and ambition. There are eight main races: Humans, Dragons, Elves, Valkyries, Beastkin, Vampires, Demons, and Dwarves."
The images stopped on a warrior standing in the middle of a battlefield, a golden aura surrounding his body.
"Power is measured in levels—from one to nine. Each level is divided into nine stages. A Level One can defeat ten ordinary men. As you rise, power becomes increasingly beyond logic."
"And me? Will I start weak?"
"No. You will possess unparalleled talent in both aura and magic. Your body can withstand and use both—an extremely rare trait."
The images shifted again.
"Second, I will grant you a system—an instrument that assists your learning and growth. Through it, you can view your statistics and acquire combat and magic techniques."
"Third, the Eye of Appraisal. You will be able to see the level, abilities, and strengths of others—and detect lies."
Kael nodded slowly.
"And finally, I will grant you the chance to choose two special abilities—unique powers that no one else will ever possess. But this is conditional."
"Conditional on what?"
"On surviving a trial."