Pain.
Damn it.
The world around him, filled with the incessant clang of bells, felt like a haunting dream. A stabbing pain pulsed from deep within his head. Yafi Karlfarn tried to open his eyes, hoping the sensation would vanish.
Dizzy. Nauseous. A cold wind pierced through his skull. Everything blurred together, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. This damn pain was completely locking his eyelids shut.
Damn it! Was this just a dream? He could only curse inwardly. Yafi wanted to speak, but not a single word could escape his lips.
Damn it!
Am I… dead?
As he began to accept that possibility, his body suddenly jolted awake from the nightmare. His breath hitched. His mind was a chaotic mess. Yafi exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself.
His brow furrowed. Both hands covered his face. He leaned back in the chair—his head resting against it. Then, unintentionally, he turned slightly. And of course, he was shocked—there, standing before him, was a mirror. And within it, a face he didn't recognize.
The shock forced him to stand reflexively. A thud echoed—the sound of a chair scraping harshly against the floor. Yafi walked towards the mirror, trying to understand… who he really was?
Am I… t-transmigrated?
Of course, he didn't immediately believe it. His hair was a mess, and he tried to tidy it with his hands. Then a faint sound—like flowing blood—reached his ears. A wound on the side of his ear slowly closed itself.
Yafi was startled. He didn't understand what was happening to his body. He took a deep breath, trying to comprehend. But a small groan escaped his lips—his head still felt like it had been shot, relentlessly, mercilessly.
His body swayed and fell. He groaned, the pain in his head suddenly intensifying. His teeth chattered, his body shivering. But at that moment… a voice was heard—capturing his attention.
[Initiating Identification...]
[Name: Vale Zorca]
The voice appeared abruptly—not from outside, but from within his own head. Cold, flat, and emotionless. Like a machine's voice penetrating his consciousness.
Yafi froze.
The world around him still felt blurry: the cracked grey stone walls, the damp air biting at his skin, and the faint metallic scent. He didn't know where he was, or why that voice was so clear.
[Brain Synchronization 23%... 47%... 89%...]
[Activation of "Relic Core" System successful.]
[Body Status: Unstable]
[Initiating initial reconstruction...]
He clutched his head—it felt as though barbed wire was tightening around his brain. His body trembled violently. His eyes widened as a dim blue light began to form unfamiliar lines in the air before him—like a hologram, but too real to be called an illusion.
"What… is this?" he whispered, his own voice barely audible amidst the throbbing pain and the system's incessant voice.
[Class: Unknown]
[Relic Affinity: Fragmented]
[Status: Error in soul classification.]
[Do you wish to access Initial Data?]
[Yes / No]
Vale was stunned. He hadn't answered, yet the screen waited. Motionless. Silent in its threat.
And somehow, deep within him, he knew—the answer he gave would determine everything.
"Am I… Vale? Or still Yafi?"
The thought surfaced—like a whisper cutting through the noise of his unraveling identity.
[Yes]
Without hesitation, he chose it. Yafi realized he had no other choice. Right now, only that system could possibly cure the illness gnawing at his body.
[Loading...]
[Bonus: Initial system acceptance]
[Status: Headache eliminated]
Yafi gasped. He immediately touched his head, confirming that the pain that had almost driven him mad… was now gone without a trace.
His eyes widened, fixed on the pale blue hologram floating before him. Strange symbols blinked slowly, as if awaiting the next command.
"I can't believe… this is like the stories in the novels I used to read."
He smiled faintly—a mixture of awe, disbelief, and lingering tension.
He righted the chair that had fallen earlier. Carefully, Yafi sat down and stared at the system still active in front of him. He secretly knew this wasn't just a strange dream. This was the beginning of something far greater.
"So… what should I do?"
Vale's memories slowly began to coalesce, forming pieces that felt alien yet familiar. Yafi—or perhaps now Vale—stood up and took the robe hanging on the closet door. A glittering crystal was embedded in the chest area of the robe.
He put it on slowly, then walked towards the door.
His desire was simple: to seek clues outside.
The bedroom door opened. He stepped out, now realizing he was inside an apartment. After carefully closing the door, his hand still on the knob… when a voice startled him.
His body instantly froze.
He didn't move an inch, only turning slowly towards the source of the sound—alert, ready, yet filled with confusion.
There stood a woman. Her long black hair tumbled down her back, tousled, as if she'd just woken up. Her blue eyes—so bright, so familiar—stared at Yafi sleepily.
"What are you talking about, Brother?" she said, yawning, her tone lazy and rambling.
That woman was Viona Zorca, Vale's older sister. She was twenty-two years old.
Viona rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep. But the commotion from her brother's room had disturbed her sleep, loud enough to wake her completely. With a sluggish step, she tried to ascertain what was happening and at that moment she found Vale standing before her.
"Hah!? What do you mean by that, huh?" Her tone suddenly rose, booming in the narrow apartment hallway.
Yafi—now in Vale's body—felt a shiver run down his spine. Viona's sharp gaze seemed to pierce his skin.
"Huf... I understand. She must have heard the commotion earlier," Yafi muttered, trying to stay calm. He offered a small smile towards Viona, trying to ease the situation.
But the smile only worsened things.
Viona's face tightened, her teeth chattering with burning anger. Without saying much, she took a quick step closer—and a hard blow landed squarely on Yafi's cheek.
Bang!
[Danger detected!]
[System active: Passive Defense Mode]
[Identification: Enemy Detected]
"What!?" Yafi was startled, his eyes widening.
The system's voice echoed in his head. Red markings blinked in his peripheral vision.
But what surprised him most—the pain from the blow… wasn't felt.
"What's wrong with you, Vale!? Making a racket in the middle of the night, and then smiling strangely!" Viona yelled, her breath heavy with suppressed emotion, not yet realizing the greater change happening before her.
Yafi could only stare. His mind was in chaos.
"The system considers Viona as… an enemy?"
"Tch. Damn system—shut up! You're making my ears ring!"
Yafi growled, his tone sharp with annoyance. The constant notifications from the system ringing in his head made his emotions peak. Without saying another word to Viona, he strode quickly towards the apartment door—and left, leaving her alone in the darkness.
Once outside, his steps halted.
The surrounding buildings looked strange and unique. Stone walls with carvings emitting a faint light, curved roofs like dragon scales, and streets merging with glowing tree roots. All of this—too foreign, too different from the modern world he came from.
He was stunned. His eyes swept across the landscape that seemed to come from a dream or an old fairy tale.
Then… the light appeared.
A sharp glare struck his vision, causing him to squint. When his focus returned, his eyes were drawn to the night sky filled with a deep red glow. And in the center—a bright beam of light shone near a moon that appeared larger and bloodier than usual.
"Red light in the middle of the moon… and a sky this red?" he murmured, almost disbelieving.
Curiosity ignited a spark within him. The night wind blew strongly, causing his robe to billow like rolling waves. The chill pierced him to the bone, making his body shiver. But he didn't care.
Yafi started running, his steps firm towards the source of the red light.
Several minutes passed, he continued running relentlessly. But suddenly, the light… vanished.
"What happened?"
He looked up, his breath catching in his throat.
What he saw in the sky made his blood run cold.
"Hey… hey… no way!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The sky began to crack—like shattered glass splitting open in impossible patterns. And from those cracks, something like black shadows began to creep in…