Ning Que groaned and stirred, the cold pressing into his back as he awoke in a strange new place. It was silent, without wind or voices, not even the hum of the system in his mind. Only and unsettling stillness.
He stood slowly, gripping his sai, though the weapon felt heavier now. The world around him had changed again, he saw, and bit his inner lip in annoyance. This wasn't the warehouse, and it wasn't the cliff.
"How long is this going to take? I've passed both trials for goodness sake!" Ning Que yelled to the sky, pure rage fueling his voice. He looked around where he was, his brows scrunched up in annoyance. Then he exhaled.
Ning Que stood in what looked like a vast desert of black sand under a blood-moon sky. Towering ruins hung upside-down in the sky, floating like bones from a forgotten god. War horns echoed from a distance, though no armies stood in sight. And yet... he could feel them. Something about this place pulled at him, like he was meant to be here.
"You've wandered too far, Reclaimer." The voice came from behind, low and authoritative, enough to send shivers down Ning Que's spine.
He turned around swiftly.
A woman stood there, barefoot on the black sand, her cloak of white flames billowing soundlessly. Her eyes were golden, glowing with something far older than time. Her skin shimmered like burning silver, and her presence was weightless but terrifying.
"Reclaimer?" Ning asked, narrowing his eyes as he acknowledged the woman's presence. She seems powerful, he thought.
"Yes," she nodded. "That is your true name, or what remains of it. You're a piece of something shattered long ago. And now you have awoken too soon."
Ning's breath caught in his throat. He stepped backwards, alarm bells ringing in his head. "What are you talking about? I'm not—"
The woman ignored him and stepped forward. Then she raised a hand and touched his forehead.
Light exploded in his mind.
Flashes of fire, steel, and blood. He saw a figure standing in the middle of a battlefield, with a katana blazing with crimson energy, thousands of monstrous beasts swarming around. That figure moved like a god, voice echoing through the earth.
He spoke in a language Ning Que didn't know, but somehow, understood.
"Let them come. Even if I fall, the world will remember me. Seal the gates." The figure said, fighting the beasts with so much precision that it left Ning Que breathless.
Ning collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. His heartbeat pounded like war drums preparing for battle. He grabbed his chest, fear filling his mind as the woman stood over him.
"The seal is weakening. You must decide what you are before they do. Because when they learn the truth, they will never let you live." She spoke, her eye glowing even brighter.
He tried to stand, but his muscles were weak. "Why are you showing me this?"
She smiled, sadly.
"Because I was the one who sealed you."
Then she vanished, flames dissolving into the air.
************
Hunter's Guild, Deep Archives - Sublevel 10
"Sir, the readings are spiking." The analyst's voice cracked as ancient symbols lit up across the wall. A round chamber deep beneath the Guild tower glowed with power it hadn't felt in centuries. A great stone door stood at the center, covered in rusted chains and binding seals. No one except the officials in the room knew about that chamber. It had been hidden for centuries.
But one chain had snapped. Grandmaster Li stood before it, his arms folded, and a worried expression brewing on his aged features.
"This is the Reclaimer Seal."Tao Cheng whispered, clutching his robe. "It is the one left after the Rift War. Our ancestors took the liberty of locking and burying it. Even we don't know how to open it."
"And somehow, this E rank hunter has managed to wake it." Li said darkly. "The mana signature matches. What is even happening?"
The masked man stepped forward, his voice low as he crossed his arms behind his back. "This boy...whatever it was that happened to him, he brought something with it. This makes no sense."
"Or he is the something," Li said.
The chamber pulsed. Dust fell from the ceiling. The dread in each official's heart doubled each time the ground shook. There was nothing they could do but wait, and hope whatever was in the chamber wouldn't be let loose.
Somewhere in the Trial Realm, Ning Que stood, trembling.
His thoughts were chaotic, and he couldn't process them together or give a clear explanation as to what was going on. The images, the voices, the title she gave him—Reclaimer—it all made his stomach churn. He wanted to call the system, to make it explain what had just happened, but no voice came. And he couldn't even find his.
Then, a new voice echoed all around him.
{Trial complete. Protocol overwritten. Awakening stage: DELAYED.}
The voice was different, sounded much older and tired.
A flash of light burst around him, and he winced as the trial realm shattered like glass. He let his body collapse to the ground, willing for whatever it was to take him. The system flashed in his mind, it's translucent screen displaying a message he struggled to read.
{Mana at 300%. Tap into reserves?}
Ning Que shut his eyes, before ordering. "Yes."
Everything went dark.
***********
Guild Medical Chamber
Ning Que's eyes shot open. He sat up on a cold bench, surrounded by blinding white lights. There was a catheter inserted into his arm, and an oxygen mask on his face. He let his eyes adjust to the light, and familiar faces came into focus.
He wasn't alone.
Six Guild guards stood at attention, all heavily armed. One stepped forward and placed a sword at Ning's neck. He didn't flinch, only glared at the guard. Haven't these people done enough? He wondered.
A pair of boots clicked into the room, and he snapped his head towards the sound.
Grandmaster Li entered, his eyes unreadable. Behind him stood Elder Tao, arms crossed, and the masked man, silent and still. The analyst stood behind all three men, still typing away furiously at his computer.
Grandmaster Li approached Ning Que's bed, stopping only inches from his body. He raked his eyes over his body, before landing his intense gaze on his face. How could such a measly boy cause so much trouble in such a short time? Grandmaster Li thought.
"We have questions," he said finally. "And you're going to answer them."
Ning looked up slowly, his eyes glinting faintly red. He has survived so much for one day, and the exhaustion was getting to him, no matter how much mana he was using to keep himself up.
"You sure you're ready for the answers?" Ning Que spoke, slowly removing the oxygen mask from his face.
Grandmaster Li stiffened slightly at his response, and the room grew tense. Then, he signaled for the guard to let go of the sword and grabbed on to Ning's neck, very gently, yet with a deadly look in his eyes.
"What are you?" He asked.
Ning Que scoffed. "What makes you think I know? If you're confused, then so am I." Ning's voice was final as he held Grandmaster Li's gaze.
Li paused, then removed his hand from Ning Que's neck. Then, he signaled to one of the guards.
"Get the Grade Sigil." He ordered.
The guard left and returned with the device, usually used to know a hunter's grade. The sigil was used only after the trial, if the outcome was inconclusive. Like in Ning Que's case. The sigil was never wrong, and Grandmaster Li believed it would be the key to solving this mystery. The masked man shifted.
Grandmaster Li took the sigil and placed it on Ning Que's forehead. Ning Que winced as the sigil burned his skin slightly. The glass panel on the other side of the sigil lit up, processing as it analyzed Ning Que's mana ability.
Everyone in the room stood still, the only sound being the hum of the device. Then, with a beep, it signified that it was done.
{Hunter Grade confirmed. E-Rank Hunter. Ning Que.} The robotic voice rang out.
Silence fell.
***********
Somewhere across the sea, in a floating fortress hidden from the world, a woman watched Ning Que's trial feed flicker in front of her.
Her skin was pale, her eyes pitch black, her dress woven from shadows. Her hair was blonde, flowing in waves as she moved.
"The Reclaimer has surfaced," she said calmly.
A man knelt before her, armor soaked in beast blood.
"Should we move?" He asked. "There won't be much time if he's fully awakened."
She smiled.
"Let the boy remember. Then we kill him."
The ancient door in the deep archives underneath the guild tower pulsed one last time.
Then, a second chain snapped. The seal… was breaking.
And no one could stop it now.