Axelius opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the strange sensation of… nothingness. He looked around, his eyes widening as he realized he was floating—completely suspended in a vast, endless black void. There was no ground beneath his feet, no ceiling above, and no walls around him. Just pure, empty darkness stretching infinitely in every direction. Yet, somehow, he could see.
"What is this now?" he muttered, his voice echoing slightly, as if the darkness itself was listening. He twisted and turned, his body seemingly weightless, floating aimlessly. He couldn't even tell which way was up or down. His hands reached out, grasping at the air, but there was nothing solid to hold onto.
"Tsk, you finally woke up, huh?"
Axelius flinched and looked to his right. There, bobbing gently in the void, was Owen—floating just like him, except without the usual bouncing. He seemed almost still, his jelly-like form hovering in midair.
"Owen! Where the hell are we?" Axelius asked, his voice edged with panic but layered with curiosity.
Owen wobbled slightly in the air. "I don't know," he replied bluntly. "This place seems to be endless. No floor, no walls, no ceiling. Just… nothing. I've been trying to figure it out while you were busy sleeping."
Axelius raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you can see? How?"
Owen bounced slightly, as if shrugging. "Yeah, I don't know how. I just… can." His voice dropped to a mutter. "Also… look. The necklace is gone."
Axelius's eyes shot down to his chest, his hand instinctively reaching for the pendant. His fingers brushed only the fabric of his shirt. "What the…?" He patted himself down, checking his neck and pockets, but it was nowhere to be found. "You're right… it's gone," he said, frowning.
Before either of them could say another word, soft glowing letters began to form in the air in front of them, floating gently like wisps of light. The letters shimmered, rearranging themselves until they formed words:
"Greetings, Axelius Dravenhart."
Axelius blinked, then rubbed his eyes. "Are you seeing that too, or did I finally lose my mind?"
Owen bounced slightly forward, his translucent body reflecting the glow of the letters. "I see it too. This is… really weird," he said slowly.
The letters shimmered, and more words began to form beneath the greeting, stretching out in flowing script:
"Congratulations on unlocking the Legacy of the Dravenhart. Your blood has awakened what was hidden. Prepare to accept the inheritance bestowed upon you."
Axelius stared, mouth slightly open. "Inheritance? What is it talking about?"
Owen jiggled nervously. "I don't like this… I really don't like this. We should wake up. Yeah, we should definitely wake up right now!"
But Axelius's eyes were fixed on the glowing words, his mind racing with possibilities. "No way," he whispered, excitement creeping into his voice. "This… this is an adventure, Owen. A real adventure."
The light in front of them pulsed, and new words began to form, shimmering brightly in the void:
"Do you accept your fate, Axelius Dravenhart?"
Axelius swallowed, glancing at Owen, who was frantically shaking his jelly-like body. "Don't you dare!" Owen shouted. "We don't even know what this is! It could kill us!"
But Axelius only grinned, his eyes shining with thrill. "Come on, Owen. Since when did we run away from a little bit of danger?"
Owen groaned, his form slumping in resignation. "This is going to be the end of me… I swear…"
Axelius stretched out his hand toward the glowing letters. "I accept," he said
The letters flared brilliantly, blinding them both with white light, and the void began to shake, trembling under the weight of unknown power.
Axelius winced as a sudden, sharp pain flared up on the back of his left shoulder. He gritted his teeth, his hand instinctively reaching back to touch the spot. "Argh… what the hell is this?!" he groaned, feeling a strange warmth spreading under his fingertips.
Owen, who was still floating beside him, bounced curiously around to Axelius's back, inspecting the area. "Hey, stretch up your shirt. I think… I think something's appearing," Owen said, his voice filled with surprise.
Axelius, still grimacing, grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it up, twisting his neck to try and catch a glimpse. "What is it?" he asked, barely able to see.
"It's… a tattoo?" Owen said, sounding more confused than ever. His little jelly-like body shimmered as he leaned closer. "It's like… a symbol. Kinda looks like wings, but it's not… it's more like… energy lines? I dunno. It's glowing faintly too."
Axelius's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Really?! Geez, that's cool! I have a tattoo now! That's badass!" He grinned widely, still ignoring the pain, his hand tracing over the mark with awe. "So… what happens next?"
Owen sighed, shaking his jelly-like head. "You're really enjoying this, huh?"
Before Axelius could answer, more glowing words began to form in the air in front of them, stretching out in smooth, flowing script:
"You are the successor of Lorian Dravenhart. The Primal Veil Core has been manifested within your body."
Axelius squinted at the words, scratching his head. "Primal Veil Core? What the heck is that?"
Owen bounced a bit higher, as if deep in thought. "Primal Veil Core…? That's… weird. Isn't this world supposed to have mana? Living beings here have mana cores, right? Aura is a warrior thing… and life essence is… I don't even know what that is!"
Axelius rubbed the back of his neck, his expression blank. "Uhh… sure? I don't really get it," he admitted, his tone casual.
Owen spun around to face him, practically vibrating with frustration. "I told you to study about this world, idiot! You don't know anything! See? Now you're stuck here with all this weird stuff happening, you wouldn't be standing here scratching your head like a moron if you--"
Axelius chuckled, "Sorry but not sorry okay? I'm not good at studying, you know? That stuff puts me to sleep. I'm more of a 'do it and see what happens' kinda guy." He grinned cheekily. "Besides, you probably know all this stuff because of the comics you read."
Owen sputtered, his jelly form jiggling with disbelief. "Comics?! Are you serious?! I read encyclopedias too, not—"
Before he could finish, the words glowed again, demanding their attention:
"Axelius Dravenhart, you are an anomaly born without a mana core. Instead, your body was now shaped to harness the Primal Veil Core, a rare fusion of Aura and Life Essence. This allows you to tap into energy beyond traditional mana, connected deeply to the bloodline of Lorian Dravenhart."