"Choose wisely," the god said, floating midair like a lazy hologram. His shape pulsed like light trapped in a dream. "You get three. Don't pick something boring like super strength. That's so... last century."
Leo stood motionless beneath the god's glow. His eyes weren't dull—they were scorched. Not broken. Reforged.
"I want to hear pain," he said softly.
The god blinked. "What?"
Leo's jaw clenched. "I want to feel betrayal before it happens. Read hearts, not minds. If someone lies, I want to know. If they plan to hurt me—I want to feel it coming."
"Emotional Echo."
The god tilted his head, then slowly grinned. "Dark. I like it. That one's rare. Dangerous, too. You sure?"
Leo didn't flinch. "I've been blind before. Never again."
The void shimmered as the first skill sealed to his soul. A ripple of ancient energy threaded through his chest.
The god held up two fingers. "Alright, one down. Two left."
Leo didn't even pause. "I want to link with people. Share what they carry. Their pain. Their power. Their thoughts—when they trust me enough."
"Whoa…" the god muttered. "Echo Link. You're either going to become a legend—or a cautionary tale."
Leo gave a thin smile. "Maybe both."
The light surged again. The second bond locked into place. Leo could feel it already—like cords waiting to be tied to others.
Then silence.
Only one choice left.
Leo hesitated. His eyes dropped to the endless dark below him—the place where everything he was had died. Then he looked back up.
"Soulmark Assimilation."
The god's body stopped moving. The stars themselves seemed to pause in orbit.
"You want to grow strong, Leo?" the god finally said, voice low now. "Then learn from the fallen. Take their memories, their regrets… their talents. But know this—every soul you absorb will whisper in your bones. Some will scream."
"I don't want to steal," Leo whispered. "I want to carry. I want to remember."
The god nodded slowly. "Then let your soul mark theirs. Let their pain fuel your rise. But beware—walk too far into the shadows, and you may forget your own voice."
A final pulse of divine light locked the third skill into Leo's being. He didn't feel stronger. He felt... heavier. Like he was already carrying ghosts.
Then the god clapped his hands with a cosmic snap.
"That's it. Contract sealed. No refunds. No rerolls. Welcome to the queue of the Reborn."
The void beneath Leo's feet fractured into prismatic shards. He felt his soul begin to fall—no, descend.
The god's voice didn't follow him. Not immediately.
Instead, he remained alone, staring into the space Leo had left behind.
"…Interesting," he murmured.
The stars shimmered around him like watching eyes.
"Most souls beg for power. Or forget their pain. He embraced it. Wants to carry it. That's rare."
He slowly lowered himself onto nothingness, resting his chin on his hand.
"I wonder what you'll become, Leo. A savior? A tyrant? A martyr?"
A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
"Well... either way, it's going to be entertaining."
He raised a single finger and drew a glowing mark into the air — a looping rune that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Let the world of Nimrune prepare," he said. "Their storm is falling from the sky."