The air thickened, pressing against his chest.

"What do you want from me?" he managed, his voice trembling slightly.

"Want? Such a trivial term," Ith'kal replied, its form flickering like a wavering candle flame.

"I require nothing from thee. However, thou hast piqued my interest. 'Tis rare for a being from reality to stand before me without losing their sanity."

He struggled to find the right words, feeling the the otherworldly presence.

"What must I do to escape this place?" he asked, desperation in his tone.

"A simple request, yet fraught with implications. Thou dost seek freedom, but freedom cometh at a price.

I offer thee a pact: thou shalt allow mine essence to dwell within thy shadow, and in return, I shall grant thee return."

"And if I refuse?"

"Refusal is an option," Ith'kal replied.

"But know this: to deny mine offer is to remain trapped in this realm, subject to its whims.

To accept is to invite power beyond thy comprehension, yet it shall forever bind thy to mine."

"What guarantee have I that thou wilt not betray me?" he asked, a mix of fear and uncertainty in his voice.

"I am an outer god, unbound by the very laws of existence that govern your reality. Betrayal is beneath me."

He took a deep breath. "And what if I wish to sever this bond one day?"

"That, too, cometh at a cost," Ith'kal replied, its voice echoing ominously. "To break the pact will require a sacrifice of equivalent value. Thou must be prepared to pay the price."

With the shadows swirling around him, he realized that his choice would alter the course of his life. "I accept," he said.

"Then let us seal this agreement," Ith'kal intoned. "Speak thy name, and the pact shall be forged in the depths of eternity."

At the mention of a name, he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing emerged.

It was as if he had no name to claim; no matter how hard he tried to remember, he could not recall his previous life.

Panic flickered through him until he remembered he had a title.

"I Keeper of the Unseen Chain agree to this pact," he declared.

"Thus, our bond is formed," Ith'kal replied, its dark form swirling around him. "From this moment forth, thou shodow is connected to me?"

"Now i shall send thou back to reality"

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In an instant, the space around him warped, swirling like ink in water.

The abyss twisted and contorted, and he felt himself being pulled apart.

The sensation of falling enveloped him. A blinding light pierced through the darkness, and he felt a jolt, like the snap of a taut string.

Then, silence.

He blinked against the brightness, his surroundings slowly coming into focus.

As his vision cleared, he found himself floating in the vastness of space.

[Congratulations on returning from the Abyssal Threshold. You are the first to emerge from that realm, earning the title: "First."]

[Congratulations on forming a pact with an Outer God, earning the title: "Enemy of the World."]

"System, you're active again?" he thought, relief washing over him.

[Affirmative. Reinitializing core functions…]

"Why did you fall silent when that Outer God appeared?" he asked, still trying to comprehend the enormity of what had just happened.

[The Outer Gods are powerful beings outside of reality. There was a chance they might detect the presence of the System.]

"Oh, so you were also scared," he said, a hint of amusement breaking through his tension.

As he hovered in the void, he noticed the two notifications in front of him. "System, what do these titles mean?" he inquired, focusing on the glowing text.

[Title: First – Bestowed upon the first individual to successfully return from the Abyssal Threshold.

Effect: This title grants you the gift of Rebirth; no matter how you may die, you shall be granted another chance at life.]

"Wow, an extra life," he mused, but his face turned pale as he looked at the next notification.

"System? What do you mean by 'Enemy of the World'?"

[Any interaction with Outer Gods is a serious taboo and is unforgivable. Every constellation will become your enemy if you reveal the pact with an Outer God.

Warning: It is advised to hide any knowledge related to Outer Gods and refrain from discussing your connection to them with anyone.]

He swallowed hard.

"Great, just what I needed—an extra life with a side of universal hostility," he muttered.

"What should I do now?"

[Reassessing environment... Initiating survival protocol. You must find a safe location]

_____________________________

[Displaying Status Panel...]

[Status Panel]

Name:

Constellation Title: Keeper of Unseen Chains

Titles: First, Enemy of the World

Authorities:

Authority of Absolute Nullification: Nullify anything—physical, magical, even abstract concepts like emotions.

Authority of Unseen Chains: Summon and control unseen chains that bind both the body and mind of any target, even concepts.

_____________________________

He looked at the name section, which was blank. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't recall his name—neither from his previous life nor from this one.

"What… why can't I remember my name? What about the name I had in my past life? Why is it gone?"

[Constellations don’t have inherent names; they’re given by those who acknowledge them. and you can’t remember your past name because this life is now your reality—your past no longer matters.]

"So, I need followers to earn a name?"

{Correct. It could be a follower, or anyone whose recognition you accept as valid.}

"Great," he thought, still drifting in the void. "And now?"

{Where would you like to go? Three nearby options are available:

1. Lifeless Planet

2. Deserted Moon

3. Lonely Misty Forest Planet}

He scanned the options, unimpressed. A lifeless planet, a deserted moon, and a lonely misty forest—all sounded equally bleak.

None of them screamed "grand destiny" or "path to greatness." It felt like the universe was mocking him, offering only scraps of broken worlds.

"These all sound… amazing," he muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Just the kind of places I want to be when I have no name and no idea what I'm doing."

He stared at the void a moment longer, hoping for some better option to miraculously appear. Of course, nothing did. With a sigh, he finally spoke.

"Fine. I'll take the misty forest planet," he said, picking at random just to stop the endless floating. "Not like any of these places will be a paradise, right?"

{Confirmed. Transporting to the Lonely Misty Forest Planet...}

The space around him began to shift. The endless void blurred and twisted, pulling him into a swirling vortex of light.