And then it came to her, another flash of inspiration cutting through the haze of frustration. Her mind shifted, drawing on lessons from her martial arts training -specifically, the philosophy behind Tai Chi. The key wasn’t to resist but to redirect. When faced with an opponent stronger or more relentless, brute force was never the answer. Instead, you worked with their strength, using their momentum to your advantage. Help them achieve their goal, she thought, and in doing so, you gain control.

The idea seemed so counterintuitive that it almost made her laugh. Here she was, wrestling with a magical sphere, and the solution might be as simple as surrendering. Yin and yang, push and pull. It’s all balance.

Carefully, Dom adjusted her grip. Placing her thumbs and pinkies against the underside of the sphere, she guided it to close while leaving her fingers inside the opening. The shift felt instinctual, her movements fluid and precise as if the sphere itself recognized what she was doing. She gave it just enough pressure to complete its own motion, and then, with a small crack of thunder, the bottom unhinged.

A beam of brilliant light shot upward, piercing the night sky. Dom shielded her eyes instinctively, her heart pounding as the sphere separated in her hands, leaving her holding two perfect hemispheres. The light faded almost as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the world in an eerie silence, as though the night itself were holding its breath.

She blinked, staring down at the two halves. A look of immense satisfaction spread across her face, a triumphant smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “Gotcha,” she muttered under her breath.

Her eyes darted to the inside of the first hemisphere, curiosity overtaking her caution. Engraved on the smooth interior was a shape that immediately caught her attention: an infinity symbol -but not quite. This one had a half twist in the middle, inverting the loop in a way that made it a single, continuous surface. A Mobius strip, she realized, the word sparking in her memory. It glowed faintly, the surface radiating a pearlescent light that danced through the full spectrum of colors, never settling on one.

Dom frowned, trying to place where she’d seen it before, but the memory eluded her. Frustrated, she turned her attention to the other hemisphere. This one contained the gently pulsing red light she had glimpsed earlier, brighter now that it was exposed.

Carefully, she set the Mobius half on her lap and reached into the second half. Her fingers hovered for a moment, nerves prickling as she braced herself. Slowly, she extended a finger to touch the light, ready to jerk back at the first sign of trouble.

The moment her skin made contact, the light surged. A wave of heat suffused her hand, spreading up her arm and flooding her entire body. She gasped as the sensation enveloped her, not painful but overwhelming, like being submerged in warm, electrified water. Her senses exploded to life.

Suddenly, the night around her transformed. Colors sharpened, their edges impossibly crisp. The muted greens of the trees became vivid emeralds, the blue-black of the sky deepened into an infinite abyss speckled with starlight. The smells of the night intensified -damp earth, distant pine, even the faint tang of algae from the reservoir. Sounds came alive, layered and distinct: the rhythmic chirp of crickets, the rustle of leaves, the soft lap of water against the shore. She could hear each ripple, each tiny insect skimming the surface.

Dom’s breath hitched. Is this… real? Her heart raced, exhilaration mixing with disbelief. It felt like stepping into a comic book world, her senses turned superhuman.

She picked up the Mobius half, the glowing strip catching her eye again. With her enhanced vision, she noticed something new: the light wasn’t just glowing -it was alive, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Dom reached into the hemisphere, her fingers brushing the symbol. The moment her skin touched it, the change was immediate. The strange light responded like liquid, flowing up her hand with a speed that made her gasp. The darkly iridescent substance clung to her skin, coating every inch it touched.

It moved with a mind of its own, spreading across her arm and up her shoulder like quicksilver. She tried to swat it away, but her frantic movements only made it spread faster. Startled, Dom dropped the hemispheres, the two halves snapping back together with a sharp click, reverting to the sphere’s original shape. A puzzle box.

“Crap!” she yelped, her voice shaky with panic. She rubbed at the umbral silver coating, trying desperately to wipe it off, but the more she struggled, the faster it consumed her.

The substance raced across her skin, trailing an eerily luminous glow as it covered her entire body. Dom could feel it pressing into her, seeping into her pores -even covering her individual hairs, down to the follicle. The sensation wasn’t painful, but it was invasive, alien. She clamped her eyes shut and sealed her lips, but the substance found other ways. It slid into her ears and nose, its cold touch forcing her to gasp. Her mouth opened involuntarily, and the light poured in.

Her eyes snapped open in shock, and for a moment, the world was bathed in a liquid metallic hue. Her body trembled as the substance completed its invasion, sinking into her flesh and vanishing beneath her skin.

The silence of the night was broken -not by sound, but by something deeper, something primal. A quiet, expectant presence pressed against the edges of Dom’s awareness, heavy and undeniable. It felt as though the world itself was waiting, holding its breath.

Suddenly, a faint shimmer appeared before her, a glowing ripple in the air that seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy. It was unlike anything Dom had ever seen -alive, intelligent, and ancient. Her heart pounded as the shimmer solidified, forming lines of text that hovered in her field of vision like a hologram.

And that’s when the system notification showed up. No, it was more like a glitchy HUD overlay on the inside of her eyelids.

System Notification

Path of Heritage unlocked.

New Objective: Choose your path.

Rewards: ???

Error. Anomalies detected – Host entity is comprised of Aretian Mortalis (human) DNA, Pandemonic DNA… Divergent Bloodlines Detected… Error. Recalibrating…

Recalibration: complete.

Condition: Nominal

Life Force: Optimal

Status: Pending Transformation - Initiate Evolution Protocol?

[Accept? Yes/No]

Dom tried to take a broken breath and failed as she chose - Yes.

Three options began to manifest, shimmering with dark energy, as though the system itself pulsed with her heartbeat.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Updated Notification:

Path of Heritage Objective complete. Choose your path.

Rewards: Race Evolution

But before she could decide, another message appeared, overwriting the first.

Adult human female upgraded to - Error.

Path choices are currently restricted:

Error: Pandemonic Corruption detected. Adjusting for anomaly.

Pandemonic Lineage and Starborn bloodlines detected. Recalculating results.

New Enhanced Options available. Choose your evolution.

* Umbra Huntress – The path of darkness. Stalk your prey, master the void.

* Shadow Ravager – The path of shadows. Devour energy and destroy your enemies.

* Twilight Devourer – The path of twilight. Consume and wield the power of dusk.

What the hell are these options? Dom thought as her mind swam through the confusion enveloping her senses. Twilight Devourer? Gross. She dismissed it immediately. Shadow Ravager sounded edgy and dangerous, but still gave her the creeps.

Umbra Huntress, though -there was a simplicity to it, an understated elegance. No overt threats, just an invitation to embrace the shadows. It spoke to her in a way the others didn’t.

Dom stared at the message, her pulse quickening as her mind scrambled to process what she was seeing. The words seemed to hum with an undeniable pull, resonating deep within her, as though the very core of her being was urging her to reach out, to accept what was being offered.

Her hand hovered in the air, trembling slightly. There was no manual, no tutorial, no guide to tell her what this would mean. Only instinct, raw and unfiltered, guiding her toward a choice she knew she couldn’t walk away from.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she reached forward, her finger brushing against the glowing [Accept] option.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Congratulations! You have chosen – class: Umbra Huntress

Race: Starborn Pandemoniac

Assigned Specializations:

* Umbral Predator

* Shadow Manifestor

* Voidstepper

Class Description:

The Umbra Huntress is a master of shadows, energy manipulation, and otherworldly power. As an Umbra Huntress, you draw strength from the void, shaping it to drain energy, manipulate shadows, and unleash devastating abilities tied to your heritage. Choose this class to unlock exclusive skills and enhance your connection to the shadows.

Welcome to the shadows, Umbra Huntress. You are now bound to the legacy of your heritage. Harness the power of the void, master the art of shadow manipulation, and uncover the truth of your lineage.

The messages faded, and for a moment, all was still. Then, the shimmering text returned, bolder and brighter this time, accompanied by a faint hum that seemed to resonate in her bones.

System Message: System Access Fully Unlocked.

System Integration Complete.

Congratulations, Huntress.

You have gained access to the complete class system. Base Class has been unlocked. Umbra Huntress.

Future class options are available, depending on objective completions and experience gained.

Umbral Pocket unlocked.

Umbral Pocket: Dimensional Storage that scales with race and class advancement. Restrictions apply.

Minimap – gain access to a virtual map that expands in detail and fidelity based on exploration. Restrictions apply.

Attunement to Prismata system unlocked.

Aspects and attunements gained: Infernium and Void.

Full System Access grants additional bonuses. Please see the tutorial for more information.

The hum faded, but Dom could still feel its vibration lingering in her chest, a reminder of the system now woven into her very existence. The weight of the night lifted slightly, the world around her sharper, clearer. Every nerve tingled with the latent energy coursing through her, as though her body had become a conduit for something greater.

So, I wasn’t going nuts after all, she mused in relief. Thank god.

And then the changes consumed her.

She collapsed to the ground, clutching her sides as her muscles spasmed in protest. Every nerve felt like it was on fire, her organs ignited in a symphony of discomfort. Dom panted, her breath shallow and ragged as she lay there, her body wracked by tremors and aftershocks. Sweat dripped from her face, her fingers digging into the dirt as she fought to regain control.

And she drifted from the world – her mind fading to darkness as the system effects took hold.

∞

Some unknown time later, she woke.

Gradually the silver metallic light faded from her vision, leaving her staring at the reflection of the vast night sky, its stars cold and distant -in the lake’s dark surface. Hello, stars.

Her body felt alien, as though it didn’t quite belong to her anymore.

When she did finally come to her senses, she knew she was different. Profoundly so. She could feel it. She swallowed hard, her throat dry as the enormity of what had just happened began to settle over her.

What the hell did I just unleash?

Dom blinked into the darkness, and collected herself. The strange, expectant weight in the air had lifted slightly, but her body buzzed with newfound energy. The coiled tension in her limbs felt ready to snap into action at the slightest provocation. Her senses were sharper, her vision cutting through the night as if the darkness itself was an open book waiting for her to read it.

In the periphery of her enhanced awareness, the watcher moved, his presence a liquid shadow flowing closer. His glowing eyes narrowed, having observed her transformation with a calculating intensity.

With the firestorm of pain finally quiet, Dom rolled onto her back, her hands clutching her stomach as she stared up at the stars. Her newfound vision cut through the inky void, revealing depths of clarity she had never imagined possible. The celestial tapestry above seemed impossibly intricate, the stars sharper, brighter, more alive.

Between them, shapes and symbols began to emerge -patterns she couldn’t quite explain. It was like staring at a cosmic game of connect-the-dots, the negative space between the stars forming constellations and sigils too complex for human comprehension.

Dom exhaled slowly, a wry smile tugging at her lips despite the chaos of her thoughts.

Is this how the ancient astronomers and astrologers saw the sky? she wondered. Is this how they charted the heavens and gave the stars their names?

She lay there for what felt like hours, mesmerized by the celestial tableau. It wasn’t until the faint sound of movement reached her ears -a quiet rustling at the water’s edge- that she realized her body had grown stiff. The gravel beneath her should have been digging into her skin, but she felt no discomfort, only a muted awareness of its texture.

Dom tried to sit up, but her muscles were sluggish to respond, as though they’d forgotten how to work. She rolled onto her side and pushed herself into a kneeling crouch, her limbs moving with a strange, mechanical precision. As she rose, her body flowed into readiness, the numbness giving way to a quicksilver readiness and grace. Every movement felt deliberate and poised, like a spring -loaded to the breaking point.

Standing, Dom took a few experimental steps, marveling at the fluidity of her movements. The aches and fatigue that had weighed her down earlier were gone, replaced by an exhilarating lightness. She felt stronger, faster -every fiber of her being humming with potential energy.

This must be how Peter Parker felt after the spider bite, she thought, a wry smile tugging at her lips. Cool.

For the first time, she realized how much strain her body had carried without her even noticing it. The little aches and pains, the daily fatigue -it was all gone. The sheer absence of discomfort was almost disorienting. She thought of the old saying about people putting an elephant’s worth of weight on their feet each day. We carry so much without ever realizing it, until the burden is gone.

The watcher shifted in the shadows, his movements liquid and unnervingly smooth. He was a phantom in the periphery, flowing like smoke from one position to another, always staying just beyond the reach of the starlight. His presence was a constant pressure, like a needle pricking at the edge of her awareness. He moved closer, silent and deliberate, his glowing eyes partially lidded as he studied her with a predator’s patience.

But Dom noticed. Her heightened senses picked up the ripple of movement before the watcher fully stilled. The night’s natural rhythm -the dance of wind, the rustle of leaves- seemed to pause, the silence sharp enough to cut. She turned toward the shadows, her gaze locking onto the faint, electric glow of the watcher’s eyes.

He glared back, unflinching, a low growl rumbling in the still air. The sound vibrated through Dom’s spine, resonating in her chest like the growl of some primal beast. Her breath hitched, her fingers curling into fists as she stared him down.

And then she knew the truth -the growl wasn’t coming from the watcher.

It was coming from her.

The realization hit like a jolt of lightning, her body stiffening in shock. The deep, animalistic sound resonated through her chest, foreign and uncontrollable. She inhaled sharply, startled by the raw, untamed power that had surged up from within her.

What the hell was that? she thought, panic blooming in her chest. What’s happening to me?