Pain.

It was the first thing he felt—deep, aching, and unrelenting, like his entire body had been torn apart and reassembled incorrectly.

Revan groaned, his throat dry and rough, his chest heaving with each breath. His limbs felt heavy, sluggish, as if weighed down by unseen chains.

What the hell had happened?

He forced his eyes open, blinking against the harsh glare of the midday sun. The sky above was a deep blue, unmarred by smog or pollution. The air smelled different—crisp, earthy, almost too fresh.

Where was he?

He tried to push himself up, only for his muscles to protest violently. His arms buckled under his own weight, and he collapsed onto his back with a heavy thud.

Something was wrong.

His body felt… off. Bigger, heavier, stronger.

His breathing came faster now, not from pain, but from a growing sense of unease. He lifted a hand in front of his face, his fingers flexing sluggishly.

His nails had been replaced by sharp, curved claws.

Thick, golden fur covered the back of his massive hand, trailing up his arm, shifting slightly as he moved.

His heart pounded.

His arms were too large. His shoulders were broader than they should have been. His torso, wrapped in rippled muscle, felt alien yet powerful.

Revan clenched his fists, feeling the strength beneath his skin—unnatural, overwhelming, and intoxicating.

Then he reached up and brushed his face.

A muzzle.

His breath hitched.

What the hell had happened to him?

His hands roamed over his new face—broad, feline, powerful. He traced the contours of his sharp jaw, his cheekbones, the fangs that jutted slightly from his lips. His ears flicked at the sound of rustling leaves, his mind instantly recognizing the motion before he even consciously processed it.

Everything felt too real, too sharp.

The wind brushed through the thick mane draping over his shoulders. He could feel the individual strands shifting, the weight of it hanging down his back like a royal cloak.

He wasn’t human anymore.

Revan forced himself to sit up, his breathing shallow.

Memories—**fragmented, disjointed—**drifted through his mind. He remembered… pain, fire, an explosion of light.

And then nothing.

His heart pounded in his chest as he scanned his surroundings.

He was in a dense forest, the towering trees unlike anything he had seen before. The trunks were massive, their bark a deep gray, their canopies so thick that they almost blotted out the sun. Strange, bioluminescent vines coiled around them, pulsing with faint blue light.

The air was… charged, filled with something he couldn’t describe—something that made his fur stand on end.

Magic?

No.

Power.

Something in this world hummed with energy, something beyond the laws of nature he once knew.

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His ears flicked, catching the faintest rustle of movement far beyond what a normal human should have been able to hear. His tail—a **tail, for gods’ sake—**twitched in irritation, his muscles instinctively coiling at the awareness of something nearby.

Everything about this body was different.

Stronger.

Faster.

More aware.

But it wasn’t just his body.

Something else had changed.

Something fundamental.

A sudden, cold presence flooded his mind, and words appeared in his vision.

[SYSTEM ALERT: AWAKENING COMPLETE]

* You have been integrated into the Veilbound System.

* Essence Signature Detected: Hybrid Variant (Beastkin-Celestial).

* Your body and soul have been recalibrated to match the system’s requirements.

* Basic status functions are now available.

Would you like to access your status? [Yes] / [No]

Revan blinked.

What?

His mind reeled, questions piling on top of one another, his instincts screaming that this wasn’t normal—that this wasn’t possible.

A system? Like a game?

Was he dreaming?

He exhaled through his nose, his breath coming out in a low growl. No, this was too real for that.

His claws dug into the earth as he forced himself upright, pushing through the lingering stiffness in his limbs. His body felt raw, as if he had been reforged in a forge he had no memory of.

But right now, he needed answers.

Gritting his teeth, he focused on the floating prompt.

“Yes.”

[STATUS WINDOW OPENED]

NAME: REVAN BLACKTHORN

Race: Celestial Beastkin (Lionborne)

Class: Unassigned

Essence Affinity: Primal / Celestial

Level: 1

ATTRIBUTES:

* Strength: 22

* Dexterity: 15

* Endurance: 20

* Intelligence: 12

* Wisdom: 14

* Essence Control: 18

SKILLS:

* Primal Instincts (Passive) – Your senses, reflexes, and awareness are heightened beyond human capability.

* Celestial Resilience (Passive) – Your body naturally resists corruption, magic, and physical harm beyond mortal limits.

* Celestial Embers (Basic) – Summon and manipulate celestial energy in its raw form, creating small bursts of light-infused power.

EQUIPMENT:

* Worn Cloth Trousers (Common) [Torn]

* No Weapon Equipped

Revan’s breath came slow, steady, controlled—but his mind was a storm of realization.

He wasn’t just in a different body.

He was in a completely different world.

And it wasn’t a normal world, either. This was structured. Designed. A system-bound reality.

He had stats.

He had skills.

And he had no damn weapon.

His jaw tightened.

A warrior without a weapon was just a walking corpse waiting for a blade.

His instincts screamed at him that this world was dangerous—that he wouldn’t last long without something to defend himself.

As if responding to his thoughts, another prompt appeared.

[SYSTEM ALERT: ESSENCE WEAPON DETECTED]

* You have been attuned to an essence-bound weapon.

* Would you like to summon it?

[Yes] / [No]

Revan didn’t hesitate.

“Yes.”

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, heat surged through his chest, spiraling outward, threading through his veins, filling him with a sensation that was both foreign and familiar.

And then—

A massive greatsword materialized before him, embedded in the dirt.

The blade was monstrous, easily six feet long, its edge gleaming with faint golden runes. The hilt was wrapped in dark leather, the crossguard shaped like curving fangs.

The moment he wrapped his clawed fingers around the grip, something clicked.

It fit perfectly.

As if it had always been his.

A slow grin stretched across his face, his tail flicking behind him.

Good.

Now he was ready.

And whatever this world was, whatever had brought him here—he was going to carve his way through it.

One swing at a time.