Azriel's world spun in chaos, and he could barely hold onto reality as the temple walls faded into shadows. He'd crossed the threshold into this ancient, silent place, stepping through the doorway his great-grandfather had guided him toward. The once-forgotten temple felt like it was breathing around him, the walls creaking with life as energy pulsed through the air. Just as he took in a steadying breath, the atmosphere thickened, and a glowing screen flickered before him, pulsing with an ethereal message.
SYSTEM INTEGRATION INITIATED
Azriel's body jolted as energy surged through him, more power than he'd ever felt, foreign yet instinctively understood. Attributes, skills, arts, and magic carved themselves into his being. Strength, Agility, Intellect, Willpower, Awareness, and Presence all became more than words as raw power thrummed in his veins. Arts, battle techniques, dimensional forces, even the warmth of a flame dancing on his fingertips, all of it flooded his mind. He felt limitless and connected, yet his body strained to contain it. As he steadied himself, another alert blazed before his eyes.
Significant Records Detected warning: System Energy Overload Imminent.
The warning was immediate and unrelenting. Power tore through him, fierce and unforgiving, like an inferno blazing in his very bones. His muscles seized, his vision blurring as he struggled against the unbearable force flooding his senses, his mind reeling under its weight. Visions flickered of strange lands, ancient battles, and memories that weren't his yet felt like fragments of a hidden truth. He began to let himself flow with the power, not fighting it but letting it carve its way into his essence. His mind cleared, his spirit adapting as the storm within him began to quiet, but before he could fully regain his strength, a new alert shattered his calm.
System Overload Unstable. Forced Charging in Progress.
Azriel's relief vanished as another torrent of energy surged into him, fiercer than before. His pulse thundered, his muscles trembling as his body was forcibly charged, taking on more power than he could bear. Sparks of light crackled off his skin, the ancient air thick with the sound of something ominous, the power within him threatening to split him apart.
"N-No…!" he choked, clutching his head as the sheer force wracked his body. The temple around him dimmed, shadows deepening as the surge continued to pour in, overwhelming his senses. His spirit struggled under the relentless force, bending to contain the power that now seemed to be reshaping him from the inside.
On the edge of breaking, a single thought emerged through the pain:
Let it reshape you, or it will break you.
With every last bit of willpower, Azriel surrendered. He allowed the energy to flow, not as an enemy but as a force molding him into something new. His essence expanded, his being stretching to accommodate the immense, unrelenting power. His body, mind, and spirit united to contain the force, adapting to this strange, terrible strength now coursing through him. Azriel felt a new surge within him, a deep warmth resonating from his very core. His vision flickered as another screen materialized, text etched in symbols he could now instinctively understand.
Born Trait Activated: Adaptation. Shaping Process Initiated.
Mind and Spirit aspects have become stable due to the effects of Astral Breathing.
***
In the heart of a sprawling city, lanterns swayed gently under curved, red-tiled rooftops. Streets lined with wooden stalls bustled with life as people of many races mingled elves in robes adorned with intricate kanji, dwarves bartering for rare herbs, and humans in flowing yukatas decorated with mountain and ocean motifs. Kitsune with sleek, foxlike features and gnomes tinkering with enchanted trinkets moved along pathways paved with smooth stones, each face calm and immersed in the serene harmony of the city.
Overhead, cherry blossom trees, which looked slightly larger than their Earth counterparts, cast a soft, warm shade. Their petals drifted lazily on a breeze that carried the faint scent of incense and freshly steamed buns. Children chased each other around a koi pond, laughter ringing through the air. For a moment, the scene was peaceful and timeless, a slice of calm in a world steeped in magic.
Then, as if summoned from the depths of another realm, the city seemed to hold its breath. Above the skyline, an ethereal glow began to gather, forming a vast, shimmering outline. Gasps rose from the crowd as an enormous, astral projection of a dragon took shape in the sky. It was a sight unlike anything they'd ever seen: a four-winged dragon, its vast, feathery wings spread wide, with a body that seemed woven from stardust and constellations. The dragon's wings pulsed with light, casting shimmering reflections across the city below, illuminating the stunned faces turned skyward.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
As the dragon's wings stretched, a shadow began to creep across the city. Daylight dimmed, colors fading as an unnatural darkness descended, casting the world in twilight. The hum of the dragon's presence resonated, filling the air with an energy that was both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling. People stared in wonder and fear, their eyes reflecting the starlit creature. They watched as the astral dragon hovered silently above, its enormous, feathered wings blocking out the sun and casting a spectral night over the city.
The Astral Dragon hung in the sky for a moment that felt eternal. Its feathery wings stretched across the heavens, filling the city with its cosmic presence. Every soul below, frozen in awe and disbelief, could only watch as the creature's radiant light shimmered like distant stars. Its vast, starlit eyes seemed to scan the world below as though it were searching for something or perhaps simply bearing silent witness to all.
Then, with a final, blinding pulse of light, the projection began to dissolve. The dragon's wings folded slowly, its form shimmering and fading, breaking apart into thousands of tiny, sparkling fragments. The stardust scattered, floating down like a gentle, celestial rain, each glimmering particle vanishing before it touched the ground. The darkness that had cloaked the city lifted as the last traces of the dragon disappeared, leaving only the sun's gentle warmth returning to the streets.
The city exhaled in collective relief, the murmur of voices picking up, some in wonder, others in hushed confusion. People blinked, glancing at one another as if to confirm that what they'd seen was real, yet finding no trace of the dragon's presence. Petals drifted once again from the cherry blossoms, and the world slipped back into its serene rhythm as though nothing had happened.
But in every gaze that had witnessed the dragon's fleeting existence, a glint of stardust remained a reminder that something ancient, something beyond comprehension, had touched their world and left them changed.
***
Azriel awoke with a start, the remnants of his arduous transformation still humming within him. He lay on a smooth stone floor, the coolness seeping into his bones, yet his body felt undeniably different. As his eyes fluttered open, he became acutely aware of subtle movements beneath his skin. Abstract tattoos began to shimmer along his arms, intricate patterns swirling and shifting with a life of their own. Hexagons formed and dissolved, interwoven with swirling nebulas that sparkled with ethereal light. The designs traveled slowly, cascading from his arms across his chest and pooling onto his back, creating a mesmerizing tapestry of celestial symbols.
He reached up, watching in awe as the tattoos continued their dance, settling into a complex arrangement that seemed both ancient and futuristic. Each pattern pulsed gently, resonating with the newfound energy coursing through him. Azriel felt a surge of clarity and heightened perception. The Awareness attribute was now fully active, attuning his senses to dimensions beyond the ordinary.
As he stood, a subtle yet unmistakable weight settled on his shoulders. Glancing over his shoulder, his heart skipped a beat. A magnificent Astral Dragon hovered just above his back, its four feathery wings unfurled and shimmering with stardust. The dragon's eyes glowed with an intelligent light, its presence both awe-inspiring and serene. Azriel felt a deep connection to the creature, an unspoken bond that hinted at guidance and protection.
Just as Azriel opened his mouth to speak to the dragon, a cascade of glowing notifications flooded his vision, each one flashing urgently in his mind. He staggered, overwhelmed as lines of text scrolled before him, filling his awareness with a torrent of updates.
Race: Umbral Human Preselected
Human +5 to all Attributes per Level
Umbral Bloodline +10 to Awareness per Level
Umbral Human +10 Free Points per Level
"I'm an Umbral Human, huh?"
According to what his great-grandpa wrote about Umbral Humans, they were corrupted by the shadows of the twilight region of the fey realm. In one book, he stayed in that region for a prolonged amount of time. Did that mean all of his family related to his great-grandpa were Umbral Humans? Despite his family being African American, they all had red eyes, and the hair on their heads was snow white. His great-grandpa always said their family genes were weird. Is this what he meant? A new window appeared, interrupting his train.
Radiantborn Detected
"What is Radiantborn?"
Radiantborns are said to be beings touched by Astral. They are rare, gifted individuals who draw their strength from an ancient cosmic power, and this celestial heritage is visible in their very essence.
Radiantborn +10 to all Attributes per Level
Radiantborn +20 Free Points per Level
"Holy, that 80 points per level up!" Azriel shouted excitedly. Not because of the cosmic power aspect but because of the attribute points he would gain at every level up. His mind swirled tons of builds that would make him one of the strongest people in the world. His excitement ended with annoyance from all the system notifications.
"Just summarize all of it already!" The system cycles for several minutes before finishing. A single window appeared with all the changes to him.
Skills Transferred from Orignal World:
Acting
Astral Breathing
Cold Resistance
Firearm Mastery
Gunsmithing
Sword Mastery
Skills Obtained from Bloodline:
Mentality of Nemesis
Azriel looked at the skills he had learned from Earth as something to behold. Acting made sense from years of voice acting; the Cold Resistance had to have come from living in a state where it could snow in the summer. The weapon one definitely came from his... mother's side of the family. Astral Breathing came from his great-grandpa teaching it to him for some reason; instincts told him to be careful where he used the skill.
"Mentality of Nemesis?" Azriel said questioningly, looking at the skill. The window showed he obtained from his bloodline. Nemesis was the Greek goddess of retribution, but that didn't click in his mind because none of the books he read from his great-grandpa ever mentioned the goddess. The only other being he could think of was the theme of retribution, which was his great-grandma, The Phoenix of Retribution.
"Naw, no way." Azriel couldn't believe that The Phoenix of Retribution, a Primordial of vengeance, was his great-grandma. "I'm going just to choose a Path so I don't lose my mind."
Path Options Available: 600
"God damn it..." Azriel began scrolling through the options. He then remembers the Astral Dragon he saw earlier. When he looked up again, it had long vanished. Azriel shrugged it off and kept scrolling through the options.