A low, guttural hum reverberated through the air, fading into the stillness of Jason's dim apartment. The human body sprawled on the floor twitched once and then stilled.

Slowly, Jason's eyelids fluttered open, but the gaze behind them was no longer human. They were no longer his own.

"So… this is what it feels like to inhabit a human body," murmured a voice that echoed from Jason's lips.

The words carried Jason's tone, but they were laced with a sinister resonance that didn't belong. The body stirred, sitting up awkwardly, its movements jerky and unnatural, like a puppet learning its strings.

Malgrith, 'The Hive', whose mind was just moments ago spread across countless numbers of his broods and drones, was now confined to a single, fragile human body. He sat for a moment, observing the vessel he had claimed, his lip curling in faint disgust as his gaze settled on the rings of fat clinging to his frame.

"What a pathetic vessel," he muttered, his voice sharp with irritation.

His hands flexed experimentally, feeling the unfamiliar weight of this body. The muscles were underdeveloped, the joints stiff from neglect, and the mind, his mind, was sluggish, now only capable of managing a single thought stream.

It was an infuriating limitation for one who had once controlled countless drones simultaneously.

Still, he allowed himself a small, bitter smile.

"Weak as it is. For now, it will suffice"

With a sigh, the entity, known as Malgrith, pondered the recent turn of events.

Having witnessed the timeline reset back to zero before the Ascension Trials began, Malgrith had been overwhelmed with elation. This had emboldened him to undertake an even riskier gamble and one that had thankfully, so far, succeeded. But not without consequences.

If any of the Ascended, residents of the 4th dimension were asked whether they would willingly descend to the 3rd dimension, risking the possibility of true death, their resounding response would be an unequivocal "no."

For Malgrith, however, the decision had been a simple one.

In the days before the inception of this world's Ascension Trials, he had been a feeble member of the demonic race, insignificant and deemed expendable. Yet, through his audacious gamble on the human race, he had achieved unparalleled success.

Empowered by these victories, Malgrith had embarked on an even more audacious gamble.

The system, an entity created by beings of the 4th dimension aeons ago, was designed to maintain order amid chaos, allowing the mightiest to thrive without fearing death. It was a creation residing as a 5th-level dimensional entity and would not easily permit a higher-dimensional being to descend without consequences, as that would affect the Trails.

Although it was primarily created to facilitate the continued growth of the Supremes and provide them with challenges and some enjoyment in their long lives, the condensed worlds would also allow the challengers to grow.

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However, If the Ascended, the member of the 4th dimension, perished, they would lose but a fragment of their power, which would further grow the challengers until they became ripe for consumption. This was an insidious scheme set up by the Supremes, the transcended, to continue their insatiable lust for power.

However, on the exceedingly slim chance that the challengers succeeded in the Ascension Trials, they, too, would ascend, a phenomenon that had not occurred for aeons.

Despite this, Malgrith remained vigilant, for he had not fully dominated the soul of the human known as Jason. His nature was more akin to that of a parasite; he had leveraged the system to give the human known as Jason a 'reward', so to say.

Malgrith had taken residence deep within Jason's soul and had simply taken control but had not devoured the Human just yet. For if he did, the system would react, especially if he tried to attempt the tutorial, and he would perish before even truly starting his gamble.

However, Malgrith was unconcerned about losing control over Jason. After all, he was used to using these methods as he had endowed humans with power's during the previous Ascension Trials.

In exchange for accepting his brood into their bodies, he granted them access to demonic energy. This had made him far more familiar with the workings of the human body than many others, hence why he could evade the system right now. For the soul was still Jason until the right moment arrived.

Many of the Ascended regarded humans as mere pawns, tools to ensure their continued ascension. However, Malgrith, having spent more time observing and interacting with humans than even his own kind, had discerned their untapped potential.

Although their bodies may have seemed fragile, as if a gentle breeze could whisk them away, their latent potential was immeasurable. This world's species had previously reached the 2nd trial before their fall.

But with another chance, if they were to succeed, Malgrith 'The Hive' could ride the surging waves of their power to become something far greater.

For he had already abandoned his own race in the pursuit of power.

Descending had been an expensive gamble. Malgrith had identified that the timeline was starting anew before the trials, and he paid a heavy price to send a 'Patronage' to each member who had been part of the once demonic organisation, 'The Confluence.'

Normally, interacting with humans before the Ascension Trials was impossible as they had not unlocked their social systems, which allowed interaction with others. However, with time rewound and Malgrith's numerous minds retaining most of their identities, he sent over 100 challengers a lesser blessing, hoping that one would accept before the start of the tutorial.

The first challenger to accept his blessing would receive the greatest gift Malgrith could offer!

Himself, of course! After all, not all gifts were presents.

However, Malgrith was far from impressed. This body was weak, and he was no longer connected to his many broods and drones. His mind was also operating at a far lower output, preventing him from contemplating multiple matters simultaneously.

With an audible sigh, Malgrith redirected his focus and interacted with the system of the being known as Jason.

Every being's system represented their body, but, more importantly, it also represented their soul. To see another's status screen was either a display of trust or a domineering ability, but to use another's screen was far more elusive.

However, as the current controller of the human named Jason, he could use his system. However, as Jason's body grew stronger and he acquired skills expanding his soul, so would the status screen, making Jason's soul grow stronger and harder to control.

But that was a concern for another time. Instead, Malgrith, now called Jason, examined the system notification before him:

System Notification:

Welcome, inhabitant of Earth. Would you like to commence your trial?

Y/N

Without hesitation, Jason moved his consciousness over the "Yes" button, eager to embark on his first Ascension Trial.

Suddenly, the space before him distorted, revealing a dark rift that seemed to pull him in. The hole began to emit light, getting brighter and brighter until Jason had to shield his eyes. Moments later, the apartment lay empty, with no sign of the previous happenings.

Similar cracks appeared all around the world, signifying the commencement of the Ascension Trails once more.