[Teleporting Ascender Elios to the Outside World]
Before Elios had time to fully process what the strange AI voice had told him, it felt as if he were being forcibly pushed out of his own realm—something that, by all intents and purposes, should have been impossible.
"Just what the hell is this thing? It can even push me out of my own realm?"
His mind raced in panic, overwhelmed by confusion. The only thing he knew for certain was that he was probably the cause of humanity's extinction.
The weight of that realization was crushing.
He had wanted petty revenge—vengeance against the gods who had abandoned him. Nothing more.
And yet, over the past few days, regret had consumed him, piece by piece.
A faithful priest of the God of Life and Death—what had he done to deserve this?
What had anyone done?
White light flooded his vision, and in an instant, his body disappeared.
He was gone.
His realm lay empty, yet the ruined world and the bleeding moon only intensified, as though responding to his emotions.
The clouds—once dense enough to obscure even the vision of the realm's ruler—thickened further, as if hiding a secret.
The first thing Elios felt was the hard stone floor of the ruined temple beneath him. Dust—carried by the wind—gently fell into his eyes, stinging them.
"Oh, come on! Can't you tell I'm already having a bad day, world?"
Standing up, he furiously rubbed at his eyes, trying to rid them of the dust. As his blurry gaze slowly cleared, reality set in—he was in the middle of the ruins again.
But how?
Moments ago, he had been in that dark room…
Moving forward, his eyes landed on the familiar sight of the ruined altar. Yet, something was missing.
The door that led underground—gone.
Rushing forward, nearly stumbling over loose rocks, he pressed his hands against the wall where the stairway had once been.
Now—there was nothing.
Even the intricately carved wood—crafted from ancient trees—had disappeared.
I... What?
Confusion clouded his mind, preventing him from making sense of any of it.
Had his weakness—his selfish desire for vengeance—triggered the final act of this apocalypse?
Then, suddenly—the mechanical voice returned.
But this time, it didn't just echo within his mind.
It was everywhere.
Little did Elios know—he was not the only one hearing it.
Every living soul on Earth—from the elderly to the youngest child—heard its voice, as clear as if it were speaking directly to them.
In a small camp, a huddled group of survivors jerked in fear, startled by the sudden message that echoed in their heads.
In a large settlement, people turned to one another, expressions stricken with shock and terror, the same thought lingering in their minds:
"Is it another horde? Are they getting smarter?"
Then, the voice spoke.
[Attention, remaining people of this realm.]
[My name is Sentinel. I am the guide of the Dragon Path.]
[You need not worry. I am not here to cause you harm.]
[I can sense your confusion—your fear—so I shall provide an explanation.]
[The Dragon Path is a road that any person may follow. It has the power to elevate mortals to gods. This has been proven before.]
[By scanning your world's core, I have realized that this information has been erased from history—for reasons unknown to me.]
[The Dragon Path was created to combat the endless corruption plaguing this world.]
[Now, you face that corruption once more.]
[By a stroke of fate, the seals placed upon me have been destroyed.]
As the AI voice uttered this last sentence, its cold, impartial tone softened—becoming something almost fatherly, filled with warmth and sincerity.
It was the kind of kindness one could only find in someone who truly wished to help.
[Now, I walk free—ready to guide you once more.]
But that warmth didn't last.
Almost instantly, the voice shifted—becoming serious, calculated, cold.
[Yet, sadly, I too cannot escape corruption.]
[Millennia of being sealed have weakened me. And now, as corruption spreads within this world once more, it has infected me as well.]
[You need not fear. I have done my absolute best to contain it.]
[But I must warn you—it acts as a virus within my code. A malware I cannot erase.]
[It is called the Path of Sin.]
[As its name suggests—I strongly recommend you do not follow it.]
[Once you all sleep tonight, we will have a deeper conversation.]
[If you desire survival—listen carefully.]
And just like that—the voice vanished.
Disappearing just as suddenly as it had come.
Yet—despite its absence—the world remained shaken.
Every person—every remaining soul—stood in stunned silence.
Some were fearful.
Some were hopeful.
And some—against all logic—believed Sentinel's words with all their hearts.