The scorching sun of the endless desert burned down relentlessly, the heat warping the air in shimmering waves. From the vantage point of a lone hill, Kael gazed out over the ruins of a village buried beneath layers of golden sand. His mind raced, disoriented, still struggling to process the impossible reality unfolding before him.
Where am I? What is this place?
The last thing he remembered was the bustling city where he'd lived—his normal life as an engineer, an unremarkable existence filled with routine. Now, everything was gone. There was no home, no familiar faces, and certainly no answers. Just the vast expanse of sand and silence.
But something else stirred within him.
A low hum, a voice that spoke to him, faint yet clear.
"Welcome, Lord Kael, to the Undying Sands. You have been chosen by the Global Lord System."
His heart skipped a beat. The voice… it wasn't a hallucination. It was as real as the ground beneath his feet. With a deep breath, Kael focused, trying to understand what was happening.
"System... What do you mean? Chosen for what?" he muttered aloud, barely understanding his own words.
A blue holographic interface appeared before him, shimmering and pulsing with an unnatural energy. Words scrolled across the screen, each sentence more bewildering than the last.
Global Lord System InitializedWelcome, Lord Kael, to your new world.You have inherited the power of Necromancy.100x Return Power Activated.Fusion Ability: Undead Fusion Active.Daily Quest Issued: Summon 3 Undead Soldiers.
The message was clear enough, but the implications were overwhelming. Necromancy? He had no interest in undead creatures, much less ruling over them. The idea seemed absurd. But as the System continued to outline his powers—100x Return being the most cryptic and powerful of all—Kael couldn't deny the growing sense of inevitability that settled over him. His life had changed forever.
He had been chosen. He had no idea why or how. But the System was his guide now, whether he liked it or not.
The sound of distant footsteps broke his thoughts. Kael turned, his eyes locking with a small figure—a young girl, no older than seven or eight, her clothes ragged and her face pale with the dust of the desert. She appeared lost, just like him. And yet, her eyes were sharp, filled with a deep sadness that seemed to speak of loss beyond comprehension.
She walked slowly toward him, her steps cautious but determined.
"Are you... lost too?" Kael asked, his voice carrying the weight of someone who had just been torn from everything they knew.
The girl nodded silently, her gaze flickering up at the strange blue glow surrounding Kael. She tilted her head, as though seeing something beyond the veil.
"I'm not lost," she said softly, her voice a whisper of a storm long past. "I know why I'm here. You're my brother now."