He looked up at the polished wooden ceiling.
"This has been one hell of a day."
He closed his eyes, reflecting on his journey so far—his arrival in this world, the fight with shadow wolves, his heroic moment at the market, and that awkward-yet-hilarious goodbye with Elsa.
"It was fun… Honestly, I hope every day is as crazy and awesome as this one."
A long, satisfied yawn escaped his lips as the moonlight streamed softly through the window.
"Why was I isekai'd anyway? To defeat a Demon Lord? Save the world? Or… maybe just to become a harem king and rule it with style?"
He chuckled softly to himself.
"Either way… I'll figure it out. But right now—"
He turned over, pulling the oversized blanket closer to his chin.
"—I'm gonna sleep like royalty."
The gentle sound of contented snoring began to fill the luxurious suite. But just as true slumber claimed him...
BLINK! BLINK!
His eyelids twitched involuntarily. The very air around him seemed to shift and pulse with otherworldly energy.
*What the—?*
Drake's eyes fluttered open, confusion washing over him immediately.
He was no longer in the inn.
A vast cosmic void stretched endlessly in every direction—infinite darkness punctuated by swirling galaxies and drifting constellations that painted the emptiness with ethereal light. Somehow floating in this celestial space, Drake found himself gazing ahead at a throne that dwarfed entire castles. The magnificent seat was forged from what appeared to be pure crystallized starlight and obsidian crystal, radiating divine energy that made the very fabric of reality hum with power.
"What is this place…? Am I dreaming?" he whispered, his voice echoing strangely in the void.
FWOOOOOSH!
A luminous celestial wind surged from above. Something descended like a blazing comet—blindingly brilliant and radiating such intense divine energy that space itself seemed to bend and warp around it.
Drake instinctively shielded his eyes with his forearm as the explosion of light rippled through the cosmos, distorting gravity and even sound itself.
As the overwhelming brightness gradually faded, a divine figure materialized atop the starlight throne.
She was absolutely breathtaking.
A goddess in every sense of the word.
Two magnificent wings stretched wide behind her—one shimmering with entire constellations that moved and pulsed with life, the other gleaming like moonlit feathers touched by silver fire. Her hair flowed like liquid mercury touched with sapphire light, cascading around the throne steps in waves of celestial silk. Her gown was divine couture incarnate—flowing fabric that seemed woven from aurora borealis itself, strategically open at the sides to reveal smooth, luminous skin adorned with intricate golden star sigils that pulsed with their own inner light. A radiant halo hovered above her head, rotating slowly and casting prismatic patterns through the void.
Her eyes remained serenely closed as she sat in absolute divine authority. Then—
She opened them.
Twin orbs of deep sapphire that held entire galaxies within their depths—eyes that seemed to contain the accumulated wisdom of creation itself, histories untold, and destinies yet unwritten.
*Who… is this goddess?* Drake found himself frozen in space and time, utterly awestruck by her presence.
Then she smiled—a warm, confident expression that could have melted the heart of even a Demon Lord.
"Hello, Drake Lorenzo."
Her voice resonated like a celestial chorus, yet maintained the gentle warmth of a mother's lullaby.
*She knows my name?!* Drake's mind scrambled desperately for understanding.
"I am Astral," she announced, her words carrying the weight of cosmic authority. "Goddess of Light, Weaver of Stars, and the Creator of the world you now inhabit. I have been waiting quite patiently for you."
Drake's mouth went completely dry.
"S-So… you're the one who sent the system? You reincarnated me into this world?"
Astral nodded gracefully, her eyes glowing with ancient wisdom. "Yes… and no. I granted the system permission to operate within my domain. But it was the System itself that chose you specifically. You were aligned with fate in ways even I could not entirely foresee."
Drake blinked rapidly. "Wait—the System chose me?.
"Precisely," she confirmed, her melodic voice carrying hints of intrigue. "The System is an ancient cosmic force—an entity birthed from the eternal balance between order and chaos. It seeks out anomalies across multiple realities. You, Drake Lorenzo, are one of the most significant anomalies it has ever encountered."
His mind reeled as she continued, raising one elegant hand. Countless stars flared to brilliant life behind her throne, forming an intricate three-dimensional map of floating continents suspended in the starlit void.
"Allow me to show you the world I created with my own divine essence… ELYNDOR."
The cosmic map pulsed with living energy, and the floating continents illuminated one by one like awakening giants.
"There are four great continents in Elyndor, each with its own unique character and destiny:
GUTENBERG—home to the Kingdom of Sidonia, a remarkably diverse realm where humans, elves, dwarves, and beastfolk have learned to coexist in relative harmony. To the east lies the proud Dwarven Kingdom of **DRAGVATH**, a land rich with towering mountains, deep mineral mines, and ancient stone forges that have burned for millennia.
Next is SILVALIS, a continent of endless emerald forests and crystal-clear lakes that reflect the very soul of nature. Here flourishes the Verdant Dominion, an elven kingdom ruled by nature's chosen—elves, dryads, faeries, forest spirits, and wild beastkin who live in perfect harmony with the natural world.
To the west lies NOCTYRA, the continent perpetually shrouded in supernatural shadow. Once home to countless wandering creatures living in natural balance, it has been transformed into the Monster Domain, now teeming with goblins, trolls, ogres, stone golems, and other primal beasts. Long ago, it was magically sealed away from the other realms.
And finally, farthest from all civilization…"
The surrounding stars darkened ominously as a crimson glow began rising from the depths of space.
"...the cursed wasteland of UMBRAZAR—the Demon Kingdom, inhabited by ancient vampires, seductive succubi, corrupted dragons, fierce dragonians, and demonic warlords whose very presence taints the land. It was once part of the cosmic balance… until one being shattered everything."
She paused dramatically, the weight of untold tragedy heavy in her divine voice.
"His name… was ARKAZAR THE DESTROYER."
Drake found himself floating unconsciously closer, completely captivated.
"He was once a demon prince of considerable nobility and power. But his insatiable hunger for absolute domination led him to corrupt the entire continent of Noctyra and rally the scattered monster tribes under his iron command. He sought to crush the other continents beneath his heel… and very nearly succeeded."
"What happened?" Drake asked, his heart racing with anticipation.
"I intervened," Astral said solemnly. "For the first and final time—I summoned a Hero from your world, Earth. I granted him unmatched divine power, and he led a desperate resistance, uniting the fractured kingdoms against the demonic invasion."
She closed her eyes as painful memories flickered across her divine features.
"There was war. Unimaginable death. Endless despair. Entire cities burned to ash. But in the end, through tremendous sacrifice, Arkazar was sealed away in the deepest void. Peace returned to the realms… for a time."
The surrounding stars flickered like dying candles.
"From the ashes of that catastrophic battle, I birthed the ECHOFORMS—soul-bound weapons and guardians, each designed to help mortals grow stronger and protect themselves. Each Echoform is completely unique, formed from the pure will and spiritual essence of its chosen bearer. But…"
Her voice took on a darker, more warning tone.
"I made a critical mistake in their creation."
Horrifying images shimmered in the starlight—twisted silhouettes of once-human figures now transformed into nightmarish abominations.
"Some mortals, driven by greed and ambition, attempted to wield multiple Echoforms simultaneously. Their souls shattered under the immense spiritual pressure. They became SOULWRETCHES—abominations possessing power far beyond mortal comprehension, but at the cost of their very humanity. I was forced to forbid such practices. But power… power always tempts the ambitious."
Drake swallowed hard. "So… why are you telling me all this? What does this have to do with me?"
"Because," Astral said, her tone shifting to something both gentle and monumentally powerful, "fate itself is stirring once again. The ancient balance is shifting. Dark whispers speak of seals weakening, of old powers awakening. And you… you are far more than just another reincarnated soul seeking adventure."
She leaned forward on her throne, those galaxy-filled eyes meeting his directly.
"You are a variable that exists outside normal causality. One that even the all-knowing System cannot predict or control. Your very presence in Elyndor has already begun changing destinies that were thought immutable."
The cosmic void around them began shimmering like ripples spreading across an infinite pond.
"Your journey has only just begun, Drake Lorenzo. But soon—sooner than you might expect—you will be forced to choose your true path. Are you content to be a mere bystander, watching events unfold? Will you rise as a traditional hero, following the expected patterns? Or…"
Her smile became mysteriously knowing.
"Will you become something else entirely? Something that has never existed before?"
The void continued its rippling transformation.
"Remember this divine revelation, Drake. Remember every word I have spoken. For when the critical moment arrives… I will call upon you again. And when that time comes, the fate of all four continents may rest in your hands."
Before he could formulate a response—
FLASH!
The stars, the goddess, the cosmic throne—everything vanished in an explosion of blinding light.
He gasped awake in his luxurious bed, completely drenched in cold sweat, eyes wide with shock and lingering awe.
The soft moonlight still trickled peacefully through his window, as if nothing extraordinary had occurred.
"…What the absolute hell was that…?" he whispered to the empty room.
A long pause filled with racing thoughts.
He flopped back against his pillows, eyes still wild with the memory of divine revelation.
"But seriously… what did she mean when she said 'the System chose me'? And what kind of variable am I supposed to be?"
The silence offered no answers, but deep within his chest, something fundamental had changed.
Something ancient and powerful had awakened.
And tomorrow, Drake Lorenzo would discover that his peaceful days in this fantasy world were about to become infinitely more complicated.