The temple was ancient, choked with vines and moss, its collapsed walls whispering stories of a war long buried. Broken statues lined the central walkway—elegant figures in flowing armor, their faces eroded by time.
Akira wandered cautiously, every step echoing through the vast silence.
"Eva Core?" he called out, unsure if the voice from earlier had been real.
> "Connection stable. Monitoring host vitals. Energy reserves at 12%."
The voice returned—calm, mechanical, and somehow feminine.
"What are you? What am I?"
> "You are Host. Chosen for synchronization. Current designation: Witch of Eva."
"I didn't choose anything."
> "Selection made by summoning ritual. Consent is irrelevant."
Akira exhaled, shaking off the chill in his bones. The sky above was darkening. He needed shelter… food… anything that made sense.
That's when the ground trembled.
From the shadow of a broken archway, a low growl echoed. Something moved—large, scaled, and hungry. A creature emerged, twice his height, with jagged teeth and black crystal growths protruding from its shoulders. Its eyes glowed faint red. A corrupted beast.
Akira froze.
"W-what is that?"
> "Magic-infected predator. Threat level: Moderate. Host survival odds: 3%."
"Three—three?!"
> "Activating emergency protocol. Transferring control to auxiliary combat AI."
Before he could protest, the Core pulsed.
Akira's body was engulfed in radiant light, lifting him briefly into the air. His limbs shimmered and shifted, his skin smoothing, frame narrowing, hair lengthening into silver-white strands. When the glow faded, he was no longer himself.
He looked down.
Delicate, feminine hands.
A black-and-purple outfit clung to his form, patterned with arcane glyphs. High heels clicking against the stone floor. He had transformed into a beautiful woman—graceful, otherworldly, dangerous.
> "Witch Form activated. Temporary override initiated."
His body moved on its own.
In a blur of motion, he—she—rushed forward, dodging the monster's claw with inhuman agility. A glowing sigil flared at her palm as she spun, driving a burst of condensed magic into the beast's side. The creature howled in pain.
The Witch danced between attacks, every movement elegant and precise—fluid martial strikes followed by burning spells of violet flame and gravitational spikes that pinned the creature to the earth.
Within moments, the beast lay still. Dying embers floated around its body as the spell dissipated.
> "Threat eliminated. Combat efficiency: 92%. Returning control to host."
Light enveloped Akira once more, and the form shifted back—his own face, his own body, restored. He gasped and nearly collapsed, overwhelmed.
"What the hell was that…?"
> "Witch Form is a combat interface optimized for Core energy release. Feminine configuration is default for this model. Reversion complete."
He sat there, breathing hard, sweat on his brow, hands still trembling.
He had fought.
He had killed.
And he had no idea how.
The AR display flickered in his vision. A new marker appeared—glowing softly.
> "Nearest settlement located. Distance: 4.7 kilometers. Settlement status: Minor town. Sovereign territory: Umbria."
Akira stood, legs unsteady but driven by a new sense of urgency.
"Let's go," he muttered.
> "Understood. Beginning navigation."
With the twin moons rising overhead and a faint trail guiding his steps, Akira left the temple ruins behind—walking toward a town he'd never heard of, in a world that wasn't his.
And somewhere, deep within the Core, the dormant soul of a dead warrior stirred.