In a corner of the southeastern continent, early March.
***
"Damn… my head hurts."
"Wait, why does my head hurt? I don't know…"
There was silence for a few moments.
"And why is everything dark? Let me try to stand up."
He tried, but quickly realized he had no control over his body. His limbs felt foreign—strange, yet faintly familiar.
"What happened…?"
He struggled again, but it was useless. His head throbbed, his body refused him, and after a while, he gave up.
"Did I fall asleep? Maybe this is just a dream… But why does it hurt so much?"
He made another attempt, but failed again. Then, after what felt like forever, the darkness began to fade.
Color seeped in. The world was no longer swallowed in black.
The first thing he saw was the sky—blood red. No… not the sky itself, but the clouds. They were crimson, heavy, unnatural.
Grey forced his head to the side. The effort left him panting hard.
Broken buildings came into view. Twisted steel and crumbling stone, half-buried beneath a wild forest that had clawed its way through the ruins. Grass and vines spread thick, and beyond them lay a lake—still, wide, and red as blood.
"This is not my room," he croaked. His voice was hoarse, scraping like rusted iron.
The lake's crimson surface rippled faintly, but otherwise, the world remained silent.
Grey stared, dazed. "Could this really be a dream? The pain feels too real." He tried to rise, but the moment he strained, a flood of memories struck him.
Grey Reynolds. Fourteen years old. Once a student at the prestigious Moon Walk Academy, southeastern continent, Kamui—Griffin County. Parents: Jack Reynolds and Lilly Reynolds. Both dead, wiped out two years ago by the divine power of God.
His father who was a doctor and his mother who was a nurse. They both worked in the same hospital until God's power erased them from existence.
He had an older brother and a younger sister, but any memory of there whereabouts was scrambled.
And now… this body. It belonged to a boy who had survived alone in a corroded zone where god-power had struck. He lasted three months before… dying.
"What? I died?"
His heart lurched as another memory returned. In his previous life, his stepmother stood behind him with a shotgun as he walked away. There was a deafening bang followed by a burning pain in the back of his head.
Grey winced. That same spot still ached like fire.
"So I really transmigrated…" His laugh was bitter. "At least my name is still Grey. But… where exactly am I?"
Another wave of memory answered. The previous owner of this body had been the only survivor in the city when god-power descended. Everyone else perished. He had wandered the ruins, alone, until the day a Minotaur rammed him with crushing force. His bones broke. His life ended.
Grey sighed. "Being gored to death isn't the best way to go."
With effort, he pushed himself upright. His body screamed in pain, but he managed it by gritting his teeth.
"Let me see my appearance…"
He crawled toward the red lake, dragging his battered frame across the dirt. His arms trembled, his broken leg burned, but he refused to stop. At last, he reached the shore.
Leaning over the still water, he caught his reflection.
In the still reflection of the water, he saw a pale boy with a face full of cuts and dirt. His clothes were torn, his body scarred. Blood crusted over countless wounds. His hair was grey, his eyes the same—but lifeless, drained of warmth and detached.
With a faint, tired smile, Grey shook his head. "At least I look decent."
The moment of quiet ended as more memories poured in. Grey had seen a purple light fall from the red sky. He had followed it, curious, until the Minotaur struck him down from behind. He never reached the source.
Grey's eyes lifted toward the far side of the lake. Even now, a faint light shimmered there.
He clenched his jaw, gritted his teeth and began crawling again. His forehead dripped with sweat, his broken leg seared with every movement, but as the desire to satisfy his curiosity pressed on, he continued to crawl.
After what felt like an eternity, he reached it. The light grew brighter, until finally, his fingers closed around a rough, glowing crystal.
Purple radiance engulfed him, spilling across the ruins, staining the red lake in its light.
"Damn… I'm tired," Grey muttered, clutching it to his chest. His body begged for rest, but the crystal pulsed, covering him in warmth.
Then, without any subsequent warning, his wounds began to slowly close. His cuts sealed, and his bruises faded. Even the deep gash at the back of his head stopped bleeding. His broken leg knit itself together, pain replaced by a strange tingling.
Grey's eyes widened. "What… is this? Is it the crystal?"
He rose unsteadily. His body still hurting badly, but he could still stand. The weight he carried felt different now—lighter, almost… refined even.
Though his reflection looked the same, something beneath the surface had shifted. He felt a difference in his center of gravity. A sharpness in his breath. Even the rhythm of his heart beat was different.
As more memories flooded in, Grey realized the truth: this world was dangerous beyond measure. God's hand was above, sometimes leaving power that burned the earth. Beasts prowled the ruins. Humanity fought to survive in the cracks.
Grey gripped the purple crystal tightly. It pulsed once, glowing faintly, as though acknowledging him.
Grey drew a deep breath. "Then let's see how far we can go."
The red lake rippled faintly. The crystal hummed against his palm. And with the shadow of death still clinging to him, Grey stepped forward into his new life.