Haruki—I mean, Kaito now—leaned against the cold metal wall, still catching his breath. His head spun like he'd been hit by a truck. The pod's door slammed shut behind him with a harsh clang that echoed down the dim hallway.
He glanced down at the wristband glowing softly on his arm, its dull hum the only sound besides the faint drip of water somewhere nearby. The last warning about the unknown lifeform still haunted his mind.
What the hell was that thing?
The hallway stretched ahead, lined with frost-covered pipes and flickering emergency lights casting long shadows. Everything felt alien but eerily familiar—the metal panels, the quiet hum of machinery, the cold biting through his coat. He shook his head. This wasn't Earth, and he wasn't Haruki anymore.
"Alright," he muttered to himself, voice hoarse and cracked. "Kaito. This is your life now."
He took a tentative step forward, muscles stiff and weak from whatever had happened inside that pod. His fingers brushed over the wristband, which immediately responded with a soft vibration.
A new message appeared:
Mission objective: Secure shelter and assess the environment.Recommended: Locate power source to restore systems.Warning: Lifeform threat level elevated.
Kaito swallowed hard. No. This felt too real—and dangerous.
His mind flickered back to the wristband's strange spell tree screen from moments ago. It hadn't made sense then, and it still didn't now. Was it magic? Technology? Both?
He needed answers—and fast.
At the far end of the hallway, a heavy steel door stood slightly ajar, light spilling out from beyond. Kaito approached cautiously, every step making his boots scrape against the icy floor.
Inside, a room hummed with life. Panels lined the walls, some flickering weakly, others glowing steadily. A large console sat in the center, cables trailing like vines. He reached out, fingers trembling, and tapped the nearest screen.
Static cleared to reveal a map of the complex—red zones marked with flashing triangles.
Warning: Containment breach in sector 7.Lifeform activity detected.
Kaito shivered, realizing the "unknown lifeform" had free reign somewhere nearby.
Suddenly, the console beeped, and a soft voice spoke through hidden speakers:
"Operator Kaito, please confirm status."
His heart jumped.
He cleared his throat. "I'm… alive. Just woke up. What is this place?"
No answer.
He frowned, staring at the blinking cursor on the screen.
He was alone. Or almost.
Outside the room, the faint growl returned, closer this time.
Kaito's instincts screamed at him to run, but curiosity rooted him in place. He gripped the wristband, willing it to give him some kind of weapon, a hint, anything.
Instead, the screen shifted again.
Energy level: 5%Spells unlocked: 0Suggestion: Learn environment and conserve energy.
Spells? The word buzzed in his mind. Maybe this was the key—whatever "this" was.
He shook his head, muttering, "I don't even know where to begin."
His breath came out in white clouds, the cold biting sharper.
Kaito glanced back down the hallway. The exit was his only hope. But to survive here, he'd need more than hope.
He needed to understand this frozen world.
Kaito took a deep breath, the cold air burning his lungs as he stepped away from the console. The growl outside wasn't getting any quieter—it was more like a constant, low rumble, reminding him that whatever lurked nearby was still hunting. His wristband's screen glowed faintly, giving him a small sense of security, even if it was just a piece of tech he barely understood.
He pressed a button on the side of the wristband, hoping for more information, more guidance. The screen shifted again, showing basic stats: heart rate, oxygen levels, and something labeled Magic Potential. That last one made him blink.
Magic potential? That sounded like something from the manga he used to read, not something you measure with tech.
"Okay, Kaito," he whispered to himself, trying to summon courage. "First step: find shelter. Second step: figure out what the hell is going on."
The hallway behind him stretched endlessly, cold metal walls disappearing into darkness. But to his left, a set of stairs led upwards. The air smelled faintly of burnt electronics and something else—something sharp, almost metallic.
He climbed carefully, each step echoing hollowly. The frost on the railings bit at his gloves, reminding him of how little warmth this place offered. At the top, a heavy door blocked his way, sealed tight except for a small control panel.
Kaito reached out, tapping the panel. A holographic keypad lit up, displaying strange symbols and numbers. He frowned, scanning the wristband for any clue. Suddenly, a soft beep confirmed the door unlocking with a hiss.
The door slid open to reveal a room bathed in pale blue light. Inside, several devices hummed softly, and a large window showed a frozen wasteland stretching under a dark, starry sky. Jagged ice formations rose like monuments, and faint auroras danced on the horizon.
This is Niveus, he thought, his heart pounding at the sight. A whole new world—harsh, cold, mysterious.
On a table near the window lay a compact device that looked like a tablet but thicker and sturdier. Next to it was a folded note, yellowed but intact.
Kaito unfolded the note carefully:
Operator, if you are reading this, you have been assigned to survive and uncover the truth of Niveus. Use all resources at your disposal. Trust the wristband; it is your guide. Remember, magic and technology here are intertwined — understanding one means learning the other.
His fingers trembled as he looked back at the wristband.
Magic and technology, intertwined…
The concept made him dizzy but gave him a strange kind of hope.
He sat down, cold metal biting through his coat, and stared out at the frozen planet.
This wasn't just survival. It was a chance.
A chance to be more than Haruki ever was.
To live in a world where magic might really exist.
But first, he had to stay alive.
Kaito pulled his coat tighter, teeth chattering as the freezing wind bit into his skin through the thin fabric. The sky outside the research facility was a bruised purple, fading into a thick curtain of snow that seemed to swallow everything whole. He'd never imagined cold like this—Earth's winters were warm compared to Niveus.
His boots crunched over frozen debris as he stepped cautiously beyond the safety of the facility. The air smelled sharp, almost metallic, and every breath felt like inhaling shards of ice. His wristband flickered, showing oxygen levels dipping. He pressed a button, and a soft voice counted down time until reserve tanks would kick in.
He glanced around the barren landscape. Jagged ice formations jutted from the ground like broken glass. There was no sign of life—at least, none that moved openly. But the earlier growl echoed in his mind, a constant reminder that danger wasn't just from the cold.
"Focus," Kaito whispered to himself. "Find shelter, find answers."
He scanned the horizon with his eyes and spotted a faint glow in the distance—maybe an old settlement or another outpost. The thought of warmth, even artificial, pushed him forward.
As he walked, he kept checking his wristband, noticing a small bar labeled Energy slowly ticking up from 5% to 8%. Below it was that strange Spells unlocked counter. Zero. Still zero.
He tried to ignore it, focusing on survival—cold could kill him just as fast as any beast.
But then, a sudden twitch in his fingertips startled him. A faint blue spark flickered just above his palm, like static electricity. He gasped, pulling his hand back quickly.
"No way," he muttered.
He stared at the spark, heart pounding. Was it a glitch in the wristband? Or… was this the magic he'd wished for his whole life?
He raised his wrist and the flickering glow spread to the screen. The spell tree reappeared, but this time, an icon pulsed softly—a small rune glowing faintly.
Curious, Kaito tentatively pressed the rune on the wristband. A soft hum filled the air, and the blue spark above his palm grew stronger, tingling with warmth despite the cold.
"Okay, maybe this is real," he said breathlessly.
Suddenly, a harsh roar shattered the quiet. From behind a nearby ice ridge, a large creature emerged—four legs, glowing eyes, and thick fur that bristled with frost. Its breath steamed in the air as it charged toward him.
Kaito's heart slammed. There was no time to think.
He clenched his fist, focusing on the blue energy pulsing in his palm. The creature crashed forward, and Kaito threw his arm out instinctively.
A small burst of blue light shot from his hand, hitting the creature square in the chest.
The beast staggered, surprised, and then snarled—retreating back into the snow without a fight.
Kaito sank to his knees, breath ragged, astonished.
"Did I just… cast a spell?" he whispered.
His wristband buzzed gently.
Energy: 1%Spells unlocked: 1Suggestion: Practice control and conserve energy.
He laughed—half relief, half disbelief.
He was no longer just a tired man from Earth. Here, on Niveus, he was something else. Something new.
But survival was still the priority. Cold and hunger gnawed at him.
Kaito pushed himself up, muscles aching but heart a little lighter.
The frozen wasteland stretched out before him—dangerous, mysterious, and maybe just a little magical.
And he wasn't about to give up.