The moonlit forest cast eerie shadows of trees all around. Dark clouds sprawled across the sky, and the trees were devoid of any life. Mist surrounded the forest from every direction, and the howling of a wolf echoed through the air. A cold breeze swept through the woods.
In this haunting forest, a young boy was running for his life, his battered body struggling to breathe. Wounds marred his flesh.
In that frantic moment, a shadowy wolf lunged at him from the left, but he managed to fend off the attack with his sword and continued to flee from the grotesque creature.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon a cave surrounded by stone.
He quickened his pace toward the cave, but just as he entered, the wolf struck with its claws from behind. The force of the attack sent him staggering into the darkness of the cave. The wolf howled in frustration, having let its prey slip away.
Inside the cave, it was dark, devoid of light. The boy leaned against the cold wall, catching his breath. In a hoarse voice, he murmured to himself, "Now, how the hell do I escape from here?"
Then, an excruciating pain erupted in his chest, causing him to roll on the floor and scream from the overwhelming agony. As he closed his eyes and then opened them again, translucent messages began to appear before him.
[Ding]
[System updating.....]
[Awakening....]
[Merging soul...]
[Loading.....]
At that moment, he lost consciousness, and darkness enveloped him.
***
Rio's eyes snapped open as he took a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Where am I?" he wondered.
Suddenly, a sharp pain hit his head. "What...is....happening?" An intense wave of information flooded his mind.
He clutched his head in agony and gritted his teeth. Gradually, the pain began to subside, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. A translucent message appeared before his eyes.
[Merging soul is done.]
[System update is complete.]
[Host has awakened the bloodline of the Child of Shadows.]
[Host has awakened the shadow element.]
Rio stared in disbelief. "Whose memories are these? Where am I? Didn't I die?"
His mind was racing with questions. He murmured to himself, "Okay, first, calm down."
It didn't take him long to conclude that he had been transmigrated into another body—he was now Liam Shadowfall.
He delved into his memories to understand how he had ended up in this condition.
Checking his body, he noticed that all his wounds had healed. He began to scrutinise his surroundings and realised he was in a dark cave.
Rising to his feet, he sensed an instinctual warning—something lay deep within the cave.
He picked up the sword from the ground beside him, took a stance, and began walking deeper into the cave. A light beckoned from within.
As he approached, bright rays of light struck his eyes, forcing him to shield them with both arms to avoid being blinded. Slowly, he opened his eyes and was met with a breathtaking scene.
A pond sprawled before him, from which a blue shadowy mist emerged, sending a chill down his spine.
Translucent fungi glowed, bathing the surroundings in an ethereal blue light. In the centre of the pond, something luminous was hovering over the circular stone.
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