The streets were quiet when Aryan left the Council Office.He walked without looking back — through the empty alleys, past the neon-lit towers, and into the wilderness beyond the city walls.
He didn't know where he was going.He only knew he wanted to leave everything behind.
After hours of walking, he reached a silent lake — its surface like a black mirror beneath the silver moon.He stood there, staring at his reflection. The face that looked back wasn't that of a boy — but a hollow shell of what once was human.
A faint breeze rippled the water.For a moment, he thought he saw his family reflected beside him — his father's smile, his mother's soft eyes, his brother's laugh.But when he blinked, they were gone.
A quiet, broken laugh escaped his lips.
"What's the point anymore…? No one's waiting for me."
He closed his eyes.And then he jumped.
The cold swallowed him instantly.The deeper he sank, the darker it became.Bubbles rose from his mouth, carrying the last of his breath toward the surface — toward the life he was leaving behind.
Maybe… now I'll see them again, he thought.Mother… Father… Brother… I'm coming home.
The world faded.Silence.Stillness.
And then —Darkness.
When Aryan opened his eyes, he was no longer in the lake.There was no water, no light — only endless black stretching in every direction.
He looked around, heart pounding.
"Where… am I? This isn't the lake."
A deep, echoing voice answered — calm, ancient, and impossibly close.
"Welcome, Aryan… to my eternal darkness."
The voice echoed within his mind, neither man nor god, but something in between.
"You're wondering what this place is, who I am, and why you're here. I'll answer… all of it."
Aryan clenched his fists.
"I was drowning… How did I end up here?"
"Your body lies in the lake. Your soul has entered my realm."
"My… soul?" Aryan whispered.
"Yes. You wished to end your suffering. You believed death would free you. But you were wrong."
The darkness pulsed faintly — like it was breathing.
"You grieve your parents, don't you? You think their deaths were fate. But what if I told you… it wasn't an accident?"
Aryan froze.
"What… did you say?"
"Your family's deaths were not random, Aryan. It was a murder — carefully planned six years ago."
Aryan's eyes widened.
"No… that can't be. Everyone said it was a car accident! You're lying!"
"Am I?" the voice whispered, almost amused. "Your father was part of something the Council wanted hidden. His death was decided long before that 'accident' ever happened. Your mother and brother… were simply collateral."
Aryan trembled.
"Why are you telling me this? Why now?"
"Because I can only reach you when you cross the line between life and death. And now… you're dead, Aryan."
"Then what are you?!"
"A messenger," the voice said simply. "I don't know who sent me. I was only ordered to tell you the truth… and offer you a choice."
Aryan swallowed hard, his mind spinning.
"A choice?"
"Yes. You can vanish into the void forever… or you can return — reborn with power. The same kind your world calls New Soul."
The darkness shimmered faintly around him — and faint white threads began to appear, swirling like mist.
"You mean… I can awaken? But how?"
"Your New Soul is unlike any other," the voice said. "It's called Copy Soul."
Aryan frowned.
"Copy Soul? You mean I can copy others' powers?"
"Not quite," the voice replied. "There are copy abilities in your world, yes — but they are weak imitations. Yours is… absolute. But it comes with a cost."
"A cost?"
"To use another's power… you must take their soul. In simple words, you must kill them."
Aryan's eyes widened in horror.
"Kill…? No. I can't—"
"Then stay here," the voice interrupted, suddenly cold. "Stay in this eternal darkness. Let your parents' murderers live freely. Let their blood mean nothing."
Aryan's body trembled. Rage and sorrow collided in his chest like a storm.
"No…" he whispered. "I won't let that happen."
"Then decide," the voice said. "Will you stay here and die? Or will you kill to uncover the truth?"
A pause.Then Aryan raised his head, his eyes burning with new resolve.
"If that's what it takes… then I'll do it. I'll hunt them down, one by one."
The darkness pulsed again, louder this time.
"Good. Then awaken… Copy Soul."
The black void began to crack — shards of light tearing through the darkness like glass breaking.
"But remember this, Aryan," the voice echoed as the world collapsed around him,"Every soul you take will whisper to you in your dreams. Their memories will become yours. Their sins will stain you. Can you bear that burden?"
"I can," Aryan said firmly. "For my family… I'll bear anything."
The voice laughed softly, fading away.
"Then our pact is sealed. When you awaken, seek the Legion Exam. Pass it, and I'll guide you to the next step. Fail… and you'll lose everything again."
"Wait!" Aryan shouted. "Who are you?!"
"You'll find out… when the time comes. Good luck, Aryan."
Aryan's eyes snapped open.He was back — gasping, coughing, dragging himself out of the lake.Water dripped from his hair as moonlight bathed him. His body shook, but his eyes burned with fire.
He looked up at the night sky — stars scattered across the darkness like fragments of his broken soul.
"You wanted me to live," he whispered. "Then I'll live… and hunt the hunters."
The stars above shimmered — as if listening.And far away, in the depths of the world, something ancient stirred.