The sunlight hitting my face felt heavier than usual. I woke up in my small, one-room apartment in the Sector 7 slums. My body felt like it had been run over by a freight train, but underneath the soreness was a hum of electricity.
For twenty years, I had woken up feeling "empty." This morning, for the first time, I felt full.
Tap. Tap. Crunch.
I opened my eyes to see a small, black creature sitting on my chest. It was the dragon from the kitchen, now the size of a house cat. It was munching on a small mana-shard I'd kept as a souvenir on my nightstand.
"Finally," a voice resonated directly inside my skull. "I thought I'd linked my soul to a corpse. You humans are remarkably fragile at Level 1."
The Impossible Conversation
I bolted upright, nearly throwing the creature off the bed. "You... you're talking!"
In all my years, I had never heard of an Elemental Beast that could speak human. They were partners, protectors, and tools—but they were animals. If anyone heard this, I wouldn't be a hero; I'd be a target for the Research Association.
"How is this possible?" I whispered, looking at my locked door. "Beasts don't have voices. They don't have names."
The dragon tilted its head, its golden eyes glowing with an ancient intelligence. "Beasts? Is that what you call us now? I am no 'beast' born of a dungeon rift, Kai. I am a part of you. I have been with you for all five of your lives."
My heart hammered against my ribs. As he spoke, a wave of Déjà Vu hit me—hard. I saw flashes of a man in white robes, a man with a sword, a man who looked like me but lived a thousand years ago. It was a feeling I'd had since I was a child, a constant, annoying echo in the back of my mind.
"Stop," I said, rubbing my temples. "I don't want to hear it."
"But Master," the dragon hissed, crawling closer. "The memories of the First Age... the Fire you once commanded... the secrets of the previous four—"
"I said no," I snapped, my voice echoing in the small room.
I stood up and walked to the cracked mirror above my sink. "For twenty years, I lived as a 'Hollow.' I survived the bullies, the hunger, and that kitchen as Kai. I'm not those other men. I don't care about 'previous lives' or some ancient destiny."
I looked the dragon straight in the eye.
"If I'm going to be the strongest, I'm going to do it as me. I'm Level 1. I have a dragon that eats crystals. That's all I need to know. Keep your 'Echoes' to yourself."
Tenebris went silent. He let out a small puff of purple smoke, his tail flickering with what looked like... respect.
"Independent as always," he muttered in my mind. "Fine. We leave the ghosts in their graves. But your 'Level 1' body is hungry, Kai. And if you won't take your memories, you must at least take your strength."