Awakening in an Unfamiliar World

Floating. Drifting. Drowning in nothingness.

His body, a mass of flesh and bone, neither living nor dead, simply existed in the abyss. He had lost count of time—epochs had passed, civilizations had risen and crumbled, the echoes of ancient battles long faded into oblivion. And yet, here he remained, sealed away in this endless void.

But then... something changed.

A crack. Small at first. A flicker in the absolute darkness.

A moment later, his massive clawed fingers twitched. His jagged bony armor flexed. His eyeless face turned toward the disturbance.

This seal… has weakened.

A shudder ran through the abyss itself, as if reality had realized its mistake.

With a sudden, monstrous lunge, he reached forward and tore through the abyss. The fabric of nothingness screamed as it fractured like brittle glass, and he fell—no, plummeted—into the world below.

THUD.

Dust and debris exploded outward as he landed in a cavernous tomb. The air smelled of stone and old magic, a forgotten place untouched by time.

His clawed fingers, massive and skeletal, twitched. His body pulsed, shifting, reshaping—his claws receded, replaced by something new. His fingers thickened, armored like hammers, dense and powerful. His flesh rippled, and suddenly—

Eyes.

Everywhere. Dozens, no, hundreds of eyes opened across his body, glowing faintly in the dim light.

Observation. Situation assessment. Anticipating hostility.

But… nothing. No warriors rushed to strike him down. No ancient keepers came to reseal him. There was only silence.

He slowly turned his head, his many eyes scanning the ancient tomb. It was filled with broken stone tablets, faded murals, and forgotten inscriptions. His seal had been abandoned. The world had moved on.

He blinked.

He tilted his head.

...So I was just left here? No legendary hero? No desperate summoner?

His eyes twitched in mild disappointment.

Very well. If no one was coming to greet him, then he would simply leave.

He looked up. Thick stone. A ceiling that separated him from the world above.

His massive, hammer-like hand flexed. His arm coiled back.

And then—

BOOM!

The ceiling shattered.

…Only to reveal another layer.

He stared.

He punched again.

Another ceiling.

Again.

Another.

Again.

And so it continued.

By the tenth time, he was slightly annoyed.

BOOOOOM!

The final ceiling shattered, and this time, no new stone greeted him. Instead, cool air rushed in, moonlight bathed his form, and the scent of life flooded his senses.

He took a single step forward. Then another.

He had escaped.

But something was wrong.

His countless eyes widened as he took in his surroundings. No ancient kingdom, no primordial beasts, no sky filled with chaotic mana storms. Instead, he saw…

A park?

Tall trees, trimmed grass, empty benches.

Beyond it, enormous buildings towered into the sky, glowing with lights. Strange metal ships floated through the air, humming softly as they moved between the structures. The air was thick with magic, but it wasn’t the raw, untamed force he once knew.

This magic… it is refined? Controlled? No longer primitive?

His gaze slowly turned back toward the park. Somewhere in the distance, he spotted a vending machine. A lone can of soda sat inside, reflecting the neon lights of the city.

The Carrion, the being once feared as a calamity, stared at it.

A long silence followed.

"...What in the abyss happened while I was gone?"