THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

David's eyes fluttered open, his head spinning, a wave of nausea rising from the pit of his stomach. He blinked several times, trying to shake off the disorientation that gripped him from the sudden teleportation. His body felt heavier than usual, as if the air around him pressed down with an invisible weight. Slowly, he forced himself to sit up, rubbing his temples, his mind still hazy.

As his vision cleared, David's breath caught in his throat. Before him stretched a surreal and majestic landscape that he swore he had seen before—but only in a dream. The sky above was painted in hues of lavender and gold, swirling together in a never-ending dance of light.

Towering above him were colossal marble pillars, their surfaces etched with glowing runes that pulsed with an ethereal energy. Floating islands drifted lazily in the air, suspended by some unknown force, their grassy surfaces dotted with crystalline trees that shimmered with a soft, unearthly glow.

The ground beneath him felt different too. It wasn't the rough earth or grass he was used to but a smooth, pristine surface, almost like white stone. In the distance, a grand city rose, its buildings floating on delicate clouds, adorned with gilded edges and shining with a brilliance that made it look like something out of a forgotten legend. Massive, luminous arches stretched across the sky, connecting floating bridges that led to palatial structures.

At the edge of the white, pristine stone, David gazed out at an endless sky that stretched with no sign of land or horizon, only an expanse of shimmering nothingness. His own reflection rippled across the sky beneath him, a strange inversion that sent a shiver down his spine. But what made it more unsettling was that he didn't see

himself

as he once remembered. He saw David—the face he had grown accustomed to, but deep down, there was a nagging familiarity with his former self, Mark.

"I really hate this," David muttered under his breath, frustration and confusion mingling in his voice. These strange dreams, these involuntary summonings to otherworldly planes, were becoming too frequent, too disorienting. He was being pulled into realms beyond his control, and each time, it felt more intense, more surreal. But this time, it was different. This place… it was more than just a dream. There was a heaviness in the air, a sense of foreboding that chilled him to the bone.

David scanned his surroundings, trying to make sense of the distorted landscape. Where there should have been a massive arc building in the distance—something he'd vaguely recalled from his dream—was now replaced by a vast, shimmering water body. The smooth surface of the water seemed to stretch endlessly, mirroring the sky above, and in its centre… something was there.

His entire body froze as his eyes locked on the figure in the middle of the expanse of water. A being, unlike anything he had ever encountered before. It was both blindingly bright, as if divine light itself had been captured and moulded into form, and yet wrapped in an impenetrable darkness.

The figure was human in shape but clearly something far beyond mortal comprehension. The way the light and darkness intertwined around its form made David's skin crawl with unease.

"Why can't anything ever be simple?" David sighed, already feeling the weight of inevitability pressing down on him. He looked around, instinctively searching for an exit, a way to escape this eerie place. But there was nothing—no landmarks, no paths, no doors. Only the figure in the middle of the water stood out in this strange, endless world.

It seemed there was only one way forward.

Cautiously, David approached the edge of the water body. The smooth surface of the water shimmered beneath his feet, unnervingly still. He hesitated, but then, taking a deep breath, he placed one foot on the water, testing it. To his surprise, he didn't sink. The water held him up, solid beneath his boots. His other foot followed, and with slow, deliberate steps, he moved forward, each step feeling heavier than the last.

As he neared the figure, it stirred.

The being, its body veiled in flowing, starry hair, lifted its head. David's breath hitched in his throat as two vast circles resembling eyes turned toward him—void-like, filled with stars, galaxies, and entire universes swirling in their depths. Those eyes locked onto David, and with that single glance, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

A scream ripped from his throat as he clutched his head in agony. It felt like his mind was being torn apart, his skull on the verge of splitting open. His eyes burned, and when he blinked, crimson droplets stained his vision—blood. He tasted the metallic tang of it on his lips, dripping from his mouth as pain roared through his body like wildfire.

The pressure intensified, as if a divine force was tearing him apart from the inside out, each second more excruciating than the last.

"

What do you seek, ZERATHUL?

" the being's voice thundered, shaking the very air around him. The name echoed in David's mind, foreign and yet somehow familiar. But the being wasn't done. Its voice carried a deep rumble that seemed to scrape against the core of his soul. "

Over and over again, what do you hope to accomplish, possessing my vessel?

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"

David could barely form thoughts, let alone words, as the relentless pain tore through him. The being's question was met with only more of his agonized screams. His mind was fracturing, barely holding together as that unfathomable power gnawed at his sanity.

Without thinking, in a desperate attempt to fight back, David summoned the one thing that had saved him before—Nightveil Embrace.

"[

You have used Wraithblade

,]" the system declared, and a dome of shadowy darkness enveloped David, wrapping around him like a protective cocoon. The pain lessened for a brief moment, and David's mind clung to that fleeting relief. He had hoped, even for a second, that this would shield him from the overwhelming force that sought to destroy him.

But hope was short-lived.

In an instant, the dome shattered like brittle glass, crumbling under the sheer might of the being before him.

"[

Nightveil Embrace has been penetrated, unsummoned

,]" the system warned, cold and indifferent. David barely had time to process the information before he felt it—a force gripping him, pulling him closer to the being.

David's feet slid across the water as if dragged by invisible chains. The closer he came to the figure, the more its presence suffocated him. When he finally stood before it, the being's true form came into focus. It was kneeling, its divine and dark form bound by golden chains, covered in seals and pulsing with symbols of ancient magic. Despite its imprisonment, the being radiated power far beyond David's comprehension.

"

You

," the divine voice rumbled again, though now there was a note of curiosity, "

you are not that mad entity… nor my vessel, David

."

The being's vast, star-filled eyes bore into him, demanding an answer. "

Who are you?

"

David, still reeling from the immense pain and pressure, struggled to think clearly. His body was trembling, his thoughts were in chaos, and his vision was blurred with the remnants of blood. He tried to speak, but the words failed him, his mind a jumble of identities—David, Mark, Zerathul…

Who

was

he now? He wasn't sure anymore. He wasn't just one person or the other. The truth was far more complicated, but standing before this ancient, divine figure, none of that seemed to matter.

With every ounce of strength he had left, David lifted his head to meet the being's gaze. "I… I don't know, you fucker!" He rasped, his voice weak but defiant. "I'm not who you think I am."

The being regarded him in silence for a moment, its eyes narrowing ever so slightly, as if it was searching through the layers of David's soul for the truth.