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"Welcome to the nexus soldier. Please sign in to continue."
The voice wasn't just a sound. It resonated. It vibrated through Elliot's chest like a subtle shockwave, both digital and spiritual. The world around him—the inside of the pod—had faded. He was now floating inside a dark void, outlined by circuits of glowing blue light that moved like veins in a giant machine.
A silver panel hovered before him.
> Create Username:
A blinking cursor sat there, silent, waiting—like a judgmental eye.
Elliot stared at the empty field. For a moment, he saw his reflection in the surface—young, determined, but with eyes that had seen too much. He hesitated.
This name wasn't just for play.
It was a name that would face the unknown. A name that might be feared. A name that would carry the weight of everything he had become.
He thought back.
Back to the moment under the table when he heard his parents scream.
Back to General Vos reaching out his hand in a burning village.
Back to the dome, where he screamed through hours of soul armor training, his body breaking but his will standing.
What name could reflect that?
He closed his eyes.
Shadowbeast.
It came from the silence within him.
The shadow that always lurked behind his soul—the silent rage, the cold resolve, the mystery that even he couldn't define. But also the beast… the force he became when he stepped into his Bloodform… the thing he didn't yet understand.
His fingers moved.
> S-H-A-D-O-W-B-E-A-S-T
> Username accepted.
The light around him shifted. The system began its process.
> Logging in... Soul signature detected. Calibrating pod sensors. Sync Initiated. Please remain still.
Elliot's body tensed as he felt the sync begin. A thousand invisible threads reached into him—not pulling, but reading. Searching. Studying his soul.
A cold wind swept across his skin though the pod hadn't moved.
Suddenly, the ground vanished beneath him.
He didn't fall—he was moved. Yanked from the digital darkness into a new world, pulled across a bridge of data and will.
In a flash, the blackness exploded into color.
He now stood in a vast open coliseum, circular and impossibly large. The floor was polished obsidian. The sky above shimmered like broken glass, reflecting different landscapes—desert, forest, lava, sea—blinking like memories.
The air was heavy.
Elliot's breath became visible. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the sensory overload.
> Battle Type: Solo Combat.
> Analyzing soul structure... Searching database for optimal opponent... Opponent found. Syncing…
Elliot's vision flickered.
Across the arena, a swarm of stones and orange energy began to take shape. Chunks of glowing rock rose from the ground and floated mid-air, assembling.
Then came the sound—a low growl like an ancient engine awakening.
From the mist of data particles stepped a figure… massive, armored, hulking like a forgotten god of war. His skin was stone, cracked with lava-like veins. Two burning eyes stared from behind a jagged helmet. His steps echoed across the arena floor.
> Opponent: STONE GOD
The name alone carried weight.
The figure finally stopped a few feet from Elliot, towering over him. He raised his head and looked down with a smirk as if he'd already seen the outcome of this match.
"So…" His voice was like grinding boulders. "You're my opponent?"
Elliot swallowed, his own armor beginning to form piece by piece around him—shadowed metal hugging his chest, forming gauntlets, boots, and a high collar that pulsed with faint violet light.
Stone God took another step forward, pointing a giant stone-forged blade at him.
"Let's see if you truly live up to the name…"
> Sync complete. Weapons unlocked. Soul energy link: Active. Begin.
The arena lights surged, casting the entire battlefield in gold and black.