The mountain stood silent against the darkening sky, its jagged peaks cutting sharp silhouettes into the fading twilight. A cold wind swept down the rocky slopes, carrying whispers from a forgotten age—tales of power, of war, and of Lords who had once shaped the very land with their wills.
Nestled at the mountain's base was a small village, humble and unassuming. Its wooden homes bore the marks of time and hardship, but the people who dwelled there were resilient. Yet all shared one unspoken fear: the dungeon. A yawning abyss carved deep into the mountain's heart, where shadows twisted and ancient secrets lay buried.
Tonight, as the village prepared to rest, the earth beneath stirred.
Far below the surface, deep within the dungeon's labyrinthine corridors, a faint pulse rippled through the stone—a heartbeat, slow but growing stronger.
Above, in a shattered hut at the edge of the village, a young man's eyes snapped open.
Rayan Khael gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling in ragged waves. The world around him was broken and unfamiliar—splintered beams, cracked walls, and cold dirt pressing beneath his palms. He struggled to sit, a dull ache lancing through his limbs.
His mind raced, clouded by shadows of forgotten memories and an overwhelming sense of destiny pressing down like a weight. Then, from the depths of that confusion, a voice echoed—a voice not his own, yet impossibly clear.
"You are a Lord now. Your path is forged by the Anima Forge: Create, Command, Ascend."
Before his eyes, a glowing sigil appeared, spinning with molten light and shifting shapes—a forge of endless flames and creation, the symbol of his unique power.
His heart thundered as he read the words that shimmered beneath the symbol:
"Class: Summoner Lord — Cheat Skill: Anima Forge: Create, Command, Ascend."
The power thrummed through his veins—an intoxicating surge of creation itself. He could feel the promise in it: to summon life from nothingness, to command those creations with unwavering will, and to ascend beyond mortal limitations.
It was a power unlike any other, a true cheat that set him apart from the other Lords who ruled the earth with varied but limited skill sets.
As Rayan pushed himself to his feet, steadying against the cold air, a faint sound brushed his awareness—a soft, fragile sigh that seemed out of place in the stillness. His gaze instinctively moved toward the shadows near the edge of the village, where a small, barely perceptible heartbeat flickered.
It was a life tied to his own in ways he could not yet understand.
The dungeon's dark mouth yawned wide, silent and foreboding, as if watching him awaken.
The forge is lit. The summons will rise. The mountain holds its breath.
And somewhere, hidden in the quiet, a secret waited—a fragile light yet to be revealed.