Her name suddenly manifested unbidden into Alex's mind, whispered from realms beyond - Kalthia, she who enters dreams and echoes in darkness absolute. Layered ebon hair cascaded down Kalthia's back adorned only by a crown of obsidian horns swept back from her temples. Pupil-less violet eyes smoldered beneath long lashes, burning with ancient starfire.Her plush blood red lips parted slightly in a hint of fang as Kalthia studied the transfixed young adventurer. She drifted closer, gliding on coils of umbral mist for feet until mere inches from the thunderstruck Alex. Slowly, one sharp-nailed hand reached out to graze along his jawline while Alex shivered at her arctic caress.“Kalthia, why does it sound so familiar?" Alex wondered.Suddenly ,the temperature in the shadowy room plummeted abruptly to below freezing. Glittering frost formed in intricate patterns up the obsidian walls as crackling ice crystals manifested out of thin air. Kalthia recoiled with a hiss, her form wavering at

Alex wavered, feeling strengthened umbral tendrils threading deeper through his being now that Kalthia's overpowering presence no longer suppressed their infiltration. Whispers danced at the edge of perception, hinting at the shadow arts' terrifying potential were he to fully embrace rather than resist the transformations writhing inside him.Steeling himself, Alex reached out a mental "hand" towards the notification panel. This legacy may grant the power to grow another step further in this world where power was everything. He could not afford to show weakness now. Eyes blazing violet temporarily, Alex selected [Yes] to accept all the liberties and grave accountable duties accompanying the full bloom of ancient dragon majicks.The system chimed acknowledgment. Integrations accelerated. Gritting his teeth against the rising cacophony of mental architects restructuring his thoughts and cells, Alex yielded control to whatever hybrid entity might emerge intact on the other side of this p

Planet NexusDr. Vyus Research Lab.“Give me reasons why we haven't been able to break through to the other side" Vyus barked out in anger.The room filled with elite researchers was eerily quiet as they were all afraid to speak for themselves.Since the last time Vyus was able to get into Alex's system, all the systems they once used to spy on him suddenly started malfunctioning.First, the spies they planted to follow him were suddenly purged while they were still in the process of examining his system.In fact, they barely got any data before they were cut off. Due to the spies getting overloaded from a n unknown source.That was only the beginning, Dr. Gaia who was also one of the lead researchers suddenly disappeared after causing massive damage to Quell, Vyus enforcer.Not only did he damage the functionality of the enforcer, he also rendered him practically useless and currently he was deep in a slumber awaiting his repairs.Before Gaia left, he stole the majority of his resear

The timer seemed to move slower than ever. The last time he checked it was just below 12 hours left now;7:57:157:57:147:57:138 hours left.“System Notification" a notification chimed in his head as a new screen opened automatically.“Initiating Update Second Stage”" Second Stage?” Alex was confused.Adrift in the endless void, Alex had nearly grown numb to the ceaseless influx of agonizing power and deep code overwrites. The new script seared across his vacant awareness:"Legacy Integration authenticated. Commencing download of ancestral draconic data trove..."Alex would have whimpered if he still breathed air - more unfiltered energy channeled straight into his ravaged spirit? But text elaborated further, kindling fragile curiosity through the maelstrom."You now possess the full magical genome of two ancient dragon bloodlines. Access granted to compiled repository of arcane knowledge and chronicles spanning eras before mankind's dawn."A progress bar blinked below the message:

Alex glanced at the digital clock in Emma's room only to do a double take - had it really been 24 hours since he had blacked out during the Nexus system integration? A surge of disbelief and panic gripped him as the reality set in. He had been completely unconscious, his mind adrift for an entire day while evolving into...whatever he had become.Wasting no more time, Alex leapt off Emma's bed and rushed out of her room, the door slamming open with a bang. He needed to orient himself, assess if anything had changed in the physical world during his metaphysical odyssey.Hurrying past his own living quarters, Alex did a stunned double-take. His formerly trashed and cluttered room had been completely reset - every piece of scattered furniture neatly arranged, all damage repaired as if nothing had ever happened. But he had no recollection of fixing it himself or anyone else entering.The unsettling strangeness only compounded the growing sense of alienation he felt from his corporeal surro