A deep ache that seemed to radiate from the bones greeted Ethan before consciousness fully returned, as if his body was remembering how to exist after being scattered across space.His eyes opened to a ceiling that's like a soft bioluminescent light, the patterns were shifting... Nothing seemed human or earthly at all."You're awake." The voice came from his left, melodic but carrying undertones that human vocal cords could never produce. "Please don't move suddenly. Your cellular structure is still stabilizing from the extraction."Ethan turned his head slowly, and for few seconds he forgot how to breath.The woman standing beside his medical pod was humanoid in the way that a statue is humanoid—recognizably bipedal, proportioned similarly, but fundamentally other. Her skin held an iridescent quality, shifting between pale blue and silver depending on the angle of light. Delicate scales traced patterns along her cheekbones and down her neck, disappearing beneath the collar of her p

The countdown in Ethan's mind had nothing to do with Empress Kara's ultimatum. While the station descended into barely controlled panic around him, another timer materialized in his vision—translucent text that overlaid reality itself.**[FIRST QUEST ACTIVATED]****[SURVIVE 24 HOURS WITHOUT BEING CLAIMED]****[REWARD: FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT TECHNIQUE]****[FAILURE: UNKNOWN]****[TIME REMAINING: 23:59:47]**Ethan's brain kept thinking zig zag, because this wasn't his imagination. The text was real, or at least as real as anything could be in his current situation. He focused on the words, and more information bloomed across his vision like a HUD powering up.**[IMMORTAL PATH SYSTEM - INITIALIZED]****[HOST: ETHAN REID]****[SPECIES: HUMAN (ENDANGERED - LAST MALE SPECIMEN)]****[CULTIVATION REALM: MORTAL]****[BLOODLINE COMPATIBILITY: UNIVERSAL]****[SPECIAL TRAIT: GENETIC CATALYST]**Seris's voice ruined his concentration. "The human is experiencing something. Look at his eyes."Eth

The scream wasn't sound in any traditional sense. It bypassed ears entirely, drilling directly into Ethan's mind with the force of an ice pick through his skull. Around him, even the battle-hardened warriors staggered, their weapons dropping as their hands moved to their heads.The emergency light came back on. Through the haze of pain, Ethan's system flashed urgent warnings.**[ALERT: VOIDBORNE SIGNATURE DETECTED]****[THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL]****[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE EVACUATION]**No. Not here. Not after everything."Voidborne," Ethan gasped, and the single word echoed through the disorientation. Every alien in the corridor went rigid with primal fear.Commander Seris recovered first, her silver eyes widening. "Impossible. Sanctuary Prime has quantum shielding. Nothing from the void should be able to…"The wall exploded inward, cutting her off. What came through defied easy description. It had mass and form, but both shifted moment to moment like oil on water. Tentacles, claws

The raider ship was a significant upgrade from the escape pod, though calling it luxurious would have been generous. Ethan sat in what passed for the captain's quarters, it was a room that barely larger than a closet with a bunk welded to the wall and a viewport showing the swirling chaos of the asteroid field they were hiding in.The fight had lasted exactly four minutes. Ethan hadn't even needed to leave the pod.Through the thin walls, he could hear the three women arguing about their next move. Princess Lyra wanted to push deeper into the Frontier Zones. Commander Seris advocated for reaching one of her safe houses. Dr. Senna kept pointing out the medical risks of Ethan attempting rapid cultivation advancement.None of them were asking him. So Ethan pulled up his system interface, studying the information it provided about Core Formation. The process looked insanely complex—compressing energy into specific patterns, awakening spiritual awareness, even forming a stable core that c

The silence following Nyx's transmission was very troubling. Even Empress Kara had gone quiet."Shadow Moon Clan," Commander Seris said carefully. "They're assassins and hermits who haven't left their cultivation planet in centuries."On screen, Nyx smiled. "We know things. We've watched the Immortal Path system sleep for ten thousand years, waiting for the right host. We know why it awakened now, and what it's preparing him for.""Then share that information," Seris demanded."Information has value. I won't give it to empire builders." Nyx's galaxy-filled eyes fixed on Ethan. "But I'll share it with him. Privately. If he has the courage to meet me."**[SYSTEM ALERT: UNUSUAL ENTITY DETECTED]****[NYX - POWER LEVEL: UNKNOWN]****[RECOMMENDATION: GATHER MORE DATA]**"Obviously a trap," Dr. Senna protested."Of course it's a trap," Nyx agreed. "Everything is when you're the most valuable commodity in existence. But my trap comes with answers." She transmitted coordinates. "Derelict stati