"You shouldn't be here..."

  Caelzar's consciousness was a swirling haze, enveloped by an endless void of darkness. He seemed to float in a warm yet suffocating liquid, his body immobile, encased in a strange pressure, as if wrapped in a thick membrane.

  His thoughts were fragmented, flickering in and out of existence, unable to focus. As he struggled to regain crity, a low, indistinct voice whispered in his ear.

  "Do not trust It..."

  The voice echoed deep within his mind, stirring ripples in the chaos of his thoughts. He tried to respond, but his throat felt sealed, no sound escaping.

  Gradually, his awareness sharpened. The oppressive, scorching air burned his consciousness. A faint red glow pierced the darkness, and the metallic tang of blood filled his breath. Screams and chaotic noises echoed in his ears.

  His vision slowly cleared. As he lifted his head, the sight before him froze him in pce.

  This was a twisted, mad world. The crimson ground seemed woven from flesh and blood, the sky a perpetual, oppressive twilight.

  The air reeked of burning and blood, each breath a struggle. In the distance, growls and wails filled the air.

  On the ground, grotesque, savage creatures tore into each other, their forms twisted and monstrous. Some had elongated limbs and razor-sharp teeth, others bore spines and eyes filled with pure rage. Each fallen body dissolved into bck mist, absorbed by the victor.

  "Is this... hell?" He was stunned, a wave of fear crashing over him.

  But stronger than fear was an insatiable hunger. He instinctively opened his mouth, craving something to quell the gnawing void within. Yet, as he looked down, he realized—this body was not human.

  His hands, or rather cws, were grotesque, covered in rough bck scales. His skin was pitch bck, his form twisted and hunched, a whip-like tail extending from his back. This grotesque figure was far from the human body he remembered.

  "Is this... my body?" Caelzar's heart pounded, cold sweat dripping down his spine.

  Fragments of memory flooded his mind—he had been an ordinary man on Earth, living a mundane life. Now, he was a monster in this alien world.

  "Did I... cross over?" The thought struck him like a thunderbolt, panic and confusion overwhelming him. He couldn't comprehend how or why this had happened. A chilling, alien sensation gripped every fiber of his being.

  Before he could process the shock, a low growl sounded behind him, followed by the sharp whistle of something cutting through the air.

  His body reacted instinctively, rolling to the side just in time to avoid the attack. Turning, he saw a creature simir to himself, twisted and menacing, lunging at him with bared fangs.

  "Damn it!" Surprise and anger surged within him—surprise at his new body's agility, and anger at the relentless hunger gnawing at him. A primal instinct screamed in his mind: Kill it, devour it, or you will die here.

  Caelzar's rationality teetered on the edge, repced by a cold, calcuting bloodlust. He leapt to his feet, his human morality discarded. Now, he was just a monster fighting to survive.

  The creature attacked again. With no room to dodge, Caelzar swung his cw in a desperate arc. As his talons sliced through the air, a strange exhiration surged through him—a primal thrill of the hunt.

  His cw pierced the creature's skull with ease, bck fluid spraying out. The demon let out a piercing shriek before colpsing.

  "I... killed it?" The creature's body twitched, bck blood pooling beneath it. Caelzar stared at his cw, still dripping with warm blood.

  A storm of emotions churned within him—unease, but also an inexplicable satisfaction. The moral code he once lived by cshed violently with the brutal reality before him.

  Yet, fear didn't consume him. Instead, he felt a primal urge stirring within, the thrill of battle coursing through his veins.

  Before he could process further, the dead creature's body disintegrated into bck mist, which surged toward him, seeping into his form.

  Suddenly, Caelzar's consciousness shuddered. He felt an immense presence approaching, an ancient, unfathomable will entering his mind.

  This consciousness was vast, far beyond mortal comprehension, carrying the weight of eternity. It was cold, unyielding.

  Memories buried deep within his new body surged forth, revealing the source of this presence—the primordial will of the Abyss.

  It was the core of the Abyss, the ruler of its ws. Caelzar's soul felt id bare, scrutinized to its depths. But the will didn't linger.

  As it faded, a mysterious bck stone appeared in Caelzar's mind—a gift from the Abyss.

  He sensed no hostility. Instead, the will seemed to guide him, offering a strange benevolence. This left Caelzar wary, yet intrigued.

  "Kill them, and survive..." The stone began to merge with his soul, its presence pulsing with whispers. It promised power and evolution, urging him to follow this path.

  Caelzar felt the stone's rotation deep within his consciousness, its whispers a constant reminder: Walk this road, and power will be yours.

  As the bck mist surged into his body, the bck stone in his mind flickered faintly. The chaotic mist, guided by an invisible hand, flowed swiftly through his veins, spreading to every corner of his being.

  Caelzar immediately noticed that the impurities within the mist were being filtered out. The stone acted like a sieve, allowing only the purest energy to pass through, rapidly strengthening his muscles, bones, and soul.

  Even though this was his first time absorbing the mist, he realized that the power he gained was far greater and more stable than if he had relied solely on his own efforts.

  After the Will of the Abyss faded from his mind, Caelzar frowned, his heart filled with doubt. "Why would such a being help me?" he murmured, his eyes sharp with wariness.

  As a newcomer to this world, his soul was distinctly foreign. Why had the Abyss shown him such "favor"? What was that vague voice? Everything was too strange, too coincidental, and it all raised his suspicions.

  He shook his head slightly, dispelling the distracting thoughts. He couldn't decipher the true motives of the Will of the Abyss, but one thing was clear—no matter its intentions, he could use this power to survive.

  Setting aside these complex specutions, Caelzar closed his eyes and delved into the depths of his consciousness, feeling the memories gradually surfacing within his bloodline.

  [Aurion Valto]

  He whispered the name, "A symbol of darkness and power?" The inherited memories told him that this was his true name, the mark of his demonic identity.

  From these memories, Caelzar—now Aurion—learned that this world was one of countless demonic incubation realms. He, along with thousands of other demon spawn, had to kill and devour each other until only one remained, who would then ascend to the endless Abyss.

  Killing was not just a necessity for survival; it was the source of power. "It seems the path the Will of the Abyss has set for me is also what I must do," he thought, his unease gradually repced by cold rationality.

  Surveying his surroundings, the barren nd stretched endlessly like an eternal battlefield. Young demons tore into each other, cws ripping through flesh, severed limbs scattered everywhere, bck blood raining down like a macabre storm.

  Not far away, several rger demons were closing in on each other. They were more massive than Aurion, their auras far more dangerous.

  Noticing this, Aurion didn't rush in. Instead, he hid behind a rock, holding his breath, calmly observing the demons ahead.

  They were ferocious and violent, their movements filled with destructive power. But Aurion noticed that their actions cked intelligence; they were driven purely by instinct.

  "It seems I was born a bit te," he thought. While the other demons had been fighting for some time, they were little more than beasts with brute strength. His greatest advantage was his mind and strategy. "I can't rely on brute force against these monsters. My edge is... intelligence."

  Ahead, two demons began to face off, baring their fangs and growling low. Aurion remained still, patiently waiting for the right moment.

  Suddenly, the two demons collided with astonishing speed. The air crackled with the sound of bones breaking, dust scattering as flesh tore apart. The cacophony of violence echoed across the wastend.

  One of the demons was massive, its muscles like stone, covered in hard bck spines, resembling an armored beast. Its fangs gleamed coldly, each strike filled with savage power.

  The other demon was equally formidable, its body covered in dense bone spikes, its cws like sharp bone bdes, radiating a deadly chill.

  The two demons tore into each other relentlessly, their bodies soon covered in wounds and blood. With a piercing roar, the spined demon gained the upper hand, smming its opponent to the ground with brutal force.

  Before the bone-bde demon could rise, the spined demon's fangs sank into its throat.

  "Now's my chance," Aurion thought. He moved swiftly, a shadow closing in on the battle. His cws sliced through the air silently, striking the spined demon's exposed neck from behind.

  The sharp cws tore through its flesh, bck blood gushing out like a fountain.

  With a final, agonized roar, the spined demon's massive body convulsed, its legs giving out as it colpsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

  Aurion turned quickly, his cws piercing the heart of the bone-bde demon still lying on the ground. A quick twist ended the fight.

  Standing between the two fallen bodies, Aurion's gaze was calm, his breathing steady. "Two strikes, clean and efficient," he assessed, his performance better than he had expected.

  The bodies of the two demons dissolved into bck mist, their soul energy flowing into Aurion. With the help of the bck stone, he felt his muscles tighten, every fiber of his body growing stronger. His cws became sharper, his body more agile, his strength now surpassing that of the two demons.

  "This feeling..." He closed his eyes, savoring the surge of power, an unprecedented thrill spreading through him.

  "It seems that killing and devouring are the true ws of this demonic world," he thought, his heartbeat steadying, but his mind remaining sharp.

  In the distance, the battle raged on, the air thick with the scent of blood. Aurion knew time was running out. The sooner he gained an advantage, the better his chances of survival in this incubation world. "I need to move faster," he whispered, suppressing his excitement as he scanned the area for his next target.

  As his strength grew, so did his confidence. He no longer hid but moved stealthily toward a new battlefield. A dozen young demons were locked in chaotic combat. Aurion hid behind a rock, calmly observing the fray.

  Moments ter, he spotted a demon cornered and decided it would be his next prey.

  He lunged from the shadows, his steps swift and silent. Before his target could react, Aurion's cws pierced its heart.

  Bck blood spttered across his scales as he swiftly captured its soul. After securing his prize, he retreated from the battlefield, absorbing the newly acquired energy.

  As he continued to absorb the bck mist, a hidden ability deep within his soul began to stir. This nascent power, like a dark tide, surged within him, eager to be unleashed.

  "What is this...?" Aurion's mind jolted. As he absorbed the soul, a fragmented vision fshed before his eyes—a vast void filled with ruins, massive fragments of structures drifting slowly. The architecture was intricate, a blend of precise machinery and incomprehensible glowing patterns, faintly illuminating the darkness. At their core, the remnants hinted at a once-glorious civilization.

  Aurion's eyes widened. The vision sted only a moment, but it felt unnervingly real. The shattered buildings and floating debris carried the weight of an unknown history. Yet, the images quickly faded, as if they had never existed.

  As Aurion tried to make sense of this change, heavy footsteps echoed in the distance. An overwhelming pressure filled the air, making even the atmosphere tremble. Instinctively, Aurion retreated into the shadows, holding his breath, his eyes fixed on the approaching threat.

  jade_talon

  AnnouncementI have a fascinating world to share with you! The content mentioned in the synopsis will fully unfold in the second part of the story. The early chapters focus on action and setting the stage, so thank you for your patience and for sticking with me!