Darkness.
Not the kind that frightened children, but the kind that swallowed reason and memory. Serena floated in it — cold, weightless, broken.
Time meant nothing.
She had fallen into Duskriver Gorge with half her ribs shattered and her organs pulped. There should have been no survival.
But something pulsed beneath the riverbed. A slow, ancient thrum of power. Unseen. Unclaimed. Untouched.
And her system noticed.
> [System Alert: Emergency State Triggered.]
[Unstable Source of High-Purity Energy Detected: Initiating Emergency Absorption Protocol.]
[Commencing Recovery Sequence…]
What followed wasn't healing — it was resurrection.
The power of Duskriver seeped into her broken body over the course of two weeks, unseen by beast or man. While every search party scoured the forest, calling her name in vain, Serena lay cradled in the gorge's hidden current, stitched back together by raw energy so pure it bypassed even natural laws.
Her system worked autonomously, greedily feeding on the primal source. Muscles restored. Bones reformed. Meridians cleared. Core... awakened.
When her eyes finally fluttered open, Serena gasped sharply, lungs drawing in a breath that didn't hurt.
> [System Update: Host Condition – Stable.]
[Essence Vein Stage 4 → Core Formation Stage 1 Achieved.]
[Affinities Enhanced: Wind – Stable. Darkness – Strengthened Significantly.]
[Artifact Fragment Detected in Host's Dantian.]
[System Feature Unlocked: Mission Board Available.]
She sat up slowly.
The forest above Duskriver Gorge was silent. No birds. No beasts. Only the weight of power that still lingered in her limbs. Her hair clung to her damp skin, and her cloak had long since shredded, but Serena was alive — changed.
Not just healed. Reforged.
> [New System Mission Available:]
[Primary Objective: Meditate to Stabilize New Realm.]
[Estimated Duration: 4 Days.]
[Reward: Further Strengthening of Darkness Affinity. Artifact Awakening Possible.]
Serena exhaled and shut her eyes once more.
She let the river's ancient energy cycle through her veins, anchoring her new realm. It was like taming a storm that had just been born inside her. The darkness affinity no longer felt foreign — it breathed with her, pulsed beneath her skin.
And deep within her core, the faint outline of an artifact shimmered. Its shape unclear, but its pull undeniable.
Four days passed in stillness. Meditation rooted her transformation.
When she finally opened her eyes again, her gaze was no longer filled with weakness — only resolve.
She climbed out of Duskriver Gorge under moonlight.
And then, her system chimed again.
> [Side Mission Unlocked: Investigate the Source of Residual Darkness Energy Nearby.]
[Reward: Increased Mastery of Darkness Affinity. Potential Artifact Evolution.]
A small smile tugged at her lips.
"Still not done with me?" she muttered hoarsely. "Good."
She began walking—each step stronger than the last. The forest of Duskriver Gorge had never known mercy.
And now?
Neither would she.
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