Darkness cracked open.
Not gently.
Not like waking from sleep.
But violently—
as if the universe tore a hole and shoved Alex through it.
Her lungs filled with air all at once.
She gasped, choking on cold breath and blinding light.
Then she fell.
Onto stone.
Hard, cold, unfamiliar stone.
A low groan escaped her lips—not from fear, but from annoyance. She pushed herself up, blinking rapidly until the blur faded.
And then her surroundings sharpened into focus.
She was in a tower.
But not a ruined one.
Not abandoned.
A grand, ancient structure of black marble and glowing blue veins carved into the walls, pulsing like veins under skin. Strange symbols circled the room, faintly luminescent, twisting gently in the air.
This wasn't a forest.
Nor a city.
Nor any world she knew.
Alex exhaled slowly.
"…Where the hell am I now?"
Her voice—
Stopped.
Her hand shot to her throat.
Her voice was higher.
Smoother.
Almost… melodic.
She looked down.
Her body was small.
Fragile.
Slim arms, pale skin, small hands covered in soft ink smudges. Her clothes were strange: layered fabrics, a dark robe embroidered with silver patterns.
She hurried toward the reflective surface of a polished black stone pillar.
A young girl stared back.
Perhaps thirteen.
Long, tangled silver hair.
Sharp violet eyes.
A faint glow around the irises.
A body that looked delicate—almost breakable.
Alex touched her own face and let out a bitter chuckle.
"Great. A child now? Seriously?"
The room vibrated.
A deep hum echoed through the tower as if the structure itself was alive. Symbols on the floor shimmered.
Alex took a cautious step.
The air felt heavy.
Saturated with something old… ancient… magical.
A whisper brushed the edge of her consciousness.
…awake…
She froze.
Her heart thudded once—hard.
"Who's there?" she demanded.
Silence.
No answer.
No presence she could pinpoint.
No threat she could see.
Just the faintest echo of something circling her soul…
watching.
Waiting.
She shook it off—it had to be a residue from the void. Nothing more.
Footsteps echoed from the hallway outside.
Alex tensed.
A tall man entered the chamber—robes of deep blue, adorned with runes glowing softly. His eyes widened the moment he saw her.
"You—! You're awake?"
He approached cautiously, almost reverently.
"After the ritual collapsed? We thought the vessel was lost."
Alex stared "
"What ritual?"
The man blinked.
"You… don't remember? You collapsed during the Awakening. Your magic flared too violently. You've been unconscious for days."
Magic.
Ritual.
Awakening.
Alex's jaw tightened.
Another world.
Another life.
Another body with rules she didn't understand.
"Tell me," she said coldly, "who am I?"
He hesitated—clearly confused by her tone.
"You are Astra, apprentice of the Tower of Lumys. You were born with extraordinary magical potential, but your body is…"
His eyes dimmed.
"Fragile. Most children with your power struggle to survive it."
Fragile.
Of course.
A life where she was powerful—
but physically too weak to withstand her own strength.
A different kind of curse.
A different kind of prison.
Before she could ask more, a sudden burn ignited in her chest.
Not like Bloodburn.
Not fire.
Something colder.
Sharper.
Older.
A whisper curled inside her skull—
soft, intimate, almost affectionate:
… little vessel…
Alex staggered back, breath hitching.
The man rushed forward.
"Astra? What's wrong?!"
But the voice inside her whispered again, like a finger tracing her soul:
Grow stronger…
I am waiting…
Then silence.
Alex swallowed hard.
Whatever it was—
it hadn't been an illusion.
And it was getting stronger.
She lifted her gaze, cold and steady.
"Fine," she whispered to the empty room.
"Let's see what this life wants from me."
But deep inside her…
the shadow smiled
Astra's new life lasted only three days.
Not three peaceful days.
Not three days of childhood innocence.
Three days of pain, pressure, and a body too fragile to hold the monstrous power inside it.
Day One — The Awakening Pain
The moment Alex—now Astra—stepped outside the ritual chamber, her body reacted violently.
A sharp pulse of energy shot through her veins, forcing her to clutch her chest. The air shimmered around her fingers, crackling with unstable magic.
The mage from earlier—Master Elion—stopped in his tracks.
"Astra, not again—your core is unstable. You must not use magic yet!"
"I'm not trying to," Alex hissed.
Her small hands trembled uncontrollably.
Her vision blurred.
Master Elion rushed her to a resting chamber, placing her onto a soft bed carved from obsidian stone.
"You must rest," he urged.
"If the pressure increases, your body will collapse."
Astra clenched her teeth.
Collapse.
Always that word.
Another life she was being crushed by something she didn't ask for.
And in the darkest corner of her mind…
A faint laugh.
… this vessel breaks too easily …
A chill spread down her spine.
She tried to speak, but darkness swallowed her.
Day Two
Astra awoke to a gentle voice.
"Miss Astra?"
She turned her head weakly.
A little girl—maybe nine years old—stood beside her bed, holding a tray of soup.
Golden hair.
Soft blue eyes.
A shy smile.
The resemblance to Liz hit Alex like a punch to the chest.
Her breath froze.
Her heart twisted painfully—
the same ache she felt the day Liz died.
The child lowered her head nervously
"Master Elion told me to bring you food… I'm Lira."
Lira.
Even the name stabbed at something old and bleeding inside her.
Astra forced her voice steady.
"…Thank you."
But the girl hesitated.
"You look sad. Are you hurting?"
Astra swallowed.
Her throat tightened, and for a moment, the unbreakable Alex—the killer, the monster, the soul scorched by hate—felt something fragile crack.
Lira gently touched her hand.
"You'll get better. I'm sure of it."
Astra's breath shook.
She almost pulled her hand away—
but the warmth…
that small, innocent warmth…
It was the first gentle touch she had felt in so many lives.
And it hurt.
Because she knew—
this life was short.
She could feel it.
And if something happened to this child…
she didn't trust herself not to burn the world again.
Day Three
It happened at dawn.
A violent tremor shook Astra awake. Her body convulsed, magic surging uncontrollably beneath her skin like boiling fire.
Master Elion burst into the room.
"Her core—it's overloading! Astra, stay with me!"
Astra screamed as raw energy burst from her fingertips in spiraling arcs of violet light.
Her bones felt like they were vibrating apart.
Her vision fractured.
She saw Lira rushing toward her, tears streaming.
"Astra! Astra, please!"
"Stay back!" Alex shouted in a voice that barely sounded human.
The floor cracked beneath her.
Walls split.
Light poured from her eyes.
Inside her skull, a whisper coiled with satisfaction:
… break …
and I will rise …
That voice
She was feeding on the collapse.
Astra fell to her knees.
Her skin glowed violently, veins burning like molten silver.
Master Elion tried to cast a barrier—
but Astra's own magic shattered it instantly.
"Astra, listen to me—focus your breath!"
"I—I can't," she gasped.
Her voice was shaking.
Her vision dimming.
The last thing she saw was Lira reaching for her hand.
"Please don't die…"
Alex's heart twisted again.
Not this child.
Not again.
She used her last breath to whisper:
"…stay away…"
Then the light exploded.
Astra's body disintegrated into shards of violet energy, scattering like dying stars.
Her consciousness was torn free—
dragged violently back into the eternal
Return to the Void
Cold.
Silent.
Endless.
Alex floated once more in the familiar, hateful emptiness.
Seraphielle appeared, glowing softly, expression sorrowful.
"You died again, Alexandra."
Alex didn't flinch.
She glared with burning eyes.
"And whose fault is that?"
The goddess sighed.
"You resist. You refuse to bend. You reject every path that could save you."
Alex's voice was ice.
"You cursed me to die over and over."
"You cursed yourself the day you embraced hatred," Seraphielle whispered.
But Alex stepped forward, rage shaking the void.
Her voice was a growl.
"I will never ask for your forgiveness."
Silence.
Then—
a second presence stirred behind her.
Seraphielle's glow flickered.
Something ancient…
something dark…
something she couldn't see yet…
hovered just beyond Alex's shoulder.
The goddess's eyes widened with sudden alarm,
"Alexandra… what is that behind—"
But before she could finish—
The void shattered, dragging Alex away toward her next life.
And deep in the darkness…
A female voice laughed.