Adrian Voss woke up in pain.
His body felt cold and heavy. His chest hurt every time he breathed. When he opened his eyes, he saw a cracked wooden ceiling above him. The room smelled of blood and damp wood.
This was not his room.
He tried to move, but his arms felt weak. His legs barely listened to him. A deep pain spread through his body, not sharp, but everywhere at once.
I'm alive, he thought.
Then another thought followed.
I shouldn't be.
Memories entered his mind slowly.
Several men breaking into the house.
Hands holding him down.
A boot pressing on his chest.
Laughter.
Someone saying they would deal with him later.
Adrian closed his eyes.
This body had already died once.
The owner of this body had been beaten to death for a small house on the edge of the village. And for a girl who lived nearby.
Her name was Lina.
She used to bring him water when he worked. She smiled easily. That was enough to cause trouble in a place like this.
Footsteps sounded outside.
Adrian froze.
The steps were slow and relaxed. Not careful at all.
A voice came from outside the window.
"He didn't last the night."
Another voice laughed. "Of course not. Weak trash."
Adrian's heart began to race.
He wanted to get up. To run. To fight.
But his body could not.
He understood something clearly.
If he moved, he would really die.
So he stayed still.
He forced his breathing to slow. He relaxed his body and let his head fall to the side. When the door opened, he did not react.
Someone kicked his ribs.
"Dead," the man said.
"Good," another replied. "Drag him out."
Rough hands grabbed his arms.
Adrian felt his body pulled across the floor. Pain burned through his shoulder and back, but he did not make a sound. Cold air hit his face as they dragged him outside.
Morning had already come. The village smelled of smoke and wet soil. Somewhere nearby, someone was cooking breakfast.
They did not take him far.
Adrian's body was thrown down hard. Dirt filled his mouth. Mud soaked into his clothes.
A ditch.
"Throw some soil on him," someone said. "Don't leave him near the houses."
Loose dirt landed on his back and legs. Not enough to bury him. Just enough to forget him.
Then the footsteps left.
Adrian lay still.
His chest rose and fell weakly. Every breath hurt. The ground beneath him was cold and wet.
He stared at the sky above the ditch.
So this is how it ends, he thought.
Revived… just to be thrown away.
Time passed. He didn't know how long.
His thoughts became slow. Hunger and pain mixed together. His eyes began to close.
Then he felt something strange.
A warmth inside his head.
It was very faint. But it did not disappear.
The world around him grew quiet. The cold faded. Adrian felt as if he was falling inward.
When his vision cleared, he was no longer in the ditch.
He stood in a dark space.
In front of him floated a dull pearl, covered in small cracks. Five faint colors moved slowly inside it.
Adrian looked at it silently.
The pearl broke.
It did not explode. It melted into thin streams of light and entered his body. Adrian felt pain, but he did not scream. It felt like something was being fixed deep inside him.
Then a calm voice appeared in his mind.
Not loud.
Not emotional.
Just clear.
Eternal Serpent Pearl — bound.
Divine Snake Scripture — activated.
Host status: mortal.
The words faded.
Adrian opened his eyes.
He was back in the ditch.
His body was still weak. His injuries were still there. He could not stand.
But something had changed.
Deep inside him, he felt a quiet presence. Heavy. Real.
Adrian took a slow breath.
"…I'm still alive," he said.
And this time, he believed it.