Karnan stared at his desktop.
The game window was minimized.
But the message was not from the game.
It was on his actual computer screen.
[Radiant Core Synchronization: 12%]
He frowned.
That was impossible.
Dragon Realm Online was still running in background.
But this window was separate.
No logo.
No application name.
Just black background.
Red text.
His fingers hovered over the mouse.
He clicked it.
Nothing happened.
The window did not respond.
He tried Alt + Tab.
Didn't work.
Task Manager.
Didn't open.
The red percentage changed.
13%
His heartbeat slowed deliberately.
Panic would make him careless.
This could be malware.
Or some strange promotional event.
But deep inside—
He knew it wasn't normal.
The lights in his room flickered once.
Then stabilized.
The ceiling fan slowed slightly.
Wind outside grew stronger.
Rain began hitting the window.
His chest felt... warm.
Not painful.
But warm.
He looked down at himself.
Of course there was no glow.
No armor.
Just a T-shirt.
Still—
The warmth felt real.
On the screen:
17%
He force-closed the laptop lid.
The screen went black.
Silence.
Only rain outside.
Only his breathing.
He waited.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
He opened the lid again.
The red window was still there.
Laptop had not even shown boot logo.
It was like the system never shut down.
21%
His hands grew cold.
This was no normal glitch.
He pulled the charger cable out.
Battery mode.
Still there.
He pressed and held power button.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Forced shutdown.
Screen turned black completely.
He exhaled slowly.
Finally.
He leaned back in his chair.
The fan above creaked softly.
Rain became heavier.
Thunder rolled across the sky.
His phone vibrated suddenly on the table.
He looked at it.
No notification on screen.
Yet it kept vibrating.
He picked it up.
Screen turned on by itself.
Black background.
Red text.
[Radiant Core Detected.]
His stomach tightened.
The exact words from the cave.
This was no coincidence.
He dropped the phone onto the table.
It continued glowing.
The laptop screen turned on again by itself.
Battery percentage had been 68%.
Now it showed no battery icon.
Just black.
And red.
29%
The lights flickered again.
This time longer.
The fan stopped.
Complete power outage.
The entire room went dark.
Outside, buildings also lost electricity.
The city plunged into silence.
Only lightning illuminated the room for brief seconds.
But his laptop—
Still glowing.
Without power.
Without battery indicator.
Red light reflected across his face.
34%
His chest felt hotter.
Like something inside was responding.
He stood up slowly.
Stepped away from the desk.
The air in the room felt heavier.
Thicker.
Harder to breathe.
Thunder cracked violently.
Window glass shook.
The laptop screen brightness increased.
Red symbol appeared.
The same dragon-shaped sun symbol from the cave door.
It rotated slowly.
Like it was alive.
He whispered softly:
"This isn't possible..."
The percentage rose faster.
48%
The phone screen lifted slightly off the table.
Just a few centimeters.
Floating.
He stepped back until he hit the wall behind him.
His heart was racing now.
But his mind still tried to analyze.
Electrical surge?
Mass hallucination?
Dream?
No.
Too consistent.
Too synchronized.
The red symbol expanded across both screens.
63%
The temperature in the room spiked suddenly.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
His chest burned now.
He grabbed his shirt over his heart.
Pain.
Sharp.
Like something was carving from inside.
He fell to one knee.
The wooden chair toppled behind him.
Lightning flashed again.
For a brief second—
He saw something impossible.
A faint red glow beneath his skin.
Right at the center of his chest.
Then darkness again.
79%
The laptop began emitting a low humming sound.
Deep.
Vibrating the floor slightly.
Walls trembled.
Dust fell from ceiling corners.
The dragon symbol opened its mouth.
And a single line appeared below it.
[Host Compatible.]
His breath became uneven.
Host?
Host for what?
The percentage hit:
90%
Everything in the room began shaking violently.
Books fell from shelf.
Cup shattered on floor.
Phone screen cracked mid-air and dropped.
The red glow intensified.
He screamed as pain shot through his body.
Not surface pain.
Deep.
Inside his bones.
Inside his blood.
His vision blurred.
The symbol on the screen began moving outward.
Not just on the screen—
It felt like it was coming toward him.
98%
The humming became a roar.
Like distant dragon wings beating.
The last thing he saw clearly—
The red text changing one final time.
[Radiant Core Fully Detected.]
[Transference Initiated.]
His eyes widened.
"Wait—"
The percentage reached:
100%
White light exploded across the room.
No sound.
No thunder.
No rain.
No fan.
Nothing.
Complete silence.
Then—
Black.
He couldn't feel the floor.
Couldn't feel his body.
Weightless.
Floating in endless darkness.
No pain now.
Just emptiness.
Then—
A distant voice echoed.
Ancient.
Heavy.
"Dragon Heir..."
His consciousness flickered.
Like a weak signal.
He tried to open his eyes.
Nothing.
He tried to move.
Nothing.
Darkness wrapped around him fully.
Cold.
Deep.
Endless.
And then—
He fell.
End of ARC 0