Darkness didn't feel the same anymore.
Before, it had been empty… silent… meaningless.
Now?
It felt alive.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
The rhythmic sound of machines echoed in the sterile hospital room.
White light flooded the space. The faint smell of antiseptic lingered in the air.
Shivay's fingers twitched.
A subtle movement… but enough.
His eyes slowly opened.
For a moment, everything was blurry.
Shapes. Light. Shadows.
Then—
Focus.
"…Hospital."
His voice was hoarse, low… but steady.
He didn't panic.
Didn't react like a normal person would.
Instead, he simply observed.
Ceiling. White.
Lights. Too bright.
Machines. Monitoring him.
"…So I didn't die."
That realization should have brought relief.
But it didn't.
Because something felt… wrong.
No.
Not wrong.
Different.
Shivay slowly raised his right hand.
His movements were smooth. Controlled.
No pain.
No stiffness.
No weakness.
That… was impossible.
After a crash like that?
He should barely be conscious.
Yet here he was.
Perfectly fine.
"…Interesting."
The door suddenly opened.
A doctor and a nurse rushed inside.
"You're awake?!" the doctor exclaimed, visibly shocked.
Shivay turned his head slightly.
"…Looks like it."
The doctor moved closer immediately, checking his vitals.
"Can you feel any pain? Headache? Dizziness?"
Shivay thought for a second.
Then replied calmly—
"No."
The room fell silent.
"…No pain?" the doctor repeated.
"That's what I said."
The nurse looked at the reports… then back at Shivay.
Her expression slowly shifted from concern… to disbelief.
"But… your condition when you arrived…"
She stopped.
Because the reports in her hands didn't match reality.
The doctor grabbed the file, scanning it quickly.
Internal bleeding. Multiple fractures. Critical trauma.
He looked at Shivay.
Then back at the report.
"…This doesn't make sense."
Shivay leaned slightly against the bed.
"It doesn't need to."
"That's not how medicine works!" the doctor snapped.
Shivay shrugged.
"Then maybe it's not medicine."
The doctor froze.
For a brief second—
He didn't know how to respond.
"…We'll run more tests," he finally said.
"Do whatever you want."
Shivay closed his eyes again.
But he wasn't resting.
Inside his mind…
Something was moving.
That void.
That presence.
That voice.
The God King.
"…So it was real."
The memory wasn't fading.
If anything…
It felt sharper.
Suddenly—
Flicker.
The lights dimmed.
Just for a second.
The nurse gasped.
"Did you see that?"
The doctor frowned.
"Probably a power fluctuation."
But Shivay's eyes opened slowly.
He felt it.
A faint pressure… deep inside his chest.
Not painful.
Not heavy.
But… present.
Like something was breathing within him.
"…So this is power."
Outside the hospital—
Rain continued to fall.
A black luxury car stood parked quietly near the entrance.
Inside it—
A man in his forties sat calmly.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
Sharp eyes. Controlled expression.
A small device in his ear lit up.
"Report."
"He's awake."
Silence.
"…Condition?"
The man glanced at the tablet in his hand.
Live vitals. Internal scans. Neural activity.
"…Stable."
A pause.
"…Too stable."
Another silence.
Then—
A faint chuckle came through the line.
"As expected."
"Maintain surveillance."
"Do not interfere."
"Yes, sir."
The call ended.
The man looked out of the window.
Toward Shivay's room.
"…Sixteen years."
"…And now… it begins."
Back inside—
Shivay slowly sat up.
The doctor immediately reacted.
"Careful!"
"I said I'm fine."
He swung his legs off the bed.
No weakness.
No imbalance.
Perfect control.
The doctor stepped back slightly.
"…You shouldn't be able to move like that."
Shivay ignored him.
Instead—
He focused inward.
That energy.
He could feel it more clearly now.
Flowing.
Like invisible currents beneath his skin.
He closed his eyes.
And concentrated.
At first—
Nothing.
Then—
A shift.
Suddenly—
The world changed.
He could see it.
Energy.
Everywhere.
In the air.
In the walls.
In the machines.
Even inside the doctor and nurse.
"…So this is the hidden layer."
His breathing slowed.
Before…
He had been blind.
Now?
He could see the truth.
Then—
Pain.
A sharp jolt in his head.
"—Tch."
The vision shattered instantly.
Shivay opened his eyes again.
Normal.
The doctor rushed forward.
"What happened?!"
"Nothing."
"…That didn't look like nothing."
Shivay leaned back slightly.
"…Just adjusting."
The nurse hesitated… then asked softly:
"Do you have any family we should inform?"
Silence.
A strange expression flickered across Shivay's face.
Then disappeared.
"No."
Outside—
The man in the car closed his eyes.
"…Lie."
Inside—
Shivay stared at the ceiling.
Family.
The word felt… distant.
Like something he should remember.
But couldn't.
Fragments existed.
But nothing clear.
"…Doesn't matter."
Hours passed.
Night fell.
The hospital grew quiet.
Most lights dimmed.
Shivay sat alone in his room.
Awake.
Thinking.
"…Let's test this."
He raised his hand slowly.
Focused.
On that energy.
That presence.
And this time—
It responded.
A faint spark formed around his fingers.
CRACKLE.
Electricity.
Tiny arcs danced across his skin.
Shivay's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Lightning."
The spark faded.
Then—
Heat.
A soft warmth spread across his palm.
A small flame ignited.
🔥
"…Fire."
The flame flickered… then vanished.
Silence.
Shivay stared at his hand.
"…Multiple elements."
His lips curved slightly.
"…Now this is interesting."
Suddenly—
He felt it.
A presence.
Outside.
Watching.
Shivay's gaze slowly shifted toward the door.
"…I know you're there."
Silence.
Then—
Click.
The door opened.
A man stepped inside.
Well-dressed.
Calm.
But his presence—
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Not normal.
Shivay studied him.
"…You're not hospital staff."
The man smiled faintly.
"Sharp observation."
He stepped forward slowly.
Each step… controlled.
Measured.
"You can feel it, can't you?"
The air grew tense.
Shivay leaned back slightly.
"…Feel what?"
The man stopped.
For a moment—
His eyes changed.
Cold.
Ancient.
Powerful.
"…Power."
Silence.
Shivay's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"…Took you long enough."
The man chuckled softly.
"No."
His gaze locked onto Shivay.
"We were waiting…"
A pause.
"For you to awaken."
Shivay's eyes sharpened slightly.
"…We?"
The man's smile deepened.
"You'll understand soon."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Something invisible pressed against the air.
Like two forces measuring each other.
Then—
The man spoke again.
"Tell me…"
"How does it feel…"
"To finally step into our world?"
Shivay didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He leaned back slightly.
His expression calm.
Unbothered.
"…Small."
The man froze.
"…What?"
Shivay's eyes met his.
"This world…"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"…feels too small."
Silence.
Then—
For the first time—
The man's expression changed.
Surprise.
Then slowly—
Respect.
"…I see."
He turned slightly toward the door.
"Then grow stronger."
A pause.
"Because soon…"
His voice turned cold.
"You won't have the luxury to think like that."
He walked out.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Shivay sat there.
Alone.
But now—
Everything had changed.
Inside his mind—
The voice returned.
"This is only the beginning."
Shivay's eyes slowly closed.
"…Good."
A faint smile appeared.
"I was getting bored anyway."