She hadn't screamed.
There hadn't been time.
The light had consumed her. A foreign light, without warmth, without mercy.
She was torn from her world, from her memories, from her blood… and hurled elsewhere.
Then, the void.
A muffled emptiness.
A crushing silence.
Jinra opened her eyes.
Her breath caught.
Before her, the world was pure darkness. An intangible, almost liquid shadow stretched endlessly in all directions.
There was no ground, no sky—yet she stood. As if suspended in a dimension long abandoned by God.
She glanced down.
Her missing arm… still gone.
The pain returned—not of the flesh, but of the soul.
Ethan's face. His screams. The blood.
His smile, just before the end.
Her knees trembled.
But she stood tall.
Because she had to.
Because dying now would spit on his sacrifice.
Then—light.
Far away.
A tower.
No… a cosmic pillar, so tall it pierced the darkness until the eye bled.
Massive. Monolithic.
Forged from living obsidian, it pulsed like a cursed heart.
Each beat sent waves of cold deep into her bones.
She took a step forward.
And a voice echoed in her mind.
> [System – Ascension Program: Activated.]
Welcome, Guardian.
To transcend your humanity, you must climb the Tower.
Stage One: Selection of Primordial Skills.
You may choose 10 skills.
These skills will evolve with you.
Choose.
Her breath quickened.
She could feel the pressure, like invisible hands squeezing her mind.
The tower… was watching her.
And the voice… it wasn't a program. It was a will. Ancient. Alive. Absolute.
She clenched her fists.
Then spoke—her throat tight, but her voice unwavering:
— "Very well… I choose."
A pulse answered.
— "Iron Will."
> [Confirmed: Increased mental resistance. Partial immunity to manipulation.]
— "Adaptive Weapon Mastery."
> [Confirmed: Evolves based on weapon type and fighting style.]
— "Accelerated Regeneration."
> [Confirmed: Rapid recovery from light to moderate wounds.]
— "Reactive Energy Shield."
> [Confirmed: Auto-activates in response to deadly attacks.]
— "Raw Elemental Manipulation."
> [Confirmed: Undefined elemental affinity. Free evolution.]
— "Minor Gravitational Control."
> [Confirmed: Alter gravity over short distances.]
— "Shadow Domain."
Silence.
A long, dreadful silence.
Then…
> [Error… Interference detected.]
Reality trembled.
Not the ground.
Not the air.
Everything.
A cracking sound—like glass shattering behind existence.
The tower trembled. A red light bled from one of its upper levels.
> [Alert: Anomaly detected on the First Floor.]
[Selection interrupted.]
Missing skills will be randomly assigned by the system.
Three additional skills added.
— "No—wait!" Jinra shouted.
But the voice no longer listened.
> [Prepare for teleportation.]
Once you exit the Tower, you will no longer be human.
You will become a Dragon.
A circle opened beneath her feet.
The blue light returned.
Blinding. Devouring.
Her body disintegrated, pixel by pixel.
And with one final breath, her eyes gleaming with newfound resolve, she whispered:
— "Then I'll create the skills that don't exist… and master them myself."
And she vanished.