The air was thick with ash, and the ground trembled beneath Elric's feet.
It wasn't fear that made his hands shake—it was memory.
He stood once again at the base of the colossal tower that tore through the clouds, its obsidian surface humming like a heartbeat, ancient and alive. He'd seen this before—years ago. A lifetime ago.
No.
He had failed before.
But this time, the system was different.
[System Rebooted.]
[Initializing Regression Protocol...]
A sudden wave of nausea crashed into him, followed by a surge of data, visions, memories—not all his own. Thousands of deaths, failures, and sacrifices flooded into his mind.
The cursed system had brought him back.
"Let's try this again," he muttered, his voice dry like dust.
He tightened the grip on his rusted sword, stepping into the tower's shadow. The world had ended once. He would not let it happen again.