The field outside Solmere was silent.
Not peaceful.
Waiting.
Over a hundred soldiers stood across the frost covered grass in perfect formation, steel armor gleaming beneath the gray afternoon sky.
Spears angled forward like a wall of iron thorns while banners bearing the crest of the Human Kingdom snapped violently in the wind.
At their center sat a mounted General, broad-shouldered and scarred, watching the lone man standing opposite his army.
One man.
No shield.
No armor.
No visible weapon.
Murmurs spread uneasily through the ranks.
“Where’s the rest of them?” “He came alone?” “Is this a trap?” The General slowly raised a hand for silence.
His horse shifted nervously beneath him.
Curious.
Jax noticed that first.
Animals were smarter than people sometimes.
“You were given terms,” the General called out, his voice carrying cleanly across the frozen field.
“Surrender the weapons and armor being forged in Solmere.
Submit yourselves to the authority of the Kingdom.
Pay your taxes.” Jax slipped his hands into his pockets.
Honestly, that last part annoyed him more than the threats.
The General’s eyes narrowed.
“Instead, you stand in defiance of the crown.” The soldiers behind him tightened their grips on their weapons.
A hundred armed men.
Against one.
“And you believe,” the General continued, “that you can face all of us…” His gaze hardened.
“…alone?” For a moment, the battlefield fell completely still.
Then Jax smiled.
Not arrogantly.
Not nervously.
Just calmly.
Man… Things sure changed a lot since I got here.
A warm gust rolled across the sun dried grass, pulling at the dark coat hanging from his shoulders.
Behind him, the walls of Solmere stood silent.
Thousands watched from windows and rooftops, holding their breath as they stared at the impossible scene unfolding outside their city.
A single man facing an army.
Most of them still didn’t fully understand who they had placed their faith in.
Honestly?
A few months ago, neither would Jax.
His gaze drifted across the soldiers.
Knights.
Mages.
Archers.
Heavy infantry.
Not exactly the kind of thing he used to deal with back on— His thoughts stopped there.
Blank.
Like always.
Every time he tried thinking too hard about before this world, the memories became strangely… slippery.
Broken.
Missing.
Jax frowned slightly.
Weird.
The General mistook the expression for hesitation.
“You are outnumbered,” the man warned.
“There is still time to kneel.” Jax looked back up.
Then slowly glanced around the battlefield again.
“…Yeah,” he admitted.
“That’s fair.” Several soldiers blinked in confusion.
The General’s brow furrowed.
Jax sighed.
“Okay, before this gets out of hand, I just wanna point out that I DID try diplomacy first.” Silence.
A few nervous glances spread through the army.
The General finally lost patience.
“Enough.” The command echoed sharply across the battlefield.
Spears lowered.
Mages raised their staffs.
Mana gathered in the air like an approaching storm.
And still— Jax didn’t move.
Didn’t reach for a weapon.
Didn’t even look worried.
Instead, his gaze slowly lowered toward the shadows stretching across the dry ground.
The darkness beneath him shifted unnaturally.
Several soldiers stiffened.
One of the horses suddenly panicked, nearly throwing its rider.
The General’s expression changed for the first time.
Confusion.
Then unease.
Jax sighed.
“Honestly, I get why people make this mistake.” The shadows widened.
Spread.
Moved.
And finally, Jax looked back up at the army standing before him.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Certain.
“Something you don’t realize about me…” The temperature dropped.
“…I’m never alone.” The battlefield went dark.
Months Earlier There was no pain.
No light at the end of a tunnel.
No heavenly choir.
No dramatic realization.
One second, nothing existed.
The next— Consciousness returned.
Jax opened his eyes to an endless white space that stretched beyond comprehension.
Not heaven.
Not a room.
Not even a world.
Just… somewhere.
Floating symbols appeared before him.
Cold.
Precise.
Mechanical.
WELCOME, USER.
INITIALIZING SYSTEM… Jax stared at the glowing words for several seconds.
“…Okay,” he said slowly.
“Either I’m dead or I finally snapped mentally.” The screen ignored him.
NEW WORLD DETECTED.
BEGINNING INITIAL COMPATIBILITY SCAN.
“Huh.” He looked down at himself.
The symbols flickered suddenly.
Then violently distorted.
ERROR ERROR ERROR Jax blinked.
“Well that doesn’t look ideal.” WARNING.
ABNORMALITY DETECTED.
The white void trembled.
Something vast shifted somewhere beyond the light.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then— The System changed.
Not updated.
Changed.
Like something had forced itself into machinery it was never meant to touch.
Darkness bled through the white space.
Cold spread through the void.
New words slowly appeared before him.
Designation Accepted.
Hidden Authority Found.
Initializing… SHADOW SYSTEM Jax stared at the screen.
“…That sounds incredibly evil.” No response came.
Only one final line.
Death is no longer the end.
It is a beginning.
Then the world collapsed.
Cold air slammed into his lungs.
Stone scraped against his palms.
Jax coughed violently as real wind hit his face for the first time.
Grass.
Dirt.
Trees.
A completely different sky.
And somewhere far above— Something powerful quietly turned its attention toward him for the very first time.