The world twisted around us. Colors bled together—violet, crimson, silver—all blurring into one. I felt like I was being pulled apart and reassembled piece by piece.
Jian grunted beside me, gripping her spear tightly. I clenched my fists, still feeling the fading warmth of the Dragon Scalein my inventory.
Then—solid ground.
We stumbled out of the portal and into blinding sunlight. My eyes burned as I tried to adjust. When my vision cleared, I realized we were standing on the edge of a towering cliff.
Below us stretched a kingdom in chaos.
Fires burned in the streets. Massive stone walls had collapsed, and twisted black spires pierced the sky. From the horizon, armies clashed—metal against magic—shaking the earth beneath us.
"Where… are we?" Jian asked, scanning the battlefield.
A system prompt flickered into view.
"New World Unlocked: The Shattered Kingdom."
"Main Quest Activated: Restore the Balance or Fall to the Abyss."
I exhaled sharply. "Looks like we're not getting a vacation anytime soon."
Jian snorted. "Would you want one?"
I couldn't help but grin. "Probably not."
But beneath the bravado, a chill crept up my spine. Something about this place—this world—felt wrong.
And if the system was already warning us about the Abyss… things were about to get a whole lot worse.