Colm lay motionless, his body heavy and still as distant voices echoed faintly in his ears. At first, they were muddled, distorted fragments without meaning, but gradually they began to take form. Familiar tones surfaced from the haze. Words. Laughter. His breath caught in his throat, and suddenly, with a sharp gasp, his eyes snapped open. Air rushed into his lungs as he bolted upright, chest heaving, eyes darting wildly around.

The Grove.

They made it. The trees, the smell of moss and earthy-tinged air. Nearby, three blurry figures sat. As his vision steadied, their outlines sharpened, and recognition slammed into him like a wave. Memories surged: pain, the fight, the loss. He stifled a cry, his pulse pounding.

Then came a voice, booming and amused. "Look at him, he already stirs!" it laughed, rich and warm. A stark contrast to Lira's crackling tone. Colm flinched.

He tried to sit up, steadying himself, but as he placed weight on his arm, something felt wrong, different. His heart skipped as his gaze snapped to his shoulder.

His left arm was... there.

But it wasn't his.

Gone was the familiar ashen gray of his old flesh. In its place was something translucent, ghostlike, with ethereal tendrils of light swirling beneath a semi-transparent surface. Faint pulses of spectral energy danced beneath the skin like trapped starlight.

"This..." he rasped, his voice hoarse as he lifted the arm, watching it shimmer. "This is... different."

The first voice chuckled again, stepping into view: a tall figure with kind eyes and a weathered grin. "I'll say. After you collapsed, your body lit up like a star. That eerie white glow cocooned your shoulder, and after some time passed you had a new arm. I've seen a lot in my years, but that? That was something else." He slapped Colm on the back, nearly knocking him forward.

"Give him a break, Dorian," came a second voice, softer but firm, cutting through the air like a blade. Calm. Grounding.

Colm steadied himself, blinking rapidly as he tried to focus on the figures now clearly in front of him. His heart was still racing, but there was something calming about their presence. He wasn't alone.

Dorian (Level ???) - Human

Ves (Level ???) - Human

"Right," he thought, forcing himself to stay grounded. He stared at the two, silence thick and tense in the air. A strange blend of fear and gratitude curled in his gut, uneasy and humbling. They had saved him. Whatever just happened, however close he came to death or worse, they pulled him free. He exhaled sharply, wanting to break the quiet.

Before the moment could settle, Dorian burst into laughter, his booming voice shaking the tension from the Grove like a gust of wind through trees. His golden armor gleamed even in the dim forest light, radiant and imposing, like a living beacon. Beside him, Ves stood with arms crossed, letting out a dramatic huff as Dorian continued to laugh, unimpressed by the theatrics but offering no interruption.

Colm's relief didn't last. His mind snapped back to the encounter: Lira's words, her power, the truth she threw at him like a blade. Rage stirred deep in his chest, bitter and sharp. The helplessness. The uncertainty. "She brought me here..."

The pit in his stomach grew, a knot of fear and fury. He clenched his fists, jaw trembling.

Then it broke.

A raw scream tore from his throat, primal and unfiltered. "What the fuck is going on?!"

His voice echoed through the Grove, jagged and wounded. "I've been damn chill about this whole gods-forsaken mess. I mean, undead? That was new. That was terrifying. And now I'm killing monsters like it's normal, and there's a monster hunting me down that tore off my arm like it was paper mache?!"

His breathing hitched, words tumbling faster now. "And that thing, Lira, she said she brought me here. Why? Why was I the unfortunate one that had to deal with this? What the hell did I do to deserve this?!"

His shout faded, and for a moment, all was still.

Ves and Dorian stared, their expressions unreadable. At first, surprise flickered across their faces, but it quickly gave way to understanding: softened eyes, gentler postures. Ves stepped forward without a word and rested a hand on Colm's shoulder.

That quiet gesture was enough to bring him back.

He inhaled sharply, the weight of his emotions crashing down. The realization of how much he had bottled up, how long he'd been pretending to handle everything, hit him like a tidal wave. "Sorry," he muttered, collapsing back to the ground, hands covering his face.

"It's just... it's a lot."

He sat there, trembling, letting the Grove hold the silence now. Then, softer, barely audible: "Thank you. All of you. For saving me."

As Colm sat on the cool earth, he finally allowed himself to process the sheer absurdity of everything. His breathing slowed, no longer ragged with adrenaline, and he stared at his left arm, no longer flesh and bone, but ethereal and pulsing with spectral energy. It shimmered faintly in the Grove's dim light, a translucent limb that looked ghostly yet felt solid. He poked it. Slapped it. Flexed the fingers. It responded just like his old arm would have, only colder, lighter, more otherworldly.

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"Lucky that storage ring was on my right hand," he muttered with a sigh. He glanced down at the band, then summoned the Shivermaw's Prime Scale. Its surface was slick and freezing to the touch, but somehow... comforting. The cold grounded him. Reminded him that not everything had changed. He held it for a moment longer before returning it to the ring's storage.

Time passed. The forest breathed. And then he noticed it: notifications, hovering patiently at the edge of his awareness, waiting for him to acknowledge them. He let out another sigh, heavier this time, and closed his eyes briefly before focusing.

Phantom Harbinger (Level 5) has increased to Phantom Harbinger (Level 6).

Spirit's Awareness (Level 3) has increased to Spirit's Awareness (Level 4).

Lingering Vitality has tiered up to Tier 3, Level 1.

Passive Ability: Lingering Vitality (Tier 3, Level 1)

Your bond with the spirit realm transcends the boundaries of flesh. Its energy not only sustains you, it reshapes you.

Rapidly regenerate health when out of combat.

Slowly regenerate health during combat.

If a limb or body part is severed, it is restored as a spectral replacement, infused with spiritual energy. These replacements function as well as the original but carry a faint ethereal glow and are immune to pain and physical fatigue.

Tide Attunement Effect: While standing in water, or the waves generated by your abilities, Lingering Vitality's combat regeneration increases by an additional 40%.

Colm's eyes widened as he read over the Lingering Vitality upgrade. "That's... straight-up broken," he muttered, instinctively flexing his left arm, watching it shimmer with ghostly light. It moved effortlessly, without strain.

"This is going to sound completely mad, hell, maybe I am going mad at this point, but once they're gone and I'm alone..." He trailed off, glancing briefly toward his companions to make sure they weren't listening. "I'm going to sever all my limbs. Let them regrow. No fatigue, no pain?" He let out a disbelieving laugh. "Yes. Fucking please."

His face hardened. "I'm going to need every edge I can get if I ever have to face Lira again."

The thought sobered him, and he exhaled slowly. The weight of the moment, of this chaotic world he'd been thrown into, pressed down on him. There was power here, yes, but there was also danger, loss, and an ever-growing emptiness that tried to creep in whenever things grew quiet.

He blinked away the thoughts, pushing back the tide of grief trying to claw into his focus. With a sigh and a furrowed brow, he turned his attention back to the remaining notifications, trying to steady himself for whatever came next.

Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 1) has increased to Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 2).

Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 2) has increased to Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 3).

Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 3) has increased to Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 4).

Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 4) has increased to Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 5).

Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 5) has increased to Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 6).

Analyze (Level 9) has increased to Analyze (Level 10).

Analyze has tiered up to Tier 2, Level 1.

Analyze (Tier 2, Level 1)

Allows the user to identify creatures and objects with greater efficiency.

Skill Acquired

Ability Overcharge (Level 1) - Infuse additional mana into your abilities to amplify their power or reduce their cast time. Overcharging enhances effectiveness but increases mana cost.

"Holy fuck," Colm muttered, eyes glued to the description of Ability Overcharge. "That's how I opened the portal so fast..." His thoughts spun like a storm. "If I can channel this into my phantoms..." A grin, sharp and gleaming, spread across his face. "This is going to be absolutely broken."

Feeling a flicker of satisfaction at his progress, Colm pushed himself to his feet and stretched, the strange new weight of his spectral arm still unfamiliar. He made his way over to the trio now seated around a campfire that, oddly enough, hadn't been there earlier. It crackled gently, casting warm shadows across their faces.

As he neared, a pang of embarrassment flickered in his chest, his earlier outburst still fresh in his mind, but he steadied himself. He wouldn't apologize for feeling, not anymore.

Standing before them, he drew a breath. "Hey," he said, voice level. "Sorry about before. It's just... it's a lot. Honestly, I think it pushed me to a place I didn't even know I could survive. But with respect," his gaze moved between them, "what the hell is going on here?"

Jerry, who had been eerily quiet, eyes fixed on the fire, finally stirred. He didn't look up. "Kid," he said, voice low and distant. "I wish we knew."

[ Status ]

Name: Colm Arden

Race: Morvyn

Level: 100

Health: 1436 / 1630

Mana: 402 / 840

Strength: 130 (156)

Dexterity: 130 (156)

Intelligence: 160 (200)

Constitution: 151 (181)

Bonded Weapon: Abyssal Ledger (Tier 3, Level 4)

Weapon Ability: Abyssal Lance (Tier 3, Level 4)

Attunement: Tide

Attunement Abilities:

- Rising Current (Level 9)

- Wavebound Surge (Level 5)

Class: Spirit Warden (Tier 5)

Specialization: Resonance

Active Class Abilities:

- Phantom Warrior (Tier 2, Level 5) [Carver]

- Phantom Spearman (Tier 2, Level 2) [Lance]

- Phantom Archer (Tier 2, Level 4) [Robin]

- Phantom Harbinger (Level 5) [Herb]

- Empty

Passive Class Abilities:

- Lingering Vitality (Tier 3, Level 1)

- Spectral Persistence (Tier 3, Level 1)

- Phantom Sacrifice (Level 10)

- Spirit's Awareness (Level 4)

- Empty

Skills:

- Analyze (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Stealth (Level 8)

- Pain Resistance (Tier 2, Level 6)

- Hardened Skin (Level 10)

- Slash Resistance (Level 7)

- Spear Mastery (Level 10)

- Sprint Mastery (Level 10)

- Poison Resistance (Level 6)

- Stun Resistance (Level 6)

- Dual Wielding (Level 4)

- Infection Resistance (Tier 3, Level 10)

- Heightened Instincts (Level 3)

- Meditation (Tier 2, Level 1)

- Unarmed Combat (Level 7)

- Impact Resistance (Level 10)

- Ability Overcharge (Level 1)

Achievements:

- Through the Rift

- Champion of the Lucent Grove

- Bane of the Undead

- Echo Sprinter I

- Everfrost Unraveler

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