Morning light slipped quietly through the wooden shutters.
Dust floated lazily through the thin beams of sunlight as they stretched across the small room.
Solarynth Caelaris stirred.
His body felt heavy.
Not the crushing gravity of collapsing stars nor the pressure of cosmic storms he once drifted through.
This heaviness was… different."
It was fatigue.
His eyes opened slowly.
The ceiling above him was simple timber. Rough beams crossed each other overhead, smelling faintly of pine and smoke.
He blinked.
Pain stabbed through his vision.
A dull, sharp pressure pulsed behind both eyes like invisible needles pushing against his skull.
Solarynth inhaled slowly.
Memory returned.
The battlefield.
The minotaur.
The strange ability that had awakened within his eyes.
Kurie.
He had forced power through it.
Too much.
Too fast.
A soft knock came from the door.
Before he could answer, it opened slightly.
Dr. Grace stepped inside, carrying a small tray.
Steam curled from a clay bowl resting on it.
She noticed immediately that he was awake.
"Oh good," she said gently. "You're conscious again."
Solarynth attempted to sit up.
His body protested immediately.
Pain spread across his arm where the minotaur's axe had carved deep into him days ago.
Grace placed the tray down quickly and walked over.
"Don't move too fast," she warned.
Her hands pressed lightly against his shoulders, guiding him back against the pillow.
"You lost a lot of blood that day."
Solarynth studied her carefully.
Her movements were calm.
Efficient.
There was no fear in her eyes.
Only focus.
"You… help me," he said slowly.
His pronunciation was still slightly uneven, like someone assembling a language piece by piece.
Grace smiled faintly.
"That's usually what doctors do."
She pulled a small stool beside the bed and leaned closer.
"Follow my finger."
She lifted one hand and moved a finger slowly in front of his eyes.
Solarynth tracked the movement.
But his vision flickered slightly.
Like distorted glass.
Grace noticed immediately.
She frowned.
"Your optic nerves are strained," she said quietly.
Solarynth tilted his head.
"Optic… nerves?"
"The connection between your eyes and your brain," she explained.
She grabbed a small polished lens from her pocket and examined his pupils.
"They're inflamed."
She sat back with a thoughtful expression.
"Whatever power you forced through them…" she continued, "it's not meant for a human body."
Solarynth listened silently.
Grace crossed her arms.
"If you use that ability again without control," she said firmly, "you'll develop cataracts."
He blinked.
She clarified.
"Clouding of the eye."
Then she added bluntly.
"You'll go blind."
The room fell quiet.
Solarynth considered the information carefully.
Blindness.
Darkness.
Permanent loss of sight.
For someone who had once watched galaxies bloom and collapse across billions of years…
The idea felt strange.
Yet not frightening.
He simply nodded.
"I… understand."
Grace raised an eyebrow.
"You're taking that surprisingly well."
He looked toward the window.
"I will… adapt."
She sighed softly.
"That's what worries me."
DAYS PASS
The first few days were slow.
Grace visited every morning.
She changed the bandages on his arm.
Cleaned the wound carefully.
The deep cut from the minotaur axe healed faster than expected.
"Your recovery rate is abnormal," she muttered once.
Solarynth said nothing.
He already knew the reason.
His body was not originally human.
He had simply reshaped himself into one.
DAY THREE
Captain Louis arrived.
The Spartan captain entered the small courtyard outside Solarynth's temporary home.
His armor clanked softly with each step.
"Walking yet?" Louis asked.
Solarynth stood from a wooden bench.
"Yes."
"Good."
Louis tossed him a wooden practice sword.
It struck Solarynth in the chest before he caught it.
"We are going to train."
Grace immediately protested.
"He's still recovering!"
Louis shrugged.
"He won't recover by just sitting."
Solarynth stepped into the yard.
The training began.
And it was brutal.
Louis did not hold back.
Within seconds, Solarynth was thrown into the dirt.
Again.
And again.
Louis moved with controlled precision.
Every step deliberate.
Every strike efficient.
Solarynth attempted to counter.
Failed.
Louis swept his legs.
The cosmic being crashed into the ground once more.
Grace watched from the doorway.
"He's going to break something!"
Louis shook his head.
"He can walk it off,"
Solarynth slowly stood again.
Dust covered his clothes.
His breathing was heavy.
But his eyes burned with focus.
Louis nodded slightly.
"Good."
For the first time
Solarynth felt something new.
Challenge.
DAY FOUR TO SIX
The routine became consistent.
Morning:
Grace examined his eyes.
Afternoon:
Solarynth read books.
Louis had delivered several stacks from the castle archives.
History.
Language.
Maps.
Philosophy.
Solarynth consumed them endlessly.
His mind processed information faster than any scholar alive.
Languages began aligning inside his mind.
Patterns formed.
Civilization structure.
Politics.
Military strategy.
Human behavior.
The Intelligence Core within him quietly evolved.
By the sixth day
He was speaking almost fluently.
Grace noticed immediately.
"That's… impossible."
Solarynth simply replied,
"Oh, it's possible alright."
DAY SEVEN
A knock came at the door.
Louis opened it.
Standing outside was a tall man in silver armor.
Alexander.
The Royal Knight.
His presence immediately changed the atmosphere.
His sharp eyes locked onto Solarynth like a blade, finding its target.
"You're recovering quickly," Alexander said coldly.
Solarynth met his gaze calmly.
"I indeed am"
Alexander stepped inside slowly.
"I still do not trust you."
Grace rolled her eyes.
"Oh good, the daily suspicion visit."
Alexander ignored her.
"The King has issued an assignment."
Louis crossed his arms.
"What assignment?"
Alexander replied:
"You three are heading beyond the Red Zone."
The room went silent.
Grace blinked.
"You're serious?"
Alexander nodded.
"There is a dwarf."
Solarynth tilted his head slightly.
"A dwarf?"
"A master of smith," Louis added.
Alexander continued.
"His name is Alitank."
"But people call him…"
He paused slightly.
"Steel Beard."
Grace frowned.
"Why do we need him?"
Alexander answered:
"He is the only craftsman capable of forging armor worthy of the Royal Knight."
He placed a parchment on the table.
"The King wants new armor."
Louis smirked.
"Finally upgrading your tin suit?"
Alexander ignored the comment.
"But Steel Beard rarely stays in one place."
He tapped the map.
"A small village beyond the Red Zone."
"He runs a blacksmith market and food stand there."
Grace blinked.
"A… food stand?"
Louis chuckled.
"Sounds about right for a dwarf."
Alexander looked back at Solarynth.
"And you are coming."
Grace immediately objected.
"He just recovered!"
Alexander's voice was firm.
"The King wishes to observe him further."
Solarynth stood.
"I will go."
Grace sighed deeply.
"Of course you will."
Alexander studied him one last time.
His voice lowered slightly.
"If you threaten the kingdom…"
His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword.
"I will kill you myself."
Solarynth simply nodded.
"That is acceptable."
Alexander stared at him for a moment.
Then, he turned and walked out.
Louis laughed once the door closed.
"Well," he said.
"Looks like your vacation is over."
Grace rubbed her temples.
"You're all insane."
Solarynth walked toward the window.
Outside
The sky stretched wide and blue.
For the first time since awakening on this world…
He felt anticipation.
Adventure.
New experiences.
New knowledge.
And somewhere beyond the Red Zone
A strange dwarf called Steel Beard waited.
Cooking food.
Forging weapons.
And unknowingly holding the key to something far more important.
Far above the clouds
Something ancient continued watching.
Quietly.
Patiently.
The awakening of Solarynth Caelaris had not gone unnoticed.
And the next journey…
Would draw far greater attention.