Darkness remained.
It wasn't the same as before. There was no weight, no pressure, no sense of a body. Only awareness existed, quiet and detached, as if everything else had been removed.
A faint light appeared in the distance. At first, it was barely noticeable, small and unclear against the emptiness. But as his attention settled on it, the darkness around it began to shift.
A ripple formed.
It was circular and unstable, something that didn't feel like it belonged there.
The distance closed without movement. The space itself seemed to bend as the ripple became clearer. When it reached him, the surface distorted, folding inward as if it couldn't hold its own shape.
For a brief moment, a figure stood there.
Familiar.
The same face, but not the same.
Something about it felt distant, separated in a way he couldn't understand, as if they stood on opposite sides of something unseen.
He tried to speak, but no sound came. The thought formed, but it didn't leave him.
Before anything could settle, the space twisted again. The ripple spun, pulling everything inward as the surrounding darkness collapsed into it.
Then nothing remained.
Arin's eyes opened.
The first thing he felt was weakness. It wasn't gradual. It came all at once, spreading through his body the moment awareness returned. His limbs felt light and unstable, as if they wouldn't hold if he moved too quickly.
He didn't move.
His breathing was uneven, each inhale slow, each exhale slightly heavier.
Something was wrong.
No, different.
He shifted slightly.
A faint tremor ran through his arm before settling, leaving behind a strain that didn't fade.
Fragments of memory surfaced, incomplete and scattered. A room, long stretches of silence, a body that didn't respond. The feeling of waiting without change.
A sharp pain followed.
His head throbbed, and the fragments broke apart before forming anything clear. The sensation lingered, dull but persistent.
He stopped trying to force it.
Another fragment surfaced.
A voice.
Low and urgent.
"He won't last like this."
The words faded quickly, leaving behind only a vague pressure.
Arin remained still, letting the fragments pass without holding onto them. There was no clarity yet, only pieces that didn't connect.
But something felt familiar.
Not the memories.
The state.
A brief image surfaced. A road, a sudden light, and the moment of impact.
He understood.
He had died.
But this was not the same.
The weakness, the instability, the unfamiliar strain running through his body didn't match what he remembered.
This wasn't his body.
His thoughts settled as the pieces aligned, not completely, but enough.
He wasn't where he had been before.
And this body was not his original one.
He drew a slow breath and placed his hand against the surface beside him. The contact felt light, almost hollow.
He pushed himself up carefully. His arm trembled under the strain before stabilizing.
He paused.
Even that small movement had taken effort.
So this was the condition.
Not just weak, but unstable.
He adjusted his posture slightly and stopped again, letting the strain pass before moving further. The body resisted even simple actions, as if it wasn't used to functioning.
His gaze lowered to his hands. They were thin, lacking strength, unfamiliar in a way that didn't need explanation.
This body wouldn't last long like this.
Arin remained still for a moment, letting everything settle.
There was no need to rush.
Rushing would only make it worse.
For now, there was only one thing that mattered.
How long this body could hold.