LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 2: The Fallen World...
Before Julian could adjust to what had happened, his ears started to ring, and a painful screech caused his eardrums to vibrate.
He tried to cover his ears, but the sound didn't stop, a warm, sticky fluid oozing from his ears, but in the darkness, he couldn't see its colour... when he reached to his face and sniffed.
It smelt like iron.
—Crackle!
The sound of fire and embers, accompanied by a howl and the screams of someone in pain, rang out in the distance.
『What's going on?!』
Julian tried to scream but had no voice as if an icy hand had covered his mouth.
[Welcome to Albion - After the Fall!]
[Entered Zone: Loran Forest]
The mechanical voice sounded unfamiliar with the gentle and lovely voice of Solaria but cold and without emotion, like a cheap AI from early 2022.
『Huh?』
Julian quivered at the sound of the system's voice, which caused his chest to race. He vigorously thumped as the darkness slowly faded, like sand in an hourglass, revealing a horrific sight.
The beautiful forests, filled with greenery and life, and the fields and distant castles on the horizon transformed into a hellish landscape.
A burning field covered in flame, brimstone and hulking monsters. The forest was devastated by fire and deforestation, with black stumps and fallen trees and the sound of low, guttural growling coming from the depths.
"Haa.....haa..."
Suddenly, the force stopping him from speaking vanished, and the pricking heat bit his skin while the bitter taste of the air filled his lungs.
This place was somewhere Julian remembered.
"Is this Avalon?" He stuttered... scenes of ghostly images running and fleeing with terror in their eyes.
[◊ Correct, Player Julian, this Avalon is part of the Albion continent that fell two years ago! ◊]
"Two years?!"
Julian's chest thumped.
He clutched his fists, a deep feeling of dread growing inside him as he realised the truth. His lips trembled as he gazed at the distance, where the former castle appeared like in the game, towering into the skies.
His home.
[◊ Welcome Home, Prince Julian ◊]
Now, some things made more sense: Solaria was not the same as she was in the past. The avatar he saw must have been the real Solaria, and thus, he was suddenly sent to this place.
"Avalon still hasn't completely fallen, has it?"
Unlike the others who entered the game to prepare for the Earth's invasion, Julian had returned to his previous world. But this was his third life... now having lived two lifetimes on Earth meant that over forty years had passed.
The villages were burned, and people were slaughtered. His eyes became bleak... narrowing as another emotion filled his heart.
[◊ Will you fight this time, Young Prince? ◊]
He didn't understand how everything happened—all he knew was that this place wasn't a game for him but the real Avalon.
『Why... Solaria abandoned Albion, so why now?』
Julian shook his head.
The shifting darkness surrounding him was the only light coming from the burning field and building he stood beside. He didn't have time to linger or wait. First, he needed to gain his class and then explore.
Solaria didn't respond.
Instead, the blue screen appeared in the corner of his eyes. The surface looked like cracked glass, and the numbers and letters flickered and glitched out.
[Starting Awakening...]
A jolt of electricity shocked Julian's body, his silver hair standing on its edge as his pupils dilated, and the sudden pressure caused his head to snap back with his hands clawing at his chest while gasping for air.
[Players Identity Confirmed!]
[Julian Pendragon, Third Prince of Albion]
[Error! No living bloodline remaining, correcting data!]
[Gained Title: Crown Prince]
[Awakening Type: Evoker]
[◊ You have gained a rare title! New Class Unlocked! ◊]
The string of voices, mechanical and feminine, mixed, causing Julian's mind to throb, his body leaning against the cold, burned wall of the farmhouse behind him. He tried to adjust himself, taking deep breaths while reaching out to the system panel with his trembling arm.
"Damn this... is it real, what about my body on Earth?"
He could feel something cool, the nostalgic sensation of mana flowing into his body... like small needles piercing into his chest, neck and limbs before a cold, icy force pumped into his body.
This transformation was something he couldn't attain on Earth, and it resulted in his stunted growth and weakness. After Avalon fell, the mana became tainted like a poison.
[◊ Welcome home, Heir to the Throne of Shadows ◊]
[◊ Class Gained: Shadowmancer (SSSR) ◊]
[◊ To the heir of shadows who returned to his fallen kingdom ◊]
[◊ Raise your fallen kin and take back your world! ◊]
While his body throbbed with the dull ache, Solaria's voice told him what he needed.
However, unable to stop the awakening process, he could only weakly look at his status screen with a bitter smile.
Julian didn't have enough time to check every little detail, so he focused on the important parts of the system. As the distant howls and monsters skittering in the darkness drew closer, his need to learn how to use his new class increased.
Julian Pendragon
• Shadowmancer (SSSR)
• Level: 1 (0/100)
• HP: 20
• MP: 30
• Attack: 1
• Defence: 2
• Speed: 2
• Magic: 3
• Command Points: 10
Titles
• Heir of Shadow: Unlocks a unique class and increases resistance to corruption by 100%
• Crown Prince: Your Royal Aura cannot be denied! People will be more likely to follow your commands, and damage from all minions and allies will increase by 10%.
Skills
• Command
Issue certain commands to any summoned Units. (Attack, Defend, Retreat, Move.)
• Rally Unit
120-second cooldown
Increase the damage attack speed of all summoned shades by 20% for 10 seconds with a 2-minute cooldown.
Spells
• Create Lesser Shade
10-sec cast
5 command points
2-sec cooldown
Summon a fallen soul and twist it into a suitable shade.
• Shadow Bolt
5 Mana
2-second cast
30-yard range
Hurl a powerful bolt of shadow magic at the enemy, causing 25 chaotic shadow damage.
The moment his eyes flicked over the needed information, he realised everything would be different from his last life...
Low strength and agility, no physical type of evolution.
『In my last life, I evolved and became a guardian type!』
With such low values, his future wouldn't be on the front lines—rather, he would rely on his shades to protect him from powerful monsters and beasts.
Most casters actually lost physical attributes when they awakened.
However, it wasn't the end of the world because training in real life could help raise the attributes with targeted training and practice, so he stopped dwelling on it.
After reading the data for a few moments, the pain from his awakening faded, and his muscles and body returned to normal. He started stretching and bending his arms and legs while shaking off the remaining tingling sensation.
Rustle~
The distant footsteps and low growls became louder, closer than he would have liked.
—Create Lesser Shade
Julian wasted no time focusing on his left hand. He reached out and moved his fingertips as if fondling a soft ball of dough. He could feel a warmth in his stomach, like a sphere of fire churning, expelling a flaming liquid that travelled through his body towards his hand.
A dark misty shadow spread from his fingertips, small at first, billowing and crackling with purple light, creating runic shapes underneath him—the longer he focused, the more runes appeared on the ground.
These runes formed a magic circle to summon a shade.
Once the circle was complete, it shone with a dull, eerie purple light. It contained various runic letters and sigils that Julian couldn't quite understand before the spell was over.
A figure formed... almost human, but its truth a dark form of ethereal shadows.
The shadow was tall and feminine.
It wielded a long, two-metre spear crafted of pure darkness. Its purple tip and long silver tendrils imitated hair fluttering in the air. However, the spear was not quite perfect.
[Summoned Shadow Spearman - Level 1]
A blue message appeared with a cracked background. The UI didn't repair itself, but it remained in a broken state.
When Julian gazed at the summoned unit, a red and blue bar appeared above her head. He could sense the shade's state if he focused on her.
Shadow Spearman - Level: 1
• HP: 20
• Attack: 4
• Defence: 2
• Speed: 3
• Magic: 1
Description:
A female shade skilled with the spear, with high strength and agility but low magical power.
Abilities:
• Shadow Dash: Lunge 15 yards and deal 200% attack damage to a single target (Cooldown: 10 seconds).
• Triple Thrust: Stab the enemy three times for 300% attack damage. (Cooldown: 20 seconds).
—
"You're my first spearman... For now, I'll call you Umbra."
[◊ Shadow Spearman 1 has been named Umbra ◊]
He suddenly realised that the rustling of leaves and threatening growls had stopped, snapping his attention away from the system and his new companion.
"Umbra... defend me!"
The next moment...
—WOOSH!
A 2-metre-tall beast with a level five above its head lunged from the shadow!