infinity transmigrate

He wasn't sure he could take this anymore.

He had faced many unknown pasts—memories he never knew existed—and survived. Each one tried to kill him. But this time?

He saw a memory more brutal than he ever thought possible.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Kael's eyes snapped open—not to the familiar night sky—but to swirling mist. A sudden cold jolt of confusion ripped through his half-sleeping state.

"Wh—where am I?"

He bolted upright instantly, his hand instinctively reaching for the worn hilt of his sword—only to grasp at empty air.

His heart hammered against his ribs. This wasn't his last sleep. This wasn't the camp. This wasn't any place he had known since arriving in this world.

Slosh! Slosh!

He scrambled to his feet, glancing beneath his boots. The water's surface shimmered, stretching out in all directions. It mirrored his reflection and the mist above. Solid, but unnatural.

"Where the hell am I?" he muttered, his voice a hoarse whisper swallowed by the oppressive silence.

He took a tentative step forward, the water barely rippling around his ankles. He turned slowly in a circle, trying to see through the fog. All he found was more mist—endless, gray, and surrounding him.

A cold sensation crept into his chest, like something trying to crawl inside. He clutched at his ribs, exhaling sharply.

"What... is this? A dream? Or did I die again?"

He clenched his fist, furrowed his brows, and pinched his forearm.

"Ow!"

A sharp sting shot through the spot where his nails dug in.

"So this isn't a dream," he muttered, looking at the faint red mark blooming on his pale skin.

"Then where the hell am I?"

He breathed out hard, the words heavy with rising panic. He rubbed the sore spot, eyes darting through the fog. His mind raced, but no answer came. Only mist. And water.

He clenched his jaw. The helplessness tasted bitter.

"All right, Kael," he muttered to himself, his voice a little stronger this time. "Think. What's the last thing you remember?"

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to recall.

He had handed off his shift to Silas... tried to sleep...

He opened his eyes again. The mist still refused to show him anything.

"This is bullshit," he whispered, running a hand through his messy hair. "Absolute bullshit."

With no other choice and a growing sense of loss, he took a deep breath and walked forward, toward the mist.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Kael walked. The endless fog and shallow water became a monotonous rhythm. Each slosh echoed the growing unease in his chest.

How long have I been walking through this damn thing? He thought, cursing under his breath.

Just as loneliness began to weigh him down, he noticed a flicker of movement—almost lost in the swirling grey.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

His heart pounded.

There—hundreds of meters away—a figure stood in the mist.

The form almost blended with the gray, but not completely. A long, dark coat. A high collar hides the lower face. A wide-brimmed hat was casting a deep shadow over the upper half.

"HEY!" Kael yelled, his voice cracking from disuse. "YOU! OVER THERE!"

The figure, still distant, paused. For a moment, Kael thought he saw the man's head turn—a subtle shift in the shadows beneath the hat.

"Did he just look at me?" Hope surged in Kael's chest. He shouted louder.

"I'M LOST HERE! DO YOU KNOW WHERE I AM?!"

But the stranger didn't respond.

Instead, the figure began to walk away. Smooth. Unhurried. As if he hadn't heard Kael's desperate cries at all.

"WAIT! DON'T GO! GODDAMMIT!" Kael roared, breaking into a clumsy run. Water splashed high around his shins.

"Please! Wait! I'm lost! Where are we?!"

But the figure only continued, fading into the mist.

Kael pushed himself harder. His lungs burned. Panic clawed its way up his throat.

This is the only chance I have to understand where the hell I am! He might be the only one who knows anything!

He kept running, eyes fixed on the retreating figure.

Then—he watched, helpless—as the man's form grew fainter... ...until it dissolved into the swirling mist, like a forgotten dream.

Kael stumbled to a halt, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

His chest heaved. Damp, cold air burned in his lungs.

"Damn it all," he panted.

Straightening up, he clenched his fists. Frustration surged—hotter than fear.

"Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT!"

_____________________________________________________________________________

As his breathing slowly steadied, Kael lifted his head. His gaze swept across the unbroken gray.

Then—through a thin break in the mist—something else emerged.

Massive.

A silhouette that dwarfed everything around it.

A structure.

Kael's first thought was: It's huge.

From where he stood, it looked like a castle—but more solemn. Closer to a temple.

But it wasn't made of stone or wood. No dwarven craftsmanship. No elven elegance.

This thing was carved from a single dark material. It absorbed light. Refused to reflect it.

It stood like a creature, undisturbed by the mist.

"What in the...?" Kael whispered, awe leaking into his voice.

He took a deep breath.

"First that weird dude, and now this?"

He shook his head, trying to clear the haze in his thoughts.

"This isn't real. It can't be."

But the cold that clawed at his skin... the towering black structure in front of him... everything screamed otherwise.

"Whether this is a dream or not... this place is stubborn." He scowled at the building. "Bullshittily stubborn."

Driven by the hope of finding answers, Kael walked toward it. His earlier exhaustion vanished.

As he drew closer, the details sharpened.

The scale was overwhelming. No doors. No windows. Just seamless, dark walls that stretched into the sky.

He reached the base. Lifted his hand. Hesitated—his palm inches from the surface.

What if it's cursed? Kael's instincts screamed at him. He'd survived close brushes with death before. This could be worse.

But he shook the thought off.

"This is childish," he muttered. "If it was cursed, I'd be dead already."

He sighed. Reached out. Touched the wall.

His fingertips brushed against a cold, smooth surface.

It wasn't stone. It wasn't metal.

It was something else. Something alien.

WHHHHOSH!

A sudden, powerful gust of wind exploded from nowhere, just as his skin made contact.

"UAGH!" he shouted, covering his face with both arms.

The mist that had clung so stubbornly to the structure was ripped away, pushed back as if by some invisible hand.

The temple stood out clearly. Its carvings were detailed, and its presence was strong.

Then—

GRRRRRNNNNKKK...

A low, grinding rumble vibrated through the water beneath Kael's feet.

A section of the seamless wall began to move.

Slowly. Impossibly heavy. Parting in the middle.

A shadowed entrance yawned open.

A faint breeze kissed his cheeks, cool and unnatural.

"Okay... this is new," he whispered, taking a step back.

He stared through the entrance that had just opened.

Fear and curiosity wrestled inside him.

He took a breath. The air was colder now. Sharper.

This is it, he thought.

And with a silent prayer to any god that might be listening...

He stepped over the threshold.