The air was cold.
Kai stirred. His crimson eyes opened slowly, catching the flicker of a fading moon above the dense canopy. A thick silence surrounded him — the kind only found in ancient forests. The kind that watched… and remembered.
He sat up.
His head throbbed, but his mind was unusually clear. The trees around him were ancient and foreign. This wasn't Earth. He knew it. Then a soft hum resonated from his chest.
"Welcome, Kaiser Valerion," a voice echoed from within. "Your path has been rewritten by fate, but the time to reclaim it has come."
The voice faded, leaving behind a warm surge of power… and clarity.
Kai looked to his side. A strange crystal token shimmered with light in his hand. The pocket dimension key.
He poured his will into it. The air distorted — then tore. A portal opened, and without hesitation, he stepped inside.