The smooth stone floor beneath his feet hummed softly, and before Akin stood a swirling portal of blue light embedded in the back wall of the chamber. Its energy rippled like water, reflecting fragments of his silhouette. He tilted his head, curious yet calm. "So... it wasn't just a dead end."
Taking a breath, Akin stepped forward and vanished through the gate.
A moment later, his boots landed softly on familiar dirt—the base of the cursed mountain. He stood tall, no longer crawling and wheezing like before. The twisted energy of the cursed land felt different now—less oppressive. It was no longer trying to crush him. Instead, it wrapped around him like a quiet breeze, like it recognized him.
He looked around with sharp eyes, then muttered with a grin, "Elarian... is it? You'll rise again. My new home."
GRRROOOOWL
His stomach betrayed him, loud and disrespectful. Akin winced. "Great timing," he said dryly, rubbing his belly. "I'm out here feeling like a god and starving like a peasant."
He began trekking through the woods, scanning for food when a growl—deep and guttural—echoed from the bushes ahead. A four-legged beast with horns and scaled flesh crept into view, its eyes glowing a sickly yellow.
Akin ducked behind a tree, adrenaline kicking in. Then—a voice whispered in his ear, calm and guiding.
"Take a deep breath... envision lightning on your fingertip. Shoot it like a gun."
He froze. That voice. He knew it.
"Wait... what the fu—? Who's there?!" he hissed.
The creature turned its gaze to him. It snarled—and charged.
In that split-second, instinct took over. Akin pointed his finger like a trigger. "Alright then... bang."
A surge of electricity burst from his fingertip with a thunderous crack, cutting through the beast, carving through trees, and scorching half the field beyond.
Akin stood there, shocked—then blinked.
"...Damn."
The beast dropped, motionless. Its corrupted form began to glow faintly, the cursed energy lifting off like ash in the wind. Without fully realizing it, Akin had purified it.
He walked over, muttering, "Guess it's dinner time."
Akin's stomach growled again.
Fire sparked to life in his palm, and soon the meat roasted slowly, the scent drifting on the wind.
Then the voice returned.
"Take it easy."
"AHH! You again?!" Akin almost choked on the meat.
"You remember me. Good."
"You're the deity from the dream. Why can I still hear you?"
"A fragment of me lingers. Think of me as a... fragrance. I'll be sticking around for a while."
Akin raised an eyebrow. "A fragrance? So you're like spiritual air freshener now?"
The deity chuckled faintly.
"...You're welcome."
Akin snorted. "By the way, how do you even know about guns?"
"I saw them in your memories. Fascinating things."
Akin paused, curious. "Hey... you feel that?"
"Yes. That Energy. It's the one."
"It is the power the humans fought for recently. Claim it for yourself."
Akin's eyes narrowed. "That's the power I felt watching me since I got here."
Akin stood, wiping his hands and picking up more meat to go.
"So that's the reason why we're summoned here in the first place?"
"Exactly."
"If it'll make me the strongest... then let's go." He cracked his neck. "Let's make it mine."
He stood, grabbing the roasted meat in one hand and igniting a small flame in the other. "Alright then. Let's go make it mine."
And with that, he walked toward the mysterious energy that felled upon Elarian—no longer just a castaway, but the chosen flame that would reshape the cursed world.
"Hope you enjoyed today's chapter! Don't forget to add Summoned Outcast to your library so you won't miss tomorrow's new release!"