Darkness.
It was the first thing he knew. The first thing he remembered.
Then—pain.
It came in waves, like molten metal surging through his veins. He could feel every pulse, every broken circuit trying to heal itself, every nerve screaming to stop existing.
Somewhere in the storm, a voice whispered.
[System Core Reinitialization: 32%]
[Host Identity: Unknown]
[Consciousness Reboot—In Progress]
The voice was cold. Familiar. But there was something else beneath it—a faint echo, almost human.
Leon Vale.
The name cracked through the darkness like lightning. His name. His self.
He opened his eyes.
He was lying on a slab of shattered stone inside what looked like an ancient cathedral—roof half-collapsed, moonlight streaming through broken arches. Rain leaked through the cracks, sizzl
