“Your life was never yours to begin with.”

  The words struck like thunder, vibrating in Tobias Kane’s fractured consciousness. He floated in a boundless void, his body nonexistent yet his mind unbearably present. Darkness surrounded him, infinite and oppressive, its silence broken only by the voice—cold, detached, and omnipresent.

  His memories returned in jagged flashes. The sting of betrayal. The feeling of warm blood spilling from his chest. Faces he once trusted, now twisted with greed and malice.

  He had been betrayed, killed in cold blood by his mercenary team. Tobias, the once-promising prodigy who clawed his way out of the slums of Ganymede, now reduced to nothing.

  And yet…this wasn’t the end.

  “Do you regret your weakness?” the voice asked.

  Weakness? Tobias clenched at the word, metaphorically, since he had no body. His life had been a fight against weakness. Growing up in the shadow of towering spaceports, abandoned by a father who sold him for scraps and a mother lost to illness, Tobias had survived through sheer grit.

  But even his hard-earned strength hadn’t been enough. His sister—his only family—had died because he couldn’t protect her. He spent years chasing power, diving headfirst into battle after battle, trying to bury his regret under blood and glory. And still, in the end, it wasn’t enough.

  “Yes,” Tobias admitted, his voice dripping with venom. “I regret it. I regret not being stronger.”

  The void trembled, as if his admission had sent ripples through its endless expanse.

  “Good,” the voice said. “Regret is fuel. Hate is power. And power is the only truth.”

  Before Tobias could respond, the darkness shifted, shattering like glass to reveal a blinding light. The world fragmented into shapes and sounds, pulling him out of the abyss and slamming him into something solid and unyielding.

  Pain.

  That was the first sensation Tobias felt as he woke up—a deep, throbbing ache that coursed through his entire body. He gasped for air, his lungs burning as if he had never breathed before.

  He blinked against the sterile white light above him, the sharp glow making his head pound. The surface beneath him was cold and metallic, and as he shifted, he felt an unfamiliar weight to his limbs.

  He sat up, groaning as his muscles screamed in protest. His hands trembled as he held them up to his face. They weren’t his hands.

  His skin was smoother, paler. His fingers were thinner, his palms unscarred. Where were his callouses? Where were the marks of years spent holding weapons, fighting for survival?

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  “What the hell…” Tobias muttered, his voice hoarse.

  A soft chime echoed through the room, drawing his attention to the walls. They were smooth and metallic, glowing faintly with pulsating blue lines that crisscrossed like veins. Floating holographic screens surrounded him, each one displaying streams of data he couldn’t understand.

  “Welcome, Tobias Kane,” a soothing female voice said. It came from everywhere and nowhere. “You are now a candidate in Eden’s Reach. Your journey begins here.”

  Tobias struggled to process the words. Eden’s Reach? Candidate? What the hell was going on?

  Before he could ask, a notification blinked into existence in front of him. It floated in midair, translucent and glowing faintly.

  System Activation: Apex Protocol

  Synchronization: 95%

  Primary Objective: Survive and Rise to Apex Rank.

  Secondary Objective: Uncover the Truth.

  “What the hell is this?” Tobias said aloud, swiping at the screen. It didn’t move, but another notification popped up.

  Status Screen Available

  Say: “Status.”

  “Status,” Tobias muttered hesitantly.

  The translucent panel vanished, replaced by a new screen.

  [STATUS SCREEN]

  ? Name: Tobias Kane

  ? Race: Human (Modified)

  ? Class: Unassigned

  ? Level: 1

  ? Attributes:

  ? Strength: 3

  ? Agility: 4

  ? Intelligence: 8

  ? Charisma: 6

  ? Willpower: 5

  Tobias stared at the screen in disbelief. Level 1? Weak stats? His heart sank. This wasn’t just some hallucination or dream—this was real. He had been thrown into a new body, stripped of all the strength he had worked so hard to build.

  A sharp hiss broke his train of thought. A door slid open on the far side of the room, revealing a tall, striking woman with platinum hair and piercing blue eyes. Her sleek, skin-tight uniform shimmered faintly, its futuristic design clinging to her athletic frame.

  She stepped into the room, her boots clicking against the metal floor. Her eyes scanned him with a mixture of amusement and disdain.

  “You’re the new arrival?” she asked, her voice cool and commanding.

  Tobias forced himself to his feet, fighting the weakness in his legs. He stood his ground, meeting her gaze with defiance. “Who’s asking?”

  Her lips curled into a smirk. “Feisty. I like that. I’m Arya Volane, third-year student and your orientation officer. My job is to make sure you don’t embarrass yourself too badly before you die.”

  Tobias narrowed his eyes. “Die? Is that a threat?”

  Arya laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. “A promise, rookie. If you think Eden’s Reach is a safe little school, you’re in for a rude awakening.”

  Tobias didn’t respond, though his fists clenched. He didn’t like her attitude, but he needed answers more than he needed to pick a fight.

  “Come on,” Arya said, gesturing for him to follow. “I’ll give you the crash course before the real fun begins.”

  As Tobias followed her through the sprawling halls of the academy, he couldn’t help but marvel at his surroundings. The corridors were lined with glowing symbols, their meaning just out of reach. The walls pulsed with energy, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow.

  Students of various species passed by, some human, others distinctly alien. A few looked completely cybernetic, their bodies gleaming with chrome and machinery. Tobias’s instincts kicked in, cataloging potential threats, but his weakened body made him feel vulnerable.

  “This is Eden’s Reach,” Arya explained as they walked. “The pinnacle of interdimensional education. Here, the best and brightest learn to harness their abilities, compete in deadly trials, and rise to the top.”

  Tobias frowned. “Rise to the top? What does that mean?”

  Arya glanced back at him, her smirk returning. “Exactly what it sounds like. This place isn’t just an academy. It’s a battleground. Everyone here is your rival. If you want to survive, you’ll need to be stronger, smarter, and hungrier than the rest.”

  Tobias’s jaw tightened. He had always fought to survive, but now it seemed the stakes were higher than ever.

  As they turned a corner, Tobias noticed strange symbols etched into the walls. They glowed faintly, their intricate patterns drawing his attention.

  “What are these symbols?” he asked.

  Arya shrugged. “Decorative, mostly. Don’t waste your time thinking about them.”

  But Tobias couldn’t shake the feeling that they were important. They seemed familiar, though he couldn’t place why.

  Later that night, Tobias lay in his assigned dorm, staring at the ceiling. His mind raced with questions, his body tense with anticipation.

  Then it happened.

  A deep, resonant voice echoed in his mind, cutting through the silence.

  “Remember, Tobias. They’re watching you.”

  He sat up, his heart pounding. The symbols on his wrist glowed faintly, casting an eerie light across the room. His Apex Protocol interface glitched, displaying a new, cryptic message.

  Hidden Objective Unlocked: The Arbiter’s Legacy

  Warning: Knowledge will bring destruction.

  Tobias stared at the message, a chill running down his spine. Whatever The Arbiter’s Legacy was, it wasn’t going to let him go.