Golden mist shimmered around Kai’s body as he stepped through the portal. The air changed. The scent hit first—fresh grass, warm wind, the faint sting of salt and pollen and life. His boots hit soft earth, not stone. Sunlight spilled over everything in a gentle gold.

  He stood on a jagged cliff, staring out across the Lands Between.

  “…Damn,” he whispered.

  Limgrave.

  He remembered it well from the game—those early moments, that first sense of wonder. But this… this was different. It wasn’t textured polygons and draw distances.

  It was real.

  The Erdtree loomed in the sky, vast and glowing with sacred light. The wind whistled through tall, crooked trees. Below, a ruined church stood nestled in an overgrown field. Insects chirped, and the faint sound of water trickled from somewhere below the cliffs.

  He was here.

  Really here.

  Kai breathed in deep. “Alright then. Let’s go see how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

  He took the slope down into the clearing. His boots left actual prints. Birds flapped out of the trees at his approach. The immersion was beyond anything he’d imagined.

  Then he heard a voice.

  “Well… what do we have here?”

  Kai turned.

  Standing near a withered statue, half bathed in shadow, was a pale man in white garb. A twisted mask covered his face. His voice was smooth—mocking, cultured.

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  “You’re… maidenless, I take it?”

  Kai raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

  “No guidance of grace. No lover to call upon. Tsk-tsk.” The man tilted his head. “Truly, it breaks my heart. To see a Tarnished wandering without aim… or affection.”

  Kai narrowed his eyes. He remembered this NPC. White-Faced Varré. Annoying, smug, and a bit of a bastard.

  Kai stepped forward, close enough that their boots nearly touched.

  “Oh, I’ve got a goal,” Kai said smoothly. “And I’ve got affection waiting. I just haven’t decided who gets it yet.”

  Varré hesitated. Not in a scripted way—more like he didn’t expect that kind of response.

  Kai leaned in. “So unless you’re volunteering, maybe back off the assumptions.”

  For a moment, Varré didn’t move.

  Then, disturbingly, he chuckled. “Oh… I like you. We’ll speak again, I’m sure.”

  Kai gave him a two-finger salute and walked off.

  “Freak,” he muttered.

  ?

  He moved through the trees at a casual stroll, passing ruined stone walls and rotting carts. He didn’t bother sneaking or scouting. Wolves howled in the distance. A soldier spotted him and blew a horn.

  Three soldiers charged from a ruined camp.

  Kai didn’t even draw his sword.

  He tapped the side of his neck.

  Limit Breaker: Pulse Step

  [Speed x10 | Momentum Lock ON]

  To them, he vanished.

  To Kai, they were snails.

  He walked calmly behind the first soldier, tapped him on the shoulder, and whispered, “Boo.”

  When the man turned, Kai clotheslined him into unconsciousness.

  The second tried to stab. Kai grabbed the blade mid-air, crushed it in one hand, and used the shards to pin the man’s leg to the ground.

  The third froze. Kai gave him a thumbs up. The man screamed and ran.

  Kai shrugged. “Smart one.”

  ?

  He reached the Church of Elleh by mid-afternoon.

  It was quieter than he remembered. The ruins were mostly intact. A soft glow emanated from a Site of Grace inside. A merchant sat by a fire, humming and tuning a finger harp.

  Kai approached.

  The merchant—Kale—looked up. His eyes were red, but not hostile.

  “A new Tarnished, are you?” he asked. “No need for hostility. I sell wares. And perhaps a bit of wisdom.”

  Kai nodded. “No hostility here. Just browsing.”

  He bought a torch and a cookbook for show. Then he sat near the Grace and let himself breathe for the first time in hours.

  Not a game. Not a hallucination.

  He could feel it. This world was alive.

  “I’m not going back, am I?” he whispered.

  The Grace flared gently in response.

  Then something shifted. A presence behind him. Not hostile. Not even physical.

  A voice, soft and feminine, brushed the edge of his thoughts.

  “Tarnished…”

  Kai looked up—but nothing was there. Not yet.

  But she was coming.

  He stood.

  “Melina,” he murmured.

  He remembered how it went in the game. She’d appear at a Site of Grace after the first nightfall. Offer her guidance… and herself.

  He smirked faintly. “Let’s see if I can convince you to stay for good this time.”

  He stood at the edge of the church ruins, the wind rustling his coat, the Erdtree glowing behind him.

  Kai grinned to himself.

  “Day one, done.”