A Background Character’s Path to Power

W-where am I?

The thought surfaced sluggishly, like a bubble rising through tar. My vision swam, the world a bleached smear of white.

Snow?

No, it was too bright, too empty to be simple snow.

Hmm?

Then I remembered everything:

- The Shroud’s maw yawning wide, the chilling plunge into its core.

- Lantern’s Glim, Shared Burden, and Mender’s Paradox working in tandem, the Crescent Mirror’s Mirror Reversal effect channeling through its very essence.

- Every power, every last drop of aura, had been poured into that single, desperate gambit.

I’m not dead, am I?

A knot of unease tightened in my gut. I tried to reach out, to summon the familiar, comforting screen of the System.