Chapter 16: Light in the Undergrowth
A World Not Mine.
It wasn't just a name—it was a reflection of what he was: an anomaly. Someone who shouldn't exist in this world. Even the fundamental laws of this world's reality seemed to acknowledge that fact. Space itself reacted to his presence, bending and distorting unnaturally as if trying to reject—or accommodate—his existence.
His gaze dropped as the interface shifted again, another section was expanding below the Vital Crest entry.
[V1tal Ech0: Phantas Rift]
"Man1festat1on b0rn from User dist0rted presenc3. As an anomaly, User exist3nce flick3rs between realit1es—ne1ther fully here n0r c0mpletely absent. The w0rld struggles to anchor h1m, giv1ng r1se to ephem3ral after1mages that blur the line betw3en illus10n and reality. User movements echo bey0nd the present, reflect1ng User disjo1nted presence in th1s w0rld."
[Skill Ability]
User can creat3 fleet1ng after1mages that m1m1c User m0vements from m0ments bef0re. Thes3 echoes are n0t mere illus10ns—they possess a tang1ible form f0r a brief instant. H0wever, they lack mass and durabil1ty, d1spersing sh0rtly after format10n. User real b0dy is displaced relative to where the ech0 man1fests.
Velren's breath caught in his throat. This was what saved him back there—when the mercenary's blade seemed to cut through him only to strike... something else. An afterimage. No, a Phantas Rift. His Vital Crest didn't just distort space—it allowed him to slip, momentarily existing just out of sync with reality.
He clenched his fists.
"...This is mine," he murmured.
"Finally!"