TEN WAYS TO DIE.

Koa Talon wakes up speaking before he has a mouth.

“Hello?” Koa calls into the empty space, then stops because he hears himself without feeling breath, lips, teeth, or a tongue. “No. Hold on. What the fuck?”

He tries to open his eyes.

Nothing happens.

He tries again, harder this time, and immediately feels stupid because there is nothing to strain. He has no eyelids. He cannot raise a hand to his face because he has no arms. There is no floor beneath him, no air against his skin, and no weight pulling him in any direction.

Thought remains.

So does the ability to hear his own voice.

A pale rectangle appears somewhere in front of him. Koa cannot tell whether it is close enough to touch or floating a mile away. He reads it anyway.

CURRENT STATE: UNFORMED

Koa waits.

The rectangle remains unchanged.

Koa tries to turn his head, though there is still no head to turn. “Unformed as in temporary, or unformed as in I died and somebody deleted the body file?”

The interface does not respond.

“Right,” Koa mutters. “You’re one of those.”

He does not know what one of those means. The statement still makes him feel better.

Koa focuses on the rectangle and thinks about moving closer. The display enlarges immediately.

“That’s useful,” Koa says. “Creepy as hell, but useful.”

He looks for an exit, an explanation, a clock, a location, a single sentence that begins with welcome or sorry. Nothing appears beyond the same two words.

Koa clears his throat out of habit. There is no throat, so the sound comes out unchanged. “Where am I?”

NO LOCATION ASSIGNED

Koa reads the answer twice.

“You didn’t say unknown,” Koa says carefully. “You said not assigned. So I’m not anywhere yet.”

No response appears.

“Am I dead?” Koa asks.

CURRENT STATE: UNFORMED

Koa tries another angle. “Was I dead?”

The text remains unchanged.

“Do I get a body?”

BODY FORMATION AVAILABLE

Koa lets out a laugh that does not move through a chest. “There we go. See? You can answer shit when you feel like it.”

A second panel opens below the first.

SELECT IDENTITY RETENTION

ORIGINAL IDENTITY

ALTER ORIGINAL IDENTITY

CREATE NEW IDENTITY

Koa considers the choices longer than he expects.

He remembers his own face without seeing it. Brown skin. Dark curls. A body trained first through dance and later through years of practical combat, climbing, hard floors, long walks, and work that taught him where every joint ended and how far it could move before damage began.

He chooses original identity.

A transparent human outline rotates into view.

Other bodies appear behind it as available compatibility options. Some have four arms. One has a long torso supported by six narrow legs. Another has no obvious head and several clusters of eyes along its shoulders. A wide aquatic body floats inside a contained sphere. A tall figure with folded wings turns slowly beside a compact body covered in smooth plates.

Koa studies them. “Okay. So humans aren’t the only people wherever the hell this is.”

CURRENT SPECIES TEMPLATE LOCATED

HUMAN

BIOLOGICAL COMPATIBILITY MODIFICATIONS AVAILABLE

Koa chooses the human template.

The interface opens a list long enough to make him swear again.

Height. Weight. Bone density. Muscle distribution. Organ durability. Temperature tolerance. Pressure tolerance. Atmospheric buffering. Radiation resistance. Sensory range. Pain response. Sleep requirement. Digestion. Sex. Reproductive configuration.

Koa enlarges the first group and reads every recommendation instead of accepting the full set.

The interface wants to increase his height by ten centimeters.

“No,” Koa says while rejecting it. “I know where the ground is from the height I had. I’m not relearning stairs because somebody thinks taller means improved.”

It suggests broader shoulders and increased upper-body mass.

Koa dismisses both. “Also no. Keep the strength where it makes sense. Legs, core, back. I don’t need to look like I lift buildings for attention.”

The interface maintains his general frame and offers improved muscle recovery instead.

Koa accepts that.

Bone density comes next. The suggested increase is moderate and does not change his visible proportions.

Koa accepts it after reading the warning about unfamiliar gravity. “Fine. Stronger bones. I’m not arguing against fewer fractures.”

He accepts greater organ durability, expanded temperature tolerance, and limited atmospheric buffering after the interface explains that buffering provides seconds or minutes of survival, not permanent immunity.

“So I can breathe something awful long enough to regret it,” Koa says. “Very generous.”

The interface offers significant radiation resistance.

Koa studies the percentage. “Is radiation common?”

No answer appears.

“Of course you won’t answer that,” Koa mutters while accepting the upgrade.

The sensory menu opens.

FULL SENSORY RETENTION MAY INCREASE INITIAL DISTRESS

REDUCED SENSORY MODE AVAILABLE

Koa rejects reduced sensation immediately. “No. If the floor is hot, I need to know the floor is hot. If something bites me, I need the location. Don’t dull anything.”

The interface offers a reduced pain response.

Koa hesitates, then rejects that too. “Pain is information. I just don’t need it acting like every problem is the end of the world.”

MODERATED PAIN PROCESSING SELECTED

Koa looks at the revised line. “That works.”

The sex and reproductive categories appear last.

Koa retains his original configuration.

A rotating anatomical model appears for confirmation.

Koa stares at it. “You could’ve used a less detailed drawing.”

The interface waits.

“Yes,” Koa says while selecting confirm. “Keep my dick. Everybody happy?”

FORMATION INITIATED

Pressure hits him from every direction.

Koa’s thoughts compress around a line that becomes his spine. Vertebrae lock into place one after another. Ribs build around an empty chest before organs fill the space. His heart forms and slams once, hard enough that the first sensation he receives is pain.

“Fuck,” Koa gasps as lungs expand inside him.

Air tears through a dry throat. His knees and palms strike a smooth white platform.

Koa coughs so hard his shoulders shake. Damp curls fall over his face. Cold air touches every inch of newly formed skin at once, and his body cannot decide which sensation deserves attention first.

He stays on all fours, breathing through his nose while the platform steadies.

The platform is not moving.

His balance is.

Koa presses both palms flat. His fingers spread cleanly. His wrists rotate without stiffness. He lifts one knee, plants his foot, then rises slowly enough to catch himself if the new body disagrees.

It does not.

He stands naked in a white space that has no visible walls.

Koa checks himself with both hands, practical at first. Chest. Ribs. Stomach. Hips. Legs. Knees. Ankles. His old scars are gone. The stiffness that once lived in his left shoulder has disappeared. His body still feels like his, but repaired.

His cock hangs between his legs.

Koa looks down at it. “Great. Present and accounted for.”

A circle of suits appears around him.

Koa jerks backward and covers himself with one hand. “Damn. Could you wait until I finish checking the inventory?”

The models continue rotating.

Koa glances around the empty space, confirms he is still alone, then lowers his hand. “Fine. Administrative nudity. Let’s get this over with.”

The first suit covers the body from jaw to ankle in thick layered armor. Koa opens the mobility specifications and immediately rejects it.

“Forty percent reduction in hip rotation?” Koa says while swiping it away. “That’s a coffin with knees.”

The second design has broad shoulder plates, a reinforced spine, and heavy boots.

Koa rotates the model and reads the movement delay. “No. I don’t want to announce every turn three seconds before I make it.”

He dismisses two more suits before the interface highlights a lighter design.

REACTIVE DEFENSE SUIT

FULL-SKIN BARRIER COVERAGE

HOSTILE-INTENT RESPONSE

KINETIC DISPERSAL

MODERATE ENVIRONMENTAL SUPPORT

MOVEMENT COMPATIBILITY: 97%

The physical armor covers his legs and hips in fitted black material. Reinforced boots rise to mid-calf. A compact chest plate guards his ribs, sternum, and upper back. Forearm guards extend from wrist to elbow. His shoulders, arms, lower stomach, sides, and sections of his thighs remain uncovered.

Koa turns the model sideways. “Why is the best defensive suit also the one showing half my body?”

A demonstration begins.

A hand reaches toward the exposed arm and touches it normally. The same hand returns holding a blade. An invisible barrier stops the weapon several centimeters from the skin.

Koa leans closer. “It reacts to intent?”

HOSTILE-INTENT RESPONSE CONFIRMED

The next demonstration shows debris falling onto the model. The barrier catches it despite the lack of hostile intent.

KINETIC DANGER RESPONSE CONFIRMED

“Good,” Koa says. “Because buildings don’t have intentions.”

A third demonstration shows toxic liquid striking the bare stomach. The barrier resists briefly, then begins consuming stored protection material.

Koa reads the environmental rating. “So exposed doesn’t mean unprotected. It means the shield does more work.”

CONFIRMED

Koa selects the suit. “All right. Put me in the slutty practical one.”

Material forms around his feet.

The boots seal first, followed by fitted sections that climb his calves and thighs. The lower armor closes over his hips and groin without pinching. Flexible bands wrap around his waist. The chest plate settles against his torso, and the forearm guards lock into place.

Koa raises both arms, rotates his shoulders, then folds forward until his palms touch the floor. He shifts into a deep side lunge, rises onto one foot, and turns through a clean controlled spin.

Nothing catches.

Koa smiles. “Okay. This is good.”

The helmet catalogue opens.

He rejects the first design when it compresses his curls against his head.

“No,” Koa says while dismissing it. “The hair survived whatever happened. It gets to live.”

The next two are too wide or block peripheral vision. He finally selects a compact helmet with a narrow reinforced frame, a dark adjustable visor, and enough internal space for his curls.

The helmet folds over his head from the back of his neck and seals beneath his jaw.

Koa looks left, right, up, then down. “I can work with this.”

A small device attaches between his shoulder blades. It sits close enough to his back that he barely feels the additional weight.

AETHER LINKED

STORAGE: BASIC

CONSTRUCTION: BASIC

MEDICAL SUPPORT: BASIC

DESIGN LIBRARY: BASIC

Koa twists at the waist and reaches behind himself. His fingers catch the lower edge of the device.

“So you’re the pocket,” Koa says. “How much fits?”

The interface displays a storage grid with no physical dimensions, only capacity percentages and mass limits.

Koa squints at it. “That does not answer the question in a way my brain enjoys.”

The interface closes the storage panel and opens weapon selection.

A broad rifle rotates into view. Koa dismisses it. A compact launcher follows. He rejects that too. Several blades appear, along with tools designed for species with more arms, tails, or different hand structures.

A basic rifle remains highlighted.

BASIC GATHERING RIFLE

MATERIAL EXTRACTION

STRUCTURAL CUTTING

ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN

KINETIC DISCHARGE

CONSTRUCTION TARGETING

Koa selects it.

The weapon assembles across his palms. It has a short stock, a narrow barrel, and two controls near the trigger. Koa raises it, shifts the weight between both hands, and tests the stock against his shoulder.

“It’s fine,” Koa says while lowering it. “It also means both hands are occupied every time I need to build something.”

A modification panel opens.

AVAILABLE CONFIGURATIONS

RIFLE

SHORT CARBINE

SINGLE GAUNTLET

DUAL GAUNTLETS

Koa looks at the interface. “You were waiting for me to complain.”

No response appears.

Koa selects dual gauntlets.

The rifle breaks apart into controlled pieces. Components wrap around his existing forearm guards and form sleek black casings from wrist to elbow. A narrow emitter settles into each palm. Smaller controls form along his fingers and the inside of his wrists.

Koa spreads both hands.

The right palm displays targeting and kinetic discharge. The left displays scanning and gathering. Construction can route through either hand.

“That’s better,” Koa says while flexing his fingers. “I can climb. I can grab somebody. I can point at a wall without carrying a whole gun around like I’m expecting a parade.”

A collapsible staff appears among the secondary options.

Koa selects it. The compressed weapon attaches along his right hip.

Five white blocks appear beside a simplified image of his body.

RESPAWN BLOCKS: 5

Koa reaches toward the display. His fingers pass through it.

“What are these?”

PERSONAL RECONSTRUCTION RESERVE

Koa reads the words. “I die, one gets used?”

CONFIRMED

“Can they be replaced?”

REPLENISHMENT POSSIBLE

“With what?”

REQUIRED MATERIALS UNAVAILABLE IN CURRENT INVENTORY

Koa shakes his head. “That’s not what I asked, but fine. What happens after all five are gone?”

RECONSTRUCTION UNAVAILABLE

Koa goes still.

The five blocks remain bright and solid beside his body outline.

“So death still counts,” Koa says quietly. “It just gives me a few extra mistakes.”

The interface closes.

The white platform changes beneath his feet.

A narrow section rises under Koa while everything around it drops into a dark pit.

SCENARIO ONE: BODY RESPONSE

Koa steps backward. “No. Wait. We’re doing tests now?”

The platform tilts sharply.

Koa drops one hand to the surface and kicks both legs away from the falling edge. A wall rises on his left and begins closing toward him. He runs up the tilted floor, plants one foot on the moving wall, and takes two steps across it before pushing away.

A bar swings overhead.

Koa catches it with both hands.

The bar immediately begins rotating.

“Of course it does,” Koa grunts while his body swings over the pit.

He releases at the highest point and lands on a narrow beam.

The beam rolls beneath his boots.

Koa drops into a crouch, spreads both arms, and lets the movement travel through his ankles and hips instead of fighting it. The beam rotates faster. He turns with it, takes three quick steps, then jumps onto a second platform.

The first platform slams into the wall behind him.

Koa looks back. “You could’ve said begin.”

SCENARIO TWO: CLOSE COMBAT

An armored construct appears three meters away.

It attacks before Koa finishes reading the heading.

The construct throws a straight punch toward his face.

Koa slips outside the arm, plants one hand against its shoulder, and drives both knees into its ribs. The armor absorbs the strike without moving.

Koa lands and stares at it. “Okay. Solid as fuck.”

The construct swings a backhand.

Koa ducks, slides beneath the arm, and sweeps one leg behind its knee. The construct barely shifts.

“Right,” Koa mutters while rising. “Not moving you with weight.”

The construct grabs for his chest plate.

Koa jumps, plants both feet against its torso, and pushes himself upward instead of away. He catches the construct’s shoulders, rotates across its back, and hooks one leg around its neck.

The construct reaches behind itself and catches Koa by the waist.

“Oh, shit,” Koa blurts as it lifts him.

Koa opens his right hand against the side of its helmet.

The kinetic discharge fires at point-blank range.

The construct’s head jerks sideways. Its grip loosens.

Koa twists free, drops behind it, extends the staff, and drives the end into the joint beneath its arm.

The construct turns with a second punch.

Koa leans backward far enough for the armored fist to pass over his chest, then snaps upright and kicks the weakened joint.

The arm locks.

Koa plants one foot behind the construct’s knee, pulls the disabled arm backward, and forces it onto the floor.

The construct stops moving.

Koa remains over it with the staff braced against its neck. “Are we done, or do you get back up and make this irritating?”

The construct disappears.

Koa nearly falls forward into the empty space. “You could warn me before removing the body too.”

SCENARIO THREE: RANGED ATTACK

A ruined corridor forms around him.

Three armed constructs appear at different elevations. One crouches behind a broken wall. Another stands on a balcony. The third enters through an open doorway to Koa’s right.

All three fire.

Koa dives behind a fractured support column. Pulses strike the floor and wall around him. A chunk of stone breaks off above his helmet.

Koa raises his left hand and scans the damaged column.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL COMPATIBLE

He gathers the loose outer section. Stone breaks into particles and disappears into the Aether.

Koa points his right palm toward the corridor and selects wall.

A waist-high barrier assembles between him and the nearest shooter.

A pulse strikes before the material finishes locking. The wall cracks down the center.

Koa looks at the damage. “That’s not encouraging.”

The shooter fires again.

Koa runs up the broken wall instead of remaining behind it. His right foot lands on the top edge. He jumps, rotates sideways over the next pulse, and fires twice from his right gauntlet.

The first discharge strikes the construct’s weapon.

The second catches its chest.

The construct falls backward.

A shot from the balcony hits Koa’s barrier near the left shoulder. The impact spins him in the air.

Koa lands badly on one knee, swears, and rolls before the third shooter fires through the doorway.

He constructs an angled panel between them.

The pulse hits the panel and redirects upward.

It strikes the balcony support.

The upper shooter drops with part of the railing.

Koa watches both constructs hit the floor. “I meant to do that enough for it to count.”

The doorway shooter advances.

Koa gathers material from the floor directly beneath its front foot.

The construct drops into the sudden recess.

Koa builds a wall across the doorway at chest height and traps it there.

The corridor dissolves.

SCENARIO FOUR: ALLY EXTRACTION

A body lies beneath a collapsed support beam.

Two armed constructs approach from opposite ends of a damaged room. More debris falls from the ceiling with each impact outside.

Koa looks at the holographic person beneath the beam. “You alive?”

No answer comes.

“Right. Training person.”

The first attacker moves closer.

Koa gathers material from the broken wall behind him and constructs two supports beneath the collapsed beam. The holographic ally remains pinned because the supports lift unevenly.

Koa adjusts the left support by hand through the interface.

The beam rises several centimeters.

The first attacker reaches him.

Koa ducks beneath a blade, drives his shoulder into the construct’s middle, and uses its forward movement to send it over the raised beam. The second attacker fires from the doorway.

Koa drops beside the trapped ally and extends a wall from the floor. The pulse breaks the upper half away.

“Temporary cover,” Koa says while grabbing the ally beneath both arms. “Very temporary.”

He drags the holographic body clear.

The first attacker rises behind him.

Koa releases the ally, turns on one knee, and sweeps the construct’s ankles with the staff. As it falls, he retracts the supports.

The beam slams down between them and blocks both attackers.

The ally disappears.

Koa remains kneeling with both arms out. “You’re welcome. I hope your fake family appreciates me.”

SCENARIO FIVE: VACUUM

The room vanishes.

Koa drifts in open space.

Every muscle tightens at once before his suit seals and pressure stabilizes around his body. A station rotates several hundred meters ahead. Stars fill everything beyond it.

Koa looks down and sees nothing beneath his boots. “No. No, I don’t like this one.”

Propulsion controls appear across both gauntlets and the soles of his boots.

Koa fires everything at once.

His body spins backward.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Koa says while the station rotates across his visor, followed by stars, followed by the station again. “Stop. Stop helping.”

He cuts both boots and one gauntlet. The left emitter continues firing and makes the spin worse.

Koa shuts it off.

He drifts without control.

“All right,” Koa mutters while breathing through his nose. “Small bursts. Opposite direction. Don’t panic because there is literally nothing to stand on.”

He fires the right gauntlet briefly.

His body rotates left.

A second burst slows the spin.

Koa spreads his arms and watches the station until he can predict the rotation of its nearest access arm. He points both boots away from it and fires in short controlled pulses.

The station grows larger.

Too quickly.

Koa’s eyes widen. “That is faster than it looked.”

He turns feet-first and fires both gauntlets toward the station. The counterforce reduces his speed, but not enough.

The access rail reaches him.

Koa catches it with one hand.

His shoulder yanks hard enough to pull a shout out of him. His body swings around the rail and strikes the station wall.

The barrier absorbs most of the impact.

Koa grips the rail with both hands and holds on.

“I hate space,” Koa says while breathing heavily. “Beautiful. Very pretty. I hate it.”

SCENARIO SIX: SHIP CONTROL

A cockpit forms around him before he releases the rail.

Koa drops into a pilot’s seat and grabs both sides.

The controls shift beneath his hands. Unfamiliar symbols rotate, flatten, and rebuild into a layout based on vehicles he already understands. A central stick controls pitch and direction. Foot pedals manage lateral movement. A throttle settles beside his left hand.

Koa stares at the controls. “You’re translating this through things I already know.”

The interface starts the ship.

A field of debris appears ahead.

“Wait,” Koa says while gripping the stick. “I haven’t even figured out what half of these displays are.”

The ship accelerates.

Koa pulls left around the first rotating fragment. He overcorrects, rolls too far, and nearly clips a second piece of wreckage.

“Easy,” Koa tells himself while reducing pressure on the stick. “It isn’t a car. Stop steering it like one.”

A broad piece of metal turns across the path.

Koa drops beneath it, then uses the foot controls to slide laterally around a smaller object.

The ship responds more cleanly.

A fast fragment crosses from the right.

Koa jerks the controls.

The ship spins and clips the edge.

Warning lights flare.

Koa releases the stick enough to stop fighting the rotation. He waits until the nose crosses the open lane, increases thrust, and pulls straight.

The cockpit steadies.

Koa exhales. “There. Ugly, but alive.”

SCENARIO SEVEN: VERTICAL TERRAIN

The cockpit disappears.

Koa hangs from a mountain face by one hand.

Wind pulls at his legs. A loose section breaks beneath his right boot and falls into cloud below.

Koa looks up. The nearest ledge sits several meters above and to the left.

“Could’ve started me on the ground,” Koa grunts while activating his left gauntlet.

He gathers material from a cracked section of the cliff. Stone disappears into the Aether.

With his right hand, Koa constructs three narrow grips above himself.

The first appears close enough to reach.

The second forms farther left.

The third sits just below the ledge.

Koa climbs quickly. The first grip begins cracking before he transfers his weight. He reaches the second, swings his hips left, and catches the third with both hands.

The mountain shakes.

The ledge breaks away.

Koa pushes off the wall and constructs a temporary floor beneath himself in open air. His boots land on it for less than a second.

He builds a second step higher and jumps from it onto solid ground.

The temporary pieces dissolve behind him.

Koa looks over the edge. “That was some bullshit.”

SCENARIO EIGHT: TOXIC EXPOSURE

Green liquid splashes across Koa’s bare thigh.

The barrier flashes and begins consuming stored protective material. Warning symbols fill his visor.

Koa recoils and wipes at it before realizing his hand cannot remove liquid held outside the barrier.

“Okay. Don’t touch the poison. Great start.”

The interface marks a mineral deposit nearby as medically and environmentally compatible.

Koa gathers it into the Aether.

A treatment design opens.

He selects barrier repair and watches the material feed through the suit. The green liquid loses contact with the shield and falls away.

A second warning appears.

A cut opens along his forearm.

Koa looks at the blood. “Where did that come from?”

The interface offers no explanation.

Koa selects tissue repair. The stored compound moves beneath his skin and closes the wound within seconds.

He rubs the repaired area. “So healing is quick if I have the right material.”

The interface confirms the statement.

“And if I don’t?”

No response appears.

Koa nods. “Then I suffer normally. Understood.”

SCENARIO NINE: HOSTILE COMMAND

A crowded station forms around him.

Displays activate along every wall.

Koa’s face appears across them with a warning in large red text.

WANTED BY ORDER OF THE REGIONAL WARLORD

A squad enters from both ends of the corridor.

Koa points at the nearest display. “I’ve been alive for maybe twenty minutes. What the fuck did I do?”

The soldiers fire.

Koa constructs a door across the left corridor. Three pulses strike before it seals and punch holes through the material.

He gathers metal from an abandoned vendor stall with his left hand and builds a sloped ramp against the right wall.

Koa runs up it.

The first soldier tracks him.

Koa jumps, catches an overhead support, and swings over the squad. A soldier grabs his ankle.

“Let go,” Koa snaps while kicking downward.

His heel strikes the soldier’s visor.

The grip loosens.

Koa lands behind the squad, gathers the floor beneath their rear line, and drops three soldiers into a shallow recess.

A fourth turns toward him.

Koa throws the staff.

It extends in the air and strikes the soldier across the throat plate.

Koa recalls it to his hand through the Aether before the weapon reaches the floor.

He stares at it. “I can do that too?”

The station alarm continues repeating his name.

Koa runs toward the nearest exit. “Somebody needs to explain what I did before you execute me for it.”

SCENARIO TEN: MOVING CONSTRUCTION

The station disappears.

A damaged ship slides down a steep slope toward a ravine.

Koa stands below it.

The vessel is larger than anything he has handled in the previous scenarios. One side drags against the ground and throws debris into the air. The interface provides only the basic wall, floor, support, and ramp designs.

Koa looks from the ship to the ravine. “You expect me to stop that with starter walls?”

No answer appears.

The ship gathers speed.

Koa raises both hands and strips material from the surrounding terrain. Stone and metal transfer into the Aether faster than the storage counter can settle.

He constructs a broad curved floor beneath the ship.

The hull hits it and breaks the first section apart.

Koa swears and builds a second panel before the ship reaches the exposed ground.

The vessel begins sliding along the new surface.

Koa runs beside it.

He places another section ahead, then gathers the first section back into the Aether after the rear of the ship clears it. The same material moves forward.

One panel.

Then another.

Then another.

The runway travels with the ship in short pieces.

The ravine approaches too quickly.

Koa points both hands at the gap and begins building a ramp.

The ship reaches it before the far support exists.

“Shit,” Koa says while sprinting toward the edge.

The vessel enters the incomplete ramp.

Koa dives beneath the side of the rising structure, catches the lower edge with one hand, and swings under it while using the other gauntlet to place a support against the far wall.

The support locks.

The ramp holds long enough for the ship to cross.

Koa releases and falls.

He constructs a narrow floor beneath himself, lands on one knee, and looks up as the ship slides safely onto stable ground.

The scenario disappears.

So does the floor.

Koa drops the remaining half-meter onto the white platform and lands badly on both feet.

He stumbles forward, catches himself, then turns toward the empty space with both hands raised.

“Are you done?” Koa demands while breathing hard. “Because that was ten different ways to die with no countdown, no pause, and no explanation. I haven’t even gotten food. Do I eat? Do I sleep? Do I have money? Is there money? Who owns the ships? Why was a warlord trying to kill me? Can anybody answer one damn question before the floor disappears again?”

The interface displays a single line.

INITIAL SURVIVAL CALIBRATION COMPLETE

Koa bends forward and braces both hands on his knees.

Sweat runs down his neck and beneath the chest plate. His breathing gradually slows. The new body feels worked now. Real. His arms shake slightly from the strain, and a dull ache has settled across his shoulders.

Koa lifts his head. “Calibration. That was calibration.”

A pod begins forming around him.

Koa straightens immediately. “No. Wait. We’re not moving on. Where are you sending me?”

The walls close.

Koa puts one hand against the clear front panel. “Do I get supplies? Water? A name for this place? Anything?”

No answer appears.

The platform beneath his feet tilts.

Koa catches the side wall as the pod begins accelerating.

Green clouds, black terrain, and violent electrical storms fill the view ahead.

Koa stares through the transparent panel.

“Okay,” Koa says as the world rushes closer. “I’m going to assume this is still part of the dream until something proves otherwise.”

The pod enters the atmosphere.