If only I could level up

Erwin's body jolted violently as he plummeted deeper into the endless void. The oppressive darkness swallowed him whole, an unending expanse of black stretching infinitely in every direction. There was no sensation of wind rushing past him, no sound other than the frantic pounding of his heart. He could feel his chest tighten as panic crept in. The falling sensation was relentless, unyielding. There was no ground to break his descent, no end to the abyss that pulled him deeper into its suffocating embrace.

His breaths came in short, uneven gasps as he tried to steady himself. He flailed wildly, twisting his body in a desperate attempt to find some kind of purchase. There was nothing. No up, no down—just a vast nothingness that gnawed at the edges of his sanity.

"Stop… Stop!" he yelled, his voice cracking, the sound swallowed instantly by the void. His words seemed to carry no weight here, disappearing as if they had never existed.

A sharp chill crept across his skin, like icy tendrils slithering over him. It wasn't a physical cold but something deeper, something that reached into his very essence. His mind screamed in protest, a primal fear overtaking him as the unseen forces clawed at him. Erwin's hands darted to his face instinctively, as though he could shield himself from the intangible attack.

Then, just as his panic threatened to overwhelm him, the darkness shifted. Far below, a faint light flickered into existence. It was small at first, barely perceptible, but it pulsed with an eerie rhythm, growing brighter with each passing second. This was no comforting light—it was sharp and unnatural, its glow cutting through the void like a jagged blade. Shadows flickered and danced around the edges of the light, their movements chaotic and alien.

Erwin squinted, straining to make sense of what lay ahead. The light seemed impossibly far, but his descent quickened as though something was pulling him toward it. His stomach churned as gravity—or some perverse version of it—took hold, accelerating his fall.

The whispers began.

At first, they were faint, almost like a breeze rustling through leaves. But the sound grew louder, sharper. Words he couldn't understand reached his ears, overlapping and intertwining into a chaotic symphony of dissonance. The voices weren't just around him—they were inside him, clawing at his thoughts, filling his mind with a strange, unshakable unease.

"Who's there?" he yelled, his voice echoing hollowly in the void. "What do you want from me?"

The whispers offered no answer. Instead, they intensified, their incomprehensible mutterings drilling into his skull. Erwin clutched his head, trying to block out the sound, but it was useless. They were relentless, a constant presence in the oppressive darkness.

Then the visions started.

Fragments of images burst before his eyes like fleeting sparks. Towering beasts with glowing eyes and jagged teeth loomed over shattered cities. Battles raged, the clash of steel and the cries of the wounded resonating in his mind. And there were faces—faces he didn't recognize yet felt an unshakable connection to. They flashed in and out of focus, their expressions twisted by emotions he couldn't identify.

"Stop this!" Erwin screamed, his voice breaking under the strain. "I don't want this!"

But the void didn't care what he wanted.

The light below grew blinding, consuming the darkness around it. Erwin shielded his eyes, but the glow pierced through his fingers, searing into his vision. His body tensed, bracing for impact as he hurtled toward the source.

And then it stopped.

The fall ended with a bone-shattering jolt. Erwin hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. For several agonizing moments, he lay there, gasping for breath, his body trembling from the shock. The cold, metallic surface beneath him was unyielding, its chill seeping into his skin.

Slowly, he rolled onto his side, his limbs heavy and uncooperative. The world around him was entirely different. The void was gone, replaced by a massive chamber. The walls curved upward, disappearing into a darkness that seemed alive. Pulsating veins of energy crisscrossed the room, their faint glow casting eerie, shifting patterns on the metallic floor.

Erwin pushed himself to his knees, his breaths still uneven. His head swam as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. "Where… Where am I?" he muttered hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the unnatural hum that filled the chamber.

A soft chime echoed through the air, cutting through the oppressive silence like a knife.

[System Initiative: Online]

The words appeared before him, floating in cold, sterile letters. Erwin froze, his heart skipping a beat.

[Initializing Subject: Erwin Grey]

[Error: System Not Found.]

The message flickered and disappeared. Erwin's hands clenched into fists as dread pooled in his chest. "What does that mean?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "System not found? I don't… I don't understand."

Another notification appeared, the letters harsher this time, almost accusatory.

[Mission Dissemination: Individual Directive Pending]

Erwin staggered to his feet, his legs weak and unsteady. He stumbled back a step, his mind racing. "This… This has to be some kind of mistake," he muttered. "I don't even have a system."

The whispers returned, louder than before, their dissonant tones filling the chamber. They seemed angrier, more insistent. Erwin clutched his head, his knees buckling as the sound pressed down on him like a crushing weight.

"Stop it! Stop!" he screamed, his voice raw and desperate.

The whispers abruptly ceased, replaced by a single, deep voice that echoed through the chamber.

"You do not belong here, Erwin Grey."

The voice was neutral, devoid of emotion, yet its words carried an undeniable weight.

Erwin looked around wildly, his eyes darting across the room. "Who's there? What do you mean I don't belong here?"

The voice offered no explanation. Instead, the ground beneath him rippled like liquid metal, and the glowing veins on the walls pulsed faster, their light intensifying.

A figure stepped forward from the shadows, their movements deliberate and precise. They were clad in sleek, featureless armor that absorbed the light around them, their face obscured by a smooth, reflective visor.

"You are an anomaly," the figure said, their voice mechanical and devoid of inflection.

"Anomaly?" Erwin repeated, his voice shaking. "What does that even mean? I didn't ask for any of this!"

The figure tilted their head slightly, as though considering his words. "And yet, here you are. Your existence within this framework is… unintended."

"I just want to go home!" Erwin shouted, frustration and fear boiling over.

The figure raised a hand, and a glowing orb of energy formed in their palm. Its light was harsh, pulsating with a dangerous intensity.

"You cannot return," the figure said simply. "The Calling has begun. Your path is set, even if you refuse to see it."

Before Erwin could react, the orb shot toward him. It struck his chest with a force that sent him sprawling backward, pain exploding through his body.

As he lay on the ground, gasping for air, the figure's voice echoed one final time.

"Prove your worth, Erwin Grey. Or be consumed by the paradox."

The chamber dissolved into a chaotic swirl of light and shadow.

And then, everything went dark.