Starting with Nothing

As the sun beat down mercilessly on the vast expanse of sand, a figure materialized out of thin air, standing disoriented in the brutal desert. As the individual looked around, they realized they were in the middle of nowhere, with no signs of life or civilization in sight. The figure moved his arm up to shield his eyes, revealing a bloodied war rune pulsing from the top of his hand. As the disorientation faded, the man pursed his lips and began filling his lungs with oxygen, his mind began whirling and his memories returned to him.

"So this is where you brought me" Daniel grumbled in a barely audible voice, spitting out a few grains of sand shortly after. The gravitational pull of the summoning gate behind him was counteracted by the shifting sand beneath his feet, forcefully pulling him away from it slowly. 

A mystically serene voice sounded from his left and his gaze shot over in surprise. "My lord, are you ok?" The snake-like figure spoke in surprise. Her Visage was painfully obscured by the sunlight so Daniel brought his gaze back down to his bloodied hand. The jet black marking seemed to be moving under his skin, irritating the surface enough to draw blood. 

Daniel frowned, 'I haven't heard of this happening in the origin expanse before'. His eyes drifted back over to the woman that addressed him. "I'm alright. You must be my maid." As his pupils adjusted to the sunlight, her appearance became clear. Her standing stature was somewhat small, but as his eyes fell lower on her body, he noticed that a long red-striped tail was slithering behind her. Her overall length had to be at least 10 feet.

Tracing his eyes back up to her face, he noticed her nearly perfectly symmetrical face, slitted emerald eyes and long crimson hair. Her mouth and eyes tilted up as worry dominated her expression. On paper, she was beyond beautiful, but Daniel found this somewhat annoying. It wasn't a secret that many of the lords' first maids were turned into concubines. Both male and female lords shared this trait as their personalities were often tailored to the lords' liking. 

Daniel sighed reluctantly and looked around the barren desert. She was another mouth to feed, which would certainly be a problem in this region of the Origin Expanse. The maid spoke again in her soft, silky voice, "Lord, I have your supplies here." 

Daniel met her eyes with unintentional disgust and her figure recoiled back in surprise. Daniel's gaze drifted to the Soultrait awakening crystal and a soft smirk appeared on his lips. The soultrait crystal had the ability to manifest a lord's power. It was by far the most important object that the Origin Expanse gave to new lords. Daniel hesitated before he took the crystal. His eyes looked around for the manor that was given to all lords. Daniel furrowed his eyebrows, "What's your name?"

The reptilian-like woman spoke softly, seemingly deflated regarding the lord's demeanor, "Alessandra…"

Daniel pierced her gaze with his own. It was important to raise the loyalty of his subjects, but the summon in front of him had little to no value. He didn't need companionship in the expanse. He needed to survive. The intrinsic link of loyalty between them began to waver and pulled at Daniel's chest slightly. 

Daniel asked curiously, "Alessandra, Where is the manor? Shelter is critical, especially in this environment."

Alessandra's long red-scaled ears pulled back in fear as her voice quivered, "I-I couldn't find it."

Daniel bit his lips hard and forced his eyes to look through the sand-filled air to find the protection barrier, a critical piece of infrastructure that would protect new lords for the first 10 days of their arrival. His voice trembled in anger and frustration, "And the protection barrier?"

Alessandra took a step back as her eyes shook. "I-I…" Daniel looked at her unable to hide the frustration in his eyes. 'This has to be some sort of joke. I've never heard of the Origin Expanse not providing the starting infrastructure.' He gulped and held his hand out, beckoning the woman for the soultrait crystal. 

His family, the Fang bloodline, whose influence was composed of infamy, had a long history of powerful soul traits. Now, his soultrait was his only opportunity for redemption. Alessandra bowed slightly and placed the crystal in her lord's hand. Daniel quickly shattered the crystal and watched as it drifted into his war rune. A clear, but soft energy overcame him. Cool wind enveloped him for a short second before the brutal heat of the desert returned.

Daniel closed his eyes and searched the bright white light for the sign of his soul trait, and eventually, he stumbled upon an empty vessel of himself turned away from him. Daniel blinked in surprise as he glanced inquisitively at his own back.

The details were blurry, but Daniel managed to make out a black snake along his own lower back. The Visage began to turn and the light around Daniel's soul began to flicker. Daniel's heart began beating rapidly as the figure locked eyes with his own.

Immediately, a force ejected Daniel from his own soul and sent him into a coughing fit, gasping for air. Alessandra rushed over to his side and placed her hand on his back as Daniel caught his breath. His vision pulsed and he began to grit his teeth in anger.

[You have obtained 'Faint Sword Qi' (1 Star)]