Rebirth of the Crimson Soul
Chapter 1: The Body in the Forest
The rain had a strange rhythm to it—soft, then sharp, as if the sky couldn't decide whether to mourn or rage. Somewhere far from the world he knew, Alex stirred.
His body was cold. Not city-air-conditioner cold, but earth-against-bare-skin cold. Dirt clung to him. Leaves stuck to his face. Pain bloomed in his chest when he tried to breathe too hard.
Where the hell am I?
His eyes fluttered open, revealing a dense green canopy above, droplets sliding from leaf to leaf. It smelled like moss, rot, and something old. He sat up slowly—his limbs felt... wrong. Too light. Too small.
Then came the shock.
His hands—thin, young. His arms—lacking the faint muscle he'd had from jogging. His chest—bare, ribbed, vulnerable.
Stumbling to a puddle, he looked down.
A boy stared back. Maybe fifteen years old. Pale, bruised, blood on his temple. Hair black and messy. Eyes wide and confused.
Alex gasped. "That's... me?"
No. That's not me. Not the 25-year-old who'd just graduated. Not the one who had been walking alone after visiting his parents' grave. Not the one who heard the screech of tires just before—
He clutched his head. The memories clashed—his own life, and someone else's.
A name floated into his mind: Alekion. A peasant. Son of a drunk. Beaten, starved, thrown out.
He was in this boy. Or he was this boy.
Suddenly, a message flared before his eyes—floating, glowing, impossible.
> [System Activated]
"Crimson Flame Soul" Bound.
Strength can be accumulated through Intimate Bonding.
Current Level: 1
Status: Weak.
Partners: 0
Alex blinked. The message faded like mist, but the heat remained. A strange pulse beat in his chest—warm, slow, deep. Not lust. Something more primal.
"What the hell kind of world is this?"
A twig snapped behind him. Instinct kicked in. He turned fast—but his reflexes lagged.
A girl, perhaps seventeen, stood there. Cloaked, holding a wooden staff, eyes wide with fear. She looked like a novice mage.
"You're alive?" she asked cautiously.
Alex forced himself to nod. His throat ached. "I think so."
She approached slowly, scanning him like a suspicious stray animal. "You were supposed to be dead. The bandits... they left you here."
Bandits. So Alekion had been ambushed. Beaten. Left to die.
And that's when Alex awoke.
"Come," she said after a moment. "If you can walk, I'll take you to the village. You look... ruined."
Alex stood shakily. Every step hurt, but his mind was burning brighter now. A new world. A new life. And something inside him whispered:
Get stronger.
Be someone this time.
He looked at the girl again. She blushed under his stare.
He didn't know why—but something in his presence stirred her.
And the strange warmth in his chest pulsed again.