The throne room was burning.
Once, it had been a place of light and hope, marble pillars soaring to a vaulted ceiling, banners of gold and azure fluttering in the breeze, the heart of a kingdom that had stood for centuries. Now, the banners were ash, the marble cracked and blackened by fire. Shadows danced along the walls, cast by the flickering flames that devoured the remnants of a world.
Kael Ardan, last King of Eldros, stood alone at the heart of the ruin. His sword once a symbol of hope was slick with blood, its edge dulled by endless battle. The bodies of friends and traitors alike littered the floor. Beyond the shattered windows, the city screamed as monsters poured through rifts in the sky, their roars drowning out the cries of the dying.
He could barely stand. Blood dripped from a dozen wounds, staining his battered armor. His vision blurred, but he forced himself to remain upright, to face the end with dignity.
A figure emerged from the smoke a man in black armor, eyes burning with unnatural light. Cassian Drehl, the usurper, the one who had opened the gates and unleashed the horde. Behind him, shadows writhed, monstrous forms barely contained by the thin veil of reality.
"It's over, Kael," Cassian said, voice echoing with the power of the abyss. "Your age is done. The world belongs to the strong now."
Kael's grip tightened on his sword. "Strength without honor is nothing. You'll destroy everything."
Cassian smiled, cold and pitiless. "Perhaps. But I will survive. And you..."
He raised a hand. The shadows surged forward, claws and fangs gleaming in the firelight.
Kael closed his eyes, summoning the last dregs of his power. He thought of his people, his friends, the sister he had failed to protect. Regret burned in his chest, sharper than any wound.
If only I had another chance.
The shadows struck. Pain lanced through him, cold and absolute. The world faded, the roar of flames and monsters receding into silence.
But as darkness claimed him, a voice—soft, ancient, and inhuman—whispered in his mind.
**[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]**
**[SOUL IDENTIFIED: KAEL ARDAN]**
**[REINCARNATION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]**
**[AWAITING NEW HOST…]**
Kael's last thought was not of defeat, but of hope.
If there is a next life, I will not fail again.
---
**Years Earlier**
The kingdom of Eldros had not always been a land of war and ruin. Kael remembered the days of peace, when the city's towers gleamed in the sun and laughter echoed through the market squares. He remembered his father's steady hand on his shoulder, the lessons of justice and mercy, the weight of the crown as it was placed upon his brow.
He remembered Mira, his little sister, chasing fireflies in the palace gardens, her laughter bright and unburdened. He remembered the oath he had sworn—to protect his people, to be a king worthy of their trust.
But peace was a fragile thing. The first rift had opened without warning, a tear in the sky above the northern mountains. From it poured creatures of nightmare—beasts of shadow and flame, their eyes burning with hunger. The kingdom's armies rallied, and for a time, they held the line.
But the rifts multiplied. Each one brought new horrors, new waves of destruction. Cities fell. Fields burned. The people fled, seeking refuge behind the walls of Eldros.
Kael fought at the front, his sword flashing in the darkness. He watched friends die, watched hope wither. He saw the fear in his people's eyes, the doubt in his council's whispers.
And then Cassian Drehl, his most trusted general, betrayed him.
Cassian had always been ambitious, but Kael had believed in his loyalty. He had not seen the darkness growing in the man's heart, the hunger for power that would drive him to madness.
It was Cassian who opened the great rift above the palace, who let the monsters pour into the heart of the kingdom. It was Cassian who slew the royal guard, who shattered the last defenses.
Kael fought him in the burning throne room, their swords clashing amid the screams. Cassian's power was unnatural, drawn from the abyss itself. Kael's strength waned, his wounds slowing him, but he fought on, driven by duty and desperation.
In the end, it was not enough.
---
**The End of a World**
As Kael's body fell, the world seemed to slow. The flames froze, the shadows stilled. He felt himself drifting, untethered from flesh and pain.
He saw visions, memories, regrets, possibilities. He saw Mira, her face streaked with tears, calling his name as the monsters closed in. He saw the people of Eldros, huddled in the ruins, their hope flickering like a dying candle.
He saw Cassian, standing atop the palace walls, the crown of Eldros in his hand, his eyes empty and cold.
Kael reached for the memories, desperate to hold onto something, anything. But they slipped through his fingers, fading into darkness.
And then, the voice returned.
**[SOUL INTEGRITY: 87%]**
**[REINCARNATION PROTOCOL: READY]**
**[SEARCHING FOR COMPATIBLE HOST…]**
He felt himself pulled, drawn through a tunnel of light and shadow. He glimpsed other worlds—some bright, some broken. He felt the weight of countless souls, each one searching for meaning, for redemption.
He wondered if this was judgment, or mercy.
**[HOST FOUND: COMPATIBLE]**
**[TRANSFER INITIATED…]**
Pain flared, sharp and sudden. Kael gasped, feeling his consciousness compressed, reshaped, forced into a new vessel. He felt memories slipping away, replaced by new sensations—cold air, the roughness of a blanket, the distant sound of sirens.
He tried to move, but his body was weak, unfamiliar. He tried to speak, but his throat was raw.
And then, a new voice—a girl's voice, trembling with fear.
"Kael? Please, wake up. I need you."
He opened his eyes.
---
**A New World**
The ceiling above him was cracked and stained, not the marble vaults of his throne room, but the sagging plaster of a ruined apartment. The air was thick with smoke and the metallic tang of fear.
He sat up, heart pounding. His body felt different,smaller, younger, unscarred. His hands trembled, not from age or exhaustion, but from the shock of being alive at all.
Fragments of memory flashed through his mind: a burning throne room, the face of Cassian Drehl, the cold bite of shadow. Then, a voice—mechanical, emotionless, echoed in his thoughts.
**[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]**
**[HOST: KAEL ARDAN]**
**[CLASS: SOVEREIGN (UNIQUE)]**
**[SKILL: DEVOUR]**
**[QUEST: SURVIVE THE FIRST NIGHT]**
He gasped, clutching his head. The words faded, but their meaning lingered. This was not a dream. He had been reborn somewhere, somewhen, in a world that was already falling apart.
A soft whimper broke his reverie. Kael turned to see a girl huddled in the corner, clutching a battered backpack to her chest. She was maybe fifteen, with tangled dark hair and wide, terrified eyes.
"Mira?" The name came to him unbidden, a thread connecting past and present.
She looked up, relief flooding her face. "Kael! You're awake I thought..." Her voice broke, and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "There are monsters outside. The sirens started an hour ago. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't..."
He forced himself to focus. "I'm here now. We'll be all right." The words felt strange, but Mira seemed to draw strength from them.
A crash echoed from the hallway. Something heavy was moving, scraping claws against the floor. Mira flinched, pressing herself against the wall.
Kael scanned the room. The apartment was small and cluttered, but he spotted a kitchen knife on the counter. He grabbed it, testing the weight. Not a sword, but it would do.
He crouched beside Mira. "Stay behind me. If anything comes in, run for the fire escape. Don't look back."
She nodded, eyes wide but determined.
The door shuddered as something slammed into it. Kael's heart hammered in his chest, but he forced himself to breathe. He remembered battles, strategies, the feel of a blade in his hand. He remembered dying.
Not this time.
The door burst open. A hunched, green-skinned creature no taller than a child, but with jagged teeth and burning red eyes scrambled into the room. A Gremlin. It hissed, saliva dripping from its fangs.
Kael moved. The knife flashed, catching the creature across the arm. It shrieked, lunging at him with clawed hands. He sidestepped, driving the blade into its chest. The Gremlin convulsed, then collapsed in a heap.
A blue window flickered before his eyes.
**[YOU HAVE SLAIN: GREMLIN (F)]**
**[XP GAINED: 20]**
**[MONSTER CORE OBTAINED!]**
**[DEVOUR? Y/N]**
Kael hesitated only a moment, then thought, Yes.
A rush of energy surged through him strange, wild, exhilarating. He felt his senses sharpen, his muscles tense with new strength.
**[SKILL ACQUIRED: GREMLIN'S GUILE (PASSIVE: +5% EVASION)]**
He exhaled, steadying himself. The world was different now dangerous, unpredictable, but filled with possibility.
He turned to Mira, who stared at him in awe. "We need to move. There will be more."
She nodded, scrambling to her feet. Kael led the way, knife in hand, heart pounding with fear and hope.
This time, he would not fail.
---
**End of Prologue**