The night bled red.
Screams tore through the marble corridors of the Vale family estate, echoing like the wails of damned souls. The once-proud crest of the Vale bloodline, carved into banners and walls, was now drenched in fire and blood.
Zephyrion Vale stumbled through the grand hall, his robes shredded, his body dripping with wounds. His breath came ragged, each inhale filled with the iron tang of blood. The glitter of chandeliers above seemed cruel, mocking him with their beauty as his world collapsed.
"Why…?" His voice rasped, more a whisper than a question. "Why you, Kaelen…?"
From the shadows ahead stepped Kaelen Duskbane, his childhood friend, his betrayer. Once they had sworn brotherhood beneath the same sky. But tonight, Kaelen's smile was carved in cruelty, his emerald eyes gleaming with triumph.
"Why?" Kaelen echoed, raising a bloodstained blade. "Because you were weak, Zephyr. Always clinging to ideals, always standing in my way. Did you truly think loyalty and honor mean anything in this world?"
Behind him, a dozen armored figures emerged the assassins of the Duskbane family. Each one bore weapons slick with Vale blood. Zephyr's retainers, his kin, his people, all butchered.
Zephyr clenched his fists, rage burning hotter than the fire consuming his home. He had been the heir to a noble line, trained as a prodigy, trusted by many… and yet, he had trusted the wrong person most of all.
Kaelen's smirk widened. "Your bloodline dies tonight. But don't despair, your death will be a stepping stone for my glory."
With a swift motion, Kaelen's blade pierced Zephyr's chest.
Pain like molten fire seared through him. His knees buckled, and his body crumpled to the floor. He coughed blood, staring up at the man who had once been his brother.
"Kaelen… I'll never forgive you," Zephyr rasped, his voice trembling with hatred. "Even if I crawl from the abyss itself… I will destroy you."
Kaelen laughed, cruel and mocking. "Empty words of a dying man. Farewell, Zephyrion Vale."
The blade twisted, and darkness consumed him.
But death was not the end.
As his consciousness faded, something stirred within the abyss. A voice cold, mechanical, yet echoing with strange divinity.
[Initializing… Eternal System detected.]
[Candidate confirmed: Zephyrion Vale.]
[Synchronizing soul with system core…]
Zephyr's mind snapped awake. He gasped, his lungs filling not with the ash of burning halls but with crisp morning air. His eyes flew open.
He was not lying in his blood-soaked hall. Instead, he sat beneath the shade of a familiar oak tree. The skies above were clear, the scent of spring filling the air. Birds sang, and the warmth of sunlight caressed his skin.
His hands trembled as he stared at them, unscarred, unbloodied. Young.
"This… this can't be…" he whispered.
Before him stretched the familiar academy courtyard, the place where his journey as a noble heir had begun years ago. He recognized it instantly. This was his youth, his past.
"I've… returned?"
His heart thundered in his chest. He touched his body, feeling the vigor of youth, the strength in his limbs. This was not the broken, bleeding shell of his final moments. This was him, years before betrayal, years before Kaelen Duskbane had destroyed his life.
Then the voice returned.
"Eternal System successfully bound.
Welcome, Zephyrion Vale. You have been granted a second life.
Would you like to view your status?"
Zephyr froze. A system? He had read tales of mystical inheritances, of divine legacies whispered in ancient lore. But this voice was unlike anything he had ever heard. It was absolute, undeniable, filled with power.
His lips trembled as he whispered, "Status."
Before his eyes, words appeared in glowing light:
[Eternal System – Candidate Profile]
Name: Zephyrion Vale
Age: 16
Realm: Mortal (Stage 1)
Unique Trait: Reincarnated Soul (First Cycle Complete)
System Authority: 1% Unlocked
Available Quests:
1. First Step of Eternity – Defeat an enemy stronger than yourself.
2. Seeds of Vengeance – Confront the one who betrayed you.
Rewards: Fragments of Eternity, Authority Points, Skill Unlocks
Zephyr's hands clenched tight. His chest heaved with sharp, uneven breaths.
"A second chance… The gods themselves have given me a second chance."
Memories of betrayal seared his mind. The screams of his family, the cold laughter of Kaelen, the feeling of his chest being pierced, none of it had faded. It was carved into his very soul.
The Eternal System's words resonated like divine decree. He had been chosen. Reborn.
But this time, he would not be the naïve fool who trusted others blindly. This time, he would rise above them all.
"This world will remember the name Zephyrion Vale," he whispered, his eyes blazing. "And Kaelen Duskbane… you will die screaming."
The Eternal System pulsed.
First Quest Activated: First Step of Eternity.
Target: Kaelen Duskbane. Condition: Defeat him in public combat within three days.
Zephyr's lips curled into a cold smile. Fate itself had conspired to place his betrayer before him. Three days from now, the academy's martial duels would begin. In his first life, he had lost humiliatingly to Kaelen, the first domino that led to his downfall.
But now? Now, armed with knowledge of the future and the Eternal System's guidance, the outcome would be different.
The fire of vengeance ignited within him, brighter and fiercer than ever before.
"This time," he vowed, his voice dripping with venom, "I will not only defeat you… I will crush your pride, strip you of your glory, and bury you beneath the weight of your own arrogance."
The oak leaves rustled as if whispering in agree
ment. The path had begun.
And Zephyrion Vale would walk it, one step at a time, until eternity itself bowed before him.