Kael was a "rat"—a lowly stable boy in a frozen, brutal medieval world where Knights ruled with iron and Barbarians crushed skulls with bone clubs. His life was worth less than the manure he shoveled. That changed the night he butchered a Knight with a rusty dagger to pay a debt of blood.

Chosen by the God of Slaughter, Kael awakens the Aether System. His cheat? The ability to project his soul into other worlds, live countless lives, and bring their powers back to reality—if he survives.

But power is not free. It is bought with pain, time, and sanity.

World 1: The Wild West. He spends a lifetime as "El Lobo," a legendary gunslinger. He returns with the muscle memory of a master marksman and a 12-gauge shotgun. World 2: The Martial Arts Realm. He trains for decades as a Wuxia disciple. He returns with internal energy that can shatter steel.

Now, as the Kingdom faces war and monsters surge from the dark, the nobles sneer at the servant boy holding a strange metal tube. They chant spells. They draw enchanted swords. Kael takes a slow breath. He racks the slide. Click-clack. "Parry this."

[Blackstone Keep - Main Gate - Early Morning]


The escort unit was already formed up when Kael reached the gate.


Twenty men—Valen's personal guard. The distinction showed in their gear: superior leather, hardened steel, and horses bred for distance and endurance. Kael's mare stood a head taller than the others, better fed and better rested.


The carriage stood at the center of the formation. Solid construction, iron-banded wheels, curtained windows. Built for distance and endurance, with only the bare essentials for the road.


Elira was already inside. The curtain remained drawn.


Kael's squad waited at the edge of the gate.


Silas broke the silence. "Captain, men can serve a lifetime and never come under a captain like you."


Bren stepped in and caught his forearm, quick and firm, then let go. "We'll see you again, Captain."


Chapter 70 - First meeting