I stood on the deck of my ship, the Dreadnought, as the world turned to fire. At twenty-five, I was the Pirate King, a man who dictated the laws of the ocean. The Royal Navy's fleet surrounded me with cannons ready to erase my name from history. I didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me blink.
In my hand, I gripped a heavy bronze compass known as the Scale of the Goddess. It was the only thing I owned that wasn't stolen. It had been given to me by a girl whose silhouette still haunted my dreams, the only person who saw the man behind the crown. As the fire reached the powder kegs, I made a final, silent demand to the relic: I am not finished yet.
I woke up in a room that felt too small and smelled too sweet. I sat up with my mind still ringing from the sound of explosions, but my body felt wrong. I looked in a mirror and saw Fergie, the youngest son of the House of Talon. I was a shark forced into the skin of a goldfish. There was no connection between us. No shared blood. No destiny. This was simply a collision of souls.
"Master Fergie? The enforcers... they're here," a maid whispered from the door. She was trembling as she looked at me. It was clear the original boy was a disgrace to his family name, a person despised for both his cruelty and his weakness.
I didn't answer. I could feel a strange, golden heat pulsing behind my ribs. The compass wasn't in my hand anymore because it had fused with my soul.
The doors flew open. Enforcers of The Consensus marched in with white and chrome armor glowing in a sterile light. They were the peacekeepers of a society that demanded perfect harmony, even from the noble houses.
"Fergie Talon," their Captain barked. "By order of The Consensus, you are under arrest for High Treason and the murder of your father, the High Duke. Your noble title is stripped. Your execution is scheduled for dawn."
In this world, I was nothing but a fallen noble. I had no throne, no crew, and no power. I was just a criminal in a weak, soft body. I didn't scramble for an excuse or beg for mercy. I stood up slowly and adjusted my silk cuffs with cold, practiced calm. I looked the Captain in the eye. For the first time in his life, he saw a gaze in this boy that made his blood turn to ice.
"The Duke is dead?" I asked. My voice was quiet, but it carried the authority of a man who had commanded thousands. "That's a heavy burden for a son who looks like he's never seen a battlefield. If your Consensus wants my head, they can try to take it. But do not expect me to make it easy for you."
The Captain froze. He expected a crying child, but he found a Poker Face that revealed nothing. He forced himself to snap the Mana-Chains onto my wrists. The blue light hissed while trying to crush my spirit, but the relic in my chest surged and absorbed the energy like a sponge.
They dragged me to the Iron Server, a black stone prison that hummed with digital magic. They threw me into a dark cell and slammed the door. In the total darkness, golden words began to flicker and grow bright.
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZATION... ]
[ LOADING... 1%... 15%... 40%... ]
I leaned against the cold wall and let out a short, dark laugh.
"They think they've locked up a traitorous noble," I whispered to the shadows. "They don't realize that while I have no crown in this world, I still have the soul of a King. And a King knows exactly how to tear a house down from the inside."