The room felt colder the moment my hand closed around the sword.
A sharp chill crawled up my arm, sinking straight into my bones. The chains wrapped around the blade rattled softly, as if reacting to my touch. Dark veins pulsed across the metal, slow and deliberate—like a heartbeat.
I sucked in a breath.
"So it's really you," I muttered.
The cursed blade I had wielded until my final moments in the war.
Back then, it had been feared by allies and enemies alike. A weapon that devoured despair, pain, and blood—and grew stronger because of it.
Yet now…
I frowned.
"It's weak."
The aura leaking from it was barely noticeable, nothing like the overwhelming pressure I remembered. The blade felt incomplete. Sealed.
A quiet voice echoed in my mind.
"Current synchronization: 3%."
My eyes widened.
"…Synchronization?"
I hadn't heard that word before.
In my previous life, the blade had never spoken so clearly—only whispers of hunger and rage. This was different.
"Your soul has returned to an earlier vessel."
"Power regression confirmed."
"Conditions for awakening incomplete."
I clicked my tongue.
"So even you got nerfed, huh?"
The blade didn't deny it.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, steadying my breathing. My body felt light—too light. No reminder of countless battles, no hardened muscles, no instinctive killing intent.
Just a poor sixteen-year-old kid from the slums.
But my mind?
Still sharp.
"Tell me," I whispered. "How much power can I use right now?"
There was a brief pause.
"Authorization granted: minimal."
Suddenly, heat surged through my chest.
Pain followed instantly.
"—gh!"
I clenched my teeth as a burning sensation spread through my veins, like molten metal being poured directly into my blood. My heart pounded violently, and my vision blurred.
I fell to one knee.
So this was the price.
In my past life, my body had been tempered through years of combat before the blade truly accepted me. Now, I was forcing a power far beyond what this weak body could handle.
Still—
I didn't let go.
"Activate," I growled.
The chains around the blade cracked.
Not shattered—but fractured.
A thin stream of black light leaked out and wrapped around my arm like smoke. The pain vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, replaced by a strange clarity.
My senses sharpened.
I could hear footsteps outside. Smell damp wood, iron, and old food. Even feel the flow of mana in the air—thin, unstable, but present.
"…This is enough," I said quietly.
"Skill awakened: Despair Sense (Passive)."
"Allows detection of negative emotions within a limited range."
I froze.
A passive skill?
In my previous life, I hadn't awakened my first ability until much later.
I slowly stood up, staring at my reflection in the mirror again. The boy looking back at me hadn't changed—but his eyes had.
They were calmer.
Colder.
Then—
A sharp spike of emotion hit me.
Anger. Fear. Greed.
My gaze snapped toward the door.
Someone was there.
Three presences.
All familiar.
I smiled faintly.
"Right… today was the day."
The door creaked open.
A tall boy stepped inside, followed by two others. Their clothes were cleaner than mine. Their expressions—smug.
"Oi, Kai," the leader sneered. "You still owe us, remember?"
The bullies.
In my past life, I had lowered my head.
Today?
I tightened my grip on the sword behind my back.
The blade pulsed softly, eager.
"No," I said calmly. "You owe me."
The three of them froze.
For the first time—
They felt it.
The pressure.
The room darkened slightly as black mist leaked from the cracked chains, brushing against their legs like cold fingers.
"What the hell—" one of them whispered.
I took a step forward.
"This time," I said, eyes sharp,
"I won't be prey."
The blade hummed.
And something deep within me awakened completely.