Darkness. Silence. Then—a sharp, cold sensation, as if reality itself had severed its ties to him.

  Kael Drakthorn’s last moments in his old world were not marked by heroism or regret. No grand battle, no noble sacrifice. Just betrayal.

  The echoes of laughter still rang in his mind, cruel and mocking. He had trusted them—his comrades, his so-called allies. For years, he had fought alongside them, carved his name into the annals of history, built an empire with his own hands. And in the end, they had thrown him away like a pawn no longer needed on the board.

  The dagger was buried deep between his ribs, the warmth of his blood spilling out in waves. It wasn’t the wound that killed him, not immediately—it was the poison, burning through his veins like molten iron, paralyzing his body, stealing his strength. He could hear their voices as he collapsed to the cold marble floor.

  “Did you really think we’d let you keep all the power, Kael?”

  “Foolish. You should have seen this coming.”

  “The empire doesn’t need you anymore.”

  Their words, spoken with such finality, shattered any lingering illusion that this had been anything other than inevitable. He had clawed his way to the top, built something indomitable, only to be struck down by those who had once sworn loyalty to him.

  His vision dimmed. The grand hall where he had once ruled blurred into nothingness. His fingers twitched, reaching for a sword that was no longer his. The pain lessened, and for a fleeting moment, he thought—perhaps, this was it.

  Then, nothingness.

  But nothingness did not last.

  A system notification, a whisper in the void:

  [ERROR DETECTED. ENTITY CANNOT BE TERMINATED.]

  [INITIATING RECALIBRATION…]

  A force unlike anything he had ever felt gripped him, pulling him into the abyss. He was weightless, floating in an endless expanse of shadows and distant stars. Voices murmured around him, ancient and unreadable. His soul trembled.

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  And then, with a sudden jolt, the world returned.

  Rebirth in Chains

  The first thing Kael felt was pain. A deep, numbing ache in his bones, the kind that told him he had not just awoken from sleep—but from death itself.

  The second thing he noticed was the weight of iron shackles around his wrists.

  His breathing was ragged, his body weak. He was no longer in the grand halls of power, nor in the presence of false allies. Instead, he was lying on a hard, damp floor, the stench of sweat, filth, and despair thick in the air.

  A prison. No, not just any prison.

  “The Slave Pits…” the words escaped his lips, hoarse and unfamiliar.

  He was reborn—reincarnated into the lowest rung of this world’s hierarchy.

  His mind reeled, scrambling for an explanation. But before he could process it, a notification flashed before his eyes, letters burning into his mind.

  [SYSTEM INITIALIZED.]

  [NAME: KAEL DRAKTHORN]

  [STATUS: SLAVE]

  [CLASS: NONE]

  [LEVEL: 1]

  [ERROR: UNREGISTERED ABILITY DETECTED.]

  His eyes widened. The system—the fundamental law of this world—had acknowledged him.

  And yet, something was wrong. An error? That shouldn’t be possible.

  Then, another notification appeared, different from the first. Glitched. Distorted.

  [UNIQUE ABILITY: SOVEREIGN’S PARADOX]

  [STATUS: UNRECOGNIZED. WARNING: SYSTEM INSTABILITY DETECTED.]

  Kael’s heart pounded. This wasn’t just reincarnation. This was something else.

  As footsteps approached outside his cell, his instincts screamed at him. He had no class. No level. No skills. But he had something no one else did:

  A power that shouldn’t exist.

  A power that could break this world’s very foundation.

  And that was exactly what he intended to do.

  The Chains That Bind

  The door to his cell swung open with a harsh creak, revealing a towering figure clad in rusted armor. The man sneered down at him, his presence suffocating.

  “Another useless wretch,” the guard scoffed. “Get up. It’s time to earn your keep.”

  Kael didn’t move. Not immediately. He was still processing. The betrayal. The rebirth. The strange, broken system messages. But clarity was coming, fast and sharp, like a blade pressed against his throat.

  The rules of this world were absolute. The system dictated everything—power, status, destiny. And yet, for some reason, he was an anomaly.

  A dangerous one.

  Pain exploded in his side as the guard kicked him, forcing him onto his knees. “I said get up, scum.”

  Kael gritted his teeth. A familiar anger, one he had known in his past life, began to burn in his chest. He forced himself to his feet, muscles screaming in protest. His body was weak. That would have to change.

  The guard grinned, satisfied. “Good. Maybe you’ll last a day before they tear you apart.”

  Kael’s eyes darkened. No. I will last much longer than that.

  As he was dragged from his cell, chains rattling, his mind was already working.

  He had nothing.

  No status.

  No allies.

  No way out.

  But he had one thing.

  And he would tear this world apart with it.