Kane stumbled through the burning ruins of his kingdom, his vision blurred by the blood and sweat pouring down his face. His body ached, his steps faltered, but none of that mattered anymore. The imperial prince had razed everything to the ground—the palace, the people, and everything Kane had ever known. His father, his mother, the warriors—they had all been slaughtered, their cries of agony echoing in his mind.
But there was only one person Kane was desperate to find.
"Julia…"
His voice was a rasp, weak from pain and exhaustion. His heart pounded in his chest as he staggered through the battlefield, the stench of death thick in the air. His sister had been his only light in this dark, crumbling world, the only one who had believed in him despite his weaknesses. Now, he could only pray she was still alive.
His heart froze when he saw her—there, lying on the cold earth by the edge of the lake, her once vibrant form still and lifeless. Julia. The world around him seemed to stop, his breath catching in his throat as he dropped to his knees beside her.
She was gone.
"No… no…" Kane's voice broke as tears flooded his eyes.
Julia lay there, her body exposed and bruised, stripped of the dignity she deserved. Her golden hair was matted with dirt, her pale skin cold beneath his trembling fingers. The sight of her like this made his heart wrench with pain. She had been innocent in all of this, yet she had suffered the worst fate. The imperial prince hadn't just killed her—he had stripped her of everything, give her to his soldiers as toy .
Kane's hands shook as he quickly tore off his own tattered shirt. It was all he had left, but he couldn't leave her like this. He couldn't bear to see her so vulnerable, so disrespected. Gently, he covered her fragile body with the fabric, trying to give her some final bit of peace, some semblance of the dignity that had been stolen from her.
"I'm sorry, Julia," he whispered, his voice breaking with the weight of his grief. "I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you…"
His chest ached, not just from his injuries, but from the overwhelming guilt that consumed him. He had failed her. He had failed his family, his kingdom, and now, even himself.
Kane's vision blurred as he knelt there, beside Julia's grave, his heart shattering as he realized he would never see her smile again. She had been his light, the only one who had cared for him despite his flaws, and now she was gone.
He didn't care about the searing pain from his own wounds anymore. He didn't care that the blood was seeping through his torn clothes. His kingdom was in ruins, his family destroyed. What was left for him now?
With shaking hands, Kane began to dig a shallow grave for Julia with his bare hands, each movement sending jolts of pain through his body. But the pain didn't matter. He couldn't leave her here, exposed in the dirt. She deserved more than this.
As he dug, his vision began to blur further, the world around him fading as his strength ebbed away. His injuries were too severe, and the small amount of medicine he had left wouldn't be enough to save him. It would only dull the pain, but Kane didn't want that. He didn't deserve to be saved. Not after failing Julia.
His hands trembled as he finished the grave, and with great care, he laid Julia inside, his tears falling onto the earth as he covered her. When it was done, Kane collapsed beside the grave, his chest heaving, his breath shallow. He was ready for death to take him.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Kane saw something fall from the sky—a flash of gold. He blinked, his tired eyes focusing on the strange sight. A bird, golden and radiant, lay on the ground a few feet away, its wings splayed out in an awkward position. Its left wing was clearly injured, its feathers dulled with dirt and blood. It looked like a hawk, but something about it felt otherworldly.
Driven by a strange sense of purpose, Kane crawled toward the bird, his body barely able to move. When he reached it, he gently picked it up, noticing how fragile it seemed despite its glow. His hands fumbled as he pulled out some medicine, pouring it onto the bird's injured wing.
To his astonishment, the effect was immediate. The bird's feathers began to shimmer, its wing knitting itself back together.
"You shouldn't waste your medicine on him," a voice said from behind Kane.
Startled, Kane turned his head, his vision swimming. A man stood there, tall and regal, his presence almost overwhelming. He had sharp, handsome features and an aura of power that radiated from him like a force of nature.
"That's no ordinary bird," the man continued, stepping closer. "It's a phoenix—a divine creature. It can heal itself without your help."
Kane blinked, staring at the bird in his hands. A phoenix? He had only ever heard of such creatures in legends, yet here it was, glowing with golden light, its wing fully healed.
The man sighed, his gaze softening. "You've seen enough tragedy for one lifetime. Perhaps it's time to let go, now rest." He gestured toward Kane's broken body. "At least let your death be peaceful.let's go phoenix."
But phoenix not move.
Kane closed his eyes, ready to give in to the inevitable.
Suddenly, the phoenix in his hands began to glow even brighter. The light was blinding, wrapping around Kane's body. He gasped as a surge of heat shot through him, searing his skin from the inside.
"Wait!" the man shouted, his eyes wide with alarm. "Phoenix, what are you doing? That power is not meant for the mortal !"
But the phoenix didn't stop. Its light grew stronger, enveloping Kane entirely as he screamed in agony. The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt, burning him from the inside out. "Stop!" the man shouted again, reaching for the phoenix, but it was too late. The light consumed Kane, and in that moment, everything went dark.That was his end he is sure of it.
But suddenly he was not feeling any pain,he slowly
opened his eyes again, And found out that he was no longer lying on the blood-soaked ground of a burning kingdom. He was no longer surrounded by death and ruin.
Instead, he found himself lying in a bed. A soft, familiar bed. He blinked, disoriented, his heart pounding in his chest. The room around him was bathed in soft morning light, the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the open window.
"Is this afterlife?"Kane thought
His breath caught in his throat as he sat up, his hands trembling as he looked around the room. It was his room. His old room, from before everything had gone wrong. The walls were the same pale blue, the same childhood trinkets lined the shelves. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stared at his hands—short , soft, unscarred.
He scrambled to his feet and rushed to the mirror, his heart racing. When he looked at his reflection, the face that stared back at him wasn't that of a broken man, a prince who had lost everything. It was the face of a boy—a boy of thirteen, with wide, innocent eyes and a head full of dark, unruly hair.
Kane's chest tightened as he backed away from the mirror, his mind reeling. This couldn't be real. He had died. He had felt it. He had watched his kingdom fall, had buried his sister with his own hands. And yet, here he was, a boy again.
Before he could process what was happening, a familiar voice called from outside the door.
"Kane! Wake up! You'll be late for breakfast!"
It was Julia's voice. His heart clenched at the sound of it, a flood of emotions crashing over him. He rushed to the door, throwing it open, and there she stood—his sister, alive and smiling at him, her auburn hair glowing in the morning light.
"Julia…" His voice broke as he stared at her, tears welling in his eyes. Without thinking, he threw his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She stiffened in surprise at first, but then laughed, patting his back.
"What's gotten into you?" Julia asked.
Kane couldn't speak. His throat was too tight with emotion, his chest too full of grief and relief and confusion. He wanted to tell her everything—that he had seen her die, that their entire world had been destroyed, that he had failed her. But how could he explain something so impossible?
"Just… a bad dream," he finally managed, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Julia gave him a concerned look but smiled softly. "Well, don't worry about it. Come on, breakfast is ready."
She left the room, her footsteps light as she moved down the hall. Kane stood there for a long moment, staring after her, his heart pounding in his chest. He wiped the tears from his eyes, trying to steady himself.
When he was finally alone, he took a deep breath and sat on the edge of his bed. He needed to think. He needed to understand what had happened. But one thing was clear: he had been given a second chance. Somehow, he had returned to the past—six years before the destruction of Alderon, before the imperial prince had torn their family apart.
This time, things would be different.
As he sat there, his mind racing, something strange appeared before him. A glowing, translucent text hovered in the air above him, words he had never seen before.
[Welcome to the System.]
Kane's heart skipped a beat. What was this?
Another message appeared below.
[Do you want to become stronger?]
[Yes] [No]
Kane stared at the words, his hands trembling. He knew what his answer would be. This time, he would not be weak. This time, he would not fail.
Without hesitation, he reached out and chose [Yes]