The days since my awakening have bled together, one indistinguishable from the next. Time has no meaning in this forsaken place—the fortress that now houses me. Morvath's Vigil, they called it, though "vigil" implies a sense of watchfulness, of guardianship. There is none of that here. The stone walls loom around me like the remnants of a forgotten era—cracked, jagged, and suffocating.
This fortress is no sanctuary. It is a graveyard.
Morvath's Vigil was built during the Age of Sovereigns, when the primordial monsters ruled the skies, the seas, and the land itself. The combined forces of Humans, Elves, and Dwarves had risen to stand against them, constructing fortresses like this one as strongholds to hold back the tide of annihilation. But now, this place is nothing more than a broken ruin, a relic of wars long forgotten. And it is here that I have been cast aside, exiled from my family, my home, and my life.
I lie on a simple cot, staring up at the dark ceiling, my body still weak from the journey. The pain in my limbs is dull now, overtaken by a sharper ache—a heavy, unbearable weight pressing down on my chest. It is not just the chill of the stone walls or the sting of rejection. It is something deeper. Something worse.
It is the knowledge of what is to come.
---
I was reincarnated into a novel. That much, I am sure of. I still remember the day I woke up in this world, dazed and confused, my head spinning as fragments of my past life blended with my present. It took me weeks to fully grasp what had happened and even longer to come to terms with it.
The novel, "A Hero's Ascension," was a story I had picked up out of boredom, a tale of a brave protagonist, Kaiden Reagers, who rose from obscurity to become the savior of Aetherion. Kaiden's journey was a tale of growth, loss, and triumph—a classic story of good versus evil. I remember enjoying the early chapters, especially the way Kaiden struggled against overwhelming odds, gaining allies and uncovering the dark forces threatening the world.
But Kaiden's story was not without its villains.
And I, Kael Thorne, was one of them.
The original Kael was a man consumed by anger and bitterness. After being exiled from his family and cast out by society, he turned to the Dark Forces, lured by the promises of power offered by the Void Sovereign. He became a shadow of his former self, a corrupted figure who stood against Kaiden at every turn. In the chapters I had read, Kael was a recurring antagonist, a thorn in Kaiden's side. His presence added tension to the story, his power growing with each encounter until he became one of Kaiden's greatest enemies.
But in the end, Kael Thorne was destined to die.
---
I never finished the novel, but I didn't need to. Villains like Kael always die.
The thought haunts me as I sit in this fortress, staring at the translucent system screen hovering before me. It flickers faintly, the words shifting and distorting as though mocking me.
---
[Status Screen - Kael Thorne]
Title(s):
Exiled Scion
Fallen Noble
Potential: B+
---
The system's cold, clinical words feel like a confirmation of my fate. In the novel, Kael's death was inevitable. Though I never reached that part, the clues were there, scattered throughout the chapters I had read. Kael's growing power, his descent into darkness, and his eventual clash with Kaiden—each step led him closer to his downfall.
In one of the final chapters I remembered, Kaiden had confronted Kael in a corrupted dungeon, the two of them clashing amidst the ruins of a fallen kingdom. The fight was brutal, their mana colliding in bursts of light and shadow. Kael had held his own, his power amplified by the Void Sovereign's influence, but it wasn't enough. Kaiden's determination, his unyielding sense of justice, had turned the tide.
The chapter had ended with Kael's retreat, his body battered and broken, his pride shattered. The readers had called him The Fleeing Shadow, mocking his repeated defeats. But I had always felt a strange pity for him, even then. There was a tragedy to his character, a sense of loneliness and despair that resonated with me in ways I couldn't explain.
Now, I understand why.
The finality of Kael's death looms over me like a specter, a shadow that refuses to leave. Even without knowing the exact details, I can feel it in my bones. The system's interference, the instability in my stats, the growing presence of the Dark Forces—it all points to one conclusion.
---
But I am not the Kael Thorne of the novel.
That thought burns in my mind, a spark of defiance in the darkness. I was not born into this world to play the role of a villain. I will not follow the script laid out for me. If my death is inevitable, I will fight against it with everything I have.
The system flickers again, displaying a new message:
---
"Fate is not written in stone, Kael Thorne. But beware—power comes with a price."
---
The words send a chill down my spine. Power comes with a price. I know what that price is. The original Kael had paid it when he accepted the Void Sovereign's offer. He had traded his humanity for strength, his soul for the chance to stand against those who had cast him aside.
And it had led to his death.
I close my eyes, the weight of the system's warning pressing down on me. The dungeon near this fortress, the whispers of corruption growing stronger with each passing day—it all feels like the start of the same story, the same path that led to Kael's downfall.
But this time, I will not follow it.
The storm in my mind begins to subside, replaced by a growing resolve. I will not let the Void Sovereign control me. I will not let the Dark Forces twist me into their pawn.
I will survive.
Even if it means rewriting the story itself, I will survive.
The system's screen vanishes, leaving me alone in the darkness once more. But this time, the silence feels different. It is no longer suffocating. It is a canvas, waiting to be filled.