The kingdom of Erevia was in flames, but Reyna Valdaria could hardly feel the heat.
Bound to a wooden stake in the heart of the royal square, the villagers gathered in the streets, jeering, their faces twisted with hatred. They had always hated her, even when she was the beloved princess, the jewel of the kingdom. And now, after years of manipulation, political power plays, and rebellion, they wanted her dead.
Reyna's gaze swept over the crowd, her fiery red hair tangled and her once-pristine dress now a tattered mockery of her former splendor. A cruel smile tugged at her lips. She had never thought it would end like this, but it was poetic in its own way. The people who once adored her had now turned into a raging mob, clamoring for her life. The traitor among her closest allies, the one who had orchestrated her fall, stood just beyond the crowd, staring coldly at her from the royal balcony.
King Roderic.
He had been the first to twist the knife in her back, offering her a false alliance, a false sense of security, only to turn on her when she was no longer useful. And now he stood there, watching, savoring the moment of her public execution.
"Let it burn! The witch must die!" a voice cried out from the crowd, and the chanting began, drowning out her thoughts. The smell of smoke curled through the air as the torches were lit.
The pyre beneath her feet ignited with an agonizing crackle. The fire crawled upward, licking at her body, consuming the very essence of her existence. The pain was unbearable, and yet Reyna's mind remained sharp. She focused, unwilling to let this be the end.
Her eyes narrowed as the flames reached her chest, the scorching heat stealing her breath. So this is it, then.
She had fought so hard for power, for control, and it had all been for nothing. The world, her world, was about to burn along with her.
But as the fire enveloped her, something strange happened. A voice, cold and mechanical, rang through her mind, cutting through the chaos of her dying thoughts.
"You are not done yet."
Reyna's eyes snapped open. The flames, while still burning around her, no longer hurt. They began to recede, as if they were afraid to touch her skin.
She tried to scream, to lash out, but no sound came. Her surroundings began to fade into nothingness, like a dream fading with the first light of dawn. The royal square, the crowds, the burning pyre everything was gone.
"Where am I?" she thought, but the words barely left her lips before an unseen force answered.
"You are in the Void Realm, a place between lives. Welcome, Reyna Valdaria."
The world around her twisted, reshaping itself into a vast and endless nothing. She floated there, her limbs weightless, her body unharmed.
"I am Aegis, your guide. Your fate is not yet sealed, for I offer you a second chance. A chance to rewrite the destinies of countless worlds, and to finally escape the endless cycle of death. Will you accept?"
Reyna blinked, struggling to make sense of her situation. Second chance? Rewrite destinies? What was this nonsense? And why her?
Before she could gather her thoughts, a screen materialized in front of her. Symbols, strange and glowing, floated in the air, accompanied by a series of options. It was as though her life had been turned into a game, and she was the player.
"The Villainess Rebirth System," the voice continued, "You will reincarnate across multiple worlds as the villainess. Your mission is to rewrite your fate, conquer your enemies, and ascend to immortality. Fail, and you shall die again. The choice is yours."
Reyna's pulse quickened. This was insane. This couldn't be real.
She glared at the empty void around her. If this was some kind of cruel joke, she wouldn't be the one to play along.
And yet, beneath her fury, a small part of her, the part that had always thirsted for power, for control began to stir. This was an opportunity. An opportunity to fix what had gone wrong, to reclaim everything she had lost.
"Why me?" she demanded. "Why offer me a second chance?"
There was a pause, a strange, almost amused silence.
"Because," Aegis replied, "You are one of the few who has the potential to break the cycle. To rewrite your destiny, not just in your world, but across all worlds. There are others, yes, but none like you. You will be the Villainess who redefines what it means to be truly powerful."
The words hung in the air like a challenge, daring Reyna to take the plunge.
She could feel the fire of her old ambition stirring within her. This was her chance to escape her past, to take control of the future. She wouldn't just survive. No, she would thrive.
She didn't need to think twice.
"I accept."
Aegis's voice hummed with approval. "Very well, Reyna Valdaria. Let us begin your journey. Prepare to be reborn."
The world around her exploded in a flash of light, and Reyna felt herself being ripped from the Void, her consciousness spinning like a broken kaleidoscope. The last thing she saw was a bright, shifting landscape into another world, ready to be conquered.