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**Chapter 1: The Villain's Awakening**
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Darkness. Silence.
It was the first thing I felt when I woke up. A void so complete it could swallow everything, yet leave nothing behind. I struggled to breathe, my chest heavy, as though I had been lying in that darkness for far too long. My mind was foggy, sluggish, like a mist creeping over my senses, but I couldn't remember what had happened. Where was I? What was this place?
I blinked my eyes open, a sharp pain piercing my skull, blurring the edges of reality. The world around me was… wrong. It didn't look like the clean, polished marble walls of my childhood home or the shining halls of the academy. No. This was something else. Cold stone. Damp air. The faint, iron-like taste of blood in my mouth.
I pushed myself up, every muscle in my body screaming in protest, as if awakening after an eternity of unconsciousness. My hands trembled as they made contact with the cold floor, and I looked around, desperate to find something, anything, familiar. The room was dim, the only light coming from flickering torches mounted on the walls. Shadows moved strangely in the corners of my vision, the air thick with the scent of earth and decay.
But it wasn't the place that caught my attention first—it was the feeling that surged through my veins, burning hot and foreign. Power.
I could feel it. A crackling energy, primal and raw, as though I had tapped into something deep inside myself that shouldn't have been there. My heart raced as the rush of memories overwhelmed me—the life of Caelum Von Astralis, the son of the powerful Lady Eryndis, Duke of Astralis. Heir to a bloodline cursed by its own ambition, the villain who was destined for ruin. The weight of his existence bore down on me like a thousand-ton stone, and for a moment, I wondered if this was some sort of cruel dream. I didn't belong here. I didn't belong in his life.
But then, I looked down at myself. My hands, pale and strong, grasped at the cold stone. My body was… different. I was different.
A sudden realization hit me hard. The body that looked back at me was not mine—this wasn't the world I knew. I was Caelum Von Astralis, but my own identity felt distant, like I was wearing a mask I couldn't take off. There was a strange sense of detachment from my own self, as if I was observing someone else's life unfold. And that was the worst part. This wasn't just some strange dream. No. It was real. I had been dragged into a world of *fate*, a world where the story was already written, and I was supposed to play the role of the villain.
But something burned inside me. A fierce rebellion against the destiny thrust upon me.
I stood slowly, my legs shaking as I rose to my full height. I felt powerful, but not in the way I thought I would. I could feel the faint hum of energy within me, the power of something ancient, something great. But this power wasn't mine. It was a tool, an instrument. I couldn't wield it yet.
My hand brushed against the hilt of a sword that rested at my side—Excalibur. The name echoed in my mind like a forgotten hymn, and as my fingers curled around the hilt, I felt a strange connection to it. This sword was supposed to be a symbol of power, of unimaginable strength. But the moment I touched it, I knew something was wrong. The blade, once legendary, felt... fragile, almost empty. It didn't hum with the energy of a divine weapon. Instead, it felt *dormant*, barely a whisper of the power it was meant to hold.
I unsheathed the sword with a fluid motion, the blade gleaming faintly under the dim light of the dungeon, but the weight in my hand was all wrong. There was a hollowness to it, as if it had lost its true form and was now a mere shadow of what it once was. This wasn't the Excalibur I had read about. This wasn't the sword of legends.
I swung it experimentally. The motion was fluid, graceful, and I felt something click. My body moved almost automatically, as if the sword was an extension of myself. It felt natural, familiar even. But that was just it—it felt like a skill I had yet to unlock. It was like reaching for something, only to find it just out of my grasp. I had the instinct to wield it, but not the power to back it up.
The sword was *meant* to be mine. I could feel it in my very core, but the weight of it, the full might of Excalibur, was locked behind something.
It was then that the notifications began to appear, hovering before my eyes. The voice of the system—mechanical, cold—echoed through my mind like a distant god. A reminder that I was a pawn, yet I could still control the game.
> **[System Activated: The Swordbearer's Burden]**
> *Welcome, bearer of Excalibur. You are now the heir to the Duke's bloodline. A sword awaits you, but your power is not yet awakened.*
I scowled, a sharp pang of frustration twisting my gut. I wasn't here to be some puppet controlled by a system. I wanted control. I needed it.
> **[Blessing Unlocked: Swordmaster Instinct]**
> *You have inherited the Swordmaster Instinct, an ancient blessing granted to the greatest warriors. Your blade will become an extension of your body, and your instincts will guide you. However, this gift comes at a cost: the pain you feel when wielding your blade will grow with its power.*
Pain. I winced as the word echoed in my mind. It was a curse, a heavy price to pay for the power I had unlocked. But I didn't have time to dwell on that. The power that surged through me—the *Sword of Light*, Excalibur—was still weak. I needed to figure out how to unlock it fully, how to access its true power.
I could feel the dull ache in my chest as I lifted the sword again, testing its weight. Despite my frustration, there was something exhilarating about holding it. The connection between the blade and myself was undeniable. I was its true wielder, even if I wasn't yet worthy of its full might.
I turned my focus inward, pushing through the disorienting fog of my thoughts. The world around me still felt unfamiliar, the air thick with the scent of dust and decay. I needed to understand where I was, why I had ended up here, and most importantly, what had happened to me. I could feel that something had changed, something fundamental, but I couldn't put it into words.
> **[Quest Activated: The Dungeon of Lost Souls]**
> *You have awakened in the Dungeon of Lost Souls. Your past is shrouded in mystery, but your journey begins now. Find the truth behind your death and uncover the power hidden within you. Only then can you begin to rewrite your fate.*
*The Dungeon of Lost Souls?* I couldn't remember dying. Had I died? Was this the end of my previous life? A part of me wanted to panic, but another part—the part that had *always* been driven—shoved that fear aside. This was just another obstacle to overcome.
I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. This was no accident. This was destiny—or, at least, what was left of it. A cold realization washed over me as I looked down at Excalibur once more. The sword wasn't the only thing I needed to unlock. My bloodline, my true potential—everything was still locked. And I had no choice but to face it.
This was only the beginning. The dungeon wasn't just a test of strength—it was a test of will. And I wasn't going to let anything or anyone decide my fate.
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