The battlefield was chaotic. The ground beneath King Aldric was soaked with blood, and the cries of warriors echoed in the air. Despite his immense strength and training, the king, now injured, was surrounded. The enemy closed in, swords raised, when one of them managed to land a fatal blow. Aldric collapsed, a sharp pain spreading across his chest, his mind going blank.
In that instant, flashes of memories filled his thoughts—his childhood. No parental love, no warm embrace, just endless drills and wars. The harshest of tutors. The cold walls of the castle. He'd never known a moment of peace, of family, of love. A deep longing surged through him as he wished, wished he could have had a normal life. One where he wasn't always in battle. Where he could've laughed, loved, and felt the comfort of a family. But it was too late for such wishes.
And then, just as the darkness overtook him, a bright light consumed him.
---
King Aldric blinked, disoriented. The light vanished, and suddenly he was no longer on a blood-soaked battlefield but lying on a soft bed, in a room that was... completely unfamiliar. He looked around, confused, at walls painted in pastel colors. Pastel colors? He felt his head spinning. Something wasn't right.
He rose to his feet, his body feeling strange—different. He tried to stand, but his legs were weak. This body, it's not mine! Panic crept into his chest as he looked down at his hands. They were thinner, not the muscular, battle-hardened hands of a king, but the delicate hands of someone who... hadn't seen a battlefield.
Then memories rushed in—his name wasn't Aldric anymore. He was now Ethan, a nerdy, socially awkward teenager living in 2024. The memories were jumbled, but one thing was clear: this kid's life was miserable. He had been relentlessly bullied at school. He had no friends. His family, a middle-class family, was nice enough, but his younger sister was always the one who got all the attention. Ethan was just an afterthought.
Suddenly, the thought of being in 2024 hit him like a hammer. There was no sword, no armor, no throne—only a school, gadgets, and something called "social media." He had no idea how to navigate this strange new world. He glanced around, his heart racing. This modern era seemed so different—yet he felt strangely out of place.
Ethan's mother entered the room, a middle-aged woman with tired eyes. "Ethan, are you okay? You looked a little pale when you woke up."
"I... I don't know," Aldric—no, Ethan—muttered, holding his forehead. "This isn't... this isn't real, is it?"
His mother raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Get up, you're going to be late for school."
---
The next day, Ethan shuffled through his school halls, surrounded by laughing students who didn't care about his existence. He thought about what he'd been through, about his battle-hardened experiences—and how it all seemed so insignificant now in the face of teenage bullying. But Ethan's old kingly spirit wasn't so easily defeated.
---
The first incident was at lunch when a jock named Brad—always bullying him—came up to Ethan and knocked his lunch tray from his hands.
"What's wrong, loser?" Brad sneered. "Thought you'd get a win with those nerd grades, huh?"
Ethan felt his body tremble. Normally, he would cower, but the ghost of King Aldric rose up inside him. The rage, the hunger for justice, he'd felt on the battlefield flooded his veins.
Without thinking, Ethan's hand shot out, grabbing Brad's collar. "You. Don't. Touch. Me." His voice was filled with authority.
Brad blinked, startled. "What the hell, man?"
And that was all it took. The new King in Ethan's body rose. With a well-timed maneuver, Ethan used the basic judo moves he'd learned from watching martial arts videos (this wasn't the same as sword fighting, but it would have to do) to toss Brad to the ground. The cafeteria went silent.
For the first time in Ethan's life, he felt power—real, undeniable power.
"Next time you mess with me," he said, his voice like thunder, "you'll regret it."
---
Later that day, as Ethan practiced his newfound strength in his bedroom, he realized that his body wasn't the only thing that had changed. He had a king's mindset—always planning, always thinking ahead, but also compassionate. This world was different from his medieval time, and he had a new chance to change things.
---
The next week, Ethan walked into school like he owned the place. The bullies no longer dared to mess with him. He began learning everything he could about the modern world—social media, technology, even studying martial arts and mixed combat to prepare himself for anything.
But it wasn't just revenge that drove him. Ethan decided that, unlike his previous life as King Aldric, he would live for others. He protected his sister, who had always been the family's "golden child." He stood up for his classmates who were bullied. And despite his past, he worked hard to build genuine connections with those around him.
---
Battle Narration (In the middle of a confrontation with the school bully group):
Ethan stood tall, his body feeling unfamiliar but strong. As the group of bullies approached, he noticed their mocking expressions. They didn't know who they were dealing with. In a swift motion, Ethan disarmed one of them, his movements precise and calculated, the same way he had once fought on the battlefield. A roundhouse kick sent another bully sprawling, and with a flick of his wrist, he dispatched another with a judo throw.
"That's enough," Ethan said, his voice commanding. "You've picked the wrong fight."
The remaining bullies froze, their eyes wide with disbelief. Ethan wasn't just a nerd anymore—he was a force to be reckoned with.
---
But even with his new strength and wisdom, Ethan couldn't forget his kingly past. His soul yearned to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. And so, as Ethan navigated the strange modern world, he set out on a mission: not only to take revenge on those who wronged him, but to live a life worth living—a life filled with family, friends, and love.
---
Ethan, the King reborn in 2024, would never again be the helpless nerd. He was a ruler in a strange new world, and nothing would stop him from claiming the future he'd always longed for.