Blood. Chains. Betrayal.
Kieran Vale knelt on the cold stone floor of the imperial dungeon, his body broken, his pride shattered. Heavy iron chains bound his wrists and ankles, enchanted with sealing magic to suppress his strength. His once-glorious crimson cloak was now torn and soaked in his own blood. His long silver hair clung to his sweat-drenched face, and his deep golden eyes, once filled with warmth, now burned with the fury of a man betrayed.
"How did it come to this?"
The torches flickered, casting eerie shadows on the damp stone walls. Above him stood the three people he had trusted most in this world.
Duke Aldric Vale—his father.
Lucien Vale—his younger brother.
Seraphina Everhart—his fiancée.
The very people he had protected, fought for, and loved now looked down on him as if he were nothing but filth beneath their boots.
His father's sharp, steel-gray eyes were filled with disdain as he stared at Kieran's pitiful form. "You were always too naïve, Kieran. You believed loyalty would be rewarded, that strength alone would make you untouchable. But the truth is simple—the strong are only strong when they have allies. And you? You have none."
Lucien smirked, stepping closer. His younger brother, the one Kieran had shielded from assassins, the one he had mentored in swordsmanship—now the one standing in his place.
"You trusted too easily, brother," Lucien whispered, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. "Now, everything you built belongs to me."
Kieran's fists clenched, the cold bite of iron pressing into his skin. His father and brother's betrayal was painful, but nothing compared to the person standing beside them.
Seraphina Everhart—his beloved, the woman he had planned to spend his life with.
She stepped forward, her emerald eyes gleaming with satisfaction. The same eyes that once looked at him with love. The same lips that had once whispered promises of forever now curled into a sneer.
"You should have seen this coming, Kieran," Seraphina sighed. "You were never meant to rule. You may have been strong, but you lacked the vision to truly control this empire. I was never yours. I was merely waiting for the rightful heir to take the throne."
Kieran's breath hitched. "Rightful heir?" His gaze shifted to Lucien, realization dawning like a blade sinking into his back. "You…"
Lucien's smirk widened.
"Yes, dear brother," he said, his voice light, mocking. "Father has finally recognized my worth. And Seraphina… well, she has always been mine."
Kieran's heart pounded. This entire time… Seraphina had never been his.
A cold chuckle escaped him. "So that's how it is?" His voice was hoarse but steady. He lifted his gaze, burning each of their faces into his memory. "You all planned this together. Stripped me of my power. Framed me for treason. And now, you stand before me, gloating."
His father merely scoffed. "There is no need for dramatics. You were in the way. That is all."
Lucien crouched before him, his expression twisted with amusement. "You will be executed tomorrow, brother. Publicly. The people will spit on your corpse. And then… no one will even remember your name."
Seraphina knelt beside him, reaching out to touch his face with sickening familiarity. Her fingers traced the bloodied cut on his cheek. "You were once my greatest mistake," she murmured, her voice soft—as if she hadn't just driven a dagger into his heart.
Kieran laughed.
It was a hollow, chilling sound that echoed through the dungeon walls.
The people he had trusted, the ones he had bled for, now mocked him in his lowest moment. But they had made one mistake.
They should have killed him immediately.
Because Kieran Vale never forgot.
He never forgave.
And if by some cruel twist of fate, he was given another chance…
He would make them suffer a thousand times worse.
Seraphina sighed and stood, flicking her crimson cloak behind her. "Enjoy your last night, Kieran."
Then, one by one, they left him in the darkness.
Pain.
His body burned. His vision blurred. His breathing was shallow.
The dungeon grew colder, the air heavy with the scent of blood and decay.
Death was close.
"If only… If only I had another chance…"
His thoughts were drowning in rage, in regret, in the unrelenting thirst for revenge.
And then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
🔺 [ SYSTEM ACTIVATING… ]🔺 [ PAIN-LINKED SYSTEM ONLINE. ]🔺 [ TIME REVERSAL COMMENCING… ]🔺 [ MISSION: MAKE THEM SUFFER. THE GREATER THEIR PAIN, THE GREATER YOUR REWARDS. ]
A surge of heat flooded his body. His veins burned, his bones ached, his soul trembled.
Then—
Everything turned black.
The scent of fresh parchment. The warmth of sunlight. The quiet hum of the city outside his window.
Kieran's golden eyes snapped open.
He was not in the dungeon.
His hands, once bloodied and broken, now rested on silk sheets. His body, once torn apart by betrayal, now sat untouched—whole.
He turned to the grand mirror beside his bed. His reflection stared back at him.
Not the ruined man in chains.
Not the fallen noble, humiliated and discarded.
But the Kieran Vale of ten years ago.
A cold smirk curled on his lips as the system notification flashed before him:
🔺 [ REBIRTH COMPLETE. ]🔺 [ SYSTEM ONLINE. ]🔺 [ NEW QUEST: DESTROY YOUR ENEMIES SLOWLY. THE GREATER THEIR SUFFERING, THE STRONGER YOU BECOME. ]🔺 [ SPECIAL REWARD: UNIQUE ABILITY - SOUL FRACTURE. ]
Kieran's heart pounded—not in fear, but in anticipation.
"Lucien. Seraphina. Father… you don't know it yet, but your suffering has already begun."
He stood, his smirk widening.
"Let the game begin."