Kael had barely slept.
The events of the rogue mage attack replayed in his mind—the flames, the screams, the crackling of unstable magic. He'd survived, yes. Even helped stop one of the attackers.
But the question that lingered in his thoughts was simple:
Why Eldwyn?
And more urgently—
Why now?
Just after dawn, while Kael was at the training yard sparring with a pair of axe-wielding adventurers, a rider clad in royal blue approached the guild gates.
The courtyard fell silent.
The rider dismounted and called in a booming voice, "By order of His Majesty King Erian IV, I summon the adventurer known as Kael of Thornebrook!"
Every eye turned to him.
Kael lowered his wooden sword. "I… guess that's me."
The royal carriage that awaited him was more armored than elegant. Inside, he sat across from a woman in polished plate armor bearing a crest of a phoenix encircled by a golden sun.
"Commander Valessia," she introduced herself. "Captain of the Royal Vanguard."
Kael nodded. "Kael. Bronze-rank rookie with a tendency to get in over his head."
She smirked. "You did more than most Silvers during the attack. That bolt interrupted a Tier 3 incantation. You saved hundreds."
"I got lucky."
She studied him. "That wasn't luck. That was System use. Don't lie to me—we've seen your profile."
Kael stiffened.
"You're a Reborn, aren't you?"
He hesitated, then nodded.
"Good," she said. "Because the king needs one."
The royal palace was a fortress of gleaming marble and steel, banners fluttering in the wind, guarded by men who had clearly faced death more than once.
Kael was escorted through grand halls, past nobles who whispered behind their fans, up to a private chamber lined with enchanted glass windows.
There sat King Erian IV—a man in his late forties, eyes sharp and heavy with the weight of command. He gestured for Kael to approach.
"So," the king said, "you're the boy who turned a city-wide disaster into a victory."
"I was in the right place at the right time."
"And wielded a System ability that most mages would kill for. Fate Branching, they called it?"
Kael didn't answer.
The king leaned forward. "I won't pretend I trust you. But your kind—Reborns—are rare. And we're at war."
Kael blinked. "War?"
The king stood, pacing toward a large map of the continent.
"There's something stirring in the east. The Wraithborn Tribes have united under a banner we've never seen. Cults like the one that attacked Eldwyn are multiplying. We believe someone—or something—is pulling the strings."
He turned to Kael, eyes burning.
"I need someone who doesn't play by this world's rules. Someone who can break the chains of fate itself."
"And you think that's me?"
The king smiled grimly. "I think your System gave you a purpose. And I intend to use it before others do."
He walked to a side table and lifted a small wooden box.
Inside was a silver ring inlaid with sapphire runes.
Item Acquired: Royal Signet of Command
Effect: Grants authority equal to a Knight-Captain within all human territories.
Quest Unlocked: [War in the East – Act I: Whispers in the Fog]
Kael stared at it. This wasn't just a mission. It was a path.
And for the first time since arriving in this world… it felt like a story was beginning.