POV: Kael Lanpar
The night had passed quickly, helping to clear my mind of certain thoughts that felt more and more rooted in an identity I never chose to build… yet somehow, they kept dragging me back to the past.
It was pulling me back to hell. To that place I swore never to return to, driven by a promise I still intend to keep.
I already knew what it was like to be the villain of my own story… and honestly, now I just want to rest. I don't want to be a hero, but I don't want to become a monster again either.
I felt the heat.
A heat that rose from the very depths of my soul as my eyes remained fixed on the embers of a dying campfire.
"Kids, get ready," said my grandfather, extinguishing the fire. "We leave in fifteen minutes."
Airis and I didn't respond. We remained absorbed in what we were doing, ignoring the uncomfortable silence that only deepened the guilt… even though I wasn't sure if it was truly mine to bear.
My gaze settled on Airis's face. Seeing her made me swallow hard as I clutched the blanket in my hands, feeling the helplessness of not having stopped in time.
"It wasn't your fault," she whispered suddenly. "You just acted… maybe on impulse, but you saved me. And I'm grateful."
Her words echoed through the entire space, reverberating again and again through the hollow of the great tree where we had spent the night.
"If it wasn't my fault… then why were you hurt?" I murmured, activating the pendant around my neck. "Airis, who was I in that moment?"
Her silence was more painful than any answer. I wanted, with every part of me, for her to say it had been a side effect of the corrupted astral awakening… but if she—who understood that magic better than anyone—couldn't explain it...
Then what could I possibly know about what I was becoming?
"Don't carry the guilt of others," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Accept that it wasn't your responsibility."
After those words, she walked off to join my grandfather, leaving me alone for a moment. My hands went to the quartz pendant hanging from my neck, clutching it tightly as the dimensional runes covering it faded one by one.
Right now… I'm not sure I've recovered all of my soul — I told myself silently, staring at my own hands, doubting more and more who I really was.
"Kael, hurry up! Stop daydreaming!" shouted my grandfather, snapping me out of my thoughts.
From the ashes rises the phoenix. From pain… humans are reborn.
My father used to repeat that phrase to me often. And he was right… though he never imagined that sometimes, moving through pain doesn't transform you into something better—just into something entirely different.
I turned around and joined the group, walking quickly until I caught up. I was greeted by birdsong and the wild cries of the forest's creatures.
"How far are we from the ruins of the Acrona Kingdom?" I asked.
"Not far," my grandfather replied. "If we don't stop to rest, we'll be standing on sacred ground before noon."
I nodded in silence, accepting the time we had left. I activated my astral magic, letting the wind swirl beneath my feet, lifting the dry leaves from the ground in an improvised dance.
I don't know what scares me more… knowing the truth or not understanding it — I thought. But one thing's certain: I don't have much time left before my own existence drags me into madness.
I jumped with the help of the wind, landing among the tree branches. From there, I started running, using the natural platforms the forest offered.
[Beginning of Matías Castleboard's memory]
It had been a long time since I had been accepted as a direct candidate for Champion of a nation I would have to protect at all costs.
Now, I found myself in the throne room of the Supreme Leader of Taured, standing beside the one who had once held the title of Champion.
A massive man, broad and towering, with an aura so powerful it could bring anyone to their knees. His body was covered in scars that told his story without the need for words.
This can only mean one thing… and I don't like it one bit —I thought, as my eyes scanned the vastness of the throne room, feeling small in a place I knew, deep down, I didn't belong.
Huge white marble pillars, carved with figures of Greek gods, held up a ceiling made entirely of molten gold, shaped into intricate decorations that gleamed with every ray of light.
Chandeliers studded with diamonds, statues of ancient rulers, and paintings framed in gold adorned the hall. All that luxury… it was worth a fortune. A fortune that, if I had it, could've protected my family forever.
"Matías Von Geast," called the Supreme Leader, snapping me out of my thoughts. "As you may already know, the High Council has officially approved your commitment to this nation."
He then gestured toward the giant beside him.
"However, due to your youth and inexperience, a master has been assigned to you. He will train you for your future duty: to protect this country."
"My name is Aurorius Castleboard," said the former Champion, his voice deep and commanding. "From today forward, you are under my command. You will become like me, speak like me, and follow my orders to the rhythm of my voice."
"As you command, Master," I replied, kneeling for the first time in my life. "All for the good of our Empire… for the blood of our Leader."
Every word tasted bitter in my mouth. I knew they didn't reflect my true intentions. I would never protect scum like them. But part of my plan was already in motion, and the only thing I could do was keep feeding the lie.
End of the memory.
Protecting scum like them… what irony. Now I'm heir to the throne—perhaps in a different world—but the absurdity remains the same: those born with everything never learn what it's like to live with nothing.
I let out a quiet sigh as I saw her in my mind. Her. She changed the way I saw the world. She gave me faith… even in people as broken as them.
"We've arrived," said my grandfather firmly. "From this moment on, I want you to follow my instructions to the letter. This land is a killer… and it punishes intruders."
After the complete annihilation of the Acrona race and the falsification of their history, this place was renamed "sacred land"—a hypocritical way to honor those who were mercilessly slaughtered.
The cruelest part… is that even though their bodies died, the land where their blood was spilled still cries out for vengeance. And it does so by dragging their murderers into the same pile of graves.
"Kael, I need you to suppress your mana as much as possible," ordered my grandfather. "Airis… welcome home."
The mana around me immediately began to fade, transforming into the same white aura that had surrounded me the day before. A silent barrier… a shield.
"I thought it had disappeared," I murmured, looking at my hands in confusion.
"Don't worry about it now," my grandfather replied. "It's not harming you. It's like an invisible layer of mana. Seems like it's protecting you."
I accepted his answer, though my gaze drifted to Airis. She was standing before a large stone arch—the entrance to the Dead Kingdom. She didn't need to say a word. Her trembling, her hesitation to take a step… it said everything.
I knew she was on the verge of tears.
I jumped down from the branch I'd been perched on, and the moment I touched the ground, I felt the difference: dead earth. A wind heavy with ash and death welcomed me like an old friend, as if it knew who I was. As if it was welcoming me… to oblivion.
"Don't worry," I said, taking her hand. "I'll go in with you. I don't care if your ancestors' souls want me dead."
"That's not funny, Kael," she replied, gripping my hand tighter. "But… thank you for being here."
Once she calmed down, we crossed the threshold together. A white layer surrounded us as we entered—similar to the one protecting me, though this one felt more like an illusion than a true defense.
The moment I stepped inside, I felt exposed. Naked. As if every fiber of my body was being scanned by something… or someone. And the worst part was, it felt like it had found exactly what it was looking for.
My eyes opened wide… and the impact hit me like a dagger.
A kingdom in ruins stood before me, shrouded in fire and dried blood. The houses—shattered. The remains of structures that had once housed families. People who dreamed of life… and lost it.
The ground was scorched, and shards of broken glass covered the streets like a macabre decoration. Graves—hundreds of them—marked every corner. We were walking through what had once been a city… now turned into a graveyard.
The air still carried the putrid stench of corpses that had, in their day, served as food for vultures. The stench was an open scar in history.
"Airis… I—I'm sorry," I stammered, looking into her eyes. "I didn't know that this…"
"It doesn't matter," she cut in sharply. "The dead are dead. No matter how much it hurts… they won't come back, Kael. Tears are useless. And so are your apologies."
Shortly after we passed through the entrance, I saw my grandfather walk through the dimensional gate. His face was twisted in pure disgust—probably because of the same suffocating sensation I had felt upon entering.
"Damn it… this violates my rights," he muttered, hugging himself dramatically, as if that might shield him from the bleak atmosphere.
"All right, kids, time to move. We don't have all day," he said, regaining his composure as he pulled from an interdimensional ring the map given to him by the Alkaster soldier.
We began walking toward the center of the kingdom, though with every step, the landscape grew darker, more lifeless… bloodier. As if the land itself were begging us to leave.
And yet, we couldn't.
For some reason, I felt like something—or someone—was following us. A cold presence ran down my spine like a cursed whisper.
It felt as though thousands of ghosts were behind me, carrying a hatred born of ancient wounds. The kind of hatred that only grows when justice is never served. The kind of hatred that seeks revenge… against someone who carries in their veins the blood of the guilty.
"Right now, I need your help, Airis," my grandfather said, his tone more serious than before. "There are things here that will only respond to the blood of their former people…"
"I understand," she interrupted, drawing the dagger from my waist with determination. "Only Acrona blood can reveal the secrets of a lost life."
Before us stood a strange figure—a humanoid statue holding a petrified heart between its hands. It had stopped beating long ago… if it had ever truly beaten at all.
Airis placed the tip of the dagger against her pinky finger, making a small cut. A few drops of blood emerged, trailing crimson across her skin. With slow steps, she approached the statue and let the drops fall onto the center of the heart.
For a few seconds, absolutely nothing happened. The silence was so thick, I began to wonder if the ritual had failed.
"What exactly are we waiting for?" I murmured, confused.
No one answered, but it was as if the universe had heard my question.
The stone heart began to crack. Shards fell one by one, revealing within a real heart… one that seemed asleep rather than dead.
The ground rumbled with a deep growl, and from some distant place, bells began to toll. The echo of those chimes was sepulchral, as if they were awakening something long forgotten.
The statue slowly opened at its center, revealing an ancient staircase descending into the depths of the kingdom.
"They look like veins," I said, touching the channels running along the statue, which began to glow with a pulsating red energy.
Every candle scattered along the streets lit up with pure crimson flames. And, as if the kingdom itself wanted to remember what it once was, every corner began to regain some of its former splendor… though stained by tragedy.
"Kael," my grandfather called. "Let's keep going. I know this hurts you, but you must understand—it's not your fault. The choices of your ancestors aren't yours."
I nodded, took a deep breath, and turned halfway before beginning my descent down the spiral staircase.
On either side, stone statues held torches that wept blood. Dark drops ran down their cheeks, as if the very art itself suffered while guarding this cursed place.
"Where exactly are we going?" I asked my grandfather.
"I'd like to know that too," said Airis, biting her lower lip. "Why did we even come here in the first place?"
"I know this place doesn't bring you good memories, Airis," my grandfather replied calmly. "But if we want to understand why Kael is…"
He stopped abruptly on the stairs. He turned his head and looked me in the eyes with a mix of concern and… guilt.
Why? What did he know that I didn't?
Then, my body stopped responding. My hands and feet froze. I couldn't move. It felt as though my body was being controlled… except this time, my consciousness remained fully aware—trapped in a prison of flesh and fear.
"Stay calm, Kael," said Airis quietly, stepping closer. "Whatever's happening to you… it might not be a bad thing. Maybe… it's just a curse."
"That's not funny," I growled, feeling my hands turn to ice, as if they were made of stone.
A minute passed. Or maybe more. Until finally, I regained control over my body. The trembling stopped, and I was able to keep descending—though it felt like time itself had been distorted. As if each second in that place weighed more than an hour.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally caught sight of a door blocking the path. It was decorated with human skulls, placed with ritual precision.
If this was considered high fashion among the Acrona, they were definitely insane.
"It's time, Kael," said my grandfather firmly. "From this point on, you'll have to continue alone. Our astral magic could interfere with the reality you're about to witness."
"This is something personal," he continued. "Once reality begins to distort… you'll know the moment has come to face the truth."
"I don't understand what I'm supposed to do," I replied, clearly confused. "You never explained anything."
"Trust yourself," said Airis, opening the door before us. "The Acrona were capable of entering into themselves… and even into others. You carry part of that power. Now you just have to believe in who you are."
Her words, rather than reassuring me, only made me doubt even more. I had already lived through too much—both in this life and the one before. Know myself? Again?
I am Matías Castleboard… or at least, I was.
But that's in the past. Now, my name is Kael Lanpar.
With my heart pounding, I stepped forward. I crossed the threshold of the chamber, feeling a deep fear take hold of me. It wasn't ordinary fear… it was ancestral. A raw, primal emotion. A terror that someone who's only five years old in this life should never know.
Every time I confront my past, I just end up sinking deeper into it…
But if this place holds the key to understanding what's happening, then I'll go through with it.
Because I'm not just forgetting who I was anymore… now I see it as something foreign. As if my past never belonged to me.
Trock…
The sound of the door closing behind me was dry and final. A chill ran through me, making me question whether I truly wanted to go on. For some reason, this place instilled real fear in me—not because of what was inside… but because of what it might awaken within me.
Within seconds, my grandfather's words made sense. The dark room, barely lit by candles arranged in a strange symbol on the floor, began to change. The walls warped as though reality itself was being rewritten before my eyes… until everything vanished.
(Shift in universe)
Standing before me was Aurorius Castleboard. I recognized the moment—it was the exact instant when my past self swore loyalty to the Empire and committed to protecting a country he never loved.
But something was different. I couldn't move. I couldn't control my body.
I was seeing everything from Matías's perspective—but I wasn't him. I was simply trapped inside his consciousness, an observer caught in his memory.
"Your training begins today," Aurorius said with unyielding authority. "You will have no time to rest. You'll sleep when ordered. And during your free time… you'll continue training."
My past self nodded while still kneeling. Then he placed a hand on his knee and slowly rose. His voice was steady, but I couldn't help feeling the weight behind each word:
"With your permission… before we begin, I'd like to ask for thirty minutes to speak with my family and inform them of my departure."
Aurorius looked to the Supreme Leader for approval. Reclining with indifference, he gave a small nod.
"Your request is granted," said Aurorius. "From this moment, your half hour begins. Once it's over, I'll be waiting for you in the military hall."
My former self nodded again and ran off without wasting a second. I watched him rush toward what had once been my home… a home that still held the emotional wreckage of a broken family. A family that had lost all innocence.
As he opened the door, he found himself face to face with a young girl. She looked about his age, maybe.They stared at each other for a long moment.
And just when the scene seemed like it was about to move forward…
Everything froze.
As if the reel of a film had stopped—or been damaged.
Matías and Elisabeth were frozen in place, their gazes locked, suspended in time, immortalized in a broken memory.
Then, a voice shattered the silence.
"Besides being a Lanpar… you're a reincarnated soul. You don't belong to this world. And not to this place either."
The voice was deep, foreign… and it came from right behind me. It made Matías's body move automatically, as if I had momentarily regained control of my former life.I turned toward the source of the voice. It was a shadow.
"Who are you supposed to be?" I asked firmly. "How do you know about my reincarnation? And what are you doing inside my memories?"
"Unfortunately… I had the misfortune of meeting you," the shadow replied coldly. "But since you're here at the request of someone who shares my blood, I'll try not to be hostile."
He paused for a moment. His tone wasn't threatening—but it wasn't friendly either.
"My name is Vastiar Iceheart."