"Listen well, Amara."
The god's voice slithered into the quiet, too calm to be comforting, too cold to ignore.
"You are to infiltrate the prestigious Serevain Academy ,an institution of talent, bloodline, and corruption. The heart of their so-called Chosen One.His tone curled with disgust on the last phrase.
"There's a seal. An old one. Buried beneath the academy in its forbidden sanctum. The boy:their precious hero ,is its key. Your task is to kill him, unravel the seal, and shatter the balance they've clung to for centuries."
She drifted in the void, disembodied, her soul flickering in pieces.
"You will not remember everything at once. The system will carry my voice. I'll be watching, but you walk the path."
"And since you're mine now…"
His voice dipped into mockery, as if savoring what came next.
"You may call me Nareon. God of Withering. The one who collects what the world abandons, what it leaves broken and I make them my weapons , you my dear might just be the thing I need "
A pause.
"They broke you, didn't they ?"
She said nothing. Didn't need to.
"Good. Sorrow becomes you."
***
When she opened her eyes, she was cold. Again. But not from pain or death ,just… poverty. The ceiling above her was cracked, water-stained. A bulb flickered weakly in the corner. One small room. A mattress. A broken fan. No luxury. No warmth.
She sat up slowly. The creaking bed frame moaned beneath her. Her chest rose and fell steady, alive.
Alive.
The same city hummed faintly outside the window. Somewhere far, somewhere forgettable.
Her limbs were intact. Her skin unmarred. Her throat wasn't sore. No blood. No chains. Just… her. Breathing.
But not as Amara Wren.
That name had been buried in the void. Burned. She was someone else now.
The system buzzed softly.
[ALIAS GENERATED: Selene Virell — Identity Protocol Confirmed]
She looked toward the cracked mirror.
And stared.
Selene.
It suited her. Cold. Distant. Beautiful in a haunting way.
Her skin was pale, almost too pale ,as if light had abandoned her, leaving behind a marble ghost. Her face was sharp-boned, lips full but chapped, eyes so dark they looked near-black, with a strange halo of red around the irises when light hit them. Eyes that didn't blink unless they had to.
Her hair was long, thick, and pitch-black, trailing down her back in tangled waves that looked wild no matter how they were styled. Streaks of blood-red tipped the ends, unnatural and jarring ,like a warning.
Her lashes were long and dark, casting shadows over cheekbones so high they could cut. A slender nose. Hollowed cheeks. A permanent downward tilt to her mouth, like smiling had been surgically removed from her.
She looked... haunting. A painting smudged in grief. Beautiful, but wrong.
Even her posture had changed ;rigid, almost unnaturally still. Like a doll. Or a weapon.
She didn't recognize the girl in the mirror.
She didn't need to.
That girl was Selene now.
Beside the mattress, a small box sat unopened. A worn envelope laid on top of it.
Her fingers hesitated before tearing the seal.
Serevain Academy
"We are pleased to inform you that due to your consistent academic effort, and the unique circumstances surrounding your previous guardianship case, you have been granted a full scholarship to Serevain Academy. Boarding arrangements and uniforms have been provided. Term begins in three days."
Her eyes burned.
Pity. They gave her pity.
Not because she was exceptional.
But because they saw a broken girl with no home and wanted to feel good about saving her.
She threw the letter to the side and opened the box. Inside: a pressed uniform, black and deep violet with the school crest embroidered in silver. A small card key. Basic toiletries. Standard-issue.
She folded the uniform.
A soft ding echoed in her head.
[SYSTEM ONLINE: Host integrity 100%]
[Status Window — Opened.]
A glowing screen appeared before her eyes.
Name: Selene Virell
Age: 18
Affiliation: Unknown
Title: None
System Class: Villain-Designate
Element Affinity: Shadow (suppressed)
Locked skills : Void
Soul Alignment: Broken/Bound
Mission: Infiltrate Serevain Academy. Observe and eliminate the Chosen One. Break the seal. Restore the God of Withering.
Stats:
Strength: 6
Speed: 5
Intelligence: 10
Charm: 3
Willpower: 18
Luck: 1
[Emotion Suppression: 70% Active]
[Skill Tree Locked Until Initiation Phase Complete]
"You look surprised. What did you expect, glitter and golden light? This is rebirth, not redemption."
Selene didn't answer.
She had no parents. No brother. No identity. No love.She had a god with a task.And a world to hurt.
"Let's begin."