Darkness.Endless, suffocating, absolute.
Adrian felt weightless—no pain, no body, just a vast emptiness that swallowed him whole. He couldn't tell if he was falling or floating. Only one thought burned through the void:Why am I still conscious?
"Because your hatred refused to die."
The voice echoed all around him, smooth and deep, like velvet wrapping around his mind. It was the same one that had appeared before the end—before the black hole consumed him.
From the darkness emerged the pale silhouette again, the faceless being of white light. It smiled, not with kindness, but with curiosity—like a child admiring a dangerous toy.
"You've been denied, humiliated, forgotten… Yet you still looked at the light, hoping it would accept you. Tell me, Adrian—was it worth it?"
"…No."
The word left Adrian's mouth like venom. His voice trembled, but his eyes—though he had no body—felt sharper, colder than ever.
"Then embrace what remains," said the being, spreading its arms. "The world that rejected you will now serve as your crucible. Rise, not as a hero… but as something far greater."
A sigil flared beneath Adrian—a perfect circle etched in violet light. Inside it, symbols pulsed, ancient and alive. He couldn't understand them, but his soul recognized their weight.
[System Synchronization… 12%][Host: Adrian Veyrel][Temporal Regression Sequence – Initializing…]
"Regression…" Adrian whispered. "You said I could take back what was stolen from me."
"Not take back," the being corrected softly. "Rebuild it… in your own image."
Then the void shattered.
Morning Light
Adrian gasped. Air rushed into his lungs like fire. He coughed violently, the sensation of existence slamming into him all at once.His vision blurred—then cleared.
A ceiling.Wooden, cracked, familiar.
He sat up. The room was small, dimly lit by the morning sun peeking through the curtains. He knew this room. Every corner, every imperfection in the wallpaper.
"This… This can't be…"
His voice was higher, softer. His hands—tiny, trembling. His reflection in the mirror across the room confirmed the impossible:He was a child.
He touched his face, disbelief giving way to shock, then laughter. Broken, trembling laughter.
"I really… went back."
The floor creaked. His door opened slightly, and a gentle voice called:
"Adrian? Are you awake, dear?"
He froze. That voice.He hadn't heard it in decades.
"...Mother?"
The door opened wider, and there she was—Eléonore Veyrel, smiling softly despite the exhaustion etched in her face. Her brown hair, her faint perfume, the same calm tone that once kept him sane.
"You'll be late for class again, young man," she said warmly. "Come on, breakfast is ready."
He couldn't speak. His eyes burned, his throat tightened. He wanted to run to her, to hug her, to beg her never to leave—but he couldn't.Not now.
She wouldn't understand the madness behind his stare.
When she left, Adrian clenched his fists, trembling. The cold calm returned to his voice.
"…Not this time."
The Forgotten Child
The academy gates towered above him—The Order of the Silver Lance.The place where his humiliation had begun.
Even now, children in crisp uniforms walked past him, laughing, chatting about their Spirit Affinities. Every one of them looked brighter than the last.
He remembered this day—the first aptitude test.The day he was branded worthless.
The instructors' words echoed in his mind like ghosts:
"No resonance detected.""He's a failure.""Not even a D-rank… FFF. Pathetic."
But this time, Adrian didn't lower his gaze.He walked to the testing crystal with an expression void of fear.
The teacher in charge—a man named Professor Duclair—recognized him and sighed."Veyrel again, huh? Don't waste our time, boy."
Adrian smiled faintly. "Don't worry, sir. This time… I won't disappoint."
He placed his hand on the crystal.
Silence.
The crystal pulsed once, then flickered weakly. Duclair smirked. "Still nothing. I told you—"
Before he could finish, the light deepened. A faint violet glow emerged—not bright, but heavy, oppressive. The air turned cold.
The teacher stumbled back. "What—what is this?"
The other students whispered nervously. No one had seen a resonance like that before. The color of corruption, of taboo magic.
[System Notification: Unknown Affinity Detected.][Synchronization Level: 2%]
Adrian withdrew his hand, hiding his smirk.He didn't fully understand what had happened—but it was proof that something inside him had changed.
And deep in his mind, a familiar voice whispered:
"You see now, Adrian? Even rejection has power."
Nightfall
Back home, Adrian stood by the window, watching the city lights flicker under the rain. His mother had fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from work.
He whispered softly, "You deserve better, Mother… And I'll make sure you get it."
The system interface shimmered faintly before him again, visible only to his eyes.He could feel something dormant—power, waiting to be understood.
[New Path Unlocked: ???][Requirement: Emotional Catalyst – Rage, Despair, or Sacrifice]
Adrian stared at the message and let out a quiet laugh."I see… so even the system feeds on suffering."
He looked at his reflection in the window—his young face, hiding eyes far older than his years.
"Then I'll give it what it wants."
Thunder rolled outside. And with that sound, Adrian Veyrel—the man who once begged to be a hero—made his silent vow.
"This world doesn't need heroes. It needs judgment."