Chapter 1 - Reincarnation
Little by little time is running out. It's something no one can stop, although sometimes we pretend we can.
But there comes a moment when one has to move forward, even when one feels like they're about to break inside.
Because, in the end, the only thing that decides if it's time to give up... is you.
August fourteenth, two thousand thirty.
Ten minutes before the summoning.
"Third Year C".
The sign, slightly crooked, hung above the classroom door.
The paint was a bit worn at the corners, as if it too were tired of watching generations come in and out without stopping too much to think about what they left behind.
Inside the classroom there was noise. Laughter. Murmurs. Chairs being dragged carelessly.
The constant sound of a stage that was about to end.
There were only a few weeks left until graduation. And also until most of them turned eighteen.
That magical age that everyone imagines as the border between "almost" and "now yes".
Freedom. Responsibility. Future. Huge words for kids who still laughed at silly things.
There were forty students in total: eighteen boys and twenty-two girls.
A small universe enclosed between four walls full of faded posters and poorly erased equations.
The atmosphere was a curious mix: the smell of used books, permanent marker, warm dust floating under the rays of the afternoon sun.
The light came in through the windows and bathed the classroom with a soft, almost nostalgic golden tone, as if the day knew something was about to change.
Some talked about universities.
Others about trips.
A couple argued about what they would do when they could finally enter any place without being asked for identification.
And in a corner of the classroom, away from the bustle, there was someone who seemed oblivious to everything.
Kael Doren.
His head rested on the desk. Arms crossed under his forehead.
Calm breathing. If someone looked at him without paying attention, they would think he was just another boy exhausted from classes.
And he was.
At first glance, Kael had nothing special. Not the most popular.
Not the most troublesome. Not the brightest. Just... he was there. Like one more piece of the puzzle.
Maybe that's why no one imagined that, of all of them, it would be him.
The bell rang.
A loud and vibrant sound that announced the end of the day's classes. Several chairs moved at the same time.
Backpacks closing in a hurry. Laughter that increased in volume.
—Wake up, Kael! —said a classmate as she approached his desk.
But just when her hand was about to touch him, the classroom floor began to glow.
At first it was something faint. As if someone had turned on a light under the tiles.
Then the glow grew, spreading in lines that formed strange figures.
Symbols.
Circles.
Patterns that none of them recognized.
The glow became more intense, covering the classroom with a white and vibrant light.
It wasn't normal light. It wasn't electric. It wasn't natural.
It was... something else.
The conversations stopped abruptly.
—What is that?
—Is it a prank?
—Is the floor shaking?
The air became heavy. Some stepped back. Others looked around searching for a teacher to explain what was happening.
Panic didn't arrive immediately. First it was confusion. Then discomfort. And finally fear.
The light rose from the floor, enveloping the students' bodies.
Their figures began to blur, as if they were being covered by shining dust.
Someone screamed.
Another tried to run toward the door, but his silhouette fragmented before taking three steps.
Everything happened in a matter of seconds.
In the blink of an eye, one after another, they disappeared.
As if they had never been there.
Kael woke up to the sound of something hitting the floor. Desks falling. Chairs crashing into each other.
He lifted his head, disoriented.
—What...?
His eyes took time to focus. But when they did, the world he knew was no longer there.
He saw how the last figures of his classmates were absorbed by the light.
How their bodies dissolved into shining particles before vanishing completely.
He didn't understand anything.
He couldn't understand anything.
He tried to stand up suddenly, but the classroom was empty. Silent. Too silent.
The white light faded.
And he was still there.
Alone.
His heart pounded hard in his chest. He looked around searching for someone. A sound. A sign.
Nothing.
—Hello...?
His own voice sounded foreign to him.
When he tried to stand up, a crushing pressure fell on his body.
As if the air had become solid. As if he were carrying the weight of two more bodies hanging from his back.
His knees trembled.
He fell back to the floor.
He clenched his teeth, trying to resist. Every muscle burned. Gravity seemed to have multiplied.
And then he saw it.
A second magic circle began to form beneath him.
This one wasn't white.
It was black.
Deep. Dark. Its symbols moved like living ink, snaking within the design. It didn't shine with purity, but with something else... denser.
More ancient.
Fear pierced him suddenly.
—Help! Help!
His voice came out broken, desperate. There was no one to hear him.
The dark circle glowed intensely.
And the world disappeared.
Kael felt himself falling, though there was no ground. He saw colors streak through his vision like impossible bursts to describe. His body stopped weighing anything. In fact, it stopped feeling like a body.
He floated.
When he slowly opened his eyes, there was no longer a classroom. No walls. No ceiling.
He was suspended in the middle of an infinite sky, surrounded by stars that burned like embers in the darkness.
There was no cold. There was no heat.
Just an unsettling stillness.
—So it has begun again...
The voice appeared without echo, but seemed to come from everywhere.
Kael turned on himself, though he wasn't sure he had direction.
In front of him materialized the figure of a man. Adult appearance, perhaps around thirty years old. Serene face, but with a weariness that didn't seem physical.
—Where am I? —Kael asked, trying to stay calm.
The man sighed.
—Calm down... it's always the same.
—The same what? Take me back! There were people with me!
—Yes. I know.
—Then what's happening?
The man looked at him in silence for a few seconds.
—You were chosen at random from your close circle. Your friends. Your acquaintances. Someone had to take that place.
Kael's stomach clenched.
—What place?
—The Demon King's.
There was an uncomfortable silence.
—You're joking, right?
—I wish.
Kael let out a nervous laugh.
—No. No, no. This is ridiculous. The Demon King is the villain. The giant monster that the hero defeats at the end.
—It depends on who tells the story —the man responded calmly.
Kael stared at him.
—Am I going to become something horrible?
—Not exactly. You'll keep your humanoid form. Just... some details. Horns. Black wings. Minor things.
—That doesn't sound "minor".
The man almost smiled.
—When you wake up, you'll have access to something called the "Demon King System". It will allow you to strengthen yourself. Evolve. Guide your own.
—Guide who?
—Your army. The demons.
Kael brought a hand to his forehead.
—This sounds like a cheap anime.
—You'd be surprised how repetitive destiny can be.
—And if I don't want to?
The man observed him with an expression that mixed compassion and resignation.
—It's not a question that changes the outcome.
The silence stretched between them again.
—Listen —the man added—. Not everything is what it seems. The title doesn't define your decisions. Demon King doesn't necessarily mean destruction. But the path... won't be easy.
The stars around began to intensify.
—And my friends?
—They have also been summoned.
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
—As heroes?
The man didn't respond immediately.
—The balance requires counterweights.
Before Kael could ask another question, a different voice resonated in his mind.
«Welcome to the world of heroes».
The words engraved themselves in his consciousness like a seal.
Fatigue invaded him suddenly. His eyelids began to close.
The man's figure faded among the starlight.
—Good luck —was the last thing he heard.
Darkness enveloped him gently.
And so, without fully understanding what he had lost nor what he was about to face, Kael fell into a deep sleep.
Arc 1 - Welcome to the world of heroes.