Some people are born to live quietly.
Others are born to remind the world how fragile it truly is.
When Arjun Vale opened his eyes that morning, he did not know which kind he was. All he saw was the cracked ceiling of his small rented room, the faint hum of traffic outside, and the dull ache in his chest that had become familiar over the years. He lay there for several seconds, staring blankly, before reaching out to silence the alarm beside his bed.
The room was simple—almost empty. A narrow bed, a wooden table, a chair with a loose leg, and a single quote taped to the wall:
Hard work defeats destiny.
Arjun stared at it longer than usual.
"Does destiny even exist?" he muttered.
He had asked himself that question many times before, usually on days when life felt heavier than normal. Today was one of those days.
The streets were already busy when Arjun stepped outside. Vendors were setting up stalls, students rushed past with half-buttoned shirts, and the familiar smell of roadside tea drifted through the air. He stopped at the same stall he always did.
"Morning, beta," the old vendor greeted him with a smile. "You'll do something big one day. I can feel it."
Arjun smiled back politely, though he didn't believe the words. People had been saying things like that to him for years. Nothing ever changed.
Or so he thought.
The hospital corridor was unusually quiet.
Arjun had come to deliver some documents for a friend, but his steps slowed when he noticed a woman in a white coat moving briskly down the hallway. Her expression was calm, focused, yet exhaustion lingered beneath her eyes.
Iris Nolan.
Doctor.
He didn't know her name yet—but something inside him stirred when he saw her. It wasn't attraction. It wasn't curiosity.
It was recognition.
Their eyes met for just a second.
That single second felt heavier than it should have.
Iris looked away first, already moving toward her next patient. Arjun stood there longer than necessary, his heart beating slightly faster for reasons he couldn't explain.
Why do I feel like I've met her before? he wondered.
He shook his head and dismissed the thought.
That night, restlessness refused to leave him alone.
Arjun found himself walking down an empty road, the streetlights flickering weakly above. The air felt strange—thicker, heavier—as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Then he heard it.
A whisper.
Here.
He stopped.
Before he could react, a horn blared loudly. Headlights flooded his vision. Time slowed to a crawl as he turned instinctively toward the sound.
The impact came an instant later.
Pain exploded through his body as he was thrown into the air. The ground rushed up to meet him, and then—darkness swallowed everything.
Between life and death, Arjun found himself somewhere else.
There was no ground beneath his feet. No sky above his head. Only endless silence.
Then memories that were not his—yet somehow were—began to surface.
Battles that shook worlds.
Blades drenched in blood.
A throne standing atop countless fallen figures.
Twelve distant voices echoed in unison, calling the same title.
Sovereign.
A shadow formed before him, tall and indistinct.
"You are dying weak once again," it said calmly.
Arjun tried to move, but he couldn't. "Who are you?"
"The last remnant of who you once were."
The shadow extended a hand.
"You may end here," it continued. "Or you may remember."
In that moment, another image appeared in Arjun's mind—clear and warm.
Iris.
Standing in an operating room, her voice steady and unwavering.
He's not dying. Not today.
Arjun clenched his fists.
"I won't die powerless again," he said.
The shadow smiled.
Sirens pierced the air.
Doctors shouted.
A monitor flatlined.
Then—one beat.
Another.
Life surged back into his body.
Arjun opened his eyes to the sterile white light of a hospital room. Machines beeped steadily beside him. His body felt heavy, but alive.
Beside the bed, a woman slept in a chair—head tilted slightly forward, arms crossed tightly.
It was Iris.
Somewhere far beyond that room, unseen and unheard, a voice spoke.
"The Sovereign signature has been confirmed."
The lights flickered once.
A faint reflection appeared in the window, smiling.
"Welcome back," it whispered.
"Eternal Sovereign."
Arjun's fingers curled slowly.
This time, he would not walk blindly into death.