"Creatures bound by time, welcome to the Age of Sovereigns."
"Historical vessel detected."
"Initializing Transmigration Protocol."
The voice echoed calmly beside his ear.
Not loud.
Not urgent.
Absolute.
At the moment the voice sounded, Blendi felt a sharp pull in his chest, as if something had seized his soul and dragged it through layers of history.
When his vision stabilized, he found himself standing inside a vast, colorless hall.
No walls.
No ceiling.
No horizon.
Only white.
Pure white.
Moments earlier, he had been alive in the modern world. Screens. Numbers. Maps. Strategy games. History books.
Now all of it felt distant.
Unreal.
Then a translucent interface unfolded in front of him.
[Name: Unknown]
[Historical Vessel: Compatible]
[Era: 15th Century Balkans]
[Status: Awaiting Synchronization]
[Click "Begin" to choose your historical background]
Blendi stared at the floating panel.
This was not a hallucination.
The clarity was too sharp. The presence too heavy.
"This is not a game…" he muttered.
Before the thought could finish, a new notification appeared.
[Detected Temporal Authority Interference]
[Country System compatible]
[Loading Sovereign Module]
[Loading Strategy Interface]
A golden shimmer flashed across the white space.
Blendi's breath slowed.
Country System.
That phrase alone told him everything.
Nations. Power. War. Economy. Survival.
History was no longer fixed.
It was playable.
Historical Vessel Confirmed
The interface updated.
[Historical Identity Detected]
[Name: Gjergj Kastrioti]
[Title: Skanderbeg]
[Race: Human]
[Era: Medieval]
[Initial Attributes]
Strength: 8
Agility: 7
Intelligence: 8
Charisma: 9
Leadership: 10
[Remaining Attribute Points: 5]
[Country Authority: Locked]
[Detailed Attributes: Click to Expand]
Blendi's heart skipped.
Skanderbeg.
The man who defied an empire.
The symbol Albania built legends upon.
"So this is how it begins…" he whispered.
A faint golden line of text appeared beneath the panel.
(This is a fixed historical vessel. You cannot change your name. But you can change the fate.)
Strategy Hint Appears
Blendi narrowed his eyes.
"So you will guide me."
The system did not answer.
Instead, the "Begin" button pulsed softly.
He reached out and pressed it.
The white space shattered like glass.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Background Selection Begins
Light returned.
This time, the interface expanded into multiple panels.
[Choose Your Origin Path]
(This choice determines your long term national development.)
Option One
Heir of a Noble House
(Charisma +2, Leadership +1, Diplomacy +1, Command +1, Reputation +150, Initial Gold +200)
Option Two
Hostage Raised by the Ottomans
(Intelligence +2, Discipline +2, Tactical Insight +1, Weapon Mastery +1, Hidden Resistance Trait, Reputation -50)
Option Three
Mountain Warrior Born Among Clans
(Strength +2, Agility +2, Guerrilla Warfare +2, Survival +1, Morale Bonus in Mountains, Reputation +50)
Option Four
Scholar of War and Statecraft
(Intelligence +3, Engineering +1, Logistics +1, Administration +1, Slower Early Growth)
A golden annotation appeared beside the panel.
(Recommended choices for Albania survival: 2 or 3)
Blendi's eyes sharpened.
He understood instantly.
History recorded Skanderbeg as a hostage turned rebel.
But this time, survival was not enough.
He needed dominance.
He selected Option Two.
[Background Confirmed]
Hostage Raised by the Ottomans
Hidden Trait Unlocked:
Iron Will
Adaptive Learning
Enemy Doctrine Familiarity
Country Authority Progress: 12 percent
Blendi exhaled slowly.
"Good."
Second Background Choice
The interface shifted again.
[Choose Your Formative Training]
(This choice affects military and governance paths.)
Royal Guard Trainee
(Strength +1, Weapon Mastery +1, Command +1, Elite Unit Unlock Path)
Court Strategist Apprentice
(Intelligence +2, Diplomacy +1, Long Term Growth Bonus)
Shadow Operative
(Agility +2, Espionage +2, Assassination Resistance)
Golden text appeared once more.
(Royal Guard synergizes best with early warfare and elite units)
No hesitation.
Royal Guard Trainee.
[Training Confirmed]
Elite Unit Path: Unlocked
Command Efficiency Increased
Country Authority Progress: 22 percent
The world trembled slightly.
Blendi felt it.
Not power.
Potential.
Final Initialization
The interface condensed into a single window.
[Country System Initializing]
Nation: Albania
Status: Fragmented Resistance
Population: 480,000
Standing Army: 8,300
Elite Units: 600
Food Stability: Low
Gold Reserves: Low
Unity: High
Projected Survival: 12 percent
Hidden Line Appeared.
(Current projection based on historical data. Projection will update based on decisions.)
Blendi smiled.
History only mattered when no one interfered.
"I will not let Albania fade," he said calmly.
The system responded.
[First National Policy Available]
[Unified Defense Doctrine]
Do you wish to activate it now?
He pressed confirm.
[Policy Activated]
Villages linked into defense regions
Shared granaries enabled
Mobilization speed increased
Desertion rate reduced
Outside the system space, bells rang.
Across Albania, men felt it without knowing why.
Something had changed.
Blendi straightened his posture.
This was not a story of a hero.
This was the birth of a state.
And this time, Albania would not be remembered as a legend.
It would be remembered as the beginning of an empire.