Kael woke to darkness. But it wasn't the darkness of death—the cold emptiness that had consumed him when the temple blade pierced his chest. No, this was different. A pulse of warmth throbbed in his chest, and his senses screamed in a way they never had before.
The temple, the fire, the chants—all of it flashed in his mind. And then… he was somewhere else.
The grand hall of his family's estate. Years ago. The night his life began to unravel.
Kael's chest heaved. His eyes darted around, taking in the familiar tapestries, the smell of burning candles, the laughter of nobles celebrating… all of it untouched by time. And then it hit him—the truth he had been too weak to believe before.
He was alive. Again.
But not just alive.
A voice thundered inside his skull, low and mechanical, yet somehow alive:
[Forbidden Immortal System Activated]
Host has been chosen as the Cursed Heir of Eternity.
Warning: Your existence defies fate itself. The world will try to erase you.
Kael staggered backward, gripping the edge of a table for balance. His heart pounded. His breathing was erratic. The air itself seemed charged, buzzing with a strange energy that hummed along his veins.
"Cursed Heir…?" he whispered. "What… what power?"
Before he could think further, the world shifted again. Floating before his eyes, glowing with a cold silver light, was a panel of symbols and bars, each pulsing like a heartbeat. The system interface—he could see it, feel it, almost taste it.
[Host Status: Weak]
[Potential: Latent, Untapped]
[Abilities: None]
A single command blinked on the panel:
[Absorb Potential: Scan nearby life forces?]
Kael's instincts screamed. Hunger. Not for food, not for survival—something deeper, darker. Something primal.
He didn't hesitate.
Across the hall, his older brother, Darian, swung his sword, practicing with perfect form. The arrogance, the ease, the smugness—it was unbearable. Kael focused.
A thread of energy stretched from Darian to Kael, shimmering in the dim candlelight. Kael felt it tug at his chest, a tremor of raw strength. He extended his hand.
It was as though the world itself slowed. Darian's movements faltered. His muscles twitched. Kael's mind pulsed with the sensation of power flowing into him—every ounce of skill, every drop of strength, every memory of Darian's confident arrogance now fueling him.
He staggered back, gasping. His body felt heavier, sharper, faster, stronger.
Darian's eyes went wide. "Kael… what… what—how?"
Kael turned, feeling the thrill of dominance he had never known. For the first time in his life, he was not weak. Not insignificant. Not disposable.
But the system's voice whispered again, cold and warning:
[Warning: The more you consume, the closer the curse awakens.]
Kael's lips curved into a smile—not childish, not timid, but terrifying in its certainty. The humiliation of years, the betrayals, the endless mockery—it all burned inside him now.
"This… this changes everything," he whispered.
Hours passed. Kael experimented. He absorbed the strength of guards, servants, even a stray horse in the stables. Each act made him faster, stronger, sharper—but also… hungry. A strange hunger gnawed at his chest, like the pulse of a living thing embedded in his soul.
By midnight, Kael stood on the balcony, looking over the estate. The wind whipped through his hair, but he hardly felt it. All he felt was the potential coursing through him—the power to bend reality, to make those who had tormented him kneel.
He remembered the temple blade, the chants, the mockery. His family. The empire. Every name burned in his mind like a torch.
"This… I will repay it all," he murmured. "Every insult. Every betrayal. Every death. And they will learn… they will all learn what it means to cross Kael Valeris."
A pulse of light flared across his chest—the system reacting.
[Host Progress: 1% → 2%]
[Warning: Your existence begins to defy fate. The world will resist.]
Kael clenched his fists. The taste of power was intoxicating. And yet… the system's words left a shadow in his mind. Chosen not to save the world… but to end it.
He looked out into the night sky, crimson clouds reflecting the fires of distant cities. Somewhere, in the world that had deemed him weak and useless, enemies slept. And Kael smiled.
They will wake to a storm they cannot survive.
For the first time in his life, Kael felt… unstoppable.