The first thing Kai Ren felt was pain, raw, burning, tearing-through-his-bones pain. It shot through his chest like a blade made of light. He gasped, fingers clawing at the dirt beneath him, but even that simple movement felt unfamiliar, as if his body didn’t belong to him. Cold wind swept across his face, carrying the scent of pine, wet soil, and smoke. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. His eyes flew open.Dark forest canopy above. Moonlight bleeding through broken leaves. And his heart pounding like it wanted to escape his ribs.“Where… am I?” Kai whispered, but the voice wasn’t his. It was younger, softer, weaker.He froze.This wasn’t his voice.This wasn’t his body.Memories flooded back all at once, flashes of golden castles, divine armies kneeling, the roar of celestial beasts, and the glow of a sun forged from pure mana. He remembered raising his sword against an army of corrupted gods. He remembered the thunderous sound of betrayal. He remembered falling from the sky

The morning mist wrapped the village in a pale silver veil. Kai walked toward the trial grounds with Lira beside him, her steps light but her expression unreadable. The other village youths whispered as he passed.“He’s the weakest one here. Why bother showing up?”“He’ll faint before the test even begins.”Kai ignored them. Their words meant nothing. What mattered was the pulsing heat under his skin , the Heavenbreaker Curse stirring again.System… don’t start acting up now, he silently prayed.The trial grounds came into view: a wide, circular stone arena carved into the hillside. Elder Han stood in the center, holding a staff etched with glowing symbols. Ten crystal pillars surrounded the arena, each humming faintly with power.“All participants, step forward,” Elder Han called.Kai inhaled sharply. This was it , the mana awakening test. Every person received a reading of their elemental affinity and potential. A normal boy like Kai should have ranked “Ordinary” or “Faint.” That w

Kai jolted awake.His lungs seized, then dragged in a ragged breath. He lay on cold stone, the chill biting into his back. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive. His vision swam in and out of focus, shapes twisting like smoke.Then the ringing in his ears faded.He pushed himself up slowly.The world around him wasn’t the arena.It wasn’t the village.He was in… ruins.Massive white stones lay shattered across a floor carved with glowing runes. Broken pillars stretched upward like the bones of a dead giant. A soft, pale light illuminated the space, but Kai couldn’t see the source.The place felt ancient. Sacred. And wrong.Kai’s pulse hammered. “Where… am I?”The system answered, voice quieter than usual.“Dimensional drift detected. You are inside a remnant space connected to your sealed memories.”A memory chamber? A soul-echo?Kai stood, wobbling slightly. His entire body felt sore, but the burning pain from earlier had faded.“What happened to the village?”“Unkno

The ground trembled like a living beast awakening beneath the medical hut. Dust shook from the ceiling as the armored assassin stepped fully into the room, his heavy boots crushing the wooden floorboards as if they were brittle ice. His helmet, shaped like a horned celestial beast, gleamed with cold, emotionless light. Blue-white fire pulsed from the slits of his eyes.Kai struggled against the glowing chains that held his arms down. The runes tightened, igniting with sharp pain. They were designed to suppress magic entirely, especially dangerous magic like his.Lira stepped directly in front of him, her entire body trembling, silver eyes burning with fear and determination. “You won’t touch him,” she whispered, voice shaking.The assassin didn’t even look at her. “Civilian. Move.”Raven moved first.Dark flames erupted from his feet as he launched forward in a flash, blade slicing a curved arc of shadow toward the intruder.“Get away from him!” Raven roared.The assassin raised a sin