Rebirth of the Shadow Warrior

6 - Rebirth

Thaddeus felt his soul being brought back to life as breath forced itself into him like he had been drowning and suddenly pulled to the surface.

“ Hh!” He coughed violently.

His eyes suddenly snapped open as he gasped for air, his chest heaving violently.

His memories slowly returned.

He remembered the betrayal along with the unforgettable face of hisss disciple Thorin driving a divine blade through his heart.

Then he called meeting the guardian and talking to a voice, fighting to death then lastly, the small bear resting by his side as he fell into unconsciousness.

But one question still puzzled him.

Since he died, why was he still alive?

Was this the rebirth the voice was talking about?

He scanned the filthy room around him. It smelt like rotting wood, had a leaking roof, and a straw bed soaked in blood.

Thaddeus tried to rise but collapsed instantly. He noticed his body felt unbearably weak.

He coughed again but the sound came out thin and frail. Panic rose instantly as he snapped into reality.

“What…?” His voice also came out wrong.

It was high and childlike.

Thaddeus froze in shock and lifted his hands.

To his amazement, he had skinny fingers.

It looked more like a child’s hands.

His arms were also bruised, and covered in cuts.

A feeling of unease gripped Thaddeus instantly and his breathing became ragged.

"This is not my body.” he thought in horror.

Before Thaddeus could think further, a translucent screen appeared inside his vision.

[Shadow flame System Activated]

[Current Authority Level: 0]

[Host Status: Extremely Weak]

[REBIRTH SUCCESSFUL]

Thaddeus almost laughed bitterly.

" So it was real..."

At that moment, the memories came, not his but of the W5 he occupied.

The boy's name was Rael.

A sixteen year old and servant of the Darkthorn Clan and a bastard child born from a maid who died years ago.

Thaddeus pressed both hands against his temples as the violent surge of memories ripped through his mind.

He staggered off the straw bed and crashed onto his knees, tearing a scream from his throat as the images began to flash endlessly.

He saw a young Rael curled in a corner while servants mocked him.

His mother was a low-ranking maid who died from a strange illness when he was seven and his father?

Unknown...

He saw the clan mocked him for it and he was treated as a worthless servant rat.

Thaddeus held his head as the memories kept coming.

He saw Rael scrubbing floors until his fingers bled and getting whipped for moving too slowly.

Saw Rael being kicked down stairs for speaking out of turn.

Saw him starved for days because higher servants stole his food.

Thaddeus’s breathing turned ragged as emotions that weren’t his, flooded through him and his body began to tremble from the revelations.

He felt the fear, the shame and helplessness Rael had lived in the sixteen years of his life then came the cruelest memory of all.

Today.

Young master Lucien Darkthorn had hosted guests from another clan and Rael was ordered to serve wine.

Rael's hands had slipped when Lucien deliberately shoved him. To his surprise, Lucien smiled cruelly and accused Rael of ruining his dignity before his honored guests.

Guards instantly rushed in and the beatings began.

Thaddeus screamed in pain as the emotions from the scene flooded his brain all at once.

He saw as boots crushing Rael's ribs.

Saw another servant smashed a wine bottle across Rael’s head.

Saw Rael crying as warm blood poured down his face.

"Know your place, bastard!" One of the nobles had shouted while the others kept laughing like it was some amusement.

Lucien rubbed his chin with one hand, watching in satisfaction as Rael writhed across the floor like a dying animaFl.

The guards kept beating him long after he stopped moving.

Then they dumped his body in this shack to die. The memories ended as Rael took his last breath.

Thaddeus remained frozen on the floor, trembling as blood dripped from his nose.

This frail boy had endured more humiliation in sixteen years than most warriors could survive in one day.

Slowly, Thaddeus lifted his head and a dry laugh escaped his lips, turning into a cough as the realization hit him.

“So,” he murmured, staring at the trembling hands before him, “ This is what remains of the Shadow warrior”

"In a body so weak and clan so insignificant he had never even heard of them? "

He thought as he looked around the shack.

“How insulting.”His voice was hoarse, reminding him how vulnerable he was.

Just then, the system awakened again.

[SOUL RELOCATION COMPLETE]

Thaddeus breathed loudly as though he had expected it.

[CURRENT STATUS]

[AGE: 16 YEARS]

[BODY CONDITION: FRAIL]

[MEMORY INTEGRITY: 82% RESTORED]

Thaddeus’s hands curled slowly into fists.

" Pathetic."

Then the next line appeared.

[RESTRICTION NOTICE]

[HOST IS CURRENTLY WEAK]

[ACCESS TO FULL SYSTEM FUNCTIONS LOCKED]

Thaddeus narrowed his eyes.

Locked?

Of course.

He was a defenceless child now.

But the system wasn’t finished as another line appeared.

[SYSTEM GROWTH CONDITION: PAIN]

He blinked.

“…Pain?”

The words read out.

[STRENGTH INCREASES WHEN HOST EXPERIENCES:]

[Betrayal...Physical suffering... Emotional trauma... Mission completion... Near-death events.]

Thaddeus stared at the words then slowly laughed.

Even in his new world, he was still going to suffer.

He felt immense pressure on his body as the panel went off.

So he was trapped in a child’s body.

A body not even strong enough to hold the system

A prison disguised as a second life.

Thaddeus stared at his hands, breathing heavily, letting a strong resolution course through his mind.

He has had enough of the deaths.

“This time…” he whispered to him, determined, “I’m not dying again.”

Slowly, he tried to stand.

His legs trembled violently and he nearly collapsed.

“Disgraceful.”

Instantly, the panel reappeared as he forced himself up again.

[Host Physical Stability:37%]

[Muscle Integrity: Severely Degraded]

[Warning: Basic Movement May Cause Collapse]

[Advisory: Rest is needed]

Thaddeus exhaled slowly as he grabbed the wall for support and forced himself upright, ignoring the system.

Every bone in the body screamed in protest but he ignored it.

If the heavens thought this was punishment, then they had made a catastrophic mistake.

He thought, laughing to himself.

Just then, the door burst open and a fat servant stormed in carrying a bucket.

His face twisted in disgust as he saw Thaddeus.

“There you are, trash...” he spat and kicked Thaddeus in the stomach.

In his previous life, men far stronger than this servant would not have dared touch him.

But now, things were different as the kick sent him crashing into the wall.

He coughed as blood spilled from his lips and the servant sneered.

“You think you can rest after offending Young Master Lucien?” He said before dumping freezing water over Thaddeus ’s head.

“ I'm not letting you off this time. You’re cleaning the horse stables tonight.”

Thaddeus slowly wiped blood from his mouth as he crawled his way up.

The servant frowned as he noticed something was wrong.

Rael usually cried, begged or shook in fear but the boy staring at him now was different.

The servant forced a laugh.

“What are you staring at?”

Thaddeus glared at the servant. He recognized him from Rael's memory.

He was one of the older servants and one who took great delight in bullying Rael.

For that, Thaddeus was determined to make him pay.

Before, the man could know what was happening, Thaddeus moved fast, far faster than this broken body should have allowed.

He grabbed the servant’s wrist and the man gasped. Thaddeus tightened his grip but to his surprise, nothing happened.

The servant screamed in horror.

"What—what are you doing?!”

Thaddeus tried again, harder but his body lacked the necessary strength to do any damage.

He nearly went crazy.

If it was in his previous life, the man would have lost consciousness immediately.

Unable to tolerate him any further, the man slapped him hard across the cheek, sending Thaddeus to the floor.

Thaddeus angrily glared at him from the ground and voiced out " In my previous life… I fed louder men than you to the crows. Just consider yourself lucky! ”

The servant trembled slightly, surprised at the boy's confidence.

This wasn't the boy he knew.

“What nonsense are you saying?! ” the man kicked him again and Thaddeus twisted in pain.

Other older servants nearby also came to join after hearing the commotion.

Before he could process a thought, they kicked him repeatedly until he couldn't help but cry out.

The pain was so immense that he instantly collapsed, falling into total darkness.