Reborn In Ruins

That day was meant to be the happiest day of Jake Arvane’s life.

The sky over Elmare City was flawless,clear and bright, untouched by clouds. Church bells rang softly in the distance. Inside his father’s small bookstore, white flowers filled every corner, gifts from loyal customers who had known Jake all his life as a polite, gentle young man.

Jake stood before the mirror in his bedroom, wearing a simple black suit. His brown hair was neatly combed, his posture stiff with nervous anticipation. Beneath the calm reflection in his eyes, hope stirred—fragile, trembling, but real.

“You look handsome, darling,” his mother said as she adjusted his collar. Her hands shook slightly. “Just like your father when he was young.”

Jake smiled faintly. “I hope Clara thinks the same, Mom. I’d rather not be laughed at on our engagement day.”

She laughed softly, wiping the corner of her eye. “Oh Come on. That girl has loved you for years. Don’t be foolish.”

Clara would arrive in one hour.

The sweet girl with golden-brown hair who often sat quietly in the corner of the bookstore, reading worn novels while waiting for Jake to close the register. Today, she would become his fiancée.

No one could have imagined how brutally that happiness would be destroyed.

BANG!

Not a knock.

A violent crash of metal against wood.

“Jake Arvane!”

“By order of the State, you are under arrest for treason!”

The voice was cold, authoritative—absolute.

The front door exploded inward. Soldiers in black uniforms poured into the house like a flood. Jake’s father was struck down when he tried to stand in their way. His mother screamed.

Jake froze.

Treason?

The word didn’t make sense.

“You’ve made a mistake...!”

The punch landed before he could finish.

Pain exploded across his face. The world spun violently. Blood filled his mouth with a bitter metallic taste. Cold iron cuffs snapped around his wrists.

Jake was dragged out of his home. Past neighbors, customers, strangers people who had only ever known him as the bookstore owner’s son.

Clara arrived just as they were about to shove him into the armored transport.

“Jake!”

Her scream tore through the chaos.

“Let him go! He’s innocent! He’s my fiancé!”

She tried to push past the soldiers.

A single strike sent her small body crashing to the ground.

“Bastards—!”

Rage erupted in Jake’s chest, but strong hands restrained him. The transport door slammed shut with a deafening clang, cutting off his final sight of Clara—on her knees, crying, her world collapsing.

I’ll come back, Clara.

I swear.

Time ceased to exist.

Interrogation followed interrogation.

The same questions.

The same denials.

The same fists.

“Who gave you the classified information?”

“I don’t know.”

Pain.

“Sign the confession.”

“I’m innocent.”

More pain.

Bones screamed. Muscles tore. Blood soaked the floor.

Jake was just a bookseller’s son. His world had been shelves and ink, stories and dreams. All he ever wanted was to marry Clara, protect his parents, and inherit the small bookstore one day.

But truth never mattered.

When his body could no longer stand, they dragged him beyond the city, to forbidden land shrouded in mist, a place that reeked of death.

That was where he saw him.

Richard Gregorry.

His childhood friend.

The orphan who once hid in the bookstore to read comics.

The man who had always stood beside him.

Richard stood tall, dressed in an immaculate suit. His eyes were empty.

“Richard…?” Hope surged despite everything.

“You know I didn’t...”

“Throw him into the Wild Zone,” Richard said calmly.

“Let nature deal with him.”

The words crushed Jake’s soul.

“Why…?” he whispered.

Richard turned away.

No anger.

No hesitation.

Only decision.

Jake was thrown over the iron fence.

His body tumbled down the steep slope, rocks tearing into his flesh, until he slammed into the valley floor.

Mist swallowed the land.

Red eyes appeared in the fog.

Wolves.

The first struck before he could move, fangs piercing his shoulder. Another ripped into his thigh. The pain was overwhelming, drowning out thought.

Blood soaked into the frozen earth.

His vision darkened.

No… not like this.

Just as his breathing failed,

Just as his heart faltered,

A blinding white light erupted from his chest.

Something ancient awakened.

⟦ Host Synchronization… Complete ⟧

⟦ The Eternal Sovereign System Activated ⟧

Time slowed.

A wolf lunged for his throat.

The world sharpened.

⟦ EMERGENCY QUEST ⟧

⟦ Objective: Survive ⟧

⟦ Condition: Kill 3 Shadow Wolves ⟧

⟦ Failure Penalty: Permanent Death ⟧

A foreign instinct surged through his veins.

⟦ Beginner Attribute Points Available ⟧

⟦ Allocate +5 Strength? ⟧

Confirm.

His muscles expanded violently.

When the wolf attacked, Jake didn’t retreat.

He caught its jaws with his bare hands—and twisted.

CRACK

Blood sprayed.

The corpse flew aside.

The remaining wolves hesitated.

Jake stood, breathing heavily. His wounds remained, but weakness was gone—replaced by burning power.

They attacked.

They died.

⟦ Shadow Wolf Slain ⟧

⟦ Experience Gained ⟧

Silence fell.

⟦ Level Up ⟧

⟦ Critical Injuries Restored ⟧

Jake stood at the bottom of Wailing Valley—a death zone feared even by elite soldiers.

Above him stood Richard.

Watching.

Confirming.

“You were never meant to have that fortune,” Richard said calmly.

“With your death, everything becomes mine.”

He turned away.

Left.

Jake stared at his bloodstained hands.

“They called me a traitor…”

His gaze hardened.

“Then I’ll become their nightmare.”

He looked up at the cliff.

“Richard… .”

“I will crawl out of hell...”

“And I will come for you.”

The mist of Wailing Valley churned.