Chapter 2 Chapter 2
Kael sat motionless on the edge of the straw bed while moonlight streamed through the cracks in the wooden walls, his heart still hammering against his ribs as though he had just escaped death.
Because he had.
Only moments ago, he had been kneeling in a pool of his own blood beneath the Crimson Citadel while the people he trusted most watched him die.
Now he was here.
The hut smelled of damp wood, dust, and old smoke. The roof sagged slightly in the center, the furniture consisted of little more than a broken table and a stool missing one leg, and cold air slipped through every crack in the walls.
Kael knew this place because he had once hated it. This had been his home.
The tiny hut where he spent his childhood wondering when his next meal would come, where winters felt endless and hunger never truly left, where he dreamed of becoming strong enough to escape.
Slowly, he rose to his feet.
His legs felt different. Lighter, stronger and younger.
A rusted basin sat near the corner of the room. Kael walked toward it and stared at his reflection in the dark water.
A young face stared back at him from the dark water, framed by black hair and sharp features, with clear eyes untouched by age and skin free from the scars, wrinkles, and countless marks that decades of warfare had carved into his body.
For several long seconds, he simply stared then a rough laugh escaped his throat.
It sounded almost broken.
Thirty-five years had vanished overnight, and as his hand rose toward his face before stopping midway, Kael struggled to comprehend the impossible because this wasn’t an illusion or a dream; the ache in his chest was real, the rough wooden floor beneath his feet was real, the reflection staring back at him was real, and somehow, against all reason, he had returned to the past.
A cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind, causing Kael to freeze because it was identical to the one he had heard before waking, and a moment later another notification appeared and said, “Conquest System Successfully Bound; Host Status Available; Would You Like to View Your Status?”
His eyes narrowed.
The voice carried no emotion, no personality, and no trace of magic that he could detect.
Yet he understood it perfectly.
“Status.”
A translucent blue screen appeared before him.
HOST: Kael Draven
AGE: 17
CLASS: None
TITLE: None
COMMAND AUTHORITY: 0
TERRITORY: None
SPECIAL STATUS: Regressor
For a moment, Kael simply stared before another notification appeared in front of him and displayed, “Unique Trait Detected; Future Knowledge Activated; Reward Granted.”
Future Knowledge (SSS)
Knowledge accumulated from a future timeline.
Effects: Historical Knowledge; Strategic Forecasting; Event Prediction
Kael’s expression darkened.
Future knowledge.
That alone was worth more than any treasure on the continent.
He knew where ancient artifacts were hidden. He knew which kingdoms would rise and fall. He knew which generals would become legends. He knew who would betray whom.
Most importantly……He knew how the world ended.
The memory surfaced immediately.
The sky splitting apart as monsters poured from dimensional fractures, entire cities vanishing overnight, millions dying, and humanity being pushed to the brink of extinction long before his execution ever took place.
A shiver ran down Kael’s spine, but he quickly forced the thought aside because that future had not happened yet; this was thirty-five years earlier, and for the first time in his life, everything could still be changed.
A new notification appeared. “Main Mission Generated.”
SURVIVE THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS
Description: Remain alive until mission completion.
Reward: Beginner Commander’s Package
Kael blinked, then he laughed. A genuine laugh this time.
In his previous life he had commanded millions of soldiers, conquered half the continent, and earned a title feared by kings.
Now his first mission was staying alive for a week. The irony was almost insulting.
His amusement faded as another memory surfaced.
Kael’s smile disappeared as the memory returned with perfect clarity: three days from now, the bandits would descend upon Village Oakridge, and even after thirty-five years, he could still remember every detail of that night.
A group of raiders would descend from the northern hills and attack the village before dawn. The guards would die first, followed by anyone foolish enough to resist.
The survivors would scatter in every direction and many would never return, but among all the deaths that night, one stood out above the rest.
Gareth, the foster father who had taken Kael in when nobody else would. The man who taught him how to track animals, set traps, and survive harsh winters. The man who had given him a home.
In Kael’s previous life, Gareth died protecting villagers while Kael hid helplessly inside a burning house.
The memory still haunted him decades later.
Kael’s jaw tightened as the memory resurfaced because Gareth had already died once, and he refused to stand by and watch it happen again.
Kael crossed the room and grabbed the old cloak hanging beside the door.
The future was changing.
The moment he woke up, history had begun moving down a different path.
Mourning, regret, and even the dead would have to wait because what mattered now was preparing for what was coming.
If the bandits were coming, then he needed weapons. If war was coming, then he needed power. If the apocalypse was real, then he needed far more than either.
The night air greeted him as he stepped outside.
The village looked exactly as he remembered. Small, poor and vulnerable. Several houses still had candles burning inside while distant dogs barked somewhere beyond the wooden fences.
For a moment, Kael simply stood there.
He had dreamed about this place for years. He never expected to see it again.
A strange feeling settled inside his chest. Something in between sadness and happiness. Then his eyes drifted toward the northern mountains.
His breathing stopped.
No, that wasn’t possible. A faint silver glow flickered deep within the forested slopes.
Kael’s eyes widened.
He knew that location. In his previous life, explorers discovered an ancient inheritance hidden there, one that produced a legendary commander capable of changing the fate of kingdoms.
The discovery shocked the entire continent.
The problem was that it wasn’t supposed to happen for another twenty years, yet the entrance was already open.
The silver light flashed again, causing Kael’s pulse to quicken because the cave shouldn’t have existed for another twenty years, which could only mean that the future was already beginning to change.
And if the future was changing…… Then every advantage he thought he possessed could disappear at any moment.
Without hesitation, Kael started toward the mountains. Whatever was waiting inside that cave, he intended to claim it before anyone else.
