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  6 months passed…

  A deep abyss. A chilling void. Asael finds himself floating in endless darkness. He sees fragments of his past flickering before him—his sword clashing against enemies, his trusted knights falling one by one, his blood staining the earth, and finally... Ashen’s cold smirk as he twisted the blade in Asael’s chest. The agony of betrayal burns like fire in his fading consciousness. Then, an image. A man with oceanic blue eyes—The Crown Prince. The moment when Asael told him he hated him, the pain in those blue depths, the small, sorrowful smile the prince gave in return. His little sister’s laughter follows, bright and full of hope, waiting for him to return home. The memories swirl and fade, and as Asael reaches out, a single tear slips down his cheek.

  A soft whisper echoes through the void.

  "Will you allow yourself to be forgotten?"

  Kingdom of Salvation

  Then—blinding light. A force pulls him forward. A new beginning. Passed by through the open window and goes straight to a person that laid motionless on the bed.

  Kael Liam Vladimir wakes with a sharp intake of breath. Cold sweat clings to his skin. His entire body feels foreign—frail, weak, as if it could collapse at any moment. His chest rises and falls rapidly as unfamiliar sensations flood his mind. Yet, his memories remain intact. He brushed his hair forward that fell from his face.

  Asael Kian Ravenwood is no more. He has become someone else from the moment he gasped for air.

  He glances around—a dimly lit, dust-ridden chamber, a bed far too small, and a cracked mirror reflecting his new appearance. Long black hair tied in a low ponytail, pale skin, and stormy gray eyes that still hold the sharpness of his past self. Same eye color he thought to himself seeing his eye color. But this body is feeble, aching with every breath. He put his hands on his chest feeling his own heartbeat in a new body and identity. The moment he felt the weak heartbeat his eyes shot open in disbelief.

  A seal.

  This word flashes through his mind when he felt his own heartbeat.

  He seems didn't know this new identity he reincarnated as he slowly pull aside his blanket and get down from the bed barefoot towards covered mirror, he pulled the white cloth covered the mirror and look into it, there's a crack on the upper mirror that shown his full body. What he saw on the mirror was a skinny body and pale skin wearing a long sleeve loose white shirt that showed his pale chest, tucked inside his long black pant that fitted his long legs, his hair was long and black a few strand hair falling from his head to his side cheeks, making him look ethereal despite looking sickly. While he still observing his new faces carefully he didn't realized his door chamber was creak open.

  "Young Master Kael-", the servant froze when they saw him stood near the mirror looking at his own reflection. Then the servant recover and call him again, "Young Master Kael?!" this time a bit louder.

  This time Asael in Kael body turn his head calmly looking straight into the servant eyes without blinking, his stormy gray eyes seems cold, distant and confusion. This make the servant blood run cold seeing they young master eyes.

  "What did you call me?" Asael asked the servant who seems didn't quite understand from his behaviour.

  "Y-young Master Kael" the servant says while stuttering.

  Asael nodded and mutter silently, "Kael…Kael Liam Vladimir?" he says and look at the servant who suddenly flinched when Asael look at him, and they nodded they head to Asael.

  Then the realization sets in. "Kael Liam Vladimir, the forgotten and useless young master of House Vladimir, so, I'm in a different kingdom," Asael calmly stating about his new identity making the servant look at him dumbly hearing they young master saying himself forgotten and useless.

  A sudden memory flashes about the original owner life, inside Asael head making him stumbled. His father, Duke Valdemar Vladimir, abandoned him emotionally after his mother’s death. His stepmother and step-siblings see him as nothing more than a disgrace, a burden better left to rot in isolation.

  Pain flares in his skull as fractured memories surface. The original Kael was bullied, belittled, and left to fend for himself. The bruises on his arms, the cold meals, the whispers of servants—it all paints a bleak reality. Asael slender fingers accidentally touch his chest skin where his heart was as he felt a scar left, slowly he remove the shirt that cover his chest, the moment he saw his scar on the chest, his heart felt pain when a memory from his past final moment emerged in his head, the scar was the same place where he was stab by his most trusted partner..or the person he gave his heart too…He still remember the desperate voice screaming his name and apologize to him, a sudden sad smile flashes at his lips while he closed his eyes and cover his chest. A thought crosses his mind, 'whoever it might be, I am grateful for they presence in my moments'

  "So, this is the life I’ve been reborn into…" he murmurs, gripping the thin long sleeve shirt in his hands. Then he looked at the servant who seems dazed from seeing they young master smile few seconds ago. "Um, you what did you want from me earlier?" Kael asking the servant who regain himself back after in a state of dazed. "O-oh, how w-would you like for breakfast, in your room or with the Lord and and the Lady?" the servant says stuttering, while Kael calmly eyeing the servant and open his mouth, before he could another maid just open his door without knocking and this makes Kael annoyed feeling the maids and servant in this house really disrespect the original Kael. His eyes turned cold and the atmosphere inside his chamber change making the servant flinched and eyeing Kael who look like wanting to swallow those maid who didn't pay attention to Kael.

  "You" Kael's voice laced with annoyance, coldness, distant and anger that hides well in his eyes, calling the maids that really disrespect him. The maids then looked behind her before rolling her eyes towards Kael stare and continuing her works this makes the servant shiver when they saw Kael cold smile and walk towards the maids.

  The maids didn't realize when Kael already behind her, "You" Kael's voice was heard so cold when the maids looked at Kael she froze seeing the anger in Kael stormy grey eyes. "Is this how all maids and servants serve me, not respect me?" Kael cold words like a cold water being poured into the servant and maids body when they heard Kael's voice full of annoyance and something they couldn't put in. Kael's eyes glared at the servant who begin to tremble before look down and nodded while stutter a yes. Then the maids spoke indifferently to him, "Everyone treated you like this you never complained." The maids spoke with arrogance but Kael's cold smile caught her off guard when a sudden, slender fingers wrapped around her neck, strangle her. "What did I do to be treated like this? Is this because my own father and stepfamily treated me badly that all people here mistreated me?" Kael says almost choking the maids while the servant panicking seeing they young master rage for the first time. The maids struggling to break free from Kael grasped but she can't. Kael's eyes was eyeing the maid almost losing her breath, when Kael felt his chest hurting from the seal at his heart, he let go of the maids who fell onto the marble floor crying gasping for air, the servant rushed helping the maids.

  Before the maids and he servant get out from his room Kael spoke to them, "If any of the maids and servant who treated me the same like her-" he point at the maids who still cying, "They'll know what I do" Kael says while pointing the maids neck that has a bruised from him choking her.

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  After cleaning himself and tidied his own formal attire, a black long sleeve loose shirt tuck inside his fitted black pants and a vest attach to his fragile body and walked to the dining hall with another servants who came after the other servant and maids left, this one particular servants seems respected him before saw what Kael done to the maids. The grand dining hall of the Vladimir estate was bathed in morning light filtering through towering stained-glass windows. The long mahogany table was lined with lavish silverware, steaming plates of food, and nobles dressed in fine silk and embroidery.

  Kael Liam Vladimir sat at the farthest end of the table, a place reserved for someone of no importance. His long black hair was loosely tied at the nape, cascading over his shoulders as he calmly lifted a spoonful of porridge to his lips. His delicate features remained expressionless, unfazed by the glances and murmurs directed at him.

  Across from him, his eldest stepbrother, Lucian, smirked before leaning forward. "Ah, the weakling graces us with his presence today. I was starting to think you'd wither away in your room like the useless thing you are."

  Kael didn't respond. He simply continued eating, his slow, deliberate movements exuding an air of indifference. His silence seemed to irritate them more than any retort would have.

  His younger stepsister, Celeste, feigned a look of sympathy. "Father, shouldn't we get dear brother some special treatment? He always looks like he's on the verge of collapsing. I hear the servants have leftover scraps; perhaps those would suit him better than the fine meals you provide us."

  Soft laughter followed, the cruelty hidden beneath honeyed words.

  Duke Vladimir, the head of the household, finally looked up from his meal. His sharp, cold gaze settled on Kael with unmistakable disdain. "Perhaps they are right. What use do I have for a son who has inherited nothing from me? You are neither strong nor talented. Even the servants whisper about how pitiful you are."

  A familiar pain stabbed at Kael’s heart—not his, but the lingering emotions of the body’s original owner. He could feel the suffocating sorrow, the desperate yearning for approval that had never been granted. His fingers clenched slightly around his spoon, but his expression remained composed.

  "Since you find me so useless, perhaps it is best you stop acknowledging my existence altogether, Father," Kael said smoothly, his voice like a blade concealed in silk. "Oh, but then again, have you ever truly acknowledged me to begin with?"

  The dining hall fell into stunned silence. Lucian and Celeste gawked, their amusement frozen. Even the servants along the walls stiffened, their eyes darting between father and son. If Kael was humiliated he always keep silent and tremble but today is different.

  Duke Vladimir’s expression darkened, his pride wounded by the audacity of a boy he barely considered his son. His grip on his goblet tightened before he suddenly hurled it across the table.

  The silver cup struck Kael’s forehead with a sickening crack. A sharp pain exploded through his skull, warm blood trickling down his temple and onto the pristine white tablecloth.

  The impact forced his head slightly to the side, but Kael did not react beyond a slow blink. He lifted a hand, touched his bleeding forehead, and then looked at the crimson staining his fingertips. His lips curled into a smile—not one of amusement, but something colder, detached.

  "Young Master-" the servant behind Kael, worried voice was heard but Kael didn't let him finish but instead he spoke.

  "Ah," Kael murmured, "How fitting."

  Duke Vladimir stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "You dare—"

  Kael met his father’s furious gaze with unwavering calm. "If I am such a disgrace, then why waste your energy on me? Surely, a ‘useless’ son like myself is beneath your anger, isn’t he?"

  His words were deliberate, like slow venom seeping into wounds. He was no longer pleading for love or recognition. That Kael—the weak, forgotten young master—had already died but I feel his presence deep within my body a faintest light.

  The air in the room grew tense, thick with unspoken words and restrained fury. The servants exchanged nervous glances, uncertain of what would happen next.

  For the first time in his life, Kael Liam Valdemar did not cower. Making all the people that witnessed this seems shocked and puzzled, while some silently feeling proud at Kael.

  Instead, he smiled—cold and knowing—as if daring them all to continue their pathetic charade.

  Kael remained eerily calm as he stood from his seat, the crimson trickle from his forehead sliding down the side of his face. His pale fingers lifted slightly as if to wipe the blood away, but he made no move to actually do so. Without a single word, without even a glance back, he turned on his heel and walked out of the dining hall. His steps were measured, elegant even, as if he had merely lost interest in the meaningless chatter around him.

  The grand doors creaked open, and the moment he stepped past them, the concerned murmurs of the servants reached his ears. Their worried eyes flitted toward the wound on his forehead, but none dared to speak. Even as their hands twitched, wanting to offer aid, Kael continued forward without acknowledging them.

  Behind him, the dining hall fell into a suffocating silence. The tension in the air was thick, almost oppressive, until Duchess Evelyne, Kael’s stepmother, slammed her hand on the table, her lips curled in anger.

  "That wretched child! Always bringing disgrace to this house!" she spat, her nails digging into the tablecloth. "What kind of son dares to speak so insolently to his father?!"

  Her daughter, Lady Celeste, smirked and picked up her teacup with delicate fingers. "He really does act like he’s above us all now, doesn’t he, Mother? What an ungrateful rat, being raised under this roof and still daring to bite the hand that feeds him."

  Duke Valdemar, who had remained eerily quiet, exhaled through gritted teeth, his fingers tightening around his wine glass. The veins in his hand were visible, a sign of barely restrained fury. "That boy... he’s been nothing but a stain on this family since the day he was born. Had his wretched mother not been my legal wife, I would’ve thrown him out long ago."

  A smirk spread across Lord Cedric’s face, the second son, his dark eyes glinting with malice. "Then why don’t you? No one would care if he disappeared."

  The Duke's jaw tightened, his fingers pressing against his temple as if battling an oncoming headache. "Not yet," he said lowly, voice cold with finality. "The time will come when he is of no use to me, and when that time arrives, I will ensure he is far, far away from this estate."

  The room was filled with malicious satisfaction at those words.

  Yet, outside the doors, Kael walked on, his expression unreadable. He had heard everything. And instead of pain, instead of fear, all he felt was the faintest hint of amusement.

  Isolate me? He scoffed internally.

  They had no idea that would be the greatest gift they could ever give him.

  That night he adjusts, slowly to his new body. His body refuses to obey his will. Once, he was a sorcerer feared across kingdoms, but now, he can barely lift a training sword without his limbs trembling. Even walking down the hallways takes effort and more importantly the seal within his heart. Sitting crossed legs on the simple bed with the big window opened, Kael closed his eyes feeling every spiritual mana that flowed inside his body, and unconsciously his own spiritual mana from past life surface surrounded him without he even realized when a sudden pain shot from his heart making him spurt blood but he seems felt a little crack from the seal when he feel his chest.

  "This seal seems hard to break," he says to himself while wiping the blood from his lips and get up from his bed and walk toward the open big window, his long black hair swaying each step he took, where a gentle and cold breeze blew passed his face. A soft knock at the door pulled him from his musings, "Young Master Kael?" the servant from earlier morning. After Kael approval to come in, the servant opened the door with a creak before halt from his step, seeing Kael crossed arms stood infront of the big opened window a breeze gently blew his long black hair that left untied. "Young Master, this humble servant apologized but why you seems different?" the servant asking politely and making Kael look at him calmly before spoke, "It's time to change, I want to get out of this estate…because this is what the original owner's most desires…," Kael says but the last sentence in a quiet tone, the servant didn't hear it but nodded agreeing. This make Kael form a faint smile knowing there's some who cared about the original owner of his body.

  That night, the dim glow of candlelight flickered against the walls of Kael’s small, unadorned chamber. The night air was crisp, carrying the scent of rain-soaked earth. The silence was comforting, yet the weight of his thoughts made it heavy.

  Kael didn’t turn to face him. Instead, he spoke as if he had long expected the visit. “Can I leave tomorrow morning without being noticed?”

  The servant’s face tensed with unease. “Young Master… you know it is difficult. The Duke and his family barely pay attention to your presence, but if they find out—”

  “They won’t,” Kael interrupted, his voice smooth, unwavering. “I simply wish to take a walk outside the estate. Tell me, can I go?”

  The servant hesitated, shifting his weight before letting out a quiet sigh. “Yes, you can. If you leave before dawn, no one will notice.”

  Kael gave a small nod, the corner of his lips curving ever so slightly.

  The young servant, however, remained rooted in place. His brown eyes held a sorrowful glint as he looked at Kael’s frail figure, bathed in the soft glow of the candlelight.

  “How unfair,” the young man murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Kael finally turned to face him, one brow raised in silent question.

  “Young Master Kael… you are like a delicate porcelain doll placed on an abandoned shelf, forgotten, collecting dust. You were born of nobility, yet treated as if you were a shadow cast by something greater.” His fingers trembled at his sides. “They… they should cherish you, not discard you as though you were an unwanted piece in their grand game.”

  A bitter chuckle escaped Kael’s lips. He leaned back in his chair, his long black hair cascading over his shoulder. “Cherish me?” he echoed, his voice laced with amusement. “How foolish.”

  The young servant’s eyes darkened, grief swimming within them. He opened his mouth as if to say something but ultimately bowed his head instead. “I will make the necessary arrangements for your departure.”

  “Good.”

  The old servant reached for the window, closing it gently to keep the night’s chill at bay. He then stepped outside, shutting the door behind him with a quiet thud.

  Left alone, Kael exhaled softly, his gaze drifting to the ceiling. The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows that danced along the walls.

  How fragile this body was, how weak. Yet, within the depths of his soul, the embers of a past life still burned.

  Tomorrow, he would take his first step beyond this suffocating prison.

  For now, he allowed sleep to claim him, his thoughts drifting into the abyss of the unknown future.

  That night, Kael never expected to be haunted by his past life memories in his last moment.

  To be continued.