"I lied, I stole, and I killed. As a reward, I gained more power than I ever imagined."
In a burning city buried under rubble, there lay a sinner named Lucien.
"What good is this power if it can't help me now? I'm going to die a meaningless death."
He had accepted his fate. Closing his eyes, he waited for death. The world was at war—Tiranel versus Glem. In this world, sinning made one stronger, through hardship and trials. Lucien had reached Rank 8. The higher the Rank, the stronger the sinner became—but so did the difficulty of the trials they faced.
Someone lifted the rubble above him as if it was paper and looked down at Lucien with cold eyes.
"We finally caught you, you rotten scum. Your atrocities end here."
"You slaughtered my whole village. Now I can finally get my revenge," said another voice, more impulsive, standing behind the first. Both were Rank 9—one Rank above Lucien. Just bad luck. In this world, there was one rule „survival of the fittest".
Acting like all of you are sinless and i am the only one who sins …
"Now be a good boy and hand over your Sinbearers."
"You want my Sinbearers?" Lucien started laughing. "Then go find them."
160 Sinbearers in total. Lucien released them, and they scattered across the vast world.
"You little—" One of the Rank 9s, the one whose village had been destroyed, raised his hand. A beam of light shot from his fingertip straight into Lucien´s head, killing him instantly.
Darkness.
He was dead—but not quite.
"You sinned. You paid. You won. But you didn't win enough... I can bring you back. But under one condition. You will lose your wealth, your past, and your power. Do you accept?"
Lucien was already dead. Who wouldn't accept such a deal? He didn't think for even a second before accepting.
"This is a one-time offer. You won't be revived again," the mysterious voice warned.
Lucien tried to speak—but realized he couldn't. Whoever or whatever was speaking had taken away his ability to respond. He had so many questions, but none would be answered. He began to fall. He screamed, but soon the feeling of falling faded—and he woke up.
His eyes opened.
He looked around. When he glanced downward, he noticed his eyes were about 1.5 meters off the ground. He guessed his age to be around 10 or 11.
Dark brown, almost black hair. Pale grey eyes. Torn and ragged clothes. He looked like a beggar.
He had truly returned to Earth. He had really been given a second chance.
He found himself in a poor village called Redrock. The people here were deeply religious and took great care not to sin.
Thousands of years ago, a curse had spread: those who committed sins would be dragged into another dimension, where they'd have to survive and fight to earn Sinbearers. This phenomenon became known as Sinshift. But survival was not guaranteed. Millions had died because of it. Everyone sinned eventually, but most people who returned swore never to sin again.
What counts as a sin?
A sin is any act that is done with the intenion to directly or indirectly harm others around you.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked at the door.
When Lucien opened it, he saw several men waiting for him.
Before he could react, the men barged into his hut.
„Ashur, you are under arrest and will be executed for your crimes."
He was stunned at first. He was just an 11, maybe 12-year-old kid. What crimes could he have possibly committed?
But he didn't resist. He didn't even try.
One of the men was the village chief. He was Rank 3—the strongest in the village.
"You may look like a child, but we know you're not. Did you think you could hide it from us?" the chief said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a Sinbearer.
Its name was Shadow Chain—a Rank 3 Sinbearer.
The chief activated it, and Lucien's arms and legs were bound in chains. He staggered slightly, like a drunk, but quickly regained his balance.
"Ashur… or should I say, Tero. We know you used that sinbearer to take over this childs body "
Who the hell is Tero? And Ashur? The previous owner of this body? Just my luck...
Names didn't matter to him. Names were human-made—and anything made by humans was worthless.
The men dragged him to the center of the village. There, two men stood with Sinbearers in hand. Both were Rank 2—Curse Blades.
"Any last words?" they asked
"You bastards."
Suddenly, the world shifted.
From a crowded square to a foggy, unclear realm.
The chains were gone.
"You have sinned. Welcome to the Path of Repentance," said a voice. Lucien couldn't tell where it came from—it echoed in his mind.
Before him appeared an object. A Rank 1 Sinbearer.
Shardfang—a claw-shaped dagger.
Since it's a Sinbearer, it must have a drawback, he thought.
They want me to fight. Fine. So be it.
A wide grin spread across his face.
The world changed again.
Now he stood in a forest, surrounded by trees. Lucien remained still, the dagger in his right hand.
A snapping twig gave away the enemy's position.
Two legs. Two arms. A head. But pitch-black from head to toe—no face, no clothes.
Shadowbeasts. Former humans who had died. They too had Sinbearers, making them equal in strength to the sinner under trial. What separated them was intelligence—and the kind of Sinbearer the system gave them.
Without hesitation, Lucien hurled the dagger straight into the creature's throat. It died in under five seconds.
That was enough to count as a sin. He felt it—an instinct. He had killed and released it. He would become stronger now.
If I had to guess, maybe 5%…?
After several rounds, he started to get a feel for it. He could now roughly tell how much this instinct measured.
And it told him something else, too: more were coming.
1… 2… 3…
Fifteen in total.