Silence.
No wind. No fire. No pain.
Only the echo of his heartbeat—then even that faded.
A slow breath filled his lungs. The air tasted of incense and cold marble.
Kael opened his eyes.
A ceiling of gold leaf and black stone stretched above him, carved with symbols he didn't recognize. He was sitting—no, reclining—on a massive throne. Every inch of it hummed with power.
"What …" his voice was rough, hollow. He stared at his hands. They were unscarred, wrapped in royal sleeves woven with threads of light.
A faint chime answered him.
[System Initialization … Complete]
[Designation: Divine Empire System]
[Host Identified: Emperor Kael Veyrion XVI]
[Empire Integrity: 0.3%]
[Warning: Subject Loyalty Critically Low]
The words weren't spoken—they resonated inside his skull, each syllable like a bell tolling through eternity.
Kael flinched. His pulse raced. He could feel it: a vast web of threads stretching out from him, millions of tiny lights flickering in the darkness beyond the hall.
Each light… a soul.
[Current Subjects: 1,087,342]
[Active Loyalty Bond: Weak]
[Total Power Available to Host: 0.3%]
He rose from the throne. The movement alone sent waves of divine energy rippling through the air, as if the palace itself acknowledged its master's awakening.
Steps echoed. A handful of courtiers—pale, trembling—knelt at the base of the dais.
"Y-Your Majesty…" one whispered. "You live?"
Kael's gaze swept the hall. Columns cracked, banners hung in tatters, and beyond the shattered doors the sound of distant chaos rolled through the city.
So the empire is dying, he thought. And this body … belongs to its emperor.
Another chime.
[Emergency Directive Detected]
[Objective: Restore Loyalty. Expand Subjects. Strength Rises Accordingly.]
The meaning sank in slowly, like a memory surfacing from deep water.
*My strength equals the power of all my subjects … *
He gripped the throne's armrest, testing the bond. Power pulsed faintly—weak but alive—flowing from those still loyal somewhere in the empire.
"This is …" he whispered, "a king's strength made real."
He closed his eyes. For a heartbeat, flashes of another life—blood, fire, a sword in the dirt—flared behind his eyelids. Then they were gone.
Kael exhaled.
"If my empire's loyalty is my power," he said softly, "then I will rebuild their faith … and claim the strength of nations."
A final tone rang out:
[Directive Accepted]
[Power Synchronization Commencing …]
The torches in the throne room roared to life. Outside, thunder rolled over the capital as the first heartbeat of a sleeping empire echoed through its streets.