Rebirth System: Blood and Ash

Aric’s eyelids fluttered open, his breath heavy as his pupils darted from one corner to another, trying to make out where he was. The dimly lit room was small, its walls cracked like spider webs, and it was filled with royal furniture that had long passed its glory days.

The space was less air than dust, made visible by the weak moonlight sneaking through the curtains, and the entire thing smelled of neglect.

Aric clenched his chest, expecting to find the fatal wound that should have killed him. Instead, all he felt was the rapid thumping of his heart.

He sat up quickly, scanning the room again. The familiar sight of the shabby chamber sent a flash of recognition through him, along with a wave of confusion.

’How is this possible?’

Aric remembered dying clearly, the sting of betrayal as he was left for dead on the battlefield still fresh in his mind.

His hand trembled slightly as he raised it, expecting to see the calloused, weathered palms of a soldier. What he saw instead was a young and frail hand—almost skeletal.

Panic settled as he pushed himself out of bed and stumbled towards a mirror hung on the far wall.

The peeling gold of the mirror and its glass reflected the same thing: it was not the hardened face of a thirty-five-year-old man who had seen more pain and suffering than most. No, what stared back at him was a pale, sickly boy, no more than sixteen, with hollow cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and a frail body.

Aric touched his face and then his reflection, the cold glass of the mirror met his fingertips as he struggled to reconcile the image before him with the man he knew himself to be.

Then, once more, the memories of the life he lived rushed at his mind.

Just then, the atmosphere shifted—a very subtle change, almost unnoticeable.

A soft chime echoed in the room, and following it was a transparent screen that appeared before his eyes. Lines of text began to form, floating in the air, and they looked similar to what he had seen just before he was killed.

-————————

Name: [Aric Valerian]

Title: [Forgotten Prince]

Race: [Human]

Level: [Null]

Health (HP): [14/15]

Stamina: [3/4]

Ki: [Null]

\\\\Attributes:

Strength: [2]

Agility: [2]

Endurance: [3]

Intelligence: [3]

-————————

Before he could react to the screen, a small, glowing figure materialized in front of him, hovering a few feet above the ground.

It was no bigger than his hand, with small and delicate wings on its back, seemingly useless as they did not move. The figure had a vaguely humanoid shape, with a tiny, round face, large eyes that glowed with a faint light, and a halo of soft, luminescent hair that framed its head like a crown.

Aric instinctively stepped back, his heart racing. "W-what… what are you?"

The figure didn’t answer immediately. It simply floated closer to him, tilting its head as if analyzing him. Then, in a voice that was high-pitched and mechanical, it finally spoke.

"Greetings, User. I am the System Guide, Version 1.0. My purpose is to assist you with system functions. Please state your query."

Aric blinked, trying to process what was happening. A guide? A system? This wasn’t making any sense. He shook his head, trying to clear the fog of confusion.

"System…? What system? What’s going on?"

The guide’s wings fluttered slightly as it responded, its voice devoid of any emotion or inflection.

"You have been granted access to the Rebirth System. This system has been designed to enhance your physical and magical abilities, guide you through challenges, and assist in your survival and growth. Please state your query."

Aric’s eyes widened as the guide’s words sank in.

’Rebirth? System?’

He felt like he was losing his grip on reality. This had to be a dream, some bizarre hallucination brought on by the shock of his apparent regression.

"I don’t understand. How is this possible? Why am I back here, in this body?"

The guide’s expression remained blank, its tiny voice repeating its instructions. "Your current circumstances are the result of a system-triggered regression. The Rebirth System has reset your existence to a prior state to allow for the alteration of your fate. Please state your query."

Aric stared at the guide, his mind racing.

’Alteration of my fate…’

The words were familiar. He remembered the voice in the darkness, the question—The one that had brought him hope, but even then there was still so much unanswered. Why him? Why now? And most importantly, who had given him this chance?

The guide, still hovering patiently, seemed to sense his hesitation.

"User appears to be experiencing confusion. Would you like an explanation of the system’s primary functions?"

Aric swallowed, his throat dry. This was insane—completely, utterly insane—but it was also the only explanation he had.

"Yes… explain."

The guide’s wings fluttered slightly as it responded, launching into a concise, emotionless explanation while pointing nonchalantly to the floating screen that first appeared.

"The Rebirth System is designed to enhance User’s abilities through the accumulation of experience and the completion of designated tasks. The system will provide guidance, skill upgrades, and situational analysis. At present, User’s status is at baseline level. Further instructions will be provided as User progresses."

Aric nodded slowly, trying to absorb the guides words. It was all so surreal, but the more the guide spoke, the more real it began to feel. This wasn’t a dream. Somehow, impossibly, this was happening.

"You have received your first reward," the guide continued, prompting a new window to appear.

---

[ Regress Reward: Rejuvenation Boost /4 minutes/ ]

---

"I see," he said, his voice steadier now. "But… what is that?"

"This is a system item. When used, it provides the user with a 70% health upgrade within the designated time frame."

Aric just stared at the screen, still trying to wrap his head around it all.

"What now?" he asked softly.

The guide’s eyes flickered, and for the briefest moment, Aric thought he saw a spark of something almost like curiosity in its expression.

But when it spoke, its voice was as robotic as ever. "User’s current objective: Survive. More detailed instructions will be provided as circumstances dictate. Please prepare accordingly."

And with that, the guide’s wings fluttered once more, and it floated backward slightly, giving Aric space. It seemed to be waiting, patiently and without emotion… for something.

As Aric stared at the screen before him in apprehension, still trying to process what exactly it was he was looking at, he began to hear shouts and the clatter of metal outside of his room.

This familiar rhythm of chaos was engraved in his mind, his heart began to race as the memories began to flood back—he knew this day, this moment.

If he had been sent back, then this was the day that his estate was ambushed.

Panic gripped him as he began to run, his sickly body protesting with each step he took as he stumbled towards the door, his frail legs struggling to move with the urgency he felt.

He knew what happened next, it was burned into his memory from his past life.

Aric managed to push open the door of his room, revealing the barely lit hallway, and immediately the metallic stench of blood flooded his nostrils.

Then his eyes fell on the gruesome sight: two of his caretakers, loyal but powerless, lay dead on the floor, their throats slit and leaking crimson as blood pooled around their lifeless bodies.

He froze, his body trembling as memory of this exact scene came back to him. The masked men who killed the caretakers turned their attention to Aric, their cold eyes narrowing as they saw him.

Perhaps that would have terrified him more, but he knew they weren’t here for him.

From a nearby room, Aric began to hear the terrified screams of his third caretaker—a kind woman who had shown him the only compassion he had ever known. Along with her screams were the perverted laughs of one of the men echoing from the room.

He watched in horror as moments later the masked man dragged her out by the hair, her clothes torn, her face twisted in fear and pain.

His breath caught in his throat as he recalled this exact moment, the powerlessness he felt in his inability to stop it then, and now…

’What now…’

The woman’s screams of pain and fear filled the hallway, mingling with the snickering of the men. Aric fell to his knees as his legs gave in, he had stood for too long and even that had taken its toll on his weak body.

"Please… don’t…" he whispered, his voice cracking as he begged the men to spare her.

The woman clenched her teeth as she screamed at Aric.

"Stop them… please… order them to stop… just this once, help me," the woman’s voice trembled with pain.

Aric opened his mouth to plead for the woman’s life again, but then the leader of the masked men smirked behind his mask, and without hesitation, slit the woman’s throat.

A spray of crimson splattered across the floor, the woman’s eyes rolling back before they let her body crumple to the ground, lifeless.

A cold numbness ran through Aric, a paralyzing dose of pain washing over him as he watched her die for the second time. The same helplessness, the same despair. He could do nothing but watch.

The hallway fell silent, so much so that it was almost deafening, a biting chill singing through it, as though to signify something.

The killers, amused and satisfied, began to turn in preparation to depart. Then Aric’s weak voice echoed in the night.

"After all of that, you want to just walk away?"

The masked men turned their attention back to Aric, and this time something inside of him snapped. His vision blurred as the screen flashed a question before him.

---

[ Use Rejuvenation Boost? ]

---

"Yes," Aric muttered, pulling out a dagger he had placed in his robe.