The first thing Kael Ardyn felt was silence.
A silence so deep it was unfamiliar to someone who once commanded armies that shook continents.
He opened his eyes.
A plain wooden ceiling. Morning light slipping through thin curtains. The faint sound of birds—gentle, mundane, peaceful.
"…So this is it. My reincarnation."
His voice was calm, almost bored, as he sat up from the small bed. The body he inhabited now was that of a boy—fifteen, human, weak by ancient standards. Yet the soul within him belonged to someone entirely different.
Ascherion Valtzar, the Abyss Overlord feared by gods and demons alike, had returned.
Kael flexed his fingers. Power swirled beneath his skin like a restrained vortex, eager to break free. Even in this fragile form, it leaked enough magic to distort the air if he loosened his control.
"Still too much. I'll need to suppress it further," he murmured.
A knock sounded on the door.
"Kael! Are you awake? Today's the entrance ceremony!"
It was his aunt's voice—kind, cheerful, and completely unaware that the 'nephew' she raised was the reborn ruler of the Abyss.
"Yes. I'm coming," Kael replied to maintain his cover.
He stood, grabbed the black uniform neatly folded on a chair, and got ready. The crest of Abyss Academy—a serpent encircling a star—was embroidered on the chest. A school for prodigies, half-demons, elven bloodlines, and future guardians of the world.
For Kael, it was nothing more than a place to observe how much the world had changed.
---
Abyss Academy – Main Gate
Students crowded around the giant obsidian gate, whispering excitedly.
"That girl—that's Lyra Hellevine, the top scorer!"
"And that guy with the horn, must be a demonborn…"
"Be careful, the entrance test is brutal this year."
Kael walked past them quietly, his presence so controlled that people barely registered him. A former overlord hiding among children—it was almost comedic.
Yet, as he crossed the gate, a strange pressure washed over the campus. The barrier surrounding the academy trembled, like a beast sensing something ancient.
So the protective wards can still feel me, Kael thought. I should tone it down even more.
Then—
A sudden flare of mana exploded on his right.
A girl with silver hair landed in front of him, breathing heavily. Her eyes were sharp, iridescent blue, filled with authority. Lyra Hellevine: the academy's prodigy.
"O—Oi! You there!" she snapped.
Kael blinked. "…Me?"
"Yes. You." She pointed a finger at his face. "For a moment, the academy's detection barrier went haywire. Something unleashed a mana wave strong enough to trigger a lockdown. Was it you?"
Dozens of students turned to them.
Kael met her eyes calmly.
"If I wanted to unleash a wave," he said softly, "you wouldn't be standing right now."
Lyra froze.
Her heartbeat skipped—because for a split second, her instincts screamed predator.
But when she blinked, the pressure vanished. Kael stood there, harmless, expression flat.
"…Tch. Maybe I imagined it." Lyra stepped back, embarrassed. "Fine. Just stay out of trouble."
She walked away quickly, but kept glancing over her shoulder.
---
Kael continued toward the ceremony hall, hands in his pockets.
"A school of magic, huh… This might be amusing."
The ancient Overlord walked into the academy like a shadow—quiet, unnoticed, and yet the entire barrier trembled at his presence.
The world had forgotten him.
But soon, the world would remember his name once more.