The iron bell rang once.
Its sound spread across the open square like a verdict passed by the heavens.
Every child standing in line stiffened.
Kael Ashborne lifted his head slowly, eyes fixed on the crystal pillar at the center of the plaza. Sunlight struck its surface, scattering red and blue reflections across the stone ground. To everyone else, it was a symbol of hope.
To Kael, it felt like a blade hovering over his neck.
"Next."
The voice came from the examiner, a man in a gray robe with a silver badge pinned to his chest—the mark of the Hunter Guild. His eyes were bored, his tone indifferent. He had already seen dozens of children today. Most would be forgettable.
Some would not.
A boy stepped forward. He placed his trembling hand on the crystal pillar.
The crystal flared bright blue.
A murmur exploded through the crowd.
"Blue-grade resonance!"
"Rare talent!"
"His family will rise!"
The examiner's eyes sharpened for the first time that morning. "Name?"
"R–Rylan Holt, sir."
The man nodded. "Accepted. You may apply for guild training at sixteen."
Rylan staggered back, his parents already crying, strangers congratulating them like they had won a war.
Kael watched quietly.
He had seen this scene in another life.
Long ago.
Before betrayal. Before death.
Before he opened his eyes in this world as a powerless infant.
"Next."
Kael stepped forward.
The whispers started immediately.
"That's him."
"The Ashborne boy."
"I heard he's never shown any resonance."
"Poor thing…"
Kael ignored them. He always did. At sixteen, he had learned that words could hurt—but they could also be useless.
He stood before the crystal pillar.
Up close, it hummed faintly, alive with stored power. Beast Crystals were embedded deep inside its core, feeding it energy. This pillar judged talent—whether a person could absorb beast power and survive.
Whether they were worth something.
Kael placed his hand on the crystal.
Cold.
The hum deepened… then faltered.
Seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
No light.
No color.
No reaction.
The murmurs died, replaced by an uncomfortable silence.
The examiner frowned. He tapped the pillar once, as if it were broken. Then he looked back at Kael, irritation creeping into his eyes.
"Again."
Kael pressed harder.
Still nothing.
A quiet laugh escaped somewhere in the crowd. Then another.
The examiner sighed. "Name."
"Kael Ashborne."
The man's brows rose slightly. Recognition flickered—then vanished. He reached for the ledger beside him and wrote a single word next to Kael's name.
Null.
"No resonance," the examiner announced flatly. "Unable to absorb Beast Crystals. No talent."
The words fell like stones.
Kael removed his hand.
Around him, the square erupted—not with cheers, but with pity and disdain.
"So it's true."
"A complete failure."
"Another mouth that won't contribute."
Kael turned away before they could see his face.
Inside his chest, something stirred—not pain, not anger.
Memory.
He remembered standing on a battlefield that stretched beyond sight. He remembered skies torn open by power. He remembered kneeling before someone he trusted… and the cold blade that followed.
He had ruled once.
And now?
Null.
As Kael stepped off the platform, a sharp voice cut through the noise.
"Wait."
The examiner was staring at him again—this time with confusion.
For a brief moment, the crystal pillar behind Kael flickered.
Just once.
So faint that no one else noticed.
No one… except Kael.
As his foot touched the ground, a sound echoed inside his mind.
Clear.
Mechanical.
Unmistakable.
> [Conditions met.]
[Soul integrity confirmed.]
[Initializing Origin System…]
Kael froze.
The world around him continued as normal—people talking, laughing, judging—but his heart was pounding so loudly he was sure they could hear it.
> [Error: Host possesses no Beast Crystal compatibility.]
[Override accepted.]
Kael's breath caught.
> [Welcome, Host.]
[This system should not exist.]
His fingers clenched.
Slowly, carefully, Kael lifted his head.
For the first time since his rebirth, a faint smile touched his lips.
Because in a world where power was stolen from beasts…
He had been given something else entirely.