I slowly opened my eyes. My head throbbed, and a cold, half-dead voice echoed in the corners of my mind: "My name was Leon Lionheart..." Soon, I lost consciousness again. When I woke up for the second time, I saw a young man standing in front of me. I turned my head to look at my surroundings, but there was nothing except a vast, black, wall-like void.
I looked at him, confused. "Who are you? What is Leon doing here?"
My mind was full of questions. He stopped and turned his face towards me. My body started trembling.
"No way!" I shouted. "Are you... Leon Lionheart?"
"Yes," he replied anxiously. "Listen, I do not have much time to answer your questions. You already know my name—I am the son of the Lionheart family."
He looked at me with a sad, bitter expression. "I was a nice person, just like you. I behaved kindly even to my bullies. In exchange for that kindness, I only suffered. So, remember this: this time, you must kill your niceness. Become the most ruthless person to those who deserve it."
He smirked slightly as his body began to dissolve into glowing particles. Before he fully disappeared, he whispered one final request: "Promise me... that you will take my revenge."
I opened my eyes and gasped. I was back in the real world.
So, this place is called the Ashbourne Kingdom, and I have been reincarnated as Leon Lionheart.
Suddenly, a soft, warming voice approached me. "Leon..."
A beautiful middle-aged woman entered the room. Seeing me awake, she lost her balance and fell to her knees, her eyes filling with tears. I searched through Leon's memories to realize who she was.
"Mother," the word slipped out of my mouth.
Hearing this, she ran toward me and hugged me so tightly that I found it difficult to breathe. I looked at the maid for help.
"Miss Veneza," the maid said gently, "if you hug him that tight, he won't be able to breathe."
"Sorry, sorry my child," my mother gasped, releasing me.
"I'm alright, Mom. You don't need to worry," I said, trying to steady my breath. "Can you give me some time to rest?"
"Sure, my child," she replied, leaving the room with a look of relief.
Once alone, I tried to figure out why I felt so weak. I dug deep into my memories and found the truth.
The Memory of the Arena
One morning, Leon was walking back from the training grounds. He saw his fiancée, Lady Lucy Blackwood, kissing Lucius Draken, the son of a powerful merchant family.
For the first time, Leon felt true, burning anger. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted.
Lucy turned her face toward him with a mocking sneer. "Oh, you pathetic Leon," she laughed. Leon felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"It's none of your business, loser," Lucy added.
Lucius interrupted, looking down at Leon. "You had better cancel your engagement."
Driven by rage, Leon challenged Lucius to a formal duel in the Arena. Lucius agreed on one condition: "If you lose, you break the engagement with Lady Lucy."
Leon had agreed. They stood across from each other in the Arena. The referee gave the orders: "No killing. No prohibited equipment. If you break the rules, you will be expelled from the Academy."
The Arena was filled with a hostile crowd. "Kill that bastard!" they shouted. "Kill that fucking loser, Leon!" Everyone laughed at him. The only one who truly supported him was his best friend, Alvi Ashfield, the youngest son of the Lunaris family. Leon had passed him a small, brave smile.
"Start the fight!" the referee shouted.
Their swords clashed with a sharp ring. Leon was actually winning! Through a series of kicks, punches, and sword strikes, Leon started dominating Lucius. Seeing Lucius struggle, Lucy acted. From the shadows, she threw a poisonous needle. It pierced Leon's back and damaged his energy core.
For one second, Leon's body was paralyzed. Lucius took advantage of the opening.
"Mountain Piercing Palm!" Lucius roared.
The strike hit Leon with devastating force. Severely injured, Leon began to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw was Lucius's mocking smile—a smile that looked exactly like the bully from Leon's past life.
The Awakening
Back in the present, I gripped my sheets. "The problem is... what will I do with this weak body?" I whispered anxiously.
High above, in the universe behind the void, the Angel was watching. "Oh! That is the problem," she said with an evil laugh. "I will give you a gift that kills your kindness and innocence. Hahaha!"
Snap.
Out of nowhere, a blue translucent screen flickered into life in front of my eyes.
[ System Initialization Complete ]
"Welcome, Host."
"What the hell is this?" I whispered as the screen glowed brighter.
(To be continued)