It was supposed to be just another regular day. Wake up, snooze the alarm five times, skip breakfast, and barely make it to class. For Kaito Ren, seventeen years old and permanently glued to his hoodie, life was an endless loop of gray routines. Nothing exciting ever happened in the sleepy district of Tachikawa—until he got hit by a truck.
But this wasn't just any truck. Its headlights glowed red. The sky darkened the moment it appeared, and the driver's face? Kaito couldn't even see one.
Screech.
Thud.
Silence.
Then… darkness.
Kaito opened his eyes. But he wasn't on a hospital bed. He wasn't floating in some heavenly afterlife, either. He was lying in a field of glowing blue grass under two moons.
"Where… am I?" he mumbled, sitting up. His body felt light. Not weightless—stronger.
A soft chime echoed in his ears.
> "Welcome back, Blade Emperor."
> "System initializing... Soul Core: Reconnected."
> "Name: Kael Varenth. Title: Fallen Emperor of the Ninth Flame."
> "Reincarnation cycle: Complete."
Kaito froze. "What the hell?"
Suddenly, memories not his own slammed into his mind—flashes of battles, blood, betrayal. A kingdom of floating castles. A throne forged in dragonbone. A silver-haired knight kneeling before him. A woman screaming his name as fire swallowed her city.
He clutched his head and screamed.
Then it stopped.
A deep, echoing voice filled his head. "You are the rebirth of Kael Varenth. The Blade Emperor. Your destiny returns."
Hours passed. Or maybe days. Time was strange in this world. Kaito wandered until he reached a hill overlooking a village wrapped in fog and silence. No signs of life.
But something called to him. A sword.
It was buried in a stone, glowing faintly with runes.
Without thinking, he stepped forward.
The second his hand touched the hilt, lightning cracked the sky. The sword vibrated and pulsed like a heartbeat.
> "Soul Weapon recognized: Nightcleaver."
> "Bond complete."
> "Unlocking Blade Memory…"
Kaito saw flashes of battles fought with the very sword. It could cut through shadows, summon flame, even bend time for a brief instant.
And now it belonged to him.
From behind, a screech.
He turned to see a monstrous creature lunging—a twisted wolf with skeletal wings and green eyes.
On instinct, Kaito slashed.
Time slowed.
The blade moved as if guided by memory. In one clean arc, he sliced the beast in two. Its remains turned to dust.
He stared at the sword. "What... am I?"
The blade pulsed again.
"You are the last chance this world has."