"Is this the afterlife?" Aether whispered softly, his voice trembling with fear and confusion.
He looked around.
"Where am I...?"
Aether floated in reflectionless darkness. There was nothing, no sound, no smell, no light. Not even Aether himself. Or perhaps he was everything.
Like sugar dissolving into water, losing all trace of itself, Aether lost his existence. He became the nothingness itself.
He felt at peace in this place. And yet, at the same time, he regretted bringing doom upon his loved one.
Tears slowly welled up in his eyes.
His chest ached with regret.
"If only... if only I had a second chance like my brother...I could've saved the people I loved. Why...why was I so weak...brother...i want to cry in your arms! I feel lonely"
His thoughts were full of sorrow and guilt. In his final moments, Aether couldn't stop thinking about his brother, who had gone through countless regressions and was strong enough to save his loved once.
Then, suddenly...
The darkness began to change.
A soft light appeared in the distance. From that light, a grand staircase slowly formed, rising upward into the unknown. At the very top of the staircase was a magnificent throne.
Aether stared at it in awe. And lining both sides of the stairs… were people. Familiar faces.
His heart skipped a beat.
He saw the knights of House Noctvain, those brave warriors who had once fought and died for him. He saw the loyal servants, the kind maids who used to serve him with smiles. And then... his siblings. His mother....His father. All standing there. Watching him.
Aether's eyes widened.
He felt a lump in his throat.
Without even thinking, his feet moved. Slowly, he began walking up the staircase toward the throne. Step by step, he passed each of them.
He couldn't lift his head. Shame weighed it down.
When he walked past his family, they spoke to him gently.
"You did well. Don't blame yourself."
Aether's tears burst out. He couldn't hold them back anymore. but he couldn't lift his head.
By the time he reached the throne, his legs felt heavy. So he sat on it.
And in that moment everyone before him bowed.
His heart raced.
"Why... am I seeing something like this just before my death?"
"Is this just an illusion?"
He gritted his teeth.
"No... I'm the one who caused all this. Everyone's death... it's my fault."
Then...
Ding!
A sudden sound echoed in the empty space.
A translucent window appeared before him, glowing softly with dark green light.
[The Regression is in progress.]
"W-What!?"
Ding!
[Ferot, The Relic of Regression, planted by Julius von Legolant, was found embedded in the user.]
"Relic...? Regression... Julius..?" Aether's hands trembled as Julius is his brother haruto's name in this world.
Ding!
[Warning: The user is not a regressor. Due to the divinity's deficiency, only a single regression is possible]
Ding!
[Caution: Should you die after regression, no further return will be possible.]
Aether stared in shock as more glowing windows popped up in front of him.
He was speechless.
"Does this mean... I can go back in time? Just like my brother did?"
His heart beat faster. His emotions were all mixed up. fear, hope, confusion, and disbelief.
Then...a memory flashed through his mind.
When his brother was talking about Aether's destiny before his reincarnation, he ended the conversation by thrusting his hand into Aether's chest.
"Does that mean he implanted this regression relic into me... predicating the future?"
Aether's eyes widened in realization.
"Did he predict the prophecy might be wrong... and secretly give me this relic? Or was he being cautious?"
His mind was full of questions.
But there was one thing he was certain of now.
This… was his brother's doing. His brother must have implanted this Relic of Regression.
Was it because he foresaw that I would die following destiny, or that I would be betrayed? Either way, he truly is the sentinel who has always guarded me from danger.
Ding!
[Would you like to regress?]
Two buttons appeared in front of him:
[Yes] [No]
Aether looked at them.
His heart still pounded, He took a deep breath.
After being betrayed by his own friends and the world, and watching his loved ones die. he regretted every single moment. But now, he was given a chance. A second chance to take revenge on those so-called celestial beings who pretended to be gods.
Those who had backstabbed him. The world that had been blind to the truth. The people he couldn't protect.
As his determination grew, he looked at the stairs. It was a long way up. People were bowing.
"I swear I will make you all rise above the heavens."
Then he looked at the two options: Yes or No.
"Even when fate shuts every door, the heavens leave a crack, enough for those who dare to rise again." he whispered to himself, and pressed Yes.
As Aether pressed [Yes], everything around him began to tremble.
Creak... swoooosh
The throne, the staircase, the shadows of his loved ones. all shattered like glass. The void cracked apart.
And then...he saw it.
A vast, open space stretched beneath a stormy sky. Millions of people knelt in silence, their heads lowered in absolute reverence.
Floating high above them was a single figure.
He wore long, strange robes with patterns that looked like snake-like dragons crawling across the fabric.
A cold, intricate mask covered his face, hiding his identity.
Slowly, the man removed his mask.
Aether's breath stopped.
The man... looked exactly like him.
The same face. The same build. But his aura was far beyond anything human.
Then, their eyes met.
His eyes were black and shiny, like polished stone, as dark as obsidian.
And then, that man smiled. A quiet, gentle smile. As if he knew Aether
But the moment Aether saw that smile his vision began to blur.
Swooosh
Dark smoke crept in from the edges of his sight, swirling like a storm.
It wrapped around his eyes, thick and heavy.
He tried to blink, tried to see clearly again… but everything was fading.
The sky, the people, even the man in the robe
All swallowed by darkness.
And then…
his consciousness began to fade.
His head felt heavy. His thoughts started to drift. His eyes slowly closed.
Just like that, his first life ended.
And a new chance began.
If fate dared to open the door again, he would step through without remorse.
This time, he would not hesitate.
This time, he would decide how the story ends.
* * *
"Aaaaaaaaaaaa"
A loud, painful scream echoed through the air.
Aether's eyes snapped open. The world around him had changed. He was no longer in that strange place with the throne or the masked man.
Now, he was chained to a chair. Heavy, cold chains wrapped around his arms and legs.
He looked down
His hands had no nails. His legs were covered in cuts, twisted, and nearly unrecognizable. His mouth hurt. A sharp pin had been driven through his tongue.
His body was shaking. Blood dripped to the floor. The smell of iron and rot filled the air.
Aether didn't scream. He just frowned.
Because he remembered this place. He knew exactly where he was.
'So… I'm back in the past' he thought, his expression hard.
But not to any peaceful time.
No...he had returned to the worst days of his life.
To when he was captured and tortured by psychopaths who delighted in shattering people.
He exhaled slowly.
"Damn it… my life couldn't get any worse."
.
.
.
.
To be continued....