Cold.
That was the first thing he felt.
Not the type of cold that numbed skin, but the kind that clawed through bones, whispering reminders of death into every breath.
Blood filled his mouth. His lungs screamed for air. The filthy water of the alleyway drain soaked through his clothes, choking him as it rushed down his throat. Above, distant laughter echoed. Fading. Faint. Cruel.
He tried to move.
But his arms were broken. His ribs shattered. His body—betrayed by a world that never once gave him a chance—was sinking into the gutter like trash.
He was dying.
And no one cared.
A pair of boots splashed near his head. His one good eye twitched open, seeing the faint silhouette of the boy he had once called his only friend.
"Sorry, Kai," the boy said, face shrouded by shadow, voice thick with guilt and greed. "If it's between you or me… I choose me."
Then the boy walked away.
Kai's lips trembled. Not from the cold. But from something far worse.
Hurt.
Not because he was dying.
But because he'd trusted.
Because he'd believed—naively—that even someone like him could matter to someone else.
How pathetic.
The world blurred.
Colors bled into shadow.
And then—
Nothing.
Silence.
Stillness.
But then… something stirred.
[System Initialization: Bond Link Interface Detected…]
[Error. Host consciousness fractured. Restoring…]
[New Host Identified: Kael Faelwinter]
[Beginning transfer.]
Somewhere Else.
A sharp gasp pierced the silence.
He bolted upright, heart pounding, eyes wild.
White silk sheets wrapped around his now flawless body. Moonlight spilled through arched windows of crystal, casting elegant shadows across the ornate room.
A soft, icy breeze brushed his cheek.
Not dirty rain.
Not rot.
This wasn't the alley.
This wasn't Earth.
This wasn't…
"You're awake…"
The voice was melodic. Cold and sharp—like winter wine poured over steel.
He turned.
A woman stood beside his bed, wearing a flowing black gown adorned with sapphire threads and crystalline snowflakes. Her presence demanded the air to still. Her silver eyes held worlds. Her pale skin shimmered like sculpted frost.
And her beauty…
It was inhuman.
"My darling," she whispered, falling to her knees beside him. Her gloved hand cupped his cheek. "My beautiful boy… my Kael… I thought I lost you again."
She hugged him tightly. And in that chilling embrace, his thoughts spiraled.
Kael.
That was his name now.
This body wasn't his… but it was flawless. His skin was porcelain. His hair long, flowing, and white as snow. His eyes—when he glanced into the nearby mirror—glowed faintly with silver and midnight blue.
Devilishly beautiful.
Dangerously elegant.
And terrifyingly calm.
"Where… am I?" he murmured.
The woman—his mother?—smiled with twisted affection. "Home, my son. You're home. And soon… soon, the world will see you for what you are."
[System Interface Reconnected.]
[Welcome, Kael Faelwinter.]
[Bond Link System Online.]
[Warning: This world is ruled by magic, bloodlines, and fate. You were not meant to survive.]
[But now you can rewrite everything.]