Chapter 1 — exile
"According to Article 1, Section 8 of the Ark Alliance Regulations"
"Any individual who unlawfully steals Source Essence shall be sentenced to no less than fifty years of exile."
"If the stolen Source Essence cannot be recovered, the punishment shall increase to a minimum of one hundred years of exile."
The solemn voice of the Chief Judge echoed through the Tribunal Hall like the toll of a funeral bell.
"This Tribunal has found irrefutable evidence that Jiang He, a student of inferior aptitude, after being deemed unqualified to receive Source Essence, privately stole it and consumed it to Awaken a Source Ability."
"In accordance with Alliance law, this court hereby sentences Jiang He to one hundred and fifteen years of exile to the Border Region execution immediate!"
Ark Alliance — Jixing City Tribunal
Hundreds of eyes turned toward the center of the grand hall.
There, under the blinding crystal lights, a young man knelt on the cold metallic floor
his wrists bound in heavy chains that hummed faintly with suppressive energy.
Jiang He slowly raised his head.
But instead of despair, his eyes reflected a quiet calm relief, even. A storm of foreign memories swirled behind them, and at last, they began to settle.
No one in the hall knew the truth.
The Jiang He standing trial today was no longer the same man who had committed the crime.
A soul from another world now looked out from those eyes.
A transmigrator.
And yet, unlike those fantastical tales where reincarnators awoke to powerful systems, blessings, or hidden powers… Jiang He had opened his eyes in chains, facing a Tribunal ready to cast him into oblivion.
He had to save himself.
"Chief Judge! I object!" Jiang He's voice broke the suffocating silence.
The Chief Judge's cold gaze swept over him. "Objection? Did I grant you permission to speak? What right do you have to object?"
"According to Alliance regulations," Jiang He shot back, "every prisoner has the right to appeal!"
A thin layer of frost seemed to settle over the Chief Judge's expression. "Very well," he said icily. "Then speak. What do you wish to say?"
"I want to report someone."
"Oh?" The Judge's brows arched. "Who?"
"Yuan Xie. He's the one who instigated me to steal the Source Essence!"
A ripple spread through the hall.
"You dare make false accusations?!" the Chief Judge snapped. "According to regulations, that adds thirty years to your sentence!"
He slammed the gavel down. The sound cracked like thunder. "Execution guards
send him to the Border Region immediately!"
Two armored guards stepped forward, dragging Jiang He up by his chains.
"Heh… look at you," Jiang He said, smirking faintly. "You're trembling just because I mentioned Yuan Xie. Afraid people might learn that Yuan Xie is your nephew?"
The Chief Judge's eyes turned murderous. "Make him shut up!"
A filthy rag was stuffed into Jiang He's mouth, silencing him as the guards hauled him toward the exit.
But while his body was restrained, his mind blazed with clarity.
Fragments of knowledge unfolded in his thoughts information buried in the memories of the body's previous owner.
A lawless frontier.
A land shrouded in fog and chaos. A place where the Alliance's laws could not reach.
Annual mortality rate: 99%.
Home to the Guai.
monstrous abominations born of the Mist, humanity's oldest and deadliest foe.
And Jiang He… had no Source Ability.
Despite consuming Source Essence, nothing had Awakened within him. He was an Ability Nullifier
a cripple in a world where power meant survival.
A Nullifier exiled to the Border Region?
He wouldn't last a week.
Unless… the accusation he'd shouted in court reached the right ears.
"Yuan Xie," Jiang He thought coldly, "I hope you don't disappoint me."
Half an Hour Later — Outside Jixing City
A teleportation array hummed quietly in a secluded square. Jiang He stood at its center, chains clinking softly.
Beside the platform, a Courier in silver uniform adjusted the controls while two execution guards waited nearby.
"Time's almost up," the Courier said, glancing at the sun. "Any last words before I activate the teleportation array?"
Jiang He said nothing.
The Courier sighed. "Once the array activates, the isolation barrier will seal. No one can interfere or stop the process midway. You'll be gone before the next minute passes."
He shook his head softly. "No one even came to see you off…"
"Wait."
A voice cut through the air.
From a distance, a young man approached, wearing a silk coat that shimmered in the sunlight. Every step reeked of arrogance and privilege.
Jiang He's gaze hardened. "Yuan Xie," he murmured, "you're finally here."
Yuan Xie smirked. "You knew I'd come?"
"I guessed you wouldn't miss your last chance."
"Heh, our class's top student really understands me," Yuan Xie said mockingly as he came to stand by the teleportation platform. "I heard you tried to report me in the Tribunal?"
"What, am I not allowed to?"
"Of course you are," Yuan Xie sneered. "But since you already told everyone the Chief Judge is my uncle, do you honestly think you could win?"
Jiang He remained silent.
Yuan Xie's grin widened. "You must be terrified, aren't you? Heading to the Border Region with no abilities. I always said good grades don't mean good aptitude. You were first in class, yet you couldn't even qualify for Source Essence."
He laughed, pulling a crimson admission letter from his coat. "And me? I failed every subject yet I got accepted into Tianqi Academy."
The fiery emblem of the Alliance's top academy gleamed under the sun.
It was Jiang He's dream school.
His chest tightened, but he said nothing.
"Too bad you won't live long enough to visit," Yuan Xie mocked. Then he leaned close, whispering into Jiang He's ear, voice dripping with malice.
"Oh, and by the way the Source Essence you stole? It was fake."
Jiang He froze.
Yuan Xie grinned, enjoying the shock on his face. "I placed it there myself. Even dismissed the guards so you could 'sneak' in. And in the end? I was the one who reported you."
The world seemed to go silent.
Fake…?
That meant he had never truly consumed Source Essence.
That meant… he could still Awaken.
Hope ignited in Jiang He's chest like a spark in the dark.
But Yuan Xie was still talking, voice full of venom. "You really thought trash like you could Awaken? Dream on!"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small crystalline sphere, mist swirling within.
"Look familiar? This is real Source Essence. The very thing you crave." He smirked. "But you'll never have it."
"Thank you," Jiang He said suddenly.
Yuan Xie blinked. "What?"
"Thank you… for giving it to me."
Before he could react, Jiang He's chained hand lashed out, lightning-fast. The chains whirred through the air as his fingers snatched the glowing crystal straight from Yuan Xie's hand and, without hesitation, he swallowed it whole.
Gulp.
For a heartbeat, silence.
The two guards tensed to strike, but Yuan Xie raised a trembling hand. "Wait," he croaked, grinning cruelly. "Don't stop him."
He turned back toward Jiang He, laughing. "You idiot. That one's fake too! I knew you'd try that. You fell for it again!"
His laughter grew hysterical, echoing through the courtyard until he suddenly stopped.
Because he couldn't breathe.
The iron chain around his neck had tightened, cutting off his air.
Jiang He's expression was calm almost serene. "No, Young Master Yuan," he whispered. "You don't understand me. I understand you."
The chain yanked violently.
Yuan Xie's body stumbled forward
right into the teleportation array.
At that exact moment, something white and misty flew from Jiang He's right hand, arcing beautifully through the air before striking the activation button beside the Courier.
Bang!
A blinding light flared.
The isolation barrier snapped into place, sealing both men within the teleportation field.
Everyone around froze in disbelief.
Only now did they realize the "fake" Source Essence Jiang He had swallowed moments ago had not dissolved.
It was that very sphere that had struck the switch.
The teleportation array roared to life.
And as light engulfed them both, Jiang He's faint smile was the last thing Yuan Xie saw before they vanished into the unknown.
World Notes —
Ark Alliance — Humanity's last bastion within the Great Fog. Only the skies above the Alliance remain clear; all other lands are veiled in mist.
Guai — Monstrous beings born from the Fog. Mindless, ever-hunting, some possessing unique abilities.
Source Essence — Crystallized energy that allows humans to Awaken Source Abilities.
Source Ability — Powers born from one's soul resonance with Source Essence.
Teleportation Array — Technology developed from ancient Space Rifts, allowing human traversal into the Chaotic Zones.
Border Region — The first area humans carved out from the Chaotic Zone. A deadly frontier where Guai roam and survival is near impossible.