Kai’s gaze was fixed on the translucent screen floating before him. His eyes burned as he stared at the stat reset, still reeling from the shock of his rebirth. My skills… my stats… He couldn’t stop his thoughts from spiraling.


    <hr>


    Status


    Name: Kai (chosen name)


    Class: Dual Blades Specialist


    Race: Human


    Rank: F


    Attributes:


    ~ Strength: E+


    ~ Agility: E-


    ~ Endurance: F


    ~ Vitality: D


    ~ Mana: F-


    ~ Intelligence: C


    ~ Charisma: F-


    Skills


    Twin Blade Mastery (Rank F)


    Blade Dance (Rank F)


    Twin Strike (Rank F)


    Blade Flash (Rank E)


    Special skills:


    Phantom Requiem (Rank B): Locked


    Crimson Torrent (Rank B): Locked


    Eclipse Slash (Rank A): Locked


    Twin Seraphim''s Wrath (Rank A): Locked


    Starfall Strike (Rank S): Locked


    Void Dance (Rank S): Locked


    Tempest Fury (Rank S+): Locked


    Devourer''s Regeneration (Rank SS): Locked


    Corruption Shield (Rank SS): Locked


    Wraith’s Dread (Rank SS): Locked


    <hr>


    Kai’s hands trembled as he reached out, fingers brushing against the screen.


    He had earned them over the years of fighting, surviving, and pushing through impossible odds. And now, they were nothing more than faded memories. Locked, inaccessible, and fallen to F ranks.


    Why?


    He couldn’t understand.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Why is everything gone?


    A long sigh left his lips as he lowered his eyes. He glanced around the room, eyes drifting over the pale, lifeless faces of the children sitting in the damp, cold corners. Their faces were gaunt, their eyes empty, staring into nothing. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.


    Kai’s thoughts began to clear, the panic slowly fading as he tried to make sense of his situation.


    Okay, I’m reborn… But why here? Why these kids?


    Turning his head, he glanced at the girl beside him who was staring blankly at the wall.


    “Hey,” Kai whispered, keeping his voice low to avoid drawing attention.


    “Where are we? Why are we shackled?”


    The girl’s head jerked toward him. For a moment, she said nothing, her lips trembling as though she were afraid to speak. Then, her gaze dropped to her knees, and she hugged them tightly.


    “I… I don’t know…” she stammered, her voice cracking.


    “I was at the market with my mother. She bought me sweets. I was eating them, and then… then my head started hurting. Everything went dark.”


    Her voice grew quieter.


    “When I woke up… I was here. I don’t know why… I just want to go home. My mother must be looking for me…”


    Her voice broke, and she buried her face in her knees, her shoulders shaking as she began to sob.


    “She’s probably so scared… She’s crying right now… looking for me…”


    A scoff cut through the heavy silence like a knife.


    Kai’s eyes darted across the room to a boy sitting in the shadows. He was thin, his dusty golden hair falling messily over his pale face.


    “Crying for you?” the boy said.


    “You really think that?”


    The girl lifted her tear-streaked face to glare at the boy.


    “What do you mean?”


    “If you’re here, it’s because someone sold you. Probably your mother.”


    “That’s a lie!” the girl cried, her voice shaking with anger and desperation.


    “My mother would never do that! She loves me!”


    “Love doesn’t pay debts. Love doesn’t buy food. People sell what they can to survive. And guess what? That includes you.” The boy shot back.


    The girl shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face. “No… no… you’re lying…”


    The boy’s eyes flicked to Kai.


    “You’re new, aren’t you?”


    Kai met his gaze, trying to remain calm despite the unease clawing at him.


    “Where are we?”


    The boy leaned back against the wall, letting out a bitter laugh.


    “We’re in an auction house. Waiting to be sold.”


    Kai’s voice rose in anger.


    “Sold?!”


    The boy’s eyes widened in alarm, and he quickly motioned for Kai to lower his voice.


    “Shhh,” he hissed as his eyes flicked nervously toward the door.


    “Do you want us to be beaten to death?”


    Kai clenched his jaw, the rising panic still twisting in his chest.


    “What do you mean, ‘sold’?”


    The boy gave Kai a long stare. After a moment, he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice even more.


    “We’re either sold or kidnapped by slave traders. And soon… soon we’ll be auctioned off, sold as slaves.”


    The words hit Kai like a physical blow.


    “Slaves?!” he repeated in disbelief.


    “What are you talking about? Slavery was banned centuries ago!”


    The boy’s expression stiffened, his eyes narrowing as if he couldn’t quite comprehend the concept. He tilted his head as though Kai was the one speaking nonsense.


    “Did you lose your mind or something?”


    “Slavery is still common in the Velmora Kingdom.”


    Kai’s heart skipped a beat. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the chaos unraveling before him.


    Slavery? Selling children?


    The words were a foreign concept to him, too far removed from what he remembered.


    Velmora Kingdom?


    The thought hit him like a bolt of lightning.


    Am I not on Earth?


    His pulse quickened as he turned toward the boy again.


    “Wait, wait... What’s the planet called? Where am I?”


    The boy raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by Kai’s.


    “The planet’s name is Astraea.”


    A chill ran through Kai’s spine.


    Astraea. Not Earth.


    Kai’s chest tightened as the truth began to settle in. His rebirth hadn’t just thrown him into a nightmare. It had thrown him into an entirely different planet.


    As Kai sat there, his eyes fixed on the cold stone floor, his mind raced with memories of his past life. Even though he hadn’t been branded a slave in the traditional sense, he had been no different from one. He was a puppet whose action, choice, and even survival was decided by others.


    But not anymore. Not in this new life.


    This second chance, this rebirth, was his opportunity. A chance to make his own decisions. To live for himself, to take control of his own fate. He wouldn’t accept it. He refused to be someone’s tool again.


    I need to run.


    I have to escape from here.


    As Kai is planning to break free, the boy sitting across from Kai watched him with an intensity. His gaze flickered from Kai to the other captives in the room, observing the reactions of those around him.


    The boy studied him closely, trying to make sense of the newcomer.


    This one’s different, he thought.


    A plan began to form in the boy’s mind.


    If he agrees, maybe we can escape...


    His gaze shifted back to Kai, and he decided to observing Kai in silence.