"This is an utter mess," Kael muttered with his expression becoming blank as he tried to piece together his fragmented memories.
He had been reborn into the body of a pathetic human as seen by the nobles because this was a young man with clogged mana vessels, due to which he was considered a disgrace to his powerful lineage.
Ironically, this boy's life wasn't much different from his previous one.
Back then, he had been just as worthless, an outcast in his own home. Though he was the only male heir, he had no talent, no achievements to his name, and no one who truly supported him.
His sister whom he thought loved him dearly turned out to be an act, his mother detested him, and his father saw him as nothing but a disappointment. Eventually, he had been cast aside, left to fend for himself.
Now, in this new life, he belonged to House Veydrin, one of the four noble families that had built the great Heizen Empire
Veydrin was considered the sword of the Emperor.
A noble lineage holding the title of Grand Duke for countless generations.
Every heir of Veydrin was expected to be strong and had to be trained under immense pressure to prove their worth. Yet, the original Kael had amounted to nothing. Born into a bloodline blessed by the God of Storms, every descendant of Veydrin was supposed to inherit the power to control either wind or lightning attributes.
But not him. He was the stain on their name, the family's greatest failure. If being able to manipulate mana was a failure, being born without the bloodline talent for which Veydrin was known all over the world was like a sin.
While he was mocked as the embarrassment of Veydrin, his sister Adele was hailed as the
She was strong, talented, and ruthless. The Duchess' mother adored her, the Grand Duke acknowledged her, and society worshiped her. Meanwhile, Kael was left in the shadows, treated as if he barely existed.
His father had never officially declared the heir, which only fueled the tension between him and his sister. But Kael knew the truth. There was never a chance for him.
Despite this Adele would do anything to ensure he never stood in her way.
A bitter laugh escaped him as memories of his downfall resurfaced. It all happened during a grand banquet at House Veydrin, an event attended by noble families from across the empire.
Since Kael was past 18, there had been talks of his engagement with the daughter of house Ruther but nothing had been set in stone.
His so-called fiancee Elara De Ruther had asked him to meet her in an upstairs room. Naively, he went, only for her to suddenly scream with a torn gown, and accuse him of trying to assault her.
The original Kael panicked seeing this.
Instead of fighting back, and demanding justice, he ran—terrified, confused, broken. His sister Adele had appeared at just the right moment, seizing the opportunity to strike him down.
She humiliated him before everyone, making sure he was seen as nothing but filth. Then, that jet-black-haired boy, the so-called genius of their generation, stepped in and threw him to the floor like a piece of trash.
God knows where that bastard came out.
Kael clenched his fists, his entire body trembling with rage. This was beyond pathetic. It wasn't just about how others had treated him.
No, what angered him the most was how utterly weak and spineless this guy had been. An enemy's job is to strike, to destroy. But it is your own responsibility to protect yourself.
"From the memories, I inherited this guy was a kind good gentleman yet what did he get back in return."
How could someone who was despised by all still believe in kindness? How could he be so blind, so foolish, to not develop even a shred of survival instinct? He had been weak, and weakness was the greatest sin of all.
"Just like an ant is crushed beneath a foot, the weak are destined to be trampled," Kael whispered, his voice cold.
"But I am not that man anymore."
Kael let out a slow breath, his chest tightening with unspoken emotions. "I really wanted to beat you," he murmured, his voice carrying a quiet frustration.
"ButI am the worst person to judge, because I myself betrayed everywhere I went." The weight of his thoughts pressed heavily on his heart, dragging him into memories he wished he could forget.
He had been talentless, weak, and pathetic. A man with no gifts, no grand destiny carved for him. But he had clawed his way to greatness, not by birthright, but by sheer defiance. When he fought for humanity, he alone had held back the march of three demon generals. When he was cast aside and embraced by the demons, he fought against the strongest human powerhouses and even alien invaders.
Yet, despite all that, he had always been alone. Persecuted by both sides, never truly belonging anywhere. No matter how much he bled or how many victories he achieved, there was no place for him. Companionship was a fleeting illusion.
It wasn't that no one ever reached out to him. Some women had loved him, while friends had tried to stand by him. But in the end, he wasn't meant to walk beside them.
He didn't want them to stay alongside him and go through the suffering..
A human who had become a thorn lodged deep in the throats of both heaven and hell an existence that no one could accept, that everyone wanted to erase. The most hated, the most feared, the most unwanted.
Leonard, labelled as the Defier of Fate and The World's Greatest Heretic because he didn't follow the Goddess and God's arrangement
The one who stood against destiny itself.
A low chuckle escaped his lips as his mind drifted back to the present. His gaze darkened, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. "This life… I will make sure it's different."
He rolled the name on his tongue, feeling the weight of it. "Kael… huh?" His voice softened, yet there was an unshakable steel beneath it.
"Don't worry. Your anger, your pain, your sadness, and your hatred…" His eyes burned with quiet fury, a fire that had smoldered for too long. "I will inherit it all. And I will make sure those who want to get rid of you pay."
"Not only those who harmed you but also the Gods...Even if they don't belong to this world, I will find them and make sure to burn them alive."
"I will enact both yours and my revenge."
Just as he cleared his mind, he heard a knocking sound from outside.