Chapter 1: Subject 01

On the ground lay the corpse of a massive, deformed monster, its body unlike anything familiar. Above it stood a young man in his twenties, golden hair and eyes glowing like the sun. Around him, the world seemed to crack, as if nature itself struggled to contain him.

He raised his sword slowly and swung it. Suddenly, the space before him tore apart, as if reality itself had split open.

Then, in an instant, everything stopped, and the game’s pause screen appeared.

In a dark, grimy room, the only light came from an old computer screen. The young man let out a long sigh and whispered in a confined voice:”End of Chapter.”

He was talking about his latest game, Time Rift, released only a few days ago. Its world was bizarre—a mix of Souls-like mechanics and modern storytelling, where massive fissures ravaged the earth, monsters claimed the land, and humanity was forced to flee to a new world.

The story revolved around an orphaned protagonist, adopted by a noble family, gifted with the Talent That Touches the Sky and numerous supernatural powers, destined to clash with a powerful organization called the “Void System.”

The game had caused a stir online, but very few players had finished it, as it was both new and complex.

He scrolled through the news, pale-skinned, dark circles under his eyes, and a thin body that spoke of years of hardship and suffering.

After losing his parents and siblings in a car accident at seventeen, he had no time to grieve. He had to leave school and work as a debt slave to to pay off his parents’ debts and stay alive. Games were his only escape from the harsh reality.

Muttering to himself while reading an article about the game:”They say the ending isn’t good…”

He didn’t want the story spoiled, especially since he had just reached a critical point.

Just as he was about to shut down the computer and go to bed, there was a knock at the door of his shabby apartment.

He rose lazily, his steps slow, and opened the door. Three men stood before him, large and heavily tattooed.

The moment they saw him, one grabbed him by the collar and dragged him outside:”So this is the snitch who called the cops on us?”

The young man didn’t flinch. He remained calm—not out of courage, but out of complete indifference.

“What should we do with him?” the other said, a sinister grin on his face.

He knew who they were: a group of local drug dealers. He had reported them to the police, but corruption ran deeper than he imagined.

One of them shook him violently, shouting:”Why so quiet? Are you peeing your pants?”

He responded coldly:”Want me to cry and beg? Forget it. That’s not happening.”

The third man, enraged, pulled out a knife and stabbed him directly in the heart:”What do you think you are, you piece of trash?”

The first man released him and yelled at his companion:”What have you done, idiot?”

The young man tilted his head to see the knife in his heart. He didn’t scream. He didn’t cry.

He muttered softly, a weary smile cutting across his face:”Finally… I can rest.”

His body hit the ground, and the last thing he heard were the screams of the gang, before darkness swallowed him.

……

Years of memories flooded my mind all at once, causing a searing headache as if my skull was about to split open.

I was strapped to a cold metal chair, wires and tubes connected to my body, pumping strange fluids I couldn’t tell if they kept me alive… or were slowly killing me.

All around me, the hum of machines and cold electronic pulses reminded me that I was nothing more than a living experiment in this dark lab.

A man stood before me, facing away. He wore a white coat that covered most of his body. His fingers danced across transparent screens, reading data without a hint of interest in my presence.

Finally, he pressed a button. The metal restraints around my limbs released, and mechanical arms removed the wires and tubes with cold precision.

He turned to me in a monotonous tone:”Your examination is complete, Subject 01. Return to your room now.”

I lifted myself off the chair with heavy steps, heading toward the lab’s exit. Two familiar men awaited me: the guards assigned to escort me back.

I ignored them as I walked through the cold iron corridors, their silence making us feel like ghosts.

The hallways were gray walls with no windows, no life—just metal doors here and there, as if the place was designed to swallow the soul.

When I reached my room, one guard scanned his card and unlocked the door automatically, stepping aside without a word.

My head was still submerged in a flood of strange memories as the door closed behind me.

I scanned the room with my eyes. Nothing new. A small bed in the corner, a washbasin with a mirror, and a toilet… everything was exactly as always. No windows, only ventilation slots the size of a fist, as if even the air was restricted here.

I approached the sink and turned on the faucet. Cold water splashed on my face, and then I lifted my head to see my reflection.

A flawless face… medium-length black hair… deep black eyes… pale, clear skin. Features that didn’t belong to a child raised in a torture room.

I leaned on the sink, staring into the mirror, trying to sort out the flood of memories invading my mind.

Time passed… I don’t know how long. And finally, I understood. These were memories of my first life. My death at twenty-four… stabbed in the heart by a desperate drug dealer.

A miserable life.An even more miserable ending.

I don’t know how, but I got another chance… only to reincarnate in the last game I played. But… what had I become?

Just an experiment within the Void System. Specifically, one of its minor branches.

Since childhood in this life, I was trapped here.Brutal training.Fights to the death.Constant surveillance.Daily injections of unknown substances.

By the age of ten… I had already killed hundreds. Rivers of blood flowed before me. In the end, I became number one—their most successful experiment.

My lips trembled, then a quiet laugh escaped…”Hehehe…”

I laughed more… laughed like a madman.

“I… am cursed… hehehe… cursed in every life.”

I leaned back, breathing deeply. In all the games and novels I knew, people reincarnated as the hero, or at least the main villain, or a side character with some role.

But me? I was none of that.

I was the character who appeared at the very start of the game… in the first cutscene… before the hero even appeared.

The scene played clearly in my mind: a young man with black hair and black eyes, strapped to a chair, connected to countless tubes and wires… undergoing a strange examination.

Only to later reveal that I was the perfect vessel to contain the being worshiped by the Void System.

“The Observer behind the wall of existence… the first voice of the Void… devouring everything.”

I hadn’t finished the game… so I didn’t know much about it.

But… did it matter? My fate was already sealed.

I had just finished my examination. Only hours… maybe a few days remained for the results to appear. Then… my fate would end again.

The being wouldn’t manifest immediately. I would be transferred to the main facility… where more experiments awaited me.

I took a deep breath and lay down on the bed.

And with a single thought, the system screen appeared before me—as it always does for anyone waking in this world.

Name: Caius Astroweld

Age: 17

Rank: 2

Sub-rank: Intermediate

Abilities:

[Soul Eyes]: When activated, you can see and sense the essence and souls of living beings.

[Sea of Soul]

“My power was similar to the hero’s at this stage—at least if we ignored all the over-the-top abilities he had, while I only had a skill that let me see the essence behind everything… and the souls of beings.

The second ability had appeared recently, without description, details, or any noticeable difference. Perhaps… that was what made me the perfect vessel.”

The system screen disappeared.

I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts in total chaos.

My first life was hell… but the second was worse. After seventeen years of suffering, fighting, and torture… I realized my destiny was to be nothing more than a vessel for a strange entity.

I smiled… and a quiet laugh escaped me:”Heh… cursed.”

But deep inside… there was only one desire.

I muttered:”I want to get out of here and see the sun once again.”

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