Lucian floated again in the dark. He felt empty. There was no pain, and no fear. Only a quiet warmth spreading through him.
So this is it…
His final thoughts drifted like dust.
He had lived. He had tried. He had saved someone precious to him twice, and he tried again in this world. That was enough.
A small smile formed in his mind. I did well.
But then—
[Preparing Transfer...]
The sound echoed through the darkness.
Lucian's eyes widened even though he didn't have a body.
"What? No… what do you mean preparing?" he said. His voice rippled through the void like a faint vibration.
Another message appeared.
[Your existence has been evaluated. The Death Principle has made a choice.]
Lucian frowned. "Choice? What choice?"
Darkness shifted around him, like a giant unseen being breathing slowly in the void.
[The Death Principle has deemed Lucian Wrenford necessary. You will continue saving Guinevere Von Meranne.]
He froze.
"Why? I already died! I finished! Someone else can—"
[Rejection denied.]
Lucian clenched invisible fists. His heartbeat—if he had one—felt like it stopped.
Continue… saving her? Again?
"But—why me? Why keep me?"
The system did not hesitate.
[Your soul is compatible. Your decisions align with Death's path. You do not turn away from sacrifice.]
Lucian swallowed.
Sacrifice…
That was all he ever did.
His voice cracked. "I'll… experience death again, won't I?"
[Correct.]
The word hit him like a blade.
He shivered in the dark. More deaths… I'll feel it again… the pain… the cold… the emptiness…
"But why? I—"
The next message interrupted his trembling thoughts.
[Initiating next life cycle.]
[Timeline Position: Approximately 20 years before and after the birth of the First Heir of House Von Meranne.]
Lucian blinked. "Before… and after? How does that even—what does that mean?"
The system continued, calm and emotionless.
[Your new objective: Stop the rise of the first heir's corruption. Prevent the evil that will shape the future of Vorhalla.]
Lucian stared into the void. The words felt too big.
"I'm supposed to do what?"
His voice cracked louder.
"You're telling me to fight a noble heir? A future tyrant? I'm just—"
He shook in fear. But the system didn't care.
[This task directly affects Guinevere Von Meranne's future survival. Failure will lead to her eventual death in all timelines.]
Lucian's breath froze. So everything leads back to her… even here… even now.
"But… but I died! I saved her! I let someone else take over!"
His voice rose.
"Why keep pulling me back? Why can't I rest? Why—"
The darkness trembled again, like something ancient was listening.
[Death has chosen you. Purpose cannot be undone.]
Lucian screamed. For the first time, the darkness pushed back against his voice, swallowing it.
"AHHHHHHH!"
He screamed again.
He didn't want more deaths.
He didn't want more loops.
He didn't want more pain.
"No! No, I said I'm done! I'm done!"
The system remained still.
[Transfer commencing.]
A light formed below him, pulling him like a current. Lucian struggled, but there was nothing to grab.
"I don't want this! I don't—"
The universe twisted.
Then—
A long line of words unfolded before his eyes.
[Identity: Lucian Draemer]
[Age: 8]
[Birthplace: Eastern Vorhalla]
[Status: Servant Apprentice – Von Meranne Estate]
[Assigned Duty: Observe First Heir]
[Objective: Alter the future. Prevent corruption.]
Lucian's jaw dropped. His thoughts crashed.
He couldn't breathe.
"What—an eight-year-old? Are you kidding me?"
His own shout echoed as his eyes snapped open, and a bright morning sky greeted him.
Lucian Draemer opened his eyes to the noise of brooms scraping stone floors.
Are you kidding me? I have no other choice.
Morning light came through the tall windows of the servant hall. He sat up slowly, still adjusting to the body he was in.
His hands were small. His arms thin. He felt the weight of childhood again, and it unsettled him.
He took a breath. So I'm Lucian Draemer now…
Memories slipped into him like quiet waves.
They were simple memories, but they built a full picture of the boy whose life he would live.
Lucian Draemer was born in the eastern district of Vorhalla Kingdom.
His mother worked as a laundress, and his father worked in a warehouse near the river.
They were poor but not starving.
Life was slow, and every day felt the same.
The boy had learned to carry buckets, fold sheets, and run errands around the market. He was obedient and soft-spoken. People around him liked him because he caused no trouble.
Then came the plague five years ago. It spread fast through their area.
His parents died within three days.
The boy survived only because a traveling supervisor from the noble house passed by and saw him sitting alone near a burned home.
That supervisor was the same man who later placed him in the mansion.
Lucian blinked as the flashbacks faded. His chest felt heavy.
He knew this boy had cried quietly for days. He had no strength to fight the world, so he let himself get pulled wherever adults sent him.
That was how he ended up as a young servant in House Von Meranne.
"Draemer! Move faster."
The sharp voice cut through the hall. Lucian turned.
A tall man stood near the door wearing a dark coat and gloves.
This was Steward Halbrecht, the man who managed the servants and enforced the rules.
He was strict, but he rarely raised his hand to the children. His voice alone was enough to make everyone listen.
"Yes, Steward Halbrecht," Lucian said. He stepped forward and picked up a bucket of warm water.
His new voice sounded thin and young. It felt strange.
Steward Halbrecht walked toward him. "You will help clean the outer halls today. The First Heir is returning from morning training. Make sure his path is spotless. If the stones are dull, you will repeat the entire section."
"Yes, sir," Lucian answered.
He followed the other servants through the side corridor.
The mansion was huge and made of pale stone, with banners of black and gold hanging from the walls.
The emblem of the Von Meranne family, a sword crossing a coiling beast, was everywhere. The house was one of the strongest in Vorhalla, and its influence reached far beyond the capital.
Vorhalla Kingdom itself was large, divided into eastern plains, northern mountains, and the capital region where the nobles fought for power.
It was a kingdom ruled by strength and lineage. Anyone born into the main noble families carried expectations heavier than steel.
Lucian scrubbed the stones slowly while thinking about everything he had seen.
The memories of the boy helped him understand how this world functioned before he arrived.
The nobles controlled everything. Servants had no right to refuse. Disobedience meant punishment. Even children were bound to their duties.
He paused for a moment and stared at his reflection in the water.
A young boy with black hair and quiet eyes looked back at him. His face was soft and carried no sharp lines. It was the kind of face people forgot easily.
Then another memory pushed through—one from his own past, not Draemer's.
Death will pull you again. You will continue saving her.
Lucian tightened his grip on the cloth.
He had two sets of memories now. The boy's weak, gentle life. And his own harsh, chaotic one.
He felt both inside him, and it gave him a strange balance.
"Draemer, stop standing there. Wipe the edge." Steward Halbrecht marched past him, his boots echoing across the corridor.
"Yes, sir," Lucian said again. He moved quickly and wiped the stones clean.
As he worked, he started piecing together the details of this period.
The First Heir of the Von Meranne family had been born only recently. Rumors said the child was sharp and gifted. Some whispered that the family would change once he grew older.
Lucian knew that change would turn into darkness. The system had told him clearly.
Prevent the corruption of the First Heir.
It sounded simple, but the weight behind it was heavy.
Lucian exhaled. He needed information. He needed to watch everything. And above all, he needed to keep death from pulling him too early.
For now, he was just Lucian Draemer, a small servant boy in a massive house.
But he knew that this life was only the beginning.