Pain was the first thing Arin felt.
It wasn't sharp or sudden. It was heavy, like the weight of a body that had already accepted death. Cold stone pressed against his back. His wrists burned, tied tightly with rough rope. The air smelled of smoke, damp wood, and fear.
Arin opened his eyes.
Above him, the sky was gray and unyielding. Around him, a circle of villagers, priests, and soldiers waited. Their faces were cold, cautious, like they were watching something dangerous rather than a man bound to a stake.
"Another one," someone muttered.
"He said the gods still watch us."
"Blasphemy."
Fragments of memories, not his own, flooded his mind.
This body had belonged to a priest. Not powerful, not influential—just stubborn. He had preached that the gods were not gone, that their silence had meaning. In this world, such belief was a crime.
A bell rang.
A priest stepped forward, holding a lit torch.
"By order of the temple," the man declared, "you are judged a heretic. May your death cleanse the lies you spread."
Then the world seemed to pause.
The flame froze mid-flicker. The wind vanished. Even the shouts of the crowd faded. A pale light appeared before Arin's eyes.
[Forgotten Authority System — Emergency Activation]
Status: Soul Bound
Body Condition: Dying
Time Remaining: 12 seconds
Directive: Acquire Authority or be erased
Arin understood immediately. This system was not meant to grant combat power. It offered no strength, no skills, no levels. It offered survival—through perception, belief, and influence.
The torch lowered. Time resumed.
Arin spoke. Calmly.
"The gods are silent," he said. "Because they are watching."
The crowd froze. Whispers spread. Watching…?
Then the rain came, sudden and violent, extinguishing the pyre. The soaked wood collapsed. The ropes binding his wrists loosened. People screamed, stepping back in fear.
Authority Gained
Arin exhaled. He was still alive. For the first time, he realized: the world could be manipulated by silence and belief alone.
Rumors spread immediately:
"The execution was rejected…"
"The sky answered him…"
"Could the gods really be watching?"
Darkness claimed him that night, but this time, it was not death