The alarms screamed.
Red light flooded the laboratory, flickering violently as systems failed one after another. Sparks burst from the ceiling, wires snapping, machines collapsing into chaos. The air burned with heat and the sharp scent of metal.
At the center of it all, I stood still.
The chamber in front of me trembled. Cracks spread slowly across its surface as the energy within it twisted beyond control. It no longer followed logic. No longer obeyed calculation.
It had gone beyond me.
"Shut it down!"
"It's collapsing!"
"Move away!"
Their voices echoed around me, distant and irrelevant. My eyes never left the chamber. My mind moved faster than the chaos, running through every equation, every variable, every possible solution.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Nothing.
There was no answer.
No escape.
"…So this is where it ends."
My voice came out calm. Too calm.
I had chased this moment my entire life. Ignored the limits others feared. Reached for something beyond understanding.
And now—
I had reached it.
"I was close…"
A faint smile formed on my lips.
"So close…"
The cracks spread further. The light grew brighter. The hum deepened into something unbearable, something that felt like it was tearing reality itself apart.
Then—
Everything vanished.
Darkness.
Not the kind you see when you close your eyes.
This was absolute.
There was no sound. No movement. No sense of time. I couldn't feel my body. Couldn't hear my own breath.
I couldn't even tell if I was alive.
Cold.
That was the only thing I could recognize.
A deep, suffocating cold that wrapped around me completely.
My heart did not beat.
My thoughts drifted.
Fading.
So this is death…
…
No.
Something was wrong.
Warmth.
It came suddenly.
Soft. Heavy. Pressing in from all sides.
My thoughts snapped back, sharp and alert. My body—something about it felt off.
Small.
Weak.
Unfamiliar.
Pressure forced through me, squeezing, pulling—
And then—
"Waa—!"
A cry tore from my throat.
I froze.
That voice…
That wasn't mine.
Light flooded in, blinding and overwhelming. Shapes moved above me, blurred figures speaking over one another.
"The child!"
"Check his core!"
"Quickly!"
Core?
What are they talking about?
I was lifted. Large hands wrapped around me carefully, as if I might break at any moment. My vision slowly adjusted.
Stone walls.
Golden light.
Cloth.
No steel. No machines. No laboratory.
…
"I died."
The conclusion came naturally. There was no panic, no resistance. Just understanding.
And this…
This wasn't my world.
"Your Majesty… the child's energy core…"
The room fell silent.
"…Speak."
The voice that answered was deep. Heavy. Absolute.
"The Fifth Prince… he…"
A pause.
Why are you hesitating?
"…He has no energy."
Silence.
Then whispers.
"A prince without energy?"
"…Impossible…"
"…A failure…"
Energy. Core. Prince.
So that's how this world works.
I stayed quiet, listening, observing. Even in this fragile body, my mind remained clear.
A different world.
A different life.
Reincarnation.
…
"…Interesting."
I was carried through long halls bathed in soft golden light. The air felt heavy, as if everything here carried weight—history, power, expectation.
This place wasn't ordinary.
It was a palace.
A door opened, and the atmosphere shifted instantly.
Quieter.
Softer.
A woman lay on the bed, her face pale but her eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
Strong.
"…My child."
I was placed beside her. Her hand touched my cheek.
Rough.
Not delicate.
Not soft.
A warrior's hand.
"His core is empty," someone said carefully. "He has no energy."
Silence followed.
They were waiting.
For her reaction.
"…So what?"
The words were calm. Unshaken.
"He is my son."
No disappointment.
No hesitation.
No rejection.
For a moment, I said nothing.
In my previous life, everything had value. Everything was measured, calculated, proven.
And in the end—
I failed.
But now…
I slowly closed my eyes.
A new body.
A new world.
New rules.
Another chance.
"…I see."
My fingers twitched slightly. Weak. Powerless.
But that didn't matter.
Because this time—
"I won't fail."
Silence settled in the room.
Soft. Calm.
A voice spoke quietly.
"…Dyego."
"Dyego Xenon."
And just like that—
A new life began.