Pain.
That was the first thing he felt.
Cold, sharp, gnawing through his nerves like frostbite.
Then came the memories—fire, betrayal, a sword in his back, and the name he once carried:
Kael Ardyn.
The talentless. The weak. The forgotten son of a ruined noble house.
He had died.
He remembered that part clearly.
But now—
He opened his eyes.
And breathed.
Dust clung to his skin. He lay in the center of a shattered stone temple, silver moonlight pouring down from a broken dome above. His heart pounded in his chest, alive—too alive.
"What…?"
His voice cracked from dryness, but the word echoed louder than it should have.
Then—
It appeared.
A cold blue window, hovering silently before his eyes.
[☽ SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
───────────────────────────────
» USER: KAEL ARDYN
» STATUS: DECEASED (CORRECTED)
» SOUL INTEGRITY: 82.9%
» CLASS: UNKNOWN
» CORE ALIGNMENT: LUNAR-DRACONIC
───────────────────────────────
☽ SYSTEM ACCESS: GRANTED
☽ VERSION: BETA 1.0
☽ USER RECOGNITION: UNIQUE
───────────────────────────────
WELCOME TO THE MOONBOUND SYSTEM.
Kael stared, heart still thundering.
ASystem?
He'd heard of such things only in ancient myths. No mage, no king, no demigod had ever claimed to possess one.
In this world, magic came from bloodlines, relics, or divine contracts—not from glowing blue panels in the air.
Was this a curse?
A delusion?
But the screen remained.
And then, another one followed.
📜 QUEST ALERT!
───────────────────────────────
[Main Quest: The First Path]
— Objective: Escape the Forgotten Temple
— Condition: Remain Undetected
— Time Limit: None
⚠️ Failure Penalty: SYSTEM RESET / DEATH
📦 Reward:
— Skill: [Moonstep] — RARE
— EXP +100
— Hidden Stat: Influence +1
Kael pushed himself upright, groaning. His fingers brushed the stone beneath him—cold, cracked, marked with unfamiliar sigils.
The moonlight above shimmered faintly, and in its glow, he caught a reflection—
Silver hair. Pale skin. Eyes glowing faintly like polished opal.
That wasn't his face.
Not the one he remembered.
His body had changed—regrown, rewritten. Transformed into something ethereal. Regal. Draconic.
"This isn't reincarnation," he whispered.
"This is rebirth."
A sound echoed from the temple's edge—footsteps.
Others were nearby.
Kael's body tensed instinctively. He moved behind a broken pillar, heart pounding.
Another prompt blinked to life.
🧠 SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
───────────────────────────────
☽ MOONLIGHT DETECTED
— Regenerating LUNAR ENERGY: +5/s
☽ ACTIVE SKILL AVAILABLE
[Skill: Moonstep]
» Rarity: Rare
» Type: Movement / Stealth
» Effect: Blink up to 5 meters. Leaves lunar after-image for 1.5s
» Cost: 10 Lunar Energy
» Cooldown: 8s
► Use Skill? [Y/N]
Kael didn't hesitate.
"Y."
His body shimmered. The world blurred.
In an instant, he vanished from behind the pillar—and reappeared behind a crumbling archway, silent as moonlight.
The soldiers entered the ruins seconds later, searching.
Too slow.
He was already gone.
A smirk tugged at the corner of Kael's mouth.
For the first time in two lifetimes, he wasn't helpless.
As he slipped into the treeline, leaving the ruins behind, the System rewarded him again.
✅ QUEST COMPLETE!
───────────────────────────────
[The First Path] — COMPLETE
🎉 Rewards:
— Skill Unlocked: [Moonstep]
— EXP Gained: +100
— Hidden Stat [Influence] +1
📦 NEW SYSTEM FEATURE UNLOCKED!
[False Identity Protocol]
► Suggested Alias: "Kairo Veyran"
► Background: Lost noble house; survivor of the Bleeding Sands
► Noble Presence Simulation: 74%
► Create Cover Identity? [Y/N]
Kael stood beneath the pale moon, its light dancing on his skin like silver fire.
A name. A mask. A new identity.
His old life was ash.
But from it, something stronger would rise.
He exhaled slowly. "Y."
The name Kael Ardyn had died.
Now, only the Moonbound King remained.
And the world would never see him coming.