Chapter 0: The Forgotten Curse

A World of Glory and Ruin

Elaria was a realm of grandeur, where towering kingdoms, majestic spires, and sprawling cities stood beneath endless skies. Magic pulsed through the land, shaping destinies with every heartbeat, crafting wonders that defied belief. Nobles, adventurers, scholars, and wizards carved their names into history, driven by ambition and desire.

Power came in many forms—bloodlines tracing back to the divine, artifacts of untold might, and, of course, magic. The royal families held dominion over the land, their reigns unchallenged, their banners billowing proudly over the cities. The Temple of Lumis, an ancient order of holy mages, called upon the will of the gods to guide the people. And the Grand Academy stood as the pinnacle of knowledge, the institution that birthed heroes and legends.

But beneath the gleaming surface of this enchanted world, there lay a curse—a secret whispered in fear and trembling.

The Cursed Mark.

It was not a legend nor a forgotten myth. It was a cruel reality, etched into the skin of an innocent soul once every hundred years. Those who bore this mark were doomed from birth, their fates sealed before they could even understand the gravity of their existence.

A sigil of crimson, a brand of power and ruin.

When it awakened, it granted untold strength—an ability so wild and dangerous that it could bend the very fabric of reality. And yet, that same power carried an inevitable fate.

Madness.

No one knew what truly caused the descent into insanity or what lay beyond the suffering. All that was known was that the Cursed Mark brought death, destruction, and the utter eradication of the marked.

History had proven it time and again.

And so, the world feared them. Hunted them. Erased them.

But no one knew the truth of the mark's origin or its purpose. No one questioned whether it was truly a curse—or something far more terrifying.

All they saw was a danger that needed to be silenced.

---

The Villain's Fate

Pain.

A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed through my skull, like thousands of shards of glass piercing my mind. A flood of memories—memories that weren't my own—overwhelmed me, forcing emotions and experiences into my consciousness as if I had lived them myself.

I gasped, my breath shaky. The disorientation was suffocating.

Then, the truth hit me.

I had died.

Yet, I was here. Alive. Different.

The realization settled in, cold and undeniable. This wasn't my body. It belonged to Prince Kael Veylan, the forgotten heir of the Veylan Royal Family.

A villain. A name doomed to disappear.

The weight of it pressed down on me, and for a moment, sheer panic gripped my chest. This wasn't just a fantasy world—I knew this world.

This was Elaria.

A world I had read about. A world I had once seen through the pages of a novel. A story of politics, ambition, and power.

And Kael Veylan? He was a stepping stone, a mere footnote in the grander tale. He wasn't meant to live past the first volume.

Betrayed.

Discarded.

Executed.

His fate was sealed before his story even truly began.

A prince without power. A royal without value. A name meant to fade into nothingness.

And now, I was trapped in his place.

No.

I clenched my fists, feeling a strange warmth pulse beneath my skin. A burning sensation spread across the back of my hand, forcing me to look down.

A sigil—twisting, shifting, glowing. Crimson-red, pulsing with an eerie, almost living energy.

The Cursed Mark.

My breath hitched.

I knew what this meant. I knew what happened to those who bore this mark.

If anyone discovered it…

I would be branded a monster.

Hunted.

Erased from existence.

My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

This world had already decided Kael's fate. The Royal Family would cast him aside. The Temple would declare him an abomination. The Academy would pretend he never existed.

But they were wrong.

This world no longer belonged to Kael.

It belonged to me.

And I would rewrite my story.

---

The Chains of Fate

The memories of my past life intertwined with Kael's own, each vision sharpening the truth of his existence.

Isolation. Betrayal. Scorn.

Born the third prince, Kael had been an unwanted shadow in the grand halls of the palace. His mother—a powerless concubine—was cast aside, and with her, Kael became nothing more than an afterthought.

His brothers? They viewed him with disdain. The nobles? They mocked his lack of magical talent. Even the palace servants pitied him, speaking his name only in whispers.

A prince without a future.

Yet, despite everything, Kael had fought. He had clawed for a place in the world that had no room for him.

But then—the Mark appeared.

And that was the final blow.

The world did not see potential—only a threat.

They would betray him.

They would abandon him.

And they would destroy him.

But what they didn't know—what Kael himself never realized—was that the Cursed Mark was not just a burden.

It was a power.

A force capable of shaping worlds.

I exhaled slowly, feeling the raw, untamed energy coil beneath my skin. It surged—wild, overwhelming—begging to be unleashed.

If history demanded that I become a villain…

Then I would become something far, far worse.

---

A New Path

The golden rays of dawn spilled across the Veylan Palace, casting long shadows over the kingdom below. From my balcony, I could see the vast, sprawling city—pristine and untouched, unaware of the monster they had created.

A familiar weight settled in my chest. The cold, sinking sensation of inevitable fate.

But this time, it was not fear.

I had an advantage.

I knew what would happen.

I knew who would betray me.

I knew when disaster would strike.

And most importantly—I knew how to survive.

This world had already decided my fate.

But I would rewrite it.

I turned from the balcony, stepping back into the shadows of my chamber.

My time was short. The game had already begun.

I would become stronger.

I would keep my secrets.

I would survive.

Because in the end…

The Forgotten Prince would rise again.