The Crown

The air was heavy as the Soul kept its gaze fixed on Omega, interested and waiting to hear his offer.

"So, what's your deal?" the Soul asked.

Omega extended his hand, "I will give you the power to exact your revenge."

The Soul, unimpressed, replied with a cold expression, "What kind of power?"

"The power to reach your goal and destroy anything that gets in your way," Omega explained.

"I wasn't asking about that. Does this power involve a legendary sword?" the Soul inquired.

"Of course not. It's similar, but it's not a sword," Omega said, as dark energy began to form something in the middle of the platform. A black crown with a red gem appeared, floating in mid-air, waiting to be claimed.

"You're giving me a crown?" The Soul was disappointed.

"It's not just any crown. It's the Crown of the Sovereign," Omega clarified.

"You mean the power you're talking about is..." the Soul was surprised.

"Yes, by giving you this crown, you will become a Sovereign," Omega said, as he conjured a sculpture in front of the Soul. It depicted a mountain with stairs, bodies of fallen Sovereigns strewn about. "You will ascend the ranks of the Sovereign society, crushing anyone who opposes you."

The sculpture showed the Soul reaching the mountain's peak, where a man with the emblem of Alpha awaited. "Once you reach the top, you'll find him there," Omega stated.

The Soul formed a sword and attacked Alpha, destroying him. "And you will be the one to bring his end," Omega continued, as the sculpture crumbled to dust.

"Then my revenge will be complete, right?" the Soul asked.

"Right, and all your wrath, hatred, and regret will vanish," Omega confirmed.

"I see. But what's in it for you?" the Soul questioned.

"I mentioned the marks sealing my power, remember?" Omega said, as marks appeared on his body.

"By killing the owners of these marks, they will vanish along with them," Omega explained.

"So you want me to kill the 10 Sovereigns who own these marks to free you from this prison," the Soul surmised.

"Once you kill them all, I will finally be free," Omega said with a menacing voice and a smirk.

"But I don't have an issue with any of these 10. Why should I go after them? It seems like a waste of time," the Soul argued.

Omega smiled, "It seems you don't understand your goal. To most creatures, reaching Alpha is considered impossible, yet you aim to kill him. People would think you're mad."

"I get it. Alpha is incredibly strong. You don't need to remind me every time," the Soul replied.

"I have to, because if you truly understood, you wouldn't speak that way," Omega insisted.

"Just say what you want to say," the Soul said.

"Alpha's power is immeasurable, and he holds the highest status in the Sovereign society. So other Sovereigns will do everything in their power to stop you, including the 10 who hold the marks," Omega explained.

"So, to reach Alpha, I may have to start a war against the Sovereign society," the Soul realized.

"Now that you know the deal, you have two choices," Omega said, extending his hand towards the floating crown. "Take the crown and become a Sovereign," then he pointed at the void, "or throw yourself off the platform into the void, returning to your endless cycle."

Omega leaned back on his throne, "So, what's your choice, Soul?"

The Soul stood silent, looking between the crown and the void. "Can you give me time to decide?" it asked.

"Of course, but be quick. i am not a patient man," Omega warned.

The Soul closed its eyes, and the world shifted into the dark domain. Shadows appeared.

"He's clearly untrustworthy," said the Assassin Shadow.

"And he's not telling us the full truth," added the Noble Shadow, playing chess.

"But do we have any choice but to trust him?" asked the Slave Shadow.

"B-but T-trusting him could lead to something B-bad," said the Mage Shadow scared.

"What's worse than the cycle of suffering we live in?" inquired the Beggar Shadow.

The shadows debated, with the Soul in the middle, listening to their ideas. The General Shadow, who had been silent, stood up, causing everyone to fall quiet.

"The crown is our final chance to break free of this cycle," the General Shadow said, walking towards the Soul. "I'm tired of being unable to do anything, feeling shackled and weak." He looked straight into the Soul's eyes, "No matter what happens, as long as I get the chance to fight back, I'll claim the crown, even if it means becoming the thing I hate most."

All the shadows silently showed their approval. The Soul closed its eyes, and the world shifted back to the void and the platform.

"It's rare that, even after living for thousands of years, I still get surprised," Omega thought, observing the Soul with eyes that saw beyond reality.

The Soul opened its eyes and moved towards the crown. "You've made the right choice," Omega said with a satisfied smile.

Standing before the crown, that was radiating with energy, the Soul asked, "So all I have to do is wear it?"

"If you can," Omega replied.

the Soul stretched its hand towards the crown. As soon as it touched it, dark and red lightning erupted, sending the Soul flying. Lying on the ground, the Soul felt sharp pain from its burned arm.

"I forgot to tell you, the crown holds immense power. Putting it on, for someone who wasn't officially chosen as a Sovereign, is quite difficult," Omega explained.

The Soul rose and walked towards the crown again, "Of course, you forgot to tell me," it thought.

Reaching the crown once more, the Soul grabbed it with both hands. Energy flowed through its body, accompanied by unbearable pain. The Soul held on as long as it could before being sent flying again. Its body was burned and filled with cracks, pieces falling off.

"No soul has ever claimed a crown before," Omega stated. " I guess normal Sovereigns use their body's durability to withstand the crown's power. But with your soul's durability akin to glass, your chances are close to zero. If your soul is destroyed, it's the end for you."

The broken Soul thought, "You guess? Stop joking with me."

Suddenly, the General Shadow appeared, "What are you waiting for? Stand up already!"

"I don't have a chance of taking that crown," the Soul protested.

"There's no harm in trying. Either way, it's a win for us," the General Shadow insisted.

"What do you mean?" the Soul asked.

"If we take the crown, we get the power to take revenge. If we die trying, we'll finally have the eternal rest we wanted. Don't you agree?" the General Shadow reasoned.

"You're right. Either way, I win," the Soul smiled as it stood up and walked towards the crown. With each step, pieces of the Soul fell and cracked until it finally reached the crown.

"My body won't hold any longer. This is my last chance," the Soul said, grabbing the crown. Energy flowed through it again. The Soul clutched it with all its strength, "No matter what, I won't let go. I either take it or die trying."

Suddenly, a strong light filled the void, illuminating it. From the light emerged a naked, handsome man, appearing to be 18 years old, with pale white skin, a thin-muscular build, 175 cm tall, black hair, and red eyes. A crown hovered above his head.

The Soul examined its new body, "So, I have a body now. but why do i fell weak ?. must be because i just get it, this feeling will probably go away soon."

"You keep surprising me. But the only reason you succeeded is because your soul grew strong from all the lives you lived. So do you like your new body?" Omega asked.

"It seems like it can handle some hard work," the Soul replied.

Omega waved his hand and said, "Think of this as a gift."

Suddenly, dark energy started condensing around the soul's body, forming clothes. A red shirt, a black leather vest, Boots and pants materialized out of the dark energy.

The soul moved around a bit in the new attire and said, "Thanks for making them easy to move in."

"So, what's the name you're going to choose? You can't remain nameless," Omega inquired.

"A name... I've had hundreds of names," the Soul thought.

"It doesn't matter. The system will decide a name for you," Omega said.

A white window with golden celestial energy flowing through it like a circuit board and an embalm in the background of the window made of the same golden energy, appeared before the Soul. It read:

[Congratulations]

-Amadeus, you were chosen by Axel to become a Sovereign.

The screen changed, displaying a new message:

-You will be teleported in 1 minute to the tutorial pocket dimension. Be ready.

A countdown of 1 minute appeared.

"So, that's what he meant by the system choosing a name. Did it choose Amadeus because it was the last name i had?" the Soul wondered.

"You received the message, right?" Omega asked.

"Why can't you see the window in front of me?" the Soul replied.

" Only you can see your panel; others cannot, and This applies to all Sovereigns," Omega explained.

"So, what's your name, Soul?" said omega

The Soul looked up at Omega and declared, "My name is Amadeus."