Old

The heavy door stood before us, slightly ajar, candlelight flickering from within. Every instinct screamed danger, but I wasn't about to turn back now.

Damon gripped his sword tightly, eyes locked on the entrance. "Last chance. We go in, there's no walking away."

I exhaled, steadying myself. "I've been waiting for this."

I pushed the door open.

The room inside was larger than I expected—a stone chamber, dimly lit by torches. Old banners of the fallen kingdom still clung to the walls, faded and tattered. A massive wooden table stood at the center, covered in maps, documents, and arcane artifacts.

And at the far end of the room, he stood.

Varian.

The man who betrayed me.

He looked different from the last time I had seen him in my past life—leaner, older, but just as dangerous. His once-polished armor was worn, his face lined with exhaustion. But when his cold gaze met mine, I saw it—recognition.

He knew who I was.

And he wasn't surprised to see me alive.

A slow smirk formed on his lips. "So… you made it."

Damon took a step forward, sword ready. "Cut the shit. You're dying here."

Varian chuckled, completely unbothered. "You think so?"

His hand flicked upward—a burst of dark energy erupted from his palm.

[DING!]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

▶ [Enemy Identified: Varian, Exiled Mage]

▶ Power Level: ???]

▶ Status: Unknown Magic Detected

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I barely had time to react. The wave of energy slammed into us, sending Damon and me skidding back. My body screamed in pain, but I gritted my teeth, forcing myself up.

Varian sighed, shaking his head. "Do you even realize how outmatched you are?"

I wiped the blood from my lip. "You talk too much."

Damon didn't wait. He charged, sword flashing in the torchlight. Varian moved faster.

He vanished.

No—teleportation.

Damon's blade slashed through empty air.

Varian reappeared behind him, palm glowing with magic. A second blast of energy sent Damon crashing into the stone wall.

I lunged forward, dagger aimed for his heart.

Varian caught my wrist mid-strike. His grip was inhumanly strong.

"You're different," he muttered, eyes narrowing. "That power of yours… it's not just skill."

I ripped my arm free and jumped back, heart pounding.

He knew.

Somehow, he knew about my system.

Varian smirked. "Ah… I see. So you've been given a second chance, too."

The world froze.

What?

I took a step back. "What did you just say?"

Varian laughed, slow and deliberate. "Oh, don't look so shocked. You thought you were the only one?"

The system's notification screen glitched.

[DING!]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

▶ WARNING! SYSTEM INTERFERENCE DETECTED!

▶ Unknown Power Signature Present!

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I clenched my fists. No.

This wasn't possible. He shouldn't have a system.

And yet…

Varian lifted his hand, revealing a faint golden mark glowing on his palm. It pulsed with an eerie, familiar energy.

I recognized it instantly.

A system fragment.

Damon groaned, pushing himself up from the rubble. "What… the hell is he talking about?"

I didn't answer. My mind was racing.

Varian had been gifted power, just like me. But his wasn't the same. His system was… different. Corrupted. Incomplete.

"You're not the only one with a second life," Varian said. "The difference is—I had to take mine by force."

The air crackled around him, dark energy coiling at his fingertips. His smirk widened.

"Shall we see which of us deserves to keep it?"

He attacked first.

A massive arc of black lightning shot toward me. I barely dodged, the energy searing the stone where I had stood. The heat burned my arm, but I ignored it.

Damon roared, swinging his sword with all his strength. Varian deflected it with his bare hand.

Then, his fist slammed into Damon's gut.

Damon coughed blood as he was sent flying once more.

I lunged in—activating Phantom Step.

I vanished—only to reappear behind him.

I struck.

Varian caught my blade with his fingers.

His smirk was gone now. "That trick won't work twice."

He twisted my wrist.

I gasped as pain shot through my arm, my dagger clattering to the ground. Varian's other hand **shot forward—**grabbing me by the throat.

"Do you understand now?" he whispered. His grip tightened. "I've already seen the future. And in every version, you lose."

The system flashed red.

[DING!]

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

▶ [Critical Condition Detected!]

▶ Activating Emergency Skill…

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I felt something unlock.

Then—everything slowed.

Varian's grip froze around my throat. His expression twisted in confusion, eyes flickering in realization.

I had absorbed his power.

His magic flowed into me, fragmenting, reshaping—becoming something new.

My vision flooded with memories.

Varian's past. His betrayal. His rise. His own regression.

And then—I saw it.

A hidden system program, buried deep within my own. A power that had been locked away… until now.

The system flashed.

[NEW SYSTEM PROGRAM UNLOCKED!]

▶ [Assimilation: Absorb Memories & Power of System Fragments]

I grinned.

Varian's eyes widened. "You—"

I ripped free from his grip. My body felt lighter. Stronger.

I could feel his own power now, swirling inside me.

Varian staggered back. He wasn't smiling anymore. "What… did you do?"

I stepped forward.

"For someone who sees the future," I said, cracking my knuckles, "you should've seen this coming."

Then—I attacked.

This time, he was the one who couldn't keep up.