The night she died
The first thing Lyra felt was pain.
Not the dull ache of an injury.
Not the sting of a wound.
It was the kind of pain that seemed to tear through her entire body, as though every bone, every nerve, every breath belonged to someone else.
She tried to move.
She couldn't.
Her wrists were bound behind her.
Cold stone pressed against her cheek, and the metallic scent of blood filled the air.
Lyra opened her eyes.
Candlelight flickered across the underground chamber.
Her vision blurred.
Then she saw him.
Prince Julian.
Her fiancé.
The man she had loved for seven years.
He stood several feet away, dressed in the ceremonial white uniform of the royal family. His golden hair was perfectly arranged, his expression calm.
Almost bored.
Lyra stared at him.
"Julian..."
Her voice barely came out.
He didn't answer.
Instead, the man standing beside him stepped forward.
A royal mage.
He raised one hand.
Pain exploded inside Lyra's chest.
She screamed.
Something was being pulled from her.
Something deeper than flesh.
Something that had been part of her since birth.
Her magical core.
"No..."
Lyra struggled against the restraints.
"Don't—please!"
Julian finally looked at her.
There was no love in his eyes.
No hesitation.
Nothing.
Lyra's heart shattered.
"Why?"
Julian sighed.
"You were always too sentimental, Lyra."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"We're engaged."
"I know."
"You said you loved me."
"I did."
"Then why are you doing this?"
His expression remained unchanged.
"Because loving you was never part of the plan."
The words struck harder than the pain.
Lyra felt something inside her break.
Seven years.
Seven years of believing his smiles.
Seven years of standing beside him.
Seven years of defending him against anyone who questioned his character.
And all this time...
She had been nothing more than a useful pawn.
The royal mage lifted his hand again.
Lyra's magical core tore further from her body.
Her vision darkened.
"Julian..."
She whispered his name one last time.
He walked closer.
Then he leaned toward her ear.
"Thank you for giving me your power."
Lyra's eyes widened.
"You..."
A cruel smile appeared on his lips.
"You should have listened when they called me a monster."
The room disappeared into darkness.
---
Lyra woke to sunlight.
She gasped.
Her body shot upright.
"Julian!"
Silence.
Lyra froze.
She was sitting in a bed.
A familiar bed.
Golden curtains surrounded the four-poster frame. Morning sunlight poured through the windows, illuminating a room she hadn't seen in years.
Her childhood room.
Lyra stared around her.
Her breathing became uneven.
"No..."
She looked down at her hands.
No wounds.
No restraints.
She pressed a palm against her chest.
Her magical core was there.
Powerful.
Whole.
Impossible.
Lyra stumbled out of bed and rushed toward the mirror.
A young woman stared back at her.
Long silver hair.
Violet eyes.
Smooth skin.
No scars.
No blood.
No death.
She looked exactly as she had five years ago.
Lyra's lips parted.
"This..."
She touched her reflection.
"I was seventeen."
A knock came from the door.
"Lady Lyra?"
Lyra nearly screamed.
That voice.
Her maid.
The maid who had died two years after Lyra's execution.
"Come in."
The door opened.
A young girl stepped inside carrying a tray.
"Good morning, Lady Lyra. His Majesty's physician said you should rest after yesterday's magical examination."
Lyra stared at her.
Yesterday.
The magical examination.
Her seventeenth birthday.
The day her magical core had first been measured.
The day the royal family had discovered just how powerful she could become.
Five years.
She had gone back five years.
Lyra's hands curled into fists.
A laugh escaped her.
Quiet.
Disbelieving.
Then another.
Her maid looked concerned.
"Lady Lyra?"
Lyra covered her mouth.
She was alive.
She had another chance.
And she knew everything.
She knew Julian would propose to her in three months.
She knew the royal family would announce their engagement shortly afterward.
She knew the Royal Ball would be held in six months.
She knew who would betray her.
Who would die.
Who would rise.
Who would fall.
And she knew exactly how she had died.
Lyra slowly lowered her hand.
Her reflection no longer looked frightened.
It looked cold.
"If fate wants to play..."
Her violet eyes hardened.
"Then I'll play."
A strange chime suddenly sounded beside her.
DING!
Lyra froze.
A translucent blue screen appeared in the air.
She stared at it.
"What..."
The screen floated silently before her.
[REBIRTH SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[Host: Lyra]
[Level: 1]
[Magical Core: Legendary]
[Main Quest]
Rewrite Your Fate
Objective: Survive the events that originally led to your death.
Reward: System Functions Unlocked
Failure: Death
Lyra stared at the final word.
Then she laughed.
"Death?"
Her smile slowly widened.
"I've already died once."
The screen flickered.
Another message appeared.
[Special Achievement Unlocked]
Title: The Woman Who Returned From Death
Effect: Unknown
Lyra's eyes narrowed.
"Unknown?"
Before she could investigate, another notification appeared.
[Future Event Detected]
Event: Royal Ball
Time Remaining: 179 Days
Primary Threat: Prince Julian
Secondary Threat: Unknown
Lyra's smile disappeared.
The Royal Ball.
That was where everything had truly begun.
Six months from now, Julian would publicly declare his intention to marry her.
She had once believed that night was the beginning of her happiness.
Now she knew it had been the first step toward her grave.
Lyra turned toward the window.
Beyond the palace gardens stood the capital she remembered.
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Deceptive.
Five years ago, she had been innocent enough to believe that the crown represented justice.
Now she knew better.
The royal family had taken everything from her.
Her power.
Her freedom.
Her family.
Her life.
And this time...
She wasn't going to become their Empress.
She was going to become their worst nightmare.
Lyra looked at the glowing screen.
"System."
[Yes, Host?]
"What happens if I refuse to follow the original story?"
The system remained silent for a moment.
Then:
[The future is no longer fixed.]
Lyra's eyes gleamed.
"Good."
She turned away from the window.
"Then let's change everything."
A final notification appeared.
[New Quest Generated]
Quest: Break Your Engagement With Prince Julian
Time Limit: 90 Days
Reward: 500 EXP
Failure: -1000 HP
Lyra stared at the screen.
Then she smiled.
For the first time since waking up, she felt something other than fear.
Excitement.
Five years ago, she had walked willingly into a cage.
This time, she knew where every bar was.
And she intended to break every single one.
But there was one problem.
The Royal Ball was only six months away.
And there was one person in the kingdom powerful enough to protect her from the royal family.
Unfortunately...
He hated her.
And according to her memories, he had every reason to.
Duke Kael Draven.
The Prince's most dangerous rival.
The man everyone called the Black Wolf of the Empire.
The man who, five years from now, would become Julian's greatest enemy.
And the man Lyra had once accused of attempting to assassinate her.
She had made a terrible mistake back then.
This time, she would have to convince him to stand beside her.
Even if it meant making a deal with the devil.
Lyra's smile returned.
"Kael Draven..."
She whispered his name.
"Let's see if you'll help me destroy the man you hate."
Outside the window, the palace bells began to ring.
Six months until the Royal Ball.
Six months until fate came looking for her.
This time, Lyra would be waiting.
And fate had no idea what was coming.
