Chapter 29: A new beginning

As the warning flashed across Lumian’s vision, his heart skipped a violent beat.

A suffocating wave of pure terror crashed over him as he stared at Ethan, his instincts screaming that his executioner was standing right in front of him. It wasn’t just a child’s tantrum; Ethan was unconsciously leaking a dense, palpable killing intent that chilled the air.

Lady Rose, a seasoned Rank-4 Mage, immediately picked up on the murderous aura radiating toward her son.

Her eyes widened in shock. Why is Ethan harboring such hostility toward Lumian? she thought, a knot of confusion tightening in her chest.

But her fierce maternal protectiveness instantly took over. Lumian was her emotional anchor, the one who had stayed by her side through the coldest days after her husband’s departure. Moreover, he was uniquely special to her because of his secret ability.

"Ethan," Rose snapped, her voice carrying a sharp edge of maternal reprimand. "Why are you looking at Lumian like that? Look, you’ve terrified him. Apologize to your brother right now."

Even though Rose was bewildered that a mere five-year-old could emit such a terrifying, bloodthirsty aura, she reminded herself of her promises.

She had given her word to Ethan’s late mother, and now that both of the boys’ parents were dead, she was duty-bound to raise and protect them. She couldn’t be too harsh on an orphaned child.

But directing open killing intent at her son was something she would not tolerate. Though the mystery of how a small child possessed such lethal aura baffled her, she figured she would simply discipline and correct him over time.

Ethan kept his gaze locked on Lumian for a second longer, his eyes entirely devoid of warmth. Then, slowly, his hostile glare broke.

His eyes shifted across the foyer and landed on his childhood fiancée, Seraphina.

She was a delicate child, with vibrant emerald-green eyes that looked like flawless, glowing pieces of carved jade. Her hair fell in soft locks of silver-blonde, and she was dressed in a pristine, elegant white-and-silver silk dress embroidered with subtle floral patterns.

The moment Ethan looked at her, his overwhelming killing intent instantly dissolved into thin air.

A flood of poignant, unforgettable memories washed over him—the bittersweet warmth of the life they had built together before tragedy tore it apart.

Seraphina wasn’t looking anywhere else. Instead of glancing at her mother or her brother, her wide, jade-green eyes were fixed entirely on Ethan.

Her heart was hammering frantically against her ribs, racing at an impossible speed. She couldn’t understand why she felt such a sudden, overwhelming surge of emotion.

Across the short distance, Ethan felt it too.

Thanks to the hyper-sensory perception gifted by his Blue Dragon Heart, his mana resonance picked up every subtle flutter of her pulse. But it wasn’t just physical cues—he could sense an unfamiliar, rising tide of emotion radiating from her.

Excitement, deep-seated longing, a profound sense of the unknown, and an emotion Ethan had never expected to feel from her again: Love.

Love? Where is this coming from? Ethan thought, completely baffled as to why she was looking at him with such intense, soul-deep devotion at this age.

Before he could process it, a crisp, golden notification chimed directly across Ethan’s system interface:

[Target: Seraphina Sterling]

[Identity: Reincarnated Ancient Empress / Heavenly Chosen One]

[Background Info: Subject has undergone 100 consecutive lifetimes of severe karmic suffering and agonizing trials as part of a divine curse. Having completed her hundredth trial, her ancient soul memories have fully awakened. She is primed and ready to ascend back to her peak as a Sovereign Heavenly Empress.]

Ethan froze, his breath catching in his throat. An Ancient Empress? My fiancée is the reincarnation of a supreme sovereign?!

Before he could wrap his head around the sheer insanity of the revelation, the system interface updated again, prompting a quick mental command from Ethan: "Show me her Fate Points."

Instantly, a glowing data box materialized:

[Target Fate Points: 20,000,000]

Ethan’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Twenty million?! That’s double the fate value of Arthur or Keal!

The system’s calm voice echoed in his mind:

[Host, individuals who are transmigrators or possess raw, unawakened opportunities always carry lower fate values compared to those who hold ancient, primordial knowledge. Your fiancée’s soul carries the memories and profound legacy of her first life as an Ancient Empress—techniques and insights far beyond this era’s comprehension. That is the source of her massive fate weight.]

Ethan let out a slow, complex breath, a mixture of shock and quiet amusement settling over him.

So, I don’t need to worry about her safety in this life at all. But a dark thought lingered—What kind of merciless entity cursed an Empress to suffer through a hundred lifetimes of agony?

Shifting his focus back to the immediate present, Ethan mentally commanded: "Show me Lumian’s Fate Points."

Another window flickered to life:

[Target Fate Points: 1,000,000]

A cold, mocking smirk tugged at the corner of Ethan’s lips. One million? He’s nothing more than a low-tier protagonist.

The system chimed in: [Affirmative, Host. Aside from his mind-manipulation broadcasting ability and a rudimentary system, he possesses no true innate foundation. If you choose to eliminate him, his system’s core capabilities can be partially harvested.]

Oh? Ethan’s eyes glinted with predatory delight. If I kill a protagonist with an active opportunity or system, their accumulated windfalls shift to me?

[Correct, Host.]

Wonderful, Ethan thought, a dangerous thrill curling in his chest. Then tonight, we go hunting.

Realizing the tense silence had stretched long enough, Ethan smoothly smoothed over the awkwardness. He lowered his gaze slightly, feigning submission, and leaned in just enough to murmur, "I apologize, Aunt Rose. I was... just startled by the journey."

Though Ethan didn’t look remotely sorry, Lumian was still trembling uncontrollably.

Through his mind-broadcasting connection, Lumian’s terrified inner monologues—He’s a monster! He’s going to kill me! That look in his eyes was pure death!—were flooding straight into Lady Rose’s mind.

Frowning deeply at the chaotic panic echoing from her son’s thoughts, Rose looked between Ethan’s placid, unbothered expression and Lumian’s terrified state. She sighed, deciding to let it slide for now.

"Apology accepted," Rose said coldly, turning on her heel. "The butler will show you to your quarters. I need to tend to my children." With that, she swept down the corridor, pulling a shaken Lumian and a lingering Seraphina along with her.

Stepping out from the shadows of the grand staircase came the estate’s head butler. He was an elderly man with immaculate white-cotton gloves, sharply parted silver hair, and a face carved from stern, unyielding discipline.

"Young Masters," the butler said, bowing stiffly. "Please follow me. I will show you to your rooms."

He led Ethan and Arthur up a grand, sweeping flight of stairs, navigating through a labyrinth of opulent, carpeted hallways until they reached the west wing.

He opened two separate doors side by side, assigning Arthur a bright, cozy room overlooking the inner gardens, and Ethan a remarkably spacious, high-ceilinged chamber equipped with a large antique mahogany desk, a massive plush bed, and a towering bookshelf filled with arcane texts.

Once the butler bowed and excused himself, closing the heavy oak door behind him, Ethan stood in the center of his new room. The ambient mana here was dense, rich, and vibrating with potential.

He walked over to the window, gazing out across the sprawling manicured grounds of the Sterling Manor as the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long, bloody streaks of orange and crimson across the sky.

First piece of trash checked off, Ethan whispered to himself, a chilling, razor-sharp smile spreading across his face as he clenched his fist.

"Seraphina, if she remembers her past hundred lives, then does that mean she also remembers every moment she spent with me in those past lives?"

Ethan’s heart began beating incredibly fast.

"Could this be because she still has feelings for me? Should I tell her more? Should I tell her that I also returned and was reborn, just like her?"

But then another thought crossed his mind.

"No. She isn’t strong enough yet. Even though Seraphina has far more power and knowledge than an ordinary person, she still isn’t strong enough and I’m not that powerful yet, either.."

"Until she becomes strong enough, I shouldn’t tell Seraphina that I was reborn."

Instead, he would simply live his life with Seraphina and start over with her—a completely new beginning.

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