In a land far beyond the imagination of humans lies the world of Elarion — a place where peace, rules, and justice are the top priorities of the elders who guard and maintain its secrets. It is ruled by elves, though other creatures of all shapes and sizes live within, serving the crown.
In this land, where peace is a priority, an unexpected variable — one that will disrupt the balance — is about to awaken.
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Killion Valley, Elarion. Year 1988
The wind blew, sending a gentle breeze my way. I opened my eyes only to see an unfamiliar sky. Feeling groggy, I took it as the lingering effect of sleep. Sitting up, I looked again, but the sky still appeared the same.
"Since when did the sky look green?" I thought to myself.
I scanned my surroundings, hoping to find something recognizable — something that connected to the fragments of memory still in my head. But the moment I turned, the sight before me froze me in shock. Dragons. Dozens of them, soaring through the sky.
I jumped up in fright, only to realize I was naked. The abrupt movement brought a stabbing pain to my head, and then — like floodgates opening — memories rushed back, filling the gaps, explaining the reason I was here.
I had been a normal boy in my past life — seventeen years old — but I'd wasted it all doing the wrong things. I was in a cult, a gang leader, a drug addict, and promiscuous. I treated people like tools, like they weren't worth a second glance.
A sharp pain burned at my neck. I reached up and realized a cold chain bound me to a wooden stake in what looked like a courtyard.
"What the hell? Is this some sort of messed up divine retribution for the atrocious deeds I committed in the past. Once I figure out what's going on, I have to behave accordingly. This might be my chance at redemption," I thought.
Hours passed. I had nothing to do but replay my thoughts — reliving my past and regretting every decision that brought me here. I'd always been a coward, but now, without anyone to rely on, I felt truly vulnerable.
Looking around, I realized the courtyard was spacious but completely in shambles. Weeds sprouted everywhere the tiles had cracked, as if trying to tell the world they deserved a chance at life as well.
The sunlight burned fiercely against my skin. I couldn't even be bothered to wince from the pain, even though it was hard to bear. Pillars lay broken and scattered around me. Only the one supporting me remained intact, standing alone and connected to nothing — just like myself.
Minutes later, someone walked in — a tall, gruff elf man dressed in shabby clothing. His piercing green eyes matched the hue of the strange sky, and his blond hair shimmered under the light.
The way he was dressed made me wonder whether clothing was scarce in this world — since I was naked and the first person I'd met looked barely better off.
"Eat up," the gruff elf muttered, placing a tray before me. He turned to leave without another word.
My mouth was so dry I could barely speak. I bent down, drank some water, then called out with what little strength I had.
"Excuse me! What am I doing here?"
The elf froze mid-step, probably surprised by my outburst. Then, turning sharply, he barked.
"Shut up, slave boy! It's bad enough that I have to tend to you, and now you expect me to lower myself by talking to one of your status? Behave yourself, or your meals will come once a day, brat."
His voice was so fierce, so full of venom, that I couldn't bring myself to reply. I just watched him go, staring at the food beneath my feet. Normally, I was a food addict — but right then, I didn't have an appetite for anything.
Days passed. The gruff elf continued his duty, feeding me without speaking a word. He was the only elf I'd seen so far. Using the metal tray as a mirror one day, I discovered that I wasn't human anymore. I was dragonkin — though unlike the ones I'd read about in Earth's stories, I had no tail, only a pair of sharp, curved horns that I thought looked… kind of cool.
Days turned into months. Six months after my reincarnation, I finally saw someone else — another elf.
He moved with calm precision, inspecting every part of me. I studied him too. He was dressed luxuriously — or at least more refined than the gruff man. A long-sleeved leather shirt, fitted pants, and hair tied neatly into a red ponytail that shimmered with black streaks.
After a few moments, he stood and turned to the gruff elf.
"How much will you sell him for?" he asked casually.
"Twelve pecans. Nothing more, nothing less," the gruff one replied.
The red-haired elf counted out a few green coins marked with a leaf symbol and handed them over. Then, pausing, he added, "Wait, make it twenty pecans."
The red-haired elf scowled, clearly irritated, but still took out the extra money.
"Nice doing business with you," the gruff elf muttered, unlocking my chains.
Before I could react, the red-haired elf grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away — fast. Moments later, I was thrown into the back of a wagon. That was the last I saw of the gruff elf, and of that courtyard where I first opened my eyes in this new life.
The wagon I was thrown into was just as shabby as the courtyard. The only good thing was the roof, shielding me from the sun's rays that had been tormenting my skin and making my soul writhe in agony.
The floor wasn't any better, but at least it wasn't as hard and uncomfortable as the courtyard tiles. Even though the tiny splinters of wood dug into my skin, I didn't mind. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I fell asleep.
PLETHORA HILLS, ELARION
Hours later, I awoke in another unfamiliar place. I sighed — I was getting tired of the slave treatment, but what could I do? Nothing. My life wasn't mine to control.
"The gods should seriously change their sadistic tastes. How can they throw someone who just died into a new world to work as a slave?" I thought to myself.
The red-haired elf walked up to me and, for some reason, decided to yell, "Stand up!"
I covered my ears because of the noise and looked up at him. Here's another sadistic asshole, out to ruin my life, I mumbled under my breath.
"What did you say, you disgusting excuse of a half-blood?" he snapped, glaring daggers that could have killed my already sorry ass if looks were lethal.
I ignored the question and stood up like he asked. Still, that "half-blood" comment stung. Dragons were supposed to have pride — the least I could do to honor the one who birthed me was to stand tall.
I walked forward and didn't bother looking back. A few seconds later, I was brought to an abrupt halt by the pull of the chain around my neck. The pain dragged me to my knees.
He pulled so hard I was afraid my neck would snap. The sand beneath me ate into my back, just as the chains dug into my fingers. I didn't even know how I was able to breathe, because the bastard was pulling like he was trying to force a stubborn mule to work.
"Haha, that should deal with your haughty attitude," the red-haired elf sneered, still tugging.
For the first time, I understood how those I'd once tormented must have felt — the pain, the helplessness. Right then, I promised myself I'd change if I ever escaped this nightmare.
As if dragging me a few meters wasn't enough, the vile bastard continued to pull me all the way there. I swear, this guy should've been locked up somewhere — this was straight-up psychotic behavior over one small comment.
I held onto the chain around my neck for dear life. I couldn't let it dig any deeper. I'd only been here for six months and hadn't even seen the world properly yet. I couldn't give up. My hands were bloody, and I was fading in and out of consciousness by the time we reached our destination — a small barnyard. Naturally, the little bastard decided to throw me in the pig pen.
I started to wonder whether I'd bruised his fragile ego.
The sun was setting. Thankfully, he was at least decent enough to loosen the chains around my neck. I looked around and saw others like me.
"Wait… this guy put mud here and made us the pigs," I realized. There were no actual animals in sight — just us, the "pigs" in his eyes.
Due to blood loss, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and fainted.
When I woke a few hours later, I was patched up. A tray of sandwiches and water sat beside my head. I sat up and ate, needing energy more than pride.
I really needed to stop falling asleep. Yet, it wasn't up to me. My life was literally in the hands of a vile person whose sole happiness was witnessing suffering.
Minutes later, just as I finished, I heard footsteps. The others quickly straightened up, so I did the same.
A woman walked in. She probably waited for us to be ready before entering.
"Taskmaster, we await your orders," my fellow slaves said in perfect unison.
I stared blankly, confused, which made the lady look straight at me. Upon closer inspection, she was… distracting. A perfect body and curves that would make any hot-blooded man beside me ache for what he couldn't have. It didn't help that she wore a crop top and a tight skirt.
She looked at me closely, then at my lower half — clearly unimpressed. Her voice turned cold.
"You. Get up. I'll give you something special. Go rake the entire yard — I don't want anything out of place."
I stood up, started walking, then turned back to ask where the rake was. The next thing I felt was a solid slap to the face.
I covered my cheek instinctively.
"Since when did half-bloods have permission to speak of their own free will?" she said, hands on her hips.
"Are you deaf? Answer my question."
I was speechless. I didn't know the rules or laws of this world, so I couldn't even defend myself. I was dizzy from blood loss, but I forced myself to answer.
"No," I muttered weakly.
"Hmph. At least you're not stupid enough to deny your wrongdoing," she said, turning back to the others.
I was left to wander the farmhouse in the countryside until I finally found the rake — two hours later. By then, it was already lunchtime, and I was denied food for not finishing my chores.
As I grumbled my way back, I noticed a fairy slave being squeezed tightly by another taskmaster. I wanted to walk away… but I remembered that pain from being dragged, how it felt to be powerless.
I'd tried magic many times since arriving — it was a fantasy world, after all — but the cuffs on my wrists made it impossible.
Still, seeing that fairy's tears made something in me snap.
"This world is seriously messing with me," I muttered before rushing forward. I punched the man. It wasn't strong, but it made him pause. For a brief moment, everything went silent. Somewhere in the distance, a lone figure was watching.
I didn't give up. I clawed, kicked, and fought until the fairy was free. Then the man turned his rage on me — and I was beaten until I blacked out.
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FOUR HOURS LATER
I woke up to find destruction all around me — smoke, broken wood, silence.
Then a voice, calm yet mocking, broke through.
"I see you finally decided to wake up, your highness," said a handsome elf — too beautiful to be real.
And right then, I knew this world was filled with all kinds of sadistic people… each one more unpredictable than the last.