The whip cracked like thunder.
Arjun didn’t flinch. Not anymore.
He knelt in the dirt, shirtless and scarred, arms stretched over his head and chained to a rusted iron post. The noon sun scorched his back, and the sand beneath him had turned crimson with his blood. Around him, the other slaves dared not look. Looking meant punishment. Looking meant remembering they could be next.
"Still breathing, rat?" The overseer's voice sneered above him. "That back of yours is getting tougher than leather."
Arjun raised his chin slowly, his dark hair matted to his forehead with sweat and dust. His eyes—sharp, unwavering, and far too alive for a slave—met the overseer's gaze.
"One day," Arjun said quietly, his voice hoarse but steady, "you’ll kneel where I am. And I’ll be standing where you are."
The overseer laughed. A deep, ugly sound.
"You think you're some kind of prince reborn?" He leaned down, pressing a foot against Arjun's shoulder. "You're nothing. You're mud under my boots. Always have been. Always will be."
And yet... something shifted.
A pulse, silent but deafening, rippled through the air.
> KARMIC ALIGNMENT DETECTED.
Reincarnated Soul Confirmed.
Initializing: KARMIC THRONE SYSTEM
Soul Designation: ARJUN — The Broken Heir
Access Level: Locked | Primary Directive: Restore Balance
Arjun gasped as the world around him froze. The wind stilled. The overseer’s laughter hung in the air like a painting. Time itself bent.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
A glowing wheel of light materialized before him—its spokes carved with ancient symbols, rotating slowly. At its center, a single phrase burned with divine clarity:
> "Through Pain, Power. Through Sacrifice, Sovereignty."
The wheel shattered—light bursting out and flooding his vision. A rush of memories, feelings, and forgotten strength surged through his veins. He saw glimpses of a life before this one: a throne room bathed in gold, a sword drenched in the blood of traitors, a fall that broke the heavens.
Then, silence.
And a voice—not his own—whispered in his mind.
“Rise, Arjun. The world is broken. And only those willing to bleed for justice shall rule it.”
Time resumed.
Arjun blinked. The overseer stumbled back, blinking in confusion.
“What... what was that light?” he muttered.
No one else seemed to have seen it.
Arjun looked down. His wrists were still chained. His body still bloodied. But he felt different. Inside, something had awakened. A pressure behind his ribs. A hum in his soul.
And then, a screen flickered into view before only his eyes:
> [Karmic Throne System Initialized]
Karma: 0
Level: 1 (Wretched Soul)
Titles: None
Known Traits:
– [Resilient Spirit] — You endure what others cannot.
– [Ancestral Echo] — Glimpses of your past life linger.
Primary Skill Unlocked: [Endure]
(For every blow received without resistance, gain 1 Karma)
Warning: System Activation Detected by Higher Powers. Incoming Test Imminent.
The screen vanished.
And the pain returned. But now, it meant something.
Arjun let his head hang. He smiled—just a little.
The overseer raised the whip again, confused but angry. “You smiling, rat?”
Crack.
Pain flared across Arjun's back. But this time, the voice returned:
> [Endure] Activated — Karma +1
[Karma: 1]
Crack.
> [Endure] Activated — Karma +1
[Karma: 2]
With every strike, he grew stronger. Not in muscle or might—yet—but in something far more valuable: potential.
That night, when the others slept in the dark pit they called a barracks, Arjun sat upright against the stone wall, staring at his shaking hands. A small, glowing flame hovered over his palm—his first act of will given form.
It flickered with the tiniest heat, like the breath of a candle.
But it was his.
He whispered into the silence, “You took everything from me in my last life. My kingdom. My people. My name. This time…”
His eyes hardened.
“…I will take it all back.”
> Karma Gained: +10
(8 from Endure, 2 from Resisting Vengeance)
New Skill Unlocked: [Karmic Sight] — View the karma of others.
System Message:
“Choose your next act carefully, Arjun. Each choice defines your throne.”
