Six years passed in a blur of humiliation.
Adam—now called "Adam Williams"—was trapped in the weakest of vessels: a human child in what appeared to be a world entirely without magic. A world of concrete and steel, of cars and computers, of tedious "schools" and mind-numbing "television."
But worst of all was the man they called his father.
James Williams. Bestselling fantasy author of "The Arkmage Chronicles."
The creator of Adam Morningstar, the series' villain.
And Marcus Morningstar, its beloved hero.
"Adam, dinner's ready!" His "mother" called from downstairs. Cara Williams, a kind-faced woman who doted on him despite his deliberate coldness. In another life, he would have used such devotion as a weapon. Here, it was merely another irritation.
Adam slammed the book he'd been reading shut and slid off his bed. The room was decorated with childish things—spaceships and cartoon characters that his "parents" thought appropriate for a six-year-old. If they could see the images that filled his true memories—cities burning, enemies kneeling, power beyond mortal comprehension—they would never sleep again.
He trudged downstairs to the dining room, where James Williams sat at the table, tapping away at his laptop. The sight still filled Adam with rage. This ordinary man with his graying beard and reading glasses had somehow created Adam's world, written his defeat, and ordained his humiliation.
"There's my boy!" James looked up with a smile that never failed to make Adam's skin crawl. "How was school today?"
"Fine," Adam muttered, taking his seat. Six years of childhood had taught him that cooperation was the path of least resistance. His body was weak, his position powerless. For now, he would play the role of the ordinary child.
"Just fine? Nothing exciting happened?" James pressed, closing his laptop.
Adam stared at the screen before it shut. He'd caught a glimpse of the document title: "Arkmage Chronicles: The Tyrant's Rebirth."
A new book. About him?
"What are you writing?" Adam asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
James chuckled. "Just working on the next book. Book seven. The fans are clamoring for more after I killed off the villain in the last one."
"Adam Morningstar," Adam said, the name feeling strange on his child's tongue.
"That's right! You've been reading my books?" James seemed delighted. "Aren't you a little young for those?"
Cara set plates of food before them. "I found him with book six yesterday. I was going to take it away, but he seemed so engrossed."
"Of course he was," James ruffled Adam's hair, ignoring the child's flinch. "He shares a name with the most compelling character in the series."
"The villain," Adam said flatly.
"The antagonist," James corrected. "There's a difference. A villain is just evil. An antagonist has reasons, a philosophy, a tragic path. That's what makes Adam Morningstar so fascinating. In another life, he could have been the hero."
Adam froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. "What do you mean?"
James leaned back, entering what Adam had come to recognize as his "author mode."
"Well, Adam and Marcus are twins, right? But from birth, Marcus was celebrated for his green eyes and charismatic nature, while Adam was feared for his red eyes with that strange cross-shape. People treated them differently based on superstition, and over time, their paths diverged. Adam embraced the darkness people saw in him, while Marcus lived up to the light they projected onto him."
"So it's not Adam's fault he became evil," the child said carefully.
James tilted his head. "Fault is a complicated concept. We're shaped by circumstances, but we still make choices. Adam chose cruelty at every turn. He chose to betray people who trusted him. He chose to sacrifice innocent lives for power."
"Maybe he had no choice," Adam insisted, feeling a flush of anger. "Maybe the world decided what he was before he could decide for himself."
His "father" studied him with sudden intensity. "That's... a surprisingly sophisticated interpretation for a six-year-old."
Cara laughed nervously. "He's always been precocious."
James continued to watch his son with a curious expression. "You know, in the new book, I'm exploring what might have happened if Adam had made different choices. If he'd found a way to break the cycle of his fate."
"Is that possible?" Adam asked, heart pounding strangely in his chest. "Can someone like him change what they are?"
"That's the central question, isn't it?" James smiled sadly. "Can someone fundamentally broken be fixed? Can evil be redeemed? Or are some souls simply destined for darkness?"
Adam fell silent, pushing food around his plate. The words echoed in his mind, striking uncomfortably close to thoughts he'd never allowed himself to entertain.
That night, after his "parents" thought he was asleep, Adam crept into James's office. The laptop was closed, password-protected. But on the whiteboard where James mapped his plots, Adam saw something that made his blood run cold.
A diagram of character relationships. At the center: "Adam Morningstar." And written beside it: "Genesis System – rebirth mechanic? Second chance or eternal punishment?"
Adam backed away, mind racing. Somehow, this man—this creator—knew about the system that had brought Adam here. Knew about his rebirth.
Was any of this real? Or was he simply a character in someone else's story, dancing on the strings of an author's imagination?
Before he could process the implications, a sharp pain seized his chest. Adam gasped, clutching at his heart as he collapsed to the office floor.
The pain was familiar—the exact sensation of the Radiant Blade piercing his chest.
As darkness claimed him, words flashed behind his eyelids:
[FIRST CYCLE: OBSERVATION COMPLETE]
[PREPARING SECOND CYCLE]
[RETURNING TO PRIMARY REALITY]
The last thing Adam Williams heard was his mother's scream as she found her six-year-old son lying lifeless on the office floor.