Before Kros ever stepped into another world…
He was just a child.
A normal boy living a quiet life.
His father was calm, gentle, and rarely spoke about himself. But whenever he was around, something felt… different. The air seemed heavier. Thunder sometimes rumbled even when the skies were clear. And when Kros held his father's hand, he always felt safe.
"Dad… why does it always rain when you're outside?" young Kros asked once.
His father smiled.
"Maybe the sky just likes following me."
Kros laughed.
To him, it was nothing strange.
Just another day.
But his father knew the truth.
Inside him slept the soul of Arthur.
And for years, he had lived peacefully, believing fate had finally released him from war.
Until one night—
He felt it.
A presence.
Cold. Observing. Calculating.
The System fragment had awakened.
Arthur's eyes opened slowly.
"…So it found me."
He looked toward the next room where Kros slept peacefully.
"…Then I don't have much time."
He stepped outside. The wind began to gather. Clouds formed above him unnaturally. Lightning flashed silently across the sky.
Arthur raised his hand.
Power surged.
But he did not unleash it.
Instead… he sealed it.
Not within himself.
Within Kros.
A gentle light formed in his palm.
"This power… cannot stay with me."
He walked back inside.
Kros slept quietly, unaware.
Arthur placed his hand on the boy's chest.
Lightning energy flowed — calm, controlled, ancient.
He sealed:
The Thunder Domain.
The divine bloodline.
The warrior instincts.
The memories of war.
Everything.
Locked deep within Kros.
"So you can live… as a normal child."
Kros stirred.
"…Dad?"
Arthur smiled softly.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?"
"…You look sad."
He sat beside him.
"Kros… listen carefully."
The boy rubbed his eyes.
"Power isn't meant to destroy."
"It's meant to protect."
"Even if one day… the world misunderstands you…"
"Choose kindness."
Kros nodded sleepily.
"…Okay."
Arthur placed his hand on his head.
"You don't need to become like me."
"…Become better."
Outside—
The sky shattered.
The System fragment had locked onto Arthur.
Time had run out.
Arthur stood.
"…It's here."
He walked outside one last time.
Lightning filled the sky.
The air cracked.
Arthur released a fraction of his sealed power — not to fight…
But to hide.
Thunder exploded across the horizon.
Reality distorted.
The System's detection scattered.
Arthur's body began fading.
His reincarnation had reached its limit.
"…This is enough."
He looked back toward the house.
"…Live freely, Kros."
A final lightning strike descended.
And Arthur disappeared.
The storm ended.
The world returned to silence.
Inside the house—
Young Kros slept peacefully.
Memories fading.
Power sealed.
Fate waiting.
And somewhere beyond existence…
The System paused.
It had lost the signal.
But something remained.
A hidden variable.
Uncalculated.
Unseen.
Waiting.
The child…
Who carried the storm.