"Reborn Through Time: The Betrayed Hero Returns"

Chapter 1: The Last Snow

The snow had never looked so red.

Aiden stumbled forward, his hand clutching the blade lodged in his back. Every breath came out ragged, steam mixing with the crimson dripping onto the white stone. The courtyard, once sacred ground for knightly oaths and royal vows, was now a silent execution chamber.

“You lied,” he choked, barely able to lift his head. His knees gave way beneath him, but his eyes never left the man before him. “You were my brother…”

Commander Rael didn’t flinch. He stood tall in his polished armor, the sigil of Virell’s royal guard glinting proudly on his chest. The same crest Aiden wore — or used to wear.

“I was,” Rael said coldly. “But you forgot something, Aiden. Loyalty means nothing in a world ruled by fear.”

Aiden’s vision blurred. Behind Rael, nobles looked on with quiet satisfaction, cloaked in fur and smug silence. And there she was — Queen Serana — her gaze fixed on the icy ground, unable to meet his.

He had fought dragons for this kingdom. Led battles when others fled. Loved her even when he knew he shouldn’t.

And this was how it ended.

Then — the air cracked.

Not thunder. Not magic. Something... else.

The wind stopped.

The sky shimmered like glass caught in a quake — and suddenly, reality bent.

A figure emerged. A woman, barefoot, draped in black cloth that shimmered like midnight. Her hair floated as if underwater, and her eyes—her eyes held stars.

"You are undone," she said softly.

Aiden stared, pain forgotten for a heartbeat.

“Do you wish to return?” she asked. Her voice was gentle, but powerful — like a lullaby whispered by the moon.

“To fix this?” he rasped.

“To change it,” she replied. “But time does not break—it bends. What you remember may no longer be what is.”

Aiden hesitated. Not from doubt. From the weight of it all.

“…Take me back,” he whispered. “Let me rewrite everything.”

She smiled — and the world shattered.

Present Day – Earth

“Wake up, dude. You’re gonna miss the bus.”

Aiden’s eyes snapped open.

He gasped, jerking upright—and immediately regretted it.

Where was the snow? The courtyard? The blade in his back?

He was on… a bench? In the middle of a strange grey street, surrounded by loud, blinking machines and towers of glass. The sky was blue. Too blue. And warm. Warm like no battlefield he’d known.

“What… what sorcery is this?” he muttered, blinking.

Next to him, a girl raised an eyebrow.

She had short black hair, a hoodie over a school uniform, and a glowing rectangle in her hand.

“Are you okay?” she asked slowly, like she was unsure if he understood her. “You’re staring like you’ve never seen a phone before.”

“A… what?”

“Oh great,” she muttered. “Another LARPing weirdo.”

He stood unsteadily, brushing off his strange clothes. Not armor. Not even linen. Some soft, stretchy fabric. Too thin for war. Too soft for battle.

His sword — gone.

His pendant — still there. Faintly glowing against his chest.

That woman… she did send me back. But this isn’t my past. This is... another world.

Again.

“I need to find her,” he said aloud.