Chapter 1: Five Stars
Year 2XXX, the year when it all began…
"Breaking News! The electromagnetic field of Earth is experiencing drastic changes. Scientists do not know the cause of this anomaly…"
"The United Nation meeting took place not long ago, right now leaders…"
"This is the end of the world!"
People all over the Earth looked up into the sky and heard the majestic voice, full of power and wisdom.
"Earthlings! Time for the examination has begun! Prepare yourself…"
After the words were said, the heavens burned with crimson fire, rivers, seas, and oceans boiled, the earth trembled. The next moment humans disappeared from the planet's surface.
In a white room.
"Human, your world is under an examination, this is your chance to discover a new, much bigger world. The world you knew has disappeared, accept it and go forward."
"What?!" the man exclaimed, "Is this a prank?! Where am I?"
"Let me explain…"
That was the end of year 2XXX. The year when humans entered the examination ground, which was called Wenrin. Since that time, 10 years passed.
"Get out of here?!" shouted a fat man and threw a girl out of the shop.
She fell on the ground and got her clothes stained with dust.
"What did I do?" she shouted at the man.
"Stop pretending, little thief, you know exactly what you did, now scram! Or I'll break your arm, so you won't be able to steal anymore."
"I didn't steal!" the girl said decisively and stood up from the ground and brushed off the dust from her clothes. She was very young, not more than 12 years old, she had black hair and brown eyes, straight and attractive facial features. Although her voice was soft as cotton, there was a strong spirit hidden within this little girl.
"I won't repeat myself!"
"Ok, ok, I am leaving."
The crowd which surrounded the shop disappeared, it seemed as if nothing happened here.
The little girl wandered around the streets while looking up into the sky. Her gaze wasn't focused at anything, her thoughts were flying somewhere far from here.
The sun lowered and hid behind the horizon.
"It's time to go home," muttered the girl and went into the poor district.
She lived in a city of New Hope, a small city which wasn't far from the capital of Golden Lion Empire, one of the three greatest forces in Wenrin. Since the start of human's examination, all people were teleported into this world, with only one continent, called Wenrin. The objective of this test was to survive, at first people panicked, they didn't know how hard it will be. However, later, they found water, they found food and their fears disappeared, but not for too long. Suddenly strange beasts started invading into human's villages and camps, they were very strong, primitive weapons were not able to harm them in any way. Then huge dimensional cracks, dungeons, opened randomly all over Wenrin, which, if not closed in time, will cause an outbreak of hideous beasts from within. Human's despaired, they realized that magical beasts and dungeons were the real dangers of Wenrin.
However… In times of fear, there will be heroes. Heroes who awakened, those who remembered their past lives, those who pulled the humanity from the abyss.
Awakened had powerful abilities, skill, knowledge inherited from reincarnation and the most important thing, which helped them in a desperate struggle for survival – reincarnation energy, or in other words Ren.
Those who awakened were able to unseal memories of a reincarnated soul, they could be memories of a powerful magician from another world, skillful blacksmith, a scientist from a very advanced civilization, there were also a lot of familiar historic figures from the home planet Earth. There was also an uncertain danger in awakening… The past life may be that of a useless and powerless individual. Of course, after awakening, one can sense the Ren, even with a weak past life reincarnation, but they would be always weaker than others.
That's why, with a drastic difference in strength, discrimination appeared, between weak and strong, between awakened and hibernated. The girl was one of the hibernated ones… The ones who must work as hard as they could to earn the right to live in Wenrin.
"Mom, Dad! I am home," shouted the girl and entered an old wooden house.
The house was just any other house in the region, it was cold in winter and rain outside meant a waterfall inside. The foul smell surrounded the whole district of slums, those districts were like the ones in medieval times, although there were amazing technologies accessed by humans.
"Where have you been, Judith?" asked a woman in her thirties. The little girl resembled her in every aspect, hair color, eyes, face, everything, except her ears. Ears were just like an identical copy of the man's next to the woman, who was her father.
The man was slim and elegant, even though he was dressed in a dirty and poor shirt. He had golden hair and blue eyes, very handsome and charming. It was strange to find such a man in the slums.
"Just walked in the city, where is older bro?" answered Judith and hugged her mother by an arm.
"He is in his bedroom, can you call him, we are having dinner soon," answered her father and patted her head.
"Ok, Daddy!"
She went to another room and knocked on the door. Nothing happed.
"Brother, are you sleeping or what?"
At the same time inside the room, a young boy, who was 14 years old, was sleeping on his bed. His brows furrowed and face distorted from something unpleasant. He clenched his blanket and moaned weakly. The boy was as handsome as his dad when he was younger. A little bit of time and this young boy will be a devil within all girls' hearts.
"Alex?" whispered Judith and opened the door.
Judith saw her brother on his bed, trembling in pain, a moment later she ran up to Alex and shouted, "Brother, what's wrong?!"
Their parent heard the cry and ran into the room, seeing the scene in front of them they panicked.
"What happened?" asked the children's mother in worry.
"I don't know! When I came, he was like that?"
"Dear, what should we do?!" the woman asked her husband while holding her son's hand.
"No, that cannot be…" murmured the man in fear.
"What's wrong! Mom, Dad, we must help Alex!"
"Dear?"
"Alex… He is…" the man sighed and continued, "I knew, that girl will only bring disaster."
"Are you talking about April? What did she do to our son?!" asked the wife.
"She broke his heart… That's what she did," said the man and kneeled next to his son.
"April…" Judith didn't finish her words, only clenched her teeth in anger.
"How? Why is he in pain?"
"When she came back with her apprentice sister and made Alex apologize for loving her…" muttered the man," her words back then, were more painful than a scorching sun flame. His mind was shaken and now, he doesn't want to live, he is tormented by his inner demons."
"Why?! He still has us, his family! Why can't he forget that girl!" shouted Alex's mother in despair.
Two days ago, a girl, whose name was April came into the slums, April was of the same age as Alex and they were very close previously, however, one month ago, April awakened and was taken as a disciple into the Dragon Ice Sect. She came back with her apprentice sister just for the sake of cutting all ties with Alex and make him apologize for being close to her because the rules of the sect do not allow a girl to be stained with the man's love.
"One day, when I awaken, I will destroy the Dragon Ice Sect!" whispered Judith with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her dad sighed and looked through the window; a pained expression was written all over his face.
Suddenly a shout was heard from outside, which gathered rain and storm, "Richard! We have finally found you!"
"Oh no!" immediately after the voice reached the house, the man panicked, and his body trembled.
"Honey! Did your family?" a weak voice sounded from the side.
"Hide with the children in the underground storeroom. Do. Not. Come. Out!" said the father and kissed his wife on the forehead.
The woman closed her eyes and stood up from the floor, she quickly took Judith and ran into another room, where the family stored food. There stood a wooden cupboard, the woman moved it and there was a small entrance into the storeroom. The next second the man came while holding Alex in his hands, he handed him to the woman and looked at his family with a mourning gaze. The way he looked at them, was full of different emotions, there was worry, pain, grief and finally, love.
"We will be safe!"
The cupboard was moved back, and the underground storeroom was devoured by darkness again.
"Well, we have finally found you, nephew," a low voice sounded from the main room behind.
"Uncle Chase…"
"Richard, your father was very concerned about you, why did you run away from him?" mocked the old man in a black armor where only eyes could be seen.
The man kept silent.
"You think hiding your family underground will save them?"
"Please, I…"
"You will, I know," interrupted the man's uncle," But what will I say to your father?"
"Uncle Chase, I beg you," Richard knelt and looked into the old man's eyes," They are innocent, it was all my fault for running away that time, don't kill them, they are innocent!"
"I am not here to judge anyone for their sins, I am here to accomplish the mission, nothing else," calmly answered the old uncle Chase.
"When I return… I will ask Melissana for a B class magic herb…"
"B class you say…"
"Yes, yes! Just, please, leave the ones underground alive."
"Are you sure that Melissana will grant you your wish?" hesitated the old uncle.
"She made both of our families chase after me all over Europe back then and search through the Empire now, it won't be hard to ask her for a B class herb."
"Ok, but if a word gets out of what happened here, I will look for your children and that lowly slave for compensation."
"Yes…"
The next moment they disappeared from the house and left the city.
During all this conversation which took place above the storeroom, all woman's hair turned white and her eyes turned bloody red.
"Mommy? What's wrong with you?" the girl asked in a hoarse voice.
"Nothing, honey, everything is fine…"
At the same time in a strange space full of blue celestial lights. Alex's body floated among the stars, his arms and legs felt numb, eyes opened and drifted from one source of light to another.
"Where am I?" he murmured, "Did I die?"
"Ha-ha," suddenly an unknown man's voice laughed, "No, you're fine."
"Who are you?!"
"I am you and you are I," answered the voice.
"Are you my re-reincarnation…" asked Alex with a weak and trembling voice.
He was very excited and a little bit scared. Right now, he will become awakened, he will be able to change the destiny of his loved ones.
"No, you are MY reincarnation, silly boy."
"Oh, right, ha-ha," Alex awkwardly laughed.
"Ok then, enough of chit-chat, I am going to integrate some of your previous lives' memories within your soul, do not resist."
"Wait, I didn't learn your name, senior."
"Don't call me senior… Just call me Hypnos, the father of Morpheus, Icelus, and Phantasus."
"That's too hard to remember…" Alex couldn't finish his words when his eyes closed, and consciousness drifted into a deep slumber.
"Father!" three other voices shouted.
"Children… let me borrow your strength."
"Yes, father!"
After that, deep inside Alex's soul five strange stars with human shadows inside appeared, surrounding the crystal small figure which looked exactly like Alex.
"God Hypnos, never heard about you," stated the star with a young man in a white robe, his brows were like swords, eyes as beautiful as two moons, long black hair were like black majestic dragons coiling in the air.
"Ha-ha didn't imagine that I was such a great character in my previous life!"
"Where am I?" asked the star with a beautiful woman inside, she wasn't old, but neither she was young. Her aura was noble, eyes green as emeralds and skin white as snow, her hair made one imagine blood on the white snow.
"Queen of Mages, Sherill, it's nice to meet. It's a pity how your life ended."
"How do you know…"
"It's a long story…"
The other two stars kept silent, the one closest to Queen Sherill just closed his eyes and seemed to meditate, as, for the other one, he looked at each of the surrounding shadows and helplessly smiled.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone