Defying the Rogue Alpha - Chapter 12: Shadows

What if I told you, right now, everything you know about what happens after death is a lie?

What if I told you that there is no afterlife after death, just an endless cycle of reincarnation after wiping your memory?

What if I told you that there is a way out of the cycle of reincarnation and all you have to do is wear a religious artifact, and if you die with it on, you are given the opportunity to reincarnate into a world of your choice while keeping your memories?

Would you take it...or would you continue with the mundane cycle that has gone on since the beginning of time?

This is a story about two brothers, one is a responsible police officer, the other a heartless weeb, who died during WW3 and are offered the opportunity to reincarnate into another world as brothers once more.

Upon their death, they are summoned to a mysterious Realm named the Hall of Gods, where they obtain a Game-like System from the Raven God Odin and The God of Light Yahweh.

Once the system, named The Over-Break System, is installed into their souls, the brothers are Reincarnated into a massive, ever-expanding, technologically advanced fantasy world called Vinestra, as newborn babies with the names, Cynrik and Brance Jetlensr.

But, in Vinestra, things aren't as they seem. Several types of Spatial Tears called “Egresses” frequently open up to an unknown dimension where monsters who drop items when killed spawn.

Cynrik and Brance, under the watchful eye of their respective Deities, learn how to utilize their new system, to become powerful existences who wield Mana like their plaything. But are they in control of their lives, or are the Deities?

((THIS STORY IS WRITTEN IN A VERY SPECIFIC WESTERN FORMAT, WHERE CERTAIN CHARACTERS WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED IN CERTAIN WAYS MORE THAN OTHERS! AT ITS CORE THIS STORY DOES HAVE 2 MAIN CHARACTERS EVEN IF EARLY ON IT DOES NOT SEEM THAT WAY!))

Xu Yangyi, an 18-year-old high school student, for the reason that his older twin sister eloped with her girlfriend on the wedding day, was forced to be the surrogate bride by his own father. As a result, he became the wife of the man who should have been his brother-in-law.“You’ve gotta look at me carefully. I’m a man.” Xu Yangyi glared at He Jingyan, who was still getting fresh with him though he already knew Xu Yangyi was indeed a man.“Man?” He Jingyan fiddled with Xu Yangyi’s face with his big hand and gave him a sly smile, “You look identical with your sister, so it doesn’t matter!”

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

Leon and his father, Artorias, are the last remaining scions of a once powerful and illustrious family of lightning mages. After barely surviving an attack that destroyed their home fifteen years ago, they now live in the dangerous Northern Vales, a desolate wilderness far away from civilization. But those who want them dead are strong, patient, and relentless, and it is only a matter of time before they find the two they seek...