Stella & Khaos : The tale of duality. - Chapter 31: Rekindling Hope

“What do you mean I'm the father!?”In a world shattered by a devastating meteor shower, nature has turned hostile.The skies bled strange lights, wild life mutated into horrors, and humanity awakened to supernatural powers in a desperate bid for survival. Cities became fortresses, and the awakened, powerful humans were the military might of every nation.But not everyone was gifted.Riven, an F-ranked Awakened, is a Cleaner — the lowest rung on the ladder. His job? Scrape up monster guts, salvage what’s valuable, and stay out of the way. His life is simple, thankless, and dangerous in the shadows of real heroes.That is, until the day he cuts open the corpse of a grotesque chitinous behemoth… and finds a strange cocoon pulsing with life.One thing led to another it later hatched.And she stepped out.

The Shao and Cheng families have been sworn enemies for generations, though few outsiders know the exact details of their feud.

What is known to all is the Shao family’s three cardinal rules:

The Shao family must not cooperate with the Chengs, must not intermarry with the Chengs, and must never appear with the Chengs at any public event.

One day, an adorable little girl looking like a doll, wearing a puffy pink dress, pink hair clip, and pink backpack, walked into the lobby on the first floor of the Shao Group building.

The receptionist thought she was some child who had wandered away from home. But the little girl solemnly said, “I want to see your Shao Group CEO, Shao Chengze.”

Seeing the girl’s pink outfit, the receptionist knew she must be from a wealthy and noble family to dare to address their CEO by his full name. She couldn’t be the daughter of some high-ranking Shao Group executive?

Smiling warmly, she asked, “Little one, could you tell me your parents’ names?”

The girl tilted her head. “My mommy is Cheng Jinlan.”

Cheng…Jinlan?!

Second Miss Cheng Jinlan of the Cheng family?! She never thought she’d see the day a Cheng would set foot in the Shao Group building. What a miracle!

“As for my dad, I’ve come today to get some of Shao Chengze’s hair for a DNA test. Once I have his hair, I’ll know if he’s my dad or not.”

The girl’s crisp words rippled outwards from the front desk through the bustling first floor lobby. Everyone who heard froze in shock, jaws dropping.

Everyone except Shao Chengze, who had just stepped out of the elevator surrounded by a group.

He looked at the girl in pink through narrowed, fox-like eyes.

Cheng Liqi recognized Shao Chengze and covered her mouth in an “ah-oh”.

She decided that even if Shao Chengze wasn’t her dad, she’d have to help Cheng Jinlan get this man. She liked his eyes.

They were just like hers.

So pretty.

After a well-lived life on Earth, Kael never expected anything more than death and the sweet embrace of sleep and darkness.But fate had other plans. He was reborn in another world similar to Earth, where he grew up until he was ten, at which point his memories from his past life were reawakened.He was an old man trapped in a boy's body, but the mixture of the child's memories with his own made him feel more middle-aged than old.A few days later, the world he was in ascended into the realm of war, the battleground of all living beings. Kael was among the few awakened who had the chance to become the ultimate god of existence, based on the orbs of different paths presented before him.Kael was faced with three choices:Orb of ChaosOrb of NothingnessOrb of Void(Choosing any will make you undergo a trial that will change your very existence. Please choose wisely.)While in shock by these options and seriously pondering which one to choose, an unexpected event occurred.(Error detected... A new option has been created)(Be the wielder of the three — Chaos, Void, and Nothingness)(Answer picked by host, transporting...)Kael was in shock as he fell into darkness, with one swirling thought in his mind:“I didn't even pick any.”

In his previous world, X was a feared and brilliant criminal. He led a massive criminal organization, possessed sharp strategic intelligence, and had enough power to challenge entire nations. Though ruthless, he lived by his own principles and morals.One day, after completing a fantasy war game in his free time he transmigrates into that very world.But not as the hero.He awakens in the body of Kael Frost, the game's final villain.In the original game, Kael was a noble born into the Frost Dukedom, which was the strongest after the royal family. He had no interest in training or holding his families legacy despite being the heir to the House Frost. He was a prime example of a spoiled noble brat.Seeing his constant failures and pathetic state, his family especially his father Castor Frost started to neglect him entirely. Discussions were held to appoint Kael's younger brother Kevin as the heir to the Dukedom.Enraged by his family's actions Kael began to behave in more pathetic ways as some sort of revenge. His relations with everyone started to deteriorate further and a public conflict during a grand banquet marked his complete breakdown from his household. Soon after, Kael disappeared from the society.A year later, driven by hatred and despair, he performed a forbidden ritual that granted him immense power in exchange for his emotions and sanity. The ritual succeeded, but turned him into a psychopathic mass murderer. Though powerful enough to nearly defeat the protagonist in the final arc, he ultimately lost due to his madness and the hero's many allies.That was how the game ended.This time, the transmigration happens after the ritual is completed.X inherits Kael's fully awakened powers while retaining his sanity, intelligence, and fragments of emotion from his previous life. With strength untouched by madness, he becomes far more dangerous than Kael ever was.2 years later as admissions begin for the prestigious Namda Academy, the villain re-enters the world stage. Nobles are accepted automatically, while commoners must pass exams that test intellect, psychology, and potential.With knowledge of the game's future and the mind of a genius strategist, the final boss steps onto a new path.***Discord Name- TheDevil_SupremeDiscord Server Link-https://discord.gg/fcewVggrh4