Awakening of the Mind Sovereign-Chapter 4: I really lost my ability?

He sat there, staring at himself. He wore simple clothes: a linen shirt and rough trousers. No armor, no weapons... and no royal palace.

Am I in another dream?

He remembered the last moment: swords, pain... his head rolling on the ground.

I died... but I'm here. Is this the afterlife?

He stood up with difficulty. His knee ached. This pain is real... very real.

Looking around, he saw a forest that seemed ordinary—more vivid and lifelike than anything he'd experienced in his previous world.

I need someone... someone with a name and an age.

He followed the distant sound of water. After a few minutes, he reached a small stream. Kneeling down, he drank eagerly, then caught his reflection in the water.

The same face, but younger. Brown eyes, dark hair, and a faint scar on his left eyebrow he didn't remember having.

What... is happening?

In the distance, he heard the sound of hooves and wooden carts rolling across the earth.

Finally... people.

He ran toward the sound.

Soon, he reached a dirt road where a slow-moving trade caravan passed by. Roughly dressed men guided the carts, and on one of them sat a burly man with a thick beard and a flushed face.

Elliot raised his hand and waved. Hello!

The man stopped. Who are you?

Perfect, your voice is clear. Your thoughts... where are your thoughts?

Elliot focused. Nothing.

I can't hear anything.

I'm... lost. Please, where are we?

The man laughed. Where are we?! In the Kingdom of Valterin, of course!

Kingdom of Valterin? Never heard of it.

Where are you headed?

Elliot hesitated. I'm in a new world... and I'm not alone.

Could you... take me with you?

The man sized him up and then nodded. Hop on.

Elliot climbed onto the edge of the cart.

What's your name?

Robert Kane. Forty-three.

Robert Kane, forty-three... that's it!

He waited a moment. Nothing.

I really lost my ability?

A cold shiver ran down his spine. My power was my weapon. Without it... I'm nothing.

Where are you headed, Mr. Robert?

Stonehaven. Big weekly market tomorrow.

And this world... what era are we in?

Robert laughed. Can't you see? The medieval age, kid. Farmers, nobles, and pompous kings.

A normal world... no magic, no systems, no games... just a simple life.

Elliot gazed at the horizon, where stone walls loomed in the distance.

The sound of chains dragged across the ground... distant screams mixed with the stench of sweat and dampness.

Elliot opened his eyes slowly. He lay on a cold, stone floor. His hands, shackled with heavy iron cuffs.

What... happened?

The last thing he remembered: entering Stonehaven with the caravan, the crowded market filled with scents and voices. He remembered the eyes watching him, the hand grabbing him from behind... the needle piercing his neck.

I was kidnapped?!

Finally awake, huh, fresh meat?

He turned sharply. A pale, bald man stood outside the iron bars, his eyes cold as stone.

Where am I?

In the slave auction cellar. Tomorrow... someone will buy you. If you're lucky, you'll serve in a mansion. If not... The man chuckled darkly.

Fear coiled in Elliot's chest. A slave? How did I end up here?

He tried his power: Robert Kane, forty-three.

Nothing.

I really lost it...

A faint whimper drew his attention. In the corner of the cell, a small boy with tear-filled eyes huddled.

What's your name? Elliot asked.

Arthur... ten.

He tried to read the boy's mind. Nothing.

Everything's gone... I'm no longer the mastermind who manipulates everyone. Now... just a slave.

The next day, they were shackled and led into a sunlit courtyard.

The scorching sun, the cold eyes of the crowd, the auctioneer's booming voice announcing bids.

Next... the clever boy from the forest! Strong and quiet!

Elliot was pushed onto the platform. Eyes pierced through him like arrows.

Starting at ten gold coins!

Silence. Then a smooth voice spoke: Fifty gold.

Elliot turned his head. A woman in a purple cloak stood in the crowd, her eyes sharp and calculating.

Sold!

In the cart, the woman sat across from him.

Name?

Elliot.

Age?

Seventeen.

She smirked. You've fallen into the trap...

Suddenly, thoughts exploded in his mind:

Clever? He won't be clever when he's breaking rocks in the mines.

His eyes widened. My power is back...

But he kept his face frightened.

The game starts anew.

Darkness. Dampness. The sound of picks striking stone like the heartbeat of a dying giant.

Elliot stood in a narrow tunnel, his body caked in dirt, wrists shackled with heavy iron cuffs. Around him, dozens of slaves with hollow eyes and exhausted faces worked in silence.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

The mines... He muttered. Step one: rise from the bottom.

Days passed, and he quickly grasped the rules:

Speak only when asked. Work until you collapse. Never think of escaping.

But Elliot thought all the time.

Names and ages... that's my key to control. And now... it's time to play.

During a short break, he approached a muscular young man.

What's your name?

Luke.

Age?

Twenty-four.

A moment of silence... then the man's thoughts flooded in:

I need to escape. I can't stay here. Guard Martin keeps the keys in his left pocket.

Elliot smiled faintly.

Thanks, Luke.

Later, he approached an old man sitting alone.

Name?

George.

Age?

Fifty-six.

Five years here... the death mine. Slave master Smith trusts Kane... but Kane fears rebellion.

Perfect, Elliot thought. A crack to slip through.

Over the next week, he whispered to others:

Noticed? Guard Kane trembles when passing us.

They say the slave master fears an uprising.

If we unite... they can't stop us.

The rumors spread like wildfire.

And on one fateful night, the slaves gathered around him.

You know everything... how? Luke asked.

Elliot smiled. I simply... listen to what the shadows whisper.

The plan was simple. The key was in Kane's left pocket. The guards relied on fear... but the slaves were now a single, united force.

At dawn, when Kane entered the tunnel... Elliot was waiting.

Good morning, Kane. Thirty-seven years old. Married. Terrified your boss will find out you've been skimming gold.

Kane's eyes bulged.

How...?

I'm the shadow that hears your secrets. Now... give me the keys, or I'll tell everyone.

A trembling hand fished out the keys.

Elliot grabbed them, held them high, and shouted:

Our freedom starts now!

The slaves roared in unison.