Chapter 1 - Pride (1/2)

Thousands of people had gathered in the square, waiting for one event.

Today would be the execution of the most dangerous criminal in the history of the ”Empire of Heavenly Pearls”.

Wrapped in thick chains, Evan looked calmly at the crowd before him. His face was completely unemotional, and his gaze was incredibly cold. He despised each of these people, as well as the whole rotten world.

<I went against the power and rules of this world, and at the same time, I was able to kill the emperor with my own hands>.

Evan had no regrets. He had committed the worst crime imaginable. It was also his greatest accomplishment.

He was sentenced to execution by the ”Heavenly Thunder”. It was a capital punishment designed especially for him.

The clouds had already thickened over the square. Very soon, the punishment would come upon Evan and his life would be cut short.

No one smiled or showed joy. Evan was an incredibly strong man. One of his looks was enough to keep the whole crowd in fear. And the pressure that came from him terrified everyone in the square.

After the verdict was pronounced, a bright light gathered at one point and there was a deafening explosion. A furious roar could be heard in the sky, echoing for dozens of kilometers.

Bam.

A devastating, snow-white lightning bolt in the shape of a dragon struck Evan. It swallowed him whole. After that, Evan's body slowly fell to the ground.

At that very moment, the life of the greatest sinner was over.

...

”Hey! Wake up, mealtime.”

<What? I`ve just died...> Evan was awakened by the loud voice of the guard. He looked around and realized he was wearing tattered clothes and was in a dirty cell.

But, most importantly, he was not in his body. As soon as Evan realized this, his head began to explode with pain.

A multitude of memory fragments began to fill his head. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he was able to come to his senses.

Evan sighed heavily.

<I see, I'm in the body of a slave who died from constant beatings. That's just great> The name of the previous owner of the body was Trevor, he was nineteen years old. Evan had learned this and much more, by going through the memories of a young man who had only recently been alive.

When he put his thoughts in order, he saw a bowl of some cold and unpleasant-looking porridge in front of him.

Evan didn`t want to eat such disgusting food, but at that moment he simply had no other choice. His body was very skinny and weak. He needed at least some food to gain strength.

As soon as he finished his meal, another guard came up to his cell. He opened the cage and told Evan to follow him.

Evan didn`t resist. Naturally, he wasn't going to stay in that prison for long. But at that moment, he was too weak to fight back.

After a few minutes, he was led to the other slaves. After which they were all sent to mine ore in a nearby mine.

...

Swing.

Each swing of the pickaxe was difficult for Evan. He had never felt so weak before.

After a few hours of work, his hands were completely numb, but he kept working. After all, anyone who allowed himself to rest was beaten with a whip.

After a couple of hours, all the slaves were gathered together and sent to the canteen. From the memories of the body's past owner, Evan learned that this was the only time when it was possible to have a proper meal. He just couldn't pass up that chance, he needed food and energy.

Upon reaching the canteen, Evan sat down at the very corner, to avoid unnecessary trouble. He took his portion and quietly began to eat. But no sooner had he eaten half of it, than a huge, muscular, middle-aged man approached him.

Evan immediately realized who it was. The man in front of him was called John, and he was known for taking food from the weak and making them do his work.

”Trevor, buddy, will you share with me?” John smiled weakly, and his voice was pleasant and friendly.

”Fuck off.” Evan wasn't going to talk to him, and just kept eating.

Such a rude response made John frown heavily, and quickly attacked Evan.

Evan had expected something like this to happen, so he easily dodged his punch.

<Although, this body is very weak, I still have my experience and skill.> Evan wasn't sure if he could beat John, but he had to try. If his food was taken away from him, it would be like agreeing to stay here forever.

Evan was surprised that no one was paying attention to their skirmish. Not the prisoners, not the guards, it seemed to be a very common occurrence.

”Hey, you!” Seeing that Evan dodged his attack, John became very angry and began to strike with all his might. Before, he just wanted to teach him a lesson, but now he was ready to kill Evan!

Even though John was rarely weak by Evan's standards, it was Evan, who was at a disadvantage right now. He dodged every punch and tried to attack. But his blows did little or no damage to John. It was at that moment that Evan decided to take his chances.