Rebirth of the Luckiest Failure

gined his life would

he wanted was one simple reward for surviving another miserable shift. That reward came in the form of his favorite fried chicken f

ided. Tonight, he

only one

e grabbed t

the final box from the counter and walk away like nothing had happened. Kael stare

eyes tw

s mine,"

r did not t

inside Kae

n aft

back

between pedestrians and parked cars with absolutely no plan beyond catching the man and recovering what was right

losing fr

cut suddenl

ed without

as a m

oo late. His eyes went wide. For one stupid, final second

world w

s eyes, he was lyin

set of bones that did not quite fit yet. The room around him was completely unfamiliar. Plain walls. A narrow bed. A cr

ere for a l

touched

I died, or I hit my head ha

d to the

rp eyes. Pale skin. A tired expression he recogni

t th

peared directly

ped back

o the world

glowing words.

wa

nel sh

Kael D

ge:

us: Re

complete

, dry, disbelieving sound tha

bor

l shifte

tat

ength

ana

eed:

amin

terit

ck:

the screen fo

face slow

rything?

espo

f second cha

l no

gain. This time he noticed the clothes. A mage uniform, fi

t reborn into a fan

ho treated every employee like a problem to be managed. Cheap meals eaten alone. A life that had been

the stupi

is eyes and e

aid quietly. "That is the most pa

ounded at

l f

her

cool, calm, and shar

f you are awake

ated, then

rfectly straight, her expression completely unreadable, and her eyes were so calm and stead

status panel beside him. H

ate again,

ed. "Do I

someone looks at a wrong answer

"And judging by your face,

ga

e him a

nd this useless, o

tared

ls unfair

tes to reach the awakening hall. If you are

r word, her silver hair catching the dim corri

ad met in his old life. Serious. Precise. Completely impossible to read. He had the str

g through

past without looking. Others gave him long, contemptuous st

stopped near

ash finall

lanced

today," the boy said, then walk

alone in th

ow breath and s

laugh at me," he muttere

ward the awa

meone s

back. A burst of smoke rolled out into the corridor and the sharp

om inside, "The ci

swung slowly op

an crawling toward him across the stone floor, leaving sile

l f

s world had just bec

g through that door lo