Rebirth of the Luckiest Failure

gined his life would

t every reasonable limit, and all he wanted was one simple reward for surviving another miserable s

d fried chicken, and the smell alone wa

ded tonight that he

re was only

e grabbed t

hen he watched the stranger snatch the final box from

r, then at the owner, who gave

just slightly. "That

r did not t

ael snapped, and h

back

chased him down the street, weaving between pedestrians and parked cars with ab

e, and a life that had never once gone the way h

ide, and Kael followed without hes

s street. When Kael turned, it was

uld think about was the smell of fried

s eyes, he was lyin

h sleep, like new bones that hadn't settled into place. The room around him was completely unfamiliar, with plain walls, a narrow bed

long moment, and then

d, or I hit my head hard

d to the

es, and pale skin, and the kind of exhaustion he recognize

t th

anel appeared i

ped back

o the world

.. w

anged, displaying o

Kael D

ge:

us: Re

then he laughed once, a dry, disbelievi

. reb

l change

tat

ength

ana

eed:

amin

terit

ck:

for a long time, and the

thing? Are

m has no

of second l

l no

again. This time, he noticed the clothes. A mage unifor

t reborn into a fan

ted every employee like a problem to manage, cheap meals, alone, a life that had been quietly miserable for

is eyes and e

aid quietly. "That is the most pa

n another knock. "Kael Draven. I

cool, calm, and shar

ated, then

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

tatus panel beside him, and h

ate again,

"Wait, wait...

someone looks at a wrong answer

"And judging by your face,

?" he

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

met in his old life. Serious, precise, completely impossible to read, and he had the str

e shoved past without looking. Others gave him long, contemptuous stares as if his pres

ash finall

lanced

today," the boy said, then walk

ridor, and he let out a slo

s to laugh at me, I

e awakening hall wh

ng back. A burst of smoke rolled out into the corridor, and the sha

om inside, "The ci

swung slowly op

an crawling toward him across the stone floor, leaving sile

l f

a whole lot worse, and whatever was coming