He died staring at me. Not with hatred. With recognition.
I tried to resist it. On the eve of my twentieth rebirth-year, I attempted to refuse an order. The taskmaster told me to clean the mud from his boots with my tongue. The old Valerius roared in defiance. I clenched my jaw and stood straight.
And then the memories came.
Reincarnation, also known as transmigration or metempsychosis, is the belief that the soul or consciousness is reborn into a new body after death. This concept is rooted in Eastern spiritual traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The idea is that the soul, or "atman," is eternal and continues to evolve through multiple lifetimes, accumulating experiences, wisdom, and karma.
But as I reached to hand it to him, I did not bow. For the first time in two decades, I looked him in the eye. reincarnated in submission
It sounded like a paradox. It felt like a trap.
As he lay paralyzed on the floor, his eyes wide with terror, I knelt beside him. I did not strike him. I did not need to. I simply reached out and took the sigil of authority from his belt. He died staring at me
And that was when I learned the secret that the Sorcerer-Kings had forgotten.