The Arcane Heir System

Rowan's POV

Rain poured heavily over the city, cold water ran across the streets, and flashes of lightning lit up the dark sky above the tall buildings. The sound of sirens sounded from far away, mixing with the noise of the storm.

Rowan Vale stood silently under the rain outside the Grand Crest Hotel.

His clothes were soaked. Blood slowly dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t care.

His eyes remained fixed on the large glass window above him.

Room 1708.

That was the room Selena told him she would be staying in tonight for a business meeting.

A weak laugh escaped his lips. Business meeting.

What a joke. His hands tightened into fists as memories flashed through his mind.

Three years. Three whole years. Three years of loving her.

Three years of working himself to death just to support her dreams.

While other students enjoyed their lives, Rowan worked part-time jobs every day after school. He carried boxes at warehouses, cleaned restaurants late at night, and even skipped meals sometimes just to save money for Selena.

For her birthday, he once spent two months’ salary buying her a necklace she casually mentioned liking.

And today? Today was supposed to be special.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver ring box.

Rainwater dripped over it. Rowan stared at the box quietly before laughing bitterly again.

He looked pathetic, absolutely pathetic. The hotel doors suddenly opened.

Rowan froze. A tall man wearing an expensive black coat stepped out first. His watch alone probably cost more than everything Rowan owned.

Then Selena walked out behind him. Her beautiful face instantly appeared under the hotel lights.

The same face Rowan had loved for years. But right now, she was smiling at another man.

Not him. The man wrapped an arm around her waist naturally while she leaned against him without resistance.

Rowan felt something inside his chest crack. Selena finally noticed him standing across the street.

Her smile disappeared instantly. “R-Rowan?”

The man beside her frowned. “You know him?”

Selena’s expression changed quickly. “Yes,” she said quietly. “He’s just… someone from school.”

Someone from school. Not boyfriend. Not someone she loved.

Just someone from school. The rain suddenly felt colder. Rowan slowly walked toward them.

Each step felt heavy. Selena looked nervous now. “Rowan, why are you here?”

He ignored her question. Instead, his eyes moved toward the man beside her.

“Who is he?” The man smirked slightly before Selena could answer.

“Damien Cross,” he said confidently. “The future heir of Cross Corporation.”

Of course. Rowan already knew that name. Everyone did.

He was Rich, Powerful, and talented. The kind of man who had everything handed to him since birth.

The complete opposite of Rowan. Selena bit her lip before speaking softly. “Rowan… I can explain.”

“Explain what?” Rowan asked quietly. His calm voice made her uncomfortable.

“The fact that you lied to me?” “No, it’s not like that—”

“Then what is it like?” Selena stayed silent. That silence hurt more than anything else.

Damien suddenly laughed. “You really haven’t told him yet?”

“Damien,” Selena warned softly. But the man ignored her completely.

He looked directly at Rowan with amusement in his eyes.

“She chose me,” Damien said simply. “That’s all there is to it.”

Rowan’s fists trembled. Selena quickly stepped forward. “Rowan, listen to me. Things just changed.”

“Changed?” Rowan repeated.

“Yes.” Her voice became firmer now, almost defensive. “Do you know how hard life is? Love alone doesn’t solve everything.”

Those words hit him harder than the rain.

“I was tired,” she continued quietly. “Tired of struggling every day. Tired of watching you work endlessly while nothing ever changed.”

Rowan stared at her silently.

“You’re a good person,” Selena whispered. “But being good isn’t enough.”

Damien smirked again. “You should thank her honestly. She stayed with you longer than most girls would.”

Rowan’s breathing became uneven. Something dark slowly rose inside his chest.

Pure pain. Three years, three years reduced to this moment.

Selena looked away from his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Sorry. Such a simple word. Yet it destroyed everything.

Rowan looked down at the silver ring box in his hand.

Then slowly, he opened it. Inside was a simple silver ring.

Not expensive and not flashy, but it had taken him nearly five months to buy.

Selena’s eyes widened slightly. “You were going to…” Rowan smiled weakly.

“Yeah.”

F Damien’s arrogant expression disappeared slightly. Rain continued falling heavily between them.

Rowan suddenly felt exhausted. Completely exhausted. Maybe Selena was right.

Maybe love really wasn’t enough. Maybe people like him were simply meant to lose.

He closed the ring box slowly before slipping it back into his pocket.

“Forget it,” Rowan said quietly. Selena looked surprised.

“That’s it?” “What else do you want me to say?”

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Damien chuckled softly. “At least you know your place.”

Those words snapped something inside Rowan. Without warning, he grabbed Damien by the collar.

Selena gasped loudly.

“You think you’re better than everyone because you were born rich?” Rowan growled.

Damien’s expression darkened instantly. “You should let go.”

But Rowan didn’t move. Years of frustration exploded out of him.

“People like you destroy others and think money fixes everything!”

Damien suddenly punched him across the face. The force sent Rowan crashing onto the wet pavement.

Pain exploded through his jaw. Selena screamed, “Stop!”

But Damien calmly adjusted his sleeve. “You touched the wrong person.”

Rowan struggled back to his feet. Blood mixed with rainwater on his lips.

Yet before he could move again, two large men rushed out from the hotel entrance.

Bodyguards, of course. One of them punched Rowan hard in the stomach.

Air left his lungs instantly. Another blow hit his ribs. Then another. And another.

Selena’s frightened voice sounded distant now. “Damien, that’s enough!”

But the beating continued. Rowan collapsed onto the ground again while pain spread through his entire body.

People nearby stopped to watch. Some whispered. Some recorded with their phones.

Nobody helped him. Damien crouched slightly beside him.

“You should understand something,” he said coldly. “The world isn’t fair. Weak people like you exist only to be stepped on.”

Rowan glared at him with bloodshot eyes. Even now, Damien still looked clean and untouchable under the rain. Like someone born above everyone else.

Damien stood up again. “Let’s go.” Selena hesitated for a moment.

She looked down at Rowan lying helplessly on the street.

For a second, guilt flashed across her face. But in the end…

She turned away and left with Damien. Rowan remained motionless under the rain.

The cold pavement pressed against his cheek while pain burned through his body.

But none of it hurt as much as his chest. A broken laugh escaped his lips.

How pathetic. He really believed things would be different.

Thunder roared across the sky. Rowan slowly forced himself upright.

His legs trembled as he walked away from the hotel, with no destination, no purpose, he continued walking.

The city lights blurred around him through the rain. People brushed past him without care.

Cars splashed water onto the sidewalks. Everything continued normally while his world collapsed.

After several minutes, Rowan stopped near a bridge overlooking the river.

The water below moved violently from the storm. He rested his shaking hands against the railing.

Then he pulled out the ring box again. For a long time, he simply stared at it.

Finally, he laughed quietly. “What was I even expecting?”

His voice sounded hollow. The wind blew strongly against him. Rowan closed his eyes.

Memories flooded his mind. Selena was smiling at him during their first meeting. Selena is thanking him after he bought her coffee.

Selena promised they would succeed together someday.

But instead, they were lies, all lies. A sharp pain suddenly spread through his chest.

Rowan frowned. Then coughed violently. Blood splattered onto the railing.

His eyes widened slightly. The bodyguards’ beating had been worse than he thought.

Another wave of pain hit him. His legs nearly gave out.

Rowan gripped the railing tightly while breathing heavily.

The rain soaked through his hair and clothes completely now.

Everything felt cold, so cold. A pair of headlights suddenly appeared nearby.

A black car stopped beside the road close to the bridge. Rowan barely paid attention at first.

Until several men stepped out. His instincts immediately screamed danger.

The men wore dark suits. One of them spoke into an earpiece quietly before pointing toward Rowan.

“There he is.” Rowan frowned weakly. Were they looking for him?

That made no sense. The men quickly approached.

Rowan stepped backward instinctively. “Who are you?”

None of them answered. One of the men suddenly pulled out a knife.

Rowan’s blood ran cold. “What the hell—”

The first attack came instantly. Rowan barely dodged in time.

The blade sliced across his shoulder instead. Pain exploded through him.

He stumbled backward in shock. “What do you want from me?!”

Still no answer. Another man rushed forward.

Rowan tried to fight back, but his injured body could barely move properly anymore.

A punch slammed into his ribs. Another hit his face. He crashed against the railing hard.

The men surrounded him silently. Like trained killers. Fear finally entered Rowan’s eyes.

This wasn’t random. Someone sent them. But why?

He was nobody. One of the men grabbed his shirt tightly.

“You should’ve stayed away from things above your level.”

Rowan’s eyes widened. Damien. The realization hit instantly.

Damien wanted him gone completely. A cold chill spread through Rowan’s body.

Was this how little his life meant? The knife flashed again. This time, it stabbed directly into Rowan’s stomach.

Pain, unlike anything he had ever felt, tore through him. A broken gasp escaped his mouth.

Warm blood poured rapidly down his body. The world around him started spinning. The man pulled the knife out calmly.

Rowan collapsed onto his knees. His vision blurred heavily now.

One of the attackers spoke quietly. “Throw him over.” Two men grabbed Rowan roughly.

Weakly, he tried to resist. But his body no longer listened. The river below roared violently under the bridge.

So this was it. This was how he died. Not as someone important, not as someone loved, but just another weak person crushed by the world.

Tears mixed with rain on Rowan’s face. Not because he was scared. But because of regret.

Regret for wasting his life chasing someone who never truly loved him.

Regret for always being weak. Regret for never becoming someone capable of protecting himself.

The men lifted him toward the railing.

Then suddenly—A strange mechanical voice sounded inside his head.

[Ding.] Everyone froze. No! Not everyone. Only Rowan heard it.

His blurry eyes widened slightly. [Compatible Heir Detected.]

A glowing blue screen suddenly appeared before him.

The attackers saw nothing. [Conditions Met.] [The Arcane Heir System is activating.]

Rowan thought he was hallucinating. Blood loss. That had to be it.

Yet the glowing screen remained floating before his eyes.

[Host emotional state confirmed. [Hatred.] [Regret. [Desire for power confirmed.]

The voice sounded emotionless. [Would you like to accept inheritance?]

Rowan coughed blood weakly. “What…?”

One of the attackers frowned. “What’s wrong with him?”

The screen flickered again. [Warning. [Host body nearing death.]

[Accept inheritance?] Rowan’s breathing grew weaker.

His vision darkened slowly around the edges. But deep inside him… Something burned. A desperate desire. He didn’t want to die like this.

His trembling hand slowly lifted. “Yes…” The blue screen flashed brightly.

[Inheritance Accepted.] The world suddenly stopped.

Everything froze. Rain halted in midair. The attackers became motionless statues.

Even the sound of the storm disappeared completely.

Rowan’s eyes widened in horror. Then darkness swallowed everything.

The last thing he heard was the cold mechanical voice sounding endlessly inside his mind.

[Preparing Soul Transmigration…] [Searching for compatible vessel…]

[Target Found.]