In my past life I was an emperor
A thousand blades had bowed before me. A hundred empires trembled at the sound of my name. My crown blazed like fire, my voice commanded authority, and even the stars seemed to yield to my wishes. I etched my legacy in blood and conquest not out of necessity, but because I was convinced that no one else was fit to rule.
Known as the powerful emperor Raien Valtor.
But in the end, it wasn't war or rebellion that brought me down. It wasn't a sword or treachery on the battlefield. I took my last breath in bed, with the woman I loved right beside me, her warmth slipping away just like mine. It felt like a sickness that didn't touch the body, but rather the soul. My final memory wasn't the flash of steel, but the gentle murmur of her voice.
And then… that face.
A shadow in the doorway. A woman whose eyes I recognized all too well one of my finest generals, once exiled, now grinning like a snake. As my vision faded, I grasped the truth far too late.
Her smile, alongside my wife's, was the last thing I saw before everything went dark.
I woke up to the sound of crying.
My own.
Tiny hands. Fragile lungs. The scent of fresh linens and temple oils filled the air. I blinked up at strangers who would eventually call themselves my parents.
In that moment, it all clicked. Rebirth. Reincarnation. A second chance.
But to be a child again? So helpless?
Then with how time flies.
Five years went by.
I was born into a family called the Kureha clan and this is the information that I have collected in the past five years.
THE KUREHA CLAN
They may be a small family by noble standards, but they once held a revered place as spiritual flame wardens in the eastern mountains. Now, they're just a faint echo in the grand tapestry of empires. Yet, even the faintest echoes can spark a fire.
We lived in a secluded compound, nestled behind the cliffs of Hōzenkyo, surrounded by quiet forests and a shroud of fog. Our homes were crafted from dark cedar and blackstone.
And I absorbed it all.
From the moment I learned to read, I spent every night diving into scrolls. I meditated by the ancient hearthstones and listened intently to the elders, even when they thought I wasn't paying attention.
Because this world was unlike any other.
As I studied even more I saw that more clans exist, and even more parts of this world existed. Should the question to be asked be.
HOW WILL I SURVIVE AND RULE THIS NEW WORLD?
Its the present after five years I'm sitting under a tree that blossomed as the winds made the leaves fall and fly to other places in the mountains or to the houses of my clan. At the moment I'm busy reading a book of the famous blood manipulation and eye's of the clan.
I basically believed when I first read the first book, that this world will be filled with magic just like from my past life but here that is not a thing but from reading over 300 books and practicing everyday. Both Enshō and magic to me still have some similarity but with different points of system.
While I was reading I heard footsteps running to me but since I came to this tree everyday only one person knew of my location.
"Nii-chan! You're brooding and reading again! Come on let's go play."
A tiny fist thumped against my leg.
Shuuno.
Just three years old, she was as wild as a flame. My sister in this life. She had our mother's red hair and our father's black eyes. Even though we are twins she was practically my opposite.
"I wasn't brooding," I mumbled.
"Yes, you were! I saw your face! You were all like—"
She puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms, trying to imitate me.
I let out a sigh.
"Come on," she urged, grabbing my hand. "Let's go to the koi pond! I spotted a fish with two tails today! Maybe it's cursed! Or magical! Or maybe both!"
She never seemed to run out of things to say.
And somehow, with her around, the silence felt light.
We settled by the lotus pond, morning mist weaving through the garden stones. Enka swung her feet, humming a little tune.
"You know," she said out of the blue, "I think your flame is just taking a nap. When it wakes up, it'll be super strong. Like, boom! And everyone will be like, 'Whoa!'"
I glanced at her. Smiling, fearless, genuine.
I nodded slowly. "Maybe."
She rested her head on my shoulder, and I let her.
Our family wasn't very big. It was just us, our parents. But the clan estimated over 150 to 200 people I believe that it is mostly filled with distant cousins, uncles, aunties and grandparents. But we all share the same blood.
Back at our house the main state where the head of the clan and his family lives breakfasts were always pretty quiet.
My father, Ieharu Kureha, who is the current head of the Kureha clan. He didn't say much, but he had a presence that felt as sharp as a drawn sword. His left arm was wrapped in ceremonial silk, and he never wanted to share the story behind it, so no one ever bothered to ask.
My mother, Sakuyo, was elegant but had grown cold over the years.
There was a time—
When I was just a little boy, maybe four years old.
The fireplace crackled softly. My legs barely touched the floor.
She sat next to me, humming that old lullaby. Her fingers gently stroked my hair.
"You're quiet, just like your father," she said softly. "But even the quietest embers can ignite a forest. I know there's a flame inside you, Shimei."
That warmth… I can still picture it vividly.
Then came the flame test.
Shuuno's spark flared up in a bright red-orange.
Mine? Nothing. Not even a wisp of smoke.
That night, I overheard her whispering to my father:
"I thought he was different. Special. Now… I'm starting to wonder if I've been foolish."
She hardly glanced my way anymore.
At breakfast, she praised Enka's training, criticized my quietness, and compared our progress.
Only my father remained the same watchful and silent.
Later that day, the clan's children practiced in the inner courtyard.
Shuuno, the smallest and youngest, had her flame dancing eagerly, flickers of orange-red trailing from her fingertips.
"Very good!" an elder called out.
She turned to wave at me, but in doing so, her control faltered. A flame licked at her hand.
She yelped.
I was by her side in an instant. Her palm radiated heat.
Without thinking, I took hold of it, gripping it tightly.
The others gasped.
My skin didn't burn.
The elder frowned. "No awakened flame, yet he doesn't burn? How odd..."
Very odd.
That night, Shuuno crept into my room. She found me trying to awaken my flames, hoping to make an impression on the clan and my parents, but it felt pointless. Something was off with me; even my knowledge of magic seemed futile in this world.
I collapsed onto my bed from exhaustion. Seeing this, Shuuno tossed the blanket that had been on the floor over me. Then she lay down beside me. I noticed her on the bed and remembered how she used to come to my room when nightmares haunted her.
Then she said something that might boost my confidence.
"I told you, your flame isn't gone! It's just hiding!"
"Maybe," I replied.
"No 'maybe'! I know things. Nii-chan's flame is going to be massive. Like, sky-high! Even if mine is cooler right now, yours will catch up. And if it doesn't, I'll burn double for both of us."
I turned to her, and the candle between us flickered.
Just for a moment… it turned black.
I didn't tell her.
I couldn't.
Because deep down, I knew.
What was inside me wasn't fire.
It was a storm.
And storms don't flicker.
They consume.