The Hundredth Beginning

Blood dripped from his fingertips, thick and black under the crimson moon. In his 99th life—his final one before the curse would end—Devric stood amidst the ruins of the demon kingdom, betrayed yet again.

By his comrades. By the woman he thought he loved.

Their blades had cut deeper than steel. Their lies, their cowardice, had burned him alive.

"You should have known, Devric. No demon can trust another demon. You were a fool to believe in us," one had whispered before plunging a spear into his heart.

He collapsed to his knees, laughing bitterly even as the pain overwhelmed him. The red sky cracked, thunder bellowed across the burning horizon, and in his arms, his only companion meowed sadly—Paw, a gray-furred cat with mismatched eyes that shimmered like dying stars.

"They got us again, huh?" Devric wheezed, his voice growing faint.

Paw licked his cheek gently. "We’ll try again. We always do."

Devric’s vision faded into darkness…

---

Rebirth.

The world was quiet. A soft breeze tickled his skin, and distant church bells echoed over the hills. The scent of wild lilac and parchment filled the air. Devric blinked, his eyes adjusting to golden sunlight pouring through stained glass windows.

"...He’s awake! The heir has opened his eyes!"

He was a child again—no, an infant. A delicate hand cradled his head. A woman’s tear-filled eyes gazed down lovingly.

His mother.

And beside her, a strong man with chestnut hair and silver armor—his father.

This time, Devric was born into the prestigious House Elarion, one of the highest-ranking noble families in the Empire of Aesthen.

"My beautiful son… Devric Elarion," his mother whispered. "You’ll shine brighter than the stars."

And Paw?

The cat was there too, curled on a windowsill, purring.

"I guess we’re back to square one," Paw said casually, his voice calm. "Again."

This time, though, something was different. As the maids bustled about, a young knight in training passed by the window.

He paused.

"Did that cat just talk?"

---

Ten Years Later

Devric stood atop the Elarion estate’s training grounds, a wooden sword slung over his shoulder, eyes scanning the golden horizon. At only ten, he was already taller than most squires, his aura colder than winter frost.

He was brilliant in magic, swordsmanship, and strategy. Courtiers whispered that the Empire had never seen a child prodigy so terrifying.

He had no friends. He never smiled.

But he had Paw.

"Still brooding?" Paw asked, leaping onto his shoulder.

"We’ve been betrayed ninety-nine times. I don’t trust anyone."

"You’re forgetting the baker from Life #34. She was nice."

"Until she drugged our stew and sold us to slavers."

"Ah… right."

Despite it all, Devric had become the shining star of noble society. Noblewomen sent him gifts, poetry, even locks of hair. His rejection letters piled so high they needed a separate wing in the manor to store them.

Still, he remained emotionless. Courteous, but distant.

"I’m not marrying anyone. That path leads to betrayal."

But fate was listening.

---

The War Begins

It started with a border skirmish in the north—minor lords vying for trade routes. But it quickly spiraled into full-out war between the Empire of Aesthen and the Eastern Coalition.

Devric, at sixteen, was sent to the frontlines as commander of the Western Vanguard.

He wasn’t just good—he was terrifying.

"His movements… so precise." "He’s reading the enemy like a book." "Is he even human?!"

Paw, now widely accepted as a talking cat by the army, often stood beside him in command tents.

"Flank their cavalry before they circle our archers," Devric would say, drawing maps in the dirt.

And the predictions always worked. His troops adored him. Yet none truly knew him.

That’s when she arrived.

---

Aurelina Vaelcrest

Daughter of Duke Vaelcrest. Knight of the Argent Order. Emotionless. Deadly. Stunning.

She had a sharp jawline, silver hair, and piercing blue eyes. Known for cutting down fifty men singlehandedly in the Siege of Halvos, she was feared by enemies and nobility alike.

Her stepsister, Lirena, had always painted her as cold and treacherous—rumors spread like wildfire, branding Aurelina a villain.

She had once loved a man. Her stepsister married him.

After that, Aurelina swore never to feel again.

And when Devric rejected another round of proposals, Aurelina shocked the Empire by offering her hand in contract marriage.

He accepted.

The first time ever.

Why?

"Because she doesn’t pretend," Devric told Paw quietly.

"You trust her?"

"No. But I want to."

---

Their Marriage

The wedding was a political affair: elegant, cold, strategic. The Empire called it a power alliance. Neither of them smiled during the ceremony. But beneath the frost, something fragile began to bloom.

"You didn’t try to poison my wine," Devric remarked during their first dinner.

Aurelina raised a brow. "Disappointed?"

"Not at all."

Paw, now treated like a fuzzy war advisor, meowed, "You two have the chemistry of burnt toast."

---

The War Peaks

Their first battle as a married pair came when the Coalition launched a surprise attack on Fort Varanth. The snow fell thick that day, and the sky rumbled with cannon fire.

"Flames! They’re breaching the western wall!" "Where is Commander Elarion?!"

Devric leapt into the fray with twin blades glowing violet. His eyes blazed with cold fury. He cut through enemies like wind through grass.

Atop a hill, Aurelina’s glaive danced under moonlight. She rode into enemy lines alone, skewering enemy banners and igniting fear.

The couple met in the battlefield center—backs against each other.

"Watch my flank." "Already am."

They carved a path of destruction across the snowy plains, their coordination flawless. They didn’t need to speak.

By nightfall, the Coalition retreated.

The war ended in two months.

---

Aftermath

They returned heroes. The Empire rejoiced. But Devric didn’t smile.

Not until he saw Aurelina in the garden with Paw curled in her lap, actually chuckling at one of the cat’s sarcastic jokes.

"You’re smiling," he whispered.

She blinked, then looked away. "It’s the cat’s fault."

Paw smirked. "You’re welcome."

---

But the curse… still lingered.

Devric hadn’t forgotten his fate.

This was his 100th life.

The last.

And he still didn’t know whether love would save him… or betray him again.

But maybe—for the first time—he hoped.

---

To be continued in Chapter 2…