The lights of Tokyo shimmered like stars trapped between skyscrapers, yet for Miguel Dela Cruz, none of it brought any comfort.
He trudged along the empty sidewalk, uniform drenched in sweat, his back aching from twelve straight hours split between washing dishes and unloading boxes at a convenience store.
Three jobs.
No sleep.
No break.
Just one more shift tomorrow.
His phone buzzed. A message from home.
"Kuya, pa-load po. Walang signal si Mama."
Another followed.
"Kuya, may bayad na sa school."
Miguel sighed.
He didn't even have money left for dinner.
"I can't keep this up," he muttered to himself. "But if I stop, who'll take care of them?"
He leaned on a railing outside the train station, head tilted back, eyes heavy.
Above him, neon signs flickered, advertising ramen, karaoke bars, and anime posters he once used to smile at.
Now, he barely noticed them.
The world around him faded —
Voices muffled, lights blurred, his legs trembled.
And then…
Darkness.
He didn't remember falling.
Only the silence.
When Miguel opened his eyes, he wasn't in Tokyo anymore.
He stood in an endless white space — a void with no ceiling, no floor, just light.
"Where… am I?"
Then came a voice — calm, ancient, echoing from everywhere and nowhere.
"You have died, Miguel Dela Cruz."
He turned. A figure of light stood before him. Neither man nor woman, its form shifted like ripples in water.
"Your life was full of sacrifice. Your heart, burdened yet brave. You sought no glory, only survival. And yet… your soul yearned for more."
Miguel blinked. "I'm dead? For real?"
"Yes. Overfatigue. Your body collapsed. Your will endured longer than it should have."
He chuckled bitterly. "So that's how it ends? After all that… just drop dead on a train platform?"
"Not quite. A world in ruin has called out. It seeks a builder. A ruler. Someone whose pain has forged patience. Someone humble… yet capable."
"You."
Miguel stepped back. "Me? You've got the wrong guy. I'm no hero."
"You are not meant to be a hero. You are meant to build."
A soft chime rang in the air.
Before Miguel, a glowing blue screen appeared — like a game HUD.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED: KINGDOM BUILDER SYSTEM]
Name: Miguel Dela Cruz
Level: 1
Strength: 2
Intelligence: 7
Charisma: 5
Endurance: 3
Available Skills:
[System Access]
[Basic Leadership]
[Survival Instinct]
Quest: Survive your first day in the New World.
Miguel stared at the panel. "Is this… some kind of game?"
The being nodded.
"Your knowledge of such things will serve you well.
But this world is no simulation. This is your second life. Your chance… to build a kingdom that lasts."
Miguel clenched his fists.
Maybe this was all a dream.
Maybe he was hallucinating.
But if there was even a chance… a second chance…
"…Then I'll try."
A flash of light swallowed him whole.
[You have entered: Elaria — The Fallen Realm]
The first thing he felt was cold wind biting at his skin.
The second, hunger.
He sat up on rough grass, surrounded by broken stone walls and moss-covered ruins. Crows cawed above a dead tree. A torn flag flapped in the wind — the sigil of a forgotten kingdom.
No people. No houses. Just silence.
Then, a chime echoed in the air.
"Welcome to your new beginning, Ruler."
Miguel stood slowly, staring at the vast, empty land before him.
"A broken man… in a broken world."
He smiled weakly.
"Maybe this time… I can fix both."
[End of Chapter 1]