The goddess's voice shattered the silence, chilling and emotionless. "Tell me, stranger," she inquired, her words cutting through the void. "What is the difference between a hero and a fool?"

Jin's pulse quickened. The question wasn't simple. It wasn't about ideals or virtues—it was about survival, about existence in a world that never cared for those caught in its cycle. He didn't have an answer, not one that mattered.

Her voice didn't wait for him to respond. "In this world, time is a cruel cycle. It loops endlessly, dragging all with it. The same patterns, the same people, making the same mistakes. Do you understand now?"

Jin's heart beat faster, but his throat was dry, his voice barely a whisper. "Understand what?"

The goddess's tone remained unmoving, as though nothing mattered beyond her words. "You think you are different. But you are not. There is no distinction between a hero and a fool. They are all pawns in a game too vast for them to comprehend. Heroes rise, only to fall. Fools stumble, only to repeat their mistakes. Over and over, the cycle plays on."

Jin's chest tightened. She was speaking about the world—the world he had barely survived in. A world of greed, corruption, and endless struggle. His life had been no different.

"Leonard Astreus," the goddess said coldly, her voice as empty as the space around them. "You are no different from him. A soul lost to the greed of men. Just a name. A body. A sacrifice."

Jin's breath faltered. Her words burned into him. Leonard Astreus? That wasn't who he was. Was it? His memories were foggy, but the weight of the name felt like an anchor, dragging him into a reality he wasn't prepared to accept.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

She continued, uncaring. "You were always meant to be here. The original Leonard Astreus—he died because of the foolishness of men. His life was insignificant, just like every other life. Nothing more than a pawn in the game."

Jin felt his stomach twist. His hands clenched, nails digging into his palms, but it did nothing to ease the crushing weight of her words. Was this all he was? A replacement for someone else? A soul condemned to repeat the same cycle?

"Who are you?" he managed to ask, his voice shaking with the remnants of defiance. "Why am I here?"

The goddess gave no answer, her silence heavier than any words she could have spoken. She was watching him—waiting.

Jin's legs trembled as he struggled to stay upright. His mind was a whirlwind, caught between disbelief and the crushing reality that she might be right. He might be nothing more than a tool in a game he didn't even understand.

"Listen," the goddess's voice came again, colder now. "There is no turning back from here. This is where the game begins, Leonard Astreus. And there is no escape. You have already made your choice. From this moment, you are part of the cycle."

Jin opened his mouth to protest, but the words died in his throat. She had spoken the truth. He had already fallen into this world—into this cycle—and there was no escaping it.

"You think you have power," she continued, "but you are powerless. This world will break you, just as it has broken so many before you. The original Leonard Astreus was nothing but a sheep. He died because of human greed, and so will you. There is no escape, no redemption. Only the endless repetition of this doomed existence."

Jin could feel the weight of her words like chains wrapping around him. He wanted to scream, to deny everything she said, but a quiet part of him—the part that had already been broken—knew that this was his truth. The original Leonard Astreus had been a fool. And perhaps, so was he.

"Now," the goddess's voice cut through his thoughts, sharp and commanding. "You will do what you were brought here to do. But understand this: You are not special. You are not a hero. You are nothing more than another piece in a game that has already been lost."

Her words echoed in the emptiness, and Jin's heart sank. The stars above glittered coldly, indifferent to his plight.