The mirror in front of me was reflecting my image perfectly. Other than the blur created by my humid breath sticking to the glass, my reflection looks perfect. As a side character, Alex looks okay.
Standing one-eighty centimetres tall, He was not overly tall or short. With a well-built body that could only be made with constant exercise and care. He was really not bad.
'How long can I call myself in the third person?'
It's time to accept the reality that I am now Alex, a side character in a novel called Outerworlds. An adventure, fantasy novel with lots of action.
And like all side characters in a novel like this, I know I will die soon. After dying once, now I have to worry about the sword of Damocles hanging above my head. Other than the character progression of the main cast, My life holds no purpose in this world. That I was sure of. And I was never the kind to give up on life before it even began.
But let's stop thinking about fighting against the world and stuff. I don't want to jinx myself again and get transmigrated to another world.
Oh! I accepted the situation without much problem. I am kind of cool. I hope this is not inception like shit where the brain can be hacked.
With that in my mind, I decided to make lemonade with the heap of lemons that life gave me. I decided to survive till the end.
Clearing the foggy mirror, I once again focused on the matter at hand. Looking down at my chest, I could see a cyan glow inside me. Around my heart, something was giving off light. More precisely, my heart was glowing just like how a firefly glows at night.
With each contraction of my cardiac muscles, I could see light being emitted. And when the muscles relax, the light goes away. I felt like a firefly at that moment. A handsome little bioluminescent insect, if I say so myself.
But when I looked in the mirror, There was no light near my chest. The reflection was clear without any weird light-emitting heart. That means, there was no light at all and everything was in my head.
That explains why only I could see my heart beating and glowing with each pulse. At first, when I noticed it, I was startled. I was afraid that others might see it and call me creepy. But thank god that wasn't the case.
Then again considering where I am, all of this makes sense.
Outerworlds was not a novel for the faint-hearted. People with superpowers are common and it was not weird to see someone with irregular mutations. I recall reading about people gaining wings due to biological mutation in this world.
Alex too had a superpower in this novel. And it was an extremely useful superpower called feather-falling. It was a superpower in which his body could decelerate mid-air preventing him from taking damage and falling from a high place. Although it would not allow him to float up, his body would always land with a force his muscles could bear.
Having this ability was also one of the reasons that he landed a job in the police force. Imagine running after a criminal and leaping from building to building without the fear of killing yourself. If there was not a stab wound, I would have tried it out. That was clearly a great power in my books.
But the character, Alex, was not satisfied with it. He was ambitious and always wanted more. This in turn created a lot of friction in his relationships.
I opened the tap and splashed some cold water over my face. It has been three days since I bathed. I know I am rotten to the core, but still, this smell is killing me. I need an immediate shower. Better ask my doctor.
Opening the door of the bathroom, I went outside. At first, it was very painful to walk, but the medicines here could be considered a panacea on earth. Considering the rate at which I was healing. It wouldn't take too long for me to be discharged from the hospital.
"Emily! You were here?" As I exited the bathroom, I could see Emily waiting for me.
Although I read Outerworlds as a pastime. I remember most of it. And the scenes playing before me were part of the story. I was sure of it.
In the novel, Alex got hurt and dumped Emily soon after this incident. Nothing much was explained why. After all, this was not the story of Alex, it was the story of Edward Vulcan the main character. Thinking that at times was hard for me to accept. As a cannon-fodder level character, everything was dangerous for me. No one knows when a nail clipper or a pencil would turn into the weapon that takes my life.
Anyway, it was better than being transmigrated as a villain.
Looking into the timeline of Outerworlds, this is the time when the main lead gets into some trouble and gains unimaginable power after facing a life or death tribulation.
Emily's younger brother Edward Vulcan is a twenty-year-old college student. He is the main lead of Outerworlds and he would be in a dungeon world right now. As a hot-blooded student, he snuck into a dungeon without his family's knowledge and now will be facing the nightmare of his life.
But the scene before me was confusing. Although I didn't think in-depth about the situation when reading the novel. Why was Emily a target?
She was not your everyday nobody that anyone can harm. She was the male-lead sister and a person with tremendous backing. Someone trying to harm her was one of the triggers that started the novel Outerworld.
Although the Alex of this world didn't know that and dumped Emily. I know who she really is so I have to be careful.
I have so much to investigate before making my next move. Mission ensuring survival in this novel starts now.
"Yes, The doctor said that you can be discharged. It might be good for you to go home and recuperate."
"Ah, yes." I nodded my head in reply. As someone from the actual earth. I trust nobody, that is how I survived till now. Everyone I cared about had always disappointed me and I had no problem disappointing them either.
So I was comfortable expecting nothing from everyone. After all, only by having expectations can you be disappointed.
'Home! Do I have something like that?' I thought.
"I will be taking care of the paperwork." Meekly saying that Emily quietly packed up the medicine bottles and pills.
This was a kind person. From the moment I met her, she was taking care of me without an ounce of complaint. She didn't have to do any of this. After all, I know I am a fake Alex.
Feigning amnesia might be a reason for her action. But either way, she was a kind person.
With that in mind, I scrutinised her actions. Detecting a friend or foe was my basic survival instinct. Looking at Emily, I was pretty sure she was not a foe.
I slowly moved toward my bed while slightly limbing my way through. Suddenly I lost my footing.
A hand came out from my side and supported my shoulder and hip helping me regain my balance. I didn't know when, but the one seventy centimetres tall lady was supporting me from my side.
When I turned to the left, I could see her face close to me. Even the pores on her skin were visible to me.
And I could also see the undisguised panic in her face just seeing me slip. What can I do? The eighteen-year-old soul in this body felt the heart thumping. Was it too stimulating for my poor heart?
No… Nooooo. I said in my mind. Disappointed in myself.