*Ba-Dum Ba-Dum*
Alex heard his heart beating, letting him know he was still alive. He felt stressed and embarrassed before the fight. However, now, he didn't. Was it wrong to enjoy light novels and erotic games? Was he bad for being a pacifist?
"No..." Alex thought.
He was currently unconscious, with his head resting on Imra's large muscular thighs, able to crush watermelons with ease as she stroked his hair with a gentle touch. Imra hummed a song while releasing her demonic aura, keeping the goblins in the distance.
"Hmmmm hmm hmmmm."
Alex's mind was soothed by the gentle song, which reminded him of his mother. His thoughts began to unravel as he reflected on his former self, no longer feeling the need to deny himself. Alex wasn't the hero and was never going to act like Clyde.
He was selfish, arrogant, and filled with lust. He wouldn't have fun in a fantasy world without having fun with women. It'd be pathetic if he finished after two shots.
In the darkness, he could see another person behind him. It was the image of Alexis Van Garland. The other is old, from Alex Walker.
A middle-aged man with messy black hair, if he showered and styled his hair, would look almost like Alexis's spitting image. However, his self-loathing and denial forced him to see only a disgusting monster when he looked into the mirror.
Alex felt strange. He was an onlooker, seeing both the forms he had taken. Alex was older and had fewer muscles than Alex, but they had the same face.
Because of his depression and self-loathing, Alex had long forgotten. When the game was about to be released, they held an event where the community sent a photo to decide the basis of the game's Mid-Boss, Alexis Van Garland.
Back in college, Alex was quite popular, having many female fans. However, because of several terrible relationships, he swore himself off women and devolved into an introverted otaku. Truthfully, he wasn't a virgin.
A woman who remained a fan of his good looks and acting in the drama club sent his picture into the competition, resulting in Alex becoming Alexis. From the beginning, it wasn't a coincidence that he looked like Alex.
The world's fate would have always made this happen because they're different versions of the same person.
"Nice to meet you, Alex Walker. I'm Alexis. Just Alexis. "
The shadow of Alexis spoke to Alex in front of him. This scene felt familiar yet somehow strange.
"H-hello, It's nice to meet you, Alexis. Honestly, you're my favorite character. Aren't you somebody from a game? "
The scene became more focused. The background was Alexis's old apartment, filled with old boxes of pizza and takeout, and cans of energy drinks thrown everywhere. Alex was sitting in his gaming chair, whilst Alexis, the prince, was standing beside him with an endearing smile.
"A game..." Alexis took a moment to think, making a slight chuckle. "Ah yes... For me, in this world, it was just a game I had long forgotten. "
Alex rose from his chair, seeming to be shocked at the statement. Since this was a dream, he thought of playing with the roleplay.
"What do you mean, just a game?"
Alexis glowed with a faint light, this form seeming to be a thief as he used the calm human spell, which thieves learn at level 20. Now quiet, Alex sat back down, feeling a slight disconnect.
"Forgive me. This is the first time I've spoken to another 'me'. "
Alexis pulled the small pipe chair from the side of the desk and sat down gracefully, taking out a small glass pad with various icons and figures written on it. Alex couldn't read it but recognized it as the mana pad from the game.
"Here, look at my current status. As you can see once again, we're about to die. This time I became close to Imra. She's not as disgusting as the church claimed. Previously, I saved Alice's mother..."
Alex looked at the moving images and text written. Each time Alexis died, what he did during the route was reported, and the heroines he saved or discarded flashed, only the disgusting trash. Zera was at the top of that list always listed as an enemy in red.
"Wow... This guide is amazing for people who want to collect all your bad ends."
Alexis showed an exceedingly sorrowful face, as if he'd experienced all those situations. Alex could almost feel the grief, sorrow, and anger towards the different women that showed. Alex felt a weird connection to him, as all the women he'd been able to save and chosen to save were his type too.
"These are the results of his pitiful repeated reincarnations."
Alex took a moment to realize what was said. The soothing song helped to ease his mind further. He was waiting for Alexis to finish, convincing himself that this was just a dream; otherwise, why would the woman he saved each time be his favorite waifu?
"T-then, why have you come to me now? I'm just a gamer and otaku who cannot do anything but complain! I'm ugly and old. What would a sexy young prince want to do with me? "
Alexis stood up again, giving a ninety-degree bow to Alexis, performing the Imperial salute despite hating the Empire with all his fiber.
"Please! I cannot live like this anymore. Please return to your correct place. I want my life back as a simple Otaku! "I was enjoying reading novels and dating the cute middle-aged office lady. "
Alexis seemed desperate. His silver hair became messy whilst tears filled his eyes. Alex found this situation to be highly intense and realistic. His thoughts focused on every detail of the two people's conversation.
"W-what do you mean? I'm Alex! "
The Alex sat in the chair, shouting in denial, pushing the begging Alexis backwards and pointing furiously at him.
"Don't speak, no more. This dream isn't what I want to hear. "
Alexis sat on the ground, defeated, tears dropping from his eyes constantly. Alex looked at the image of a broken man feeling intense pain and connection with the sobbing Alexis. He needed to know what was going to happen. This conversation was something real.
"I... I couldn't save her." Alexis took a defeating breath, "couldn't save our MOTHER!"
Alex gave a light chuckle, slamming the cans on the desk with his arm.
"What mother!? I'm an orphan. I've never had a family! "
*Smack!
Alexis seemed enraged, slamming a fist into his face, knocking Alex onto his ass with a bloodied nose, and holding his right hand to stem the bleeding.
"Ahhh!"
*Thump!*
Alex tackled Alexis to the ground like an amateur and started pounding his face, causing minor damage with snot and tears now drawing on his face as the two started tangling and grappling like children.
*Bam!*
Alex threw an elbow into Alexis's chest, causing the prince to recoil, then wrapped his flexible legs around Alex's body, grabbing him in a choke hold, trying to squeeze Alex unconscious.
"Arrgh!"
*Thud*
The pair was now injured and rolling around in pain as their rage and aggression slowly faded. Both were lying beside each other, breathing deeply.
"Hmph!"
"Hah!"
The two men lay side by side, filled with a light sweat and messed up clothes and hair. The room became silent for a few moments before Alex finally spoke up, realizing he felt a pain in this 'dream.'
"What did you mean when you asked me to return to my correct place?"
Alexis stopped playing around. He felt too relaxed inside this room, which was his before he started trying to become the hero and save their mother. He thought about how to word the following information before opening his swollen, bloody lips to speak.
"Honestly, I don't know how to tell you in a way you'd believe. But you're not Alex Walker. You're the original prince of the Garland Empire. After losing your mother and being betrayed by everyone but a single monster girl, you cast a forbidden dark gods' ritual of sacrifice to find "yourself" in another world."
Alexis looked into Alex's eyes, waiting till he digested the first piece of information. Before letting Alex speak, he interrupted him and continued.
"Wait a minute, let me finish!"
"When you arrived, I'd just broken up with Alice from Computing 202. Feeling depressed and wanting to escape, I switched places with you, unknowing what I was getting into, as you blatantly lied, saying if I tried hard enough, I could become the hero of that world, replacing Clyde. "
*Bang*
"Ugh!"
Alexis gave a slight dig to Alex, causing him to spit out some saliva and kneel in pain.
"Hmph, stupid prince!"
Alexis gulped a half-empty old energy drink, wincing, but still swallowing the now flat drink.
"For many lives, I've tried to fix that world. However, I can't. My power can't even save a simple demon from being killed after helping them end the world. The game and that world are only similar in setting and the system of levelling and adventuring. "Everything else is fixed in all the heroine's bad routes, other than the priestess and followers of Solana. "
Alex looked at Alexis's defeated look, thinking that if his story were true, wouldn't all his favourite characters live a life of torture, heartbreak, and finally, death? Most of the heroines in the game were believers in Candra, the goddess of earth and love. She didn't care about race as long as you followed the tenets.
"Wait... Why does Solana hate Candra so much?" Alex said with a confused look.
Alexis leant his head to the side, realizing that this guy had never actually played the game, probably the memories of that world causing him trauma as his mouth opened with a sad smile.
"Solana wishes to become the only goddess remaining on the side of the light."
"Candra was hiding in a human form. Your mother Aleria Blackwood was Candra's avatar. The reason she disappeared wasn't that she died or the problems in the Empire. It was because she was found by Solana, forcing her to fall into an 'Evil God' shortly before she gave birth to you. She altered the memories of the Emperor and his close aids, creating the illusion she died. "
Alex felt his heart racing. Countless images of a beautiful woman with silver hair flashed before his eyes. He recalled memories of spending a short time with her before she gave up the only remaining power that her avatar held. She knew it would be too powerful, so she sealed it, which caused Alex to become a useless prince, only able to awaken the thief's class bloodline.
"Hmmmm hmm hmmmm."
Imra's humming became more prominent within his ears as the scene before him faded, only seeing a determined 'Alex' seeming to accept the switch once more with 'Alexis', one final faint sentence reaching his ears.
"Before I leave, please erase my memory and let it only awaken when I inherit my mother's powers."
His vision started fizzling. Alexis remembered memories and experiences that the original Alexis had experienced, realizing from the very beginning he wasn't Alex Walker, always being Alexis Van Garland, running away and leaving everything to Alexis of another world like a coward.
"We can do it this time or as many restarts as it takes!"
"We'll save our mother and stop Solana!"
"Also, have fun with those girls we couldn't save before!"
His mind and spirit felt the rush of excitement.
Alexis Van Garland opened his brilliant emerald eyes for the first time in over a hundred restarts.
"Welcome back. My love, I've been waiting a thousand years. "
Her voice was lovely, like meeting a lover after a long separation. Alexis felt he'd finally come home with her arms wrapped around his head.