[A/N: This chapter is subject to potential changes and revisions, so if you see any errors, let me know.]
*****
When Ezran opened his eyes in the morning, he found it was another day.
''Aaah…''
Lazily, Ezran yawned deeply.
With a slight movement of his arms and legs, less than they used to be, he felt his muscles a little less sore and tired than they had been before.
Then, wasting no time, he stretched quickly, still sitting on the bed. A habit from his past life, which it was obvious he still hadn't been able to stop—and, frankly, didn't intend to.
''Hmm...''
Looking at the whole scenario, the young man guessed that he must have slept for a few hours, still quite tired from the influx of information and theories he had formulated last afternoon.
Or had he just woken up from a short nap, like a baby?
Honestly, although the passage of time in this world was almost the same as on Earth, he was quite confused.
Going against the internal cries of his weak body, he lifted his sleepy, aching body from the soft bed. His limbs refused to move properly, as if he had been asleep for too long.
"Aak…!" He grunted, shakily.
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew through the partially open window of the room he was in, ruffling Ezran's covers.
For a moment he was perplexed, but then his tempers calmed down — it might have been summer on Earth, but here in Excedia, the world of his favorite novel, they were in the middle of winter.
'It's truly silly to think I'm stuck in another world, ha' Feeling pathetic, he laughed at himself.
In this troubled world, the same world where, in the near future, the plot of a dangerous destiny would take part, Ezran was a villainous character hopelessly destined to face an unpleasant end.
''First possibility: killed by a legion of demons in Gratus' dungeon, where I'll be left behind.'' He said irreverently. ''Second option: Brutally murdered at the hands of his own younger sister, Mariana. The main villain of the first arcs.''
Or, as his mind constantly told him, it could be a possible cruel and vile third option, still unknown to him.
One that would perhaps make him question deeply about the true nature of the powerful main characters and their companions who accompanied them — such as the time he read chapter 1,329, where they pointed Julius Cardan to his death, without blinking twice.
In which, although Julius, an ally of the villain, chose to redeem himself and openly accepted that he had not done anything decent in his entire life, people did not believe him and had him executed, after his family fell into complete ruin.
Or maybe it was actually that what was going to happen… Or that…
''It's hard to decide which is more likely to happen.''
So it was smart to say that his body's condition could only be described as that of an old vegetable, predestined to be discarded in the next batch of garbage.
''Ugh… This is depressing as hell…''
He felt incredibly sick at the thought of someday ending up crippled, wheeling around in a wheelchair, or underground, dead, buried somewhere and not remembered by anyone.
"But whatever the way, I frankly don't intend to die." He reassured himself. ''Whether heroes, villains, or whatever, I will not surrender.''
But how can someone who only took martial arts classes when he was little become strong in a magical world?
With that in mind, he breathed in and out continuously, sitting up straight again, to orient himself.
''Fuuuh…''
His tired eyes were wet, perhaps from the time he'd been lying there, so he wiped them with the back of his hand, feeling a sudden uncomfortable sensation.
Previously, his hands were calloused and ugly from the amount of time he spent on part-time jobs when he wasn't studying in college.
But surprisingly, they were now smooth, soft, and thin, though still pale.
''But, what is this here?'' Curious, the (former) college student ran his finger over an organic ridge on his arm.
He hadn't noticed that before, because of the heat of the moment...
''Hmm...''
On his left forearm, a bizarre rectangle was inscribed, consisting of lines in a black and white checkerboard pattern.
Small letters in a foreign language were right in the middle of the symbol, demarcating something. To the side, several reddish, barely perceptible marks of what appeared to be burns appeared in specific spots.
They were all blurry, almost indescribable, but it became clearer the moment the boy put his arm closer to his face.
''What the fuck is this?'' Trying to understand, he pushed his brain to maximum capacities.
He tried to remember anything, bringing up all sorts of memories from his life on Earth that went back to that strange formation on his arm. But, unfortunately, nothing useful came to mind.
His body and that world seemed to tell him that it was not yet time to find out what it was.
He would have to find out for himself, after all…
''Still…it's weird…''
Although he already knew he was on another planet, as a new version of him, it was strange to accept that easily. He would have to spend some time in that world, to finally be able to fully accept his new reality.
But there was no time to feel melancholy now! Ezran knew better than anyone that he had to take advantage of the original plot!
He had a few weeks, hopefully even a few months, to prepare by then, so why should he waste them doing absolutely nothing?
There was no reason for him to just throw such an opportunity away, to fall for the bullshit of running away or anything like that!
There was no guarantee that if he ran, the original plot wouldn't come to fruition, one way or another!
Furthermore, the world, already dangerous, would become even worse as time went on. His new life was on the stake there, he had no choice but to try as hard as he could from then on!
'And I have an idea where to start.'
Opening the bedroom door, under the watchful eye of his bodyguard, Pharah, who worked in the house, and that got startled by his sudden movement, Ezran was determined.
A strange expression for his age was written on his face.
''Let's start with the first step!'' He said, smiling slightly out of the corner of his mouth. ''Make notes about important things so I don't forget!''
Slapping the clean floor of the extensive hallway of the penthouse he lived in, the young man with relatively long hair went off in search of a library, wherever it was located in that huge place.