As Ash, a man with dark brown eyes and black hair, sat in the crowded train, he couldn't help but feel disillusioned with his life. He reminisced about his days of owning a car and how he felt trapped in his current job, which barely paid enough. The train was filled with people engrossed in their phones, and Ash sighed at how technology seemed to have consumed everyone.
"I wish I could go back to being a carefree kid," Ash muttered to himself, feeling the weight of adulthood and the self-doubt that came with it. He looked out the window, lost in his thoughts, when suddenly, the train jolted violently, and the sound of the train's engine malfunctioning echoed through the compartment. As the train hurtled out of control, Ash's heart raced with fear. The sudden noise from the train engine and the erratic movements of the train sent waves of panic through the passengers. Ash noticed the baby's cries growing louder amid the chaos, and he could see the fear in the eyes of his fellow passengers.
A man in a police uniform, who happened to be on the same train, tried to intervene. He rushed towards the train driver's compartment, using his truncheon to break open the door. Inside, he found the train driver unconscious. With no experience in operating a train, the policeman frantically pressed buttons, hoping to regain control of the speeding locomotive.
But it was too late.
The train veered off the tracks, crashing into a wall with a deafening impact. Ash was thrown from his seat, hitting his head hard and losing consciousness for a moment. When he came to, he was surrounded by chaos. Bodies of passengers were scattered everywhere, blood staining the floors and walls. The cries of injured people filled the air, along with the blaring sirens of approaching police cars and ambulances.
Feeling a searing pain in his body, Ash realized he was injured too. Blood covered his clothes, and he struggled to move. He looked around, searching for help, but the scene was overwhelming. The once crowded train now lay in shambles, with people in various states of injury and distress.
As Ash lay on the floor, his mind raced with thoughts. He couldn't believe that this might be the end of his life. He had dreams and aspirations, plans to start a business and become financially independent. But now, it all seemed futile. He wondered if his life had truly been meaningless, if he had made any impact on the world at all.
As the sounds of sirens grew louder, Ash's vision blurred, and he felt his strength fading. He closed his eyes slowly, feeling a sense of resignation. The last thing he heard were the sounds of the approaching ambulance, and then everything went silent. Ash passed away, leaving behind a world that would forever be changed by the tragic train crash.
"Aww, look at him, isn't he cute?" Darling said, a woman with old-fashioned clothes, looking at the baby boy. "Yes, he certainly is, darling. He's adorable. I can't wait for him to become a swordsman," replied the man. "No," said the woman, "he will be a mage!" The man laughed, "HAHAHA! Don't make me laugh!"
As the parents were arguing, Ash looked around and realized that he had been reincarnated in a fantasy world, just like the ones he read about in novels. "Sigh, I can't believe this. I thought it was just fantasy and dreaming, but reincarnation is truly a thing, huh? Well, that's great because now I get a second chance at life. In this life, I shall seek power and revenge against the gods that brought me to this world."
The woman was his mom, with black hair and brown eyes, and the man was his dad, also with black hair and brown eyes. The dad looked muscular, but not overly so, while the mom seemed to be the healthy type as well, fit and well.
"What should we name him, darling?" the man asked. "Hmmm... how about Riven? I want to give my baby boy a unique and fitting name, don't you think, sweetie?" replied the muscular man. "Yes, darling, it doesn't matter as long as he's healthy and well. Then we can go for it," said the woman. "Alright!" shouted the man. "Riven! Riven, hmm, what an interesting name. Well, let's celebrate for my baby boy! Woo!"
"Now, my name is Riven, huh? Quite interesting, actually. Wait, hold on. What is this? Why is there a window in front of me, and it looks like I'm the only one who can see it? It makes sense. I read a lot of fantasy novels where this happened," Riven thought to himself.
Race: Human Class: Assassin Affinities: Fire, Water, Ice, Dark (Special)
"Why does it say 'Dark - Special'? I think, based on my knowledge from Earth and novels, this world will be pretty similar. So the reason why it might be special is because I'm the only human who has it, or it's rare. Not sure, I'll have to find out. But I'm pretty sure humans don't often have the dark affinity in the novels. But this is not a fantasy novel, this is reality, so I should expect the unexpected."
Four years had passed since Riven's reincarnation, and he had already gained significant knowledge about the world he now lived in. He discovered that the world was inhabited by three races, humans, elves, and demons. This fact was intriguing, as most fantasy novels had far more races than that. He also learned that the demon kingdom was not friendly with the human and elven kingdoms, and there had been wars in the past decades.
Riven's studies had also exposed him to the world-building aspects of the fantasy world he found himself in. He discovered that there were three continents, and each continent had different races living on it. The first continent was home to humans, the second to elves, and the third to demons. The human continent consisted of various kingdoms, the largest being Valoria, which was ruled by the Valorian family. Other kingdoms that made up the human kingdom were the Kingdom of Darien, known for its skilled warriors and advanced military tactics, and the Kingdom of Marquisia, renowned for its art and music.
Riven still had much to learn about the elven and demon kingdoms, but he was determined to uncover all there was to know about the world he now lived in.