======
Thoughts:- '---'
Dialogues:- "---"
======
(MC's POV)
I finally closed my eyes for the one last time, waiting for the slow inevitable death to take me with it.
I could feel the taste of the blood- my blood fading gradually as my ears gave out and my vision faded slowly, replaced by the darkness with occasional eidetic patterns.
The temperature of my body progressively faded as life ebbed out of me bit by bit.
However, even standing at the death's door, I smiled subconsciously as the blood streaked with saliva flowed from the corners of my mouth leaving a small trial behind.
I did it.
I finally 'killed' him- the one who killed her and took her away from me.
'Rot in the depths of the abyss you piece of shit!' I cursed him with the intensity of my emotions in my mind.
I held on to the small bitter-sweet victory, the only thing I had left now as the death took me in its soothing embrace.
Throughout my whole life, I had read various theories about death and how it felt when someone dies but now it seemed none of them could actually capture this quite surrender.
It wasn't painful anymore—not like the heart-wrenching loss, not like the rage that had fueled my every breath since she was taken from me. No. This was...peace. A cold, numb peace that settled into my bones as the last of the warmth drained from my limbs.
The world felt distant, like a fading dream. The taste of iron was gone. My body felt weightless, floating between moments, between life and the nothingness that awaited.
They say your life flashes before your eyes in these final moments, but all I could see was her.
Her smile, her laughter. The light in her eyes before everything turned dark.
I had avenged her, but the emptiness that replaced my hatred felt heavier than I could have imagined.
And yet...I did it.
I let the thought anchor me, even as the darkness deepened, as the edges of my mind blurred. My breath faltered—shallow, irregular—but there was no panic, no regret. Just the steady, rhythmic pull of oblivion, floating between moments, between life and the nothingness that awaited.
In the end, I wasn't afraid because I had won. For her.
Just as I thought I had I slipped into the Eternal Void, a soft golden hue seeped through my closed eyes. Faint, inaudible whispers brushed against the edges of my consciousness as if a long-lost voice was calling my name—just out of reach, just beyond understanding.
For a moment, I hesitated.
Was this death?
The glow shimmered, then slowly began to dissipate, leaving only the deepening darkness behind. The whispers faded into silence. Whatever it was, it was gone now.
I stirred. Against all logic, I open my eyes.
At first, the world appeared blurred- hazy, bathed in that strange golden glow. A sweet melody of chirping birds and leaves rustling swelled around me. My vision struggled to focus, but there was something...familiar about the light. It wasn't death's cold grasp—it was something else, something I couldn't name.
I blinked, my body weak, on the verge of collapse, but...alive.
"Am I dreaming?" I muttered, my voice strained as I lay there, staring up at the plain wooden ceiling. The beams above seemed to sway slightly, though I couldn't tell if it was the environment or my vision that was unsteady. My thoughts were sluggish, jumbled, like fragments of a dream I couldn't quite piece together.
I tried to push myself up, but my limbs felt like lead. My arms trembled as I braced them against the bed, but they lacked the strength to lift me. I fell back against the mattress with a soft thud, gasping for breath.
-Gasps
My body screamed at me in pain, every cell in my body told me that this was not a dream.
'This was definitely not a dream, and I am not dreaming'
If this was reality then: How long had I been lying here?
My chest rose and fell slowly, but each breath felt like a battle. The ache in my limbs was dull but constant, a reminder that I wasn't dead—not yet, anyway.
Eventually, I managed to roll onto my side, wincing as I tried to sit up. The effort was too much, and I collapsed back onto the bed, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The wooden ceiling loomed above me, its calm presence both reassuring and maddeningly distant.
Determined to gather my strength, I forced myself to sit up. I swallowed, the taste of blood faint on my tongue, and my dry lips cracked painfully. My muscles screamed in protest as I tried to shift my weight. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, feeling the cold floor against my feet. I gritted my teeth, fighting through the weakness that threatened to pull me back down.
I had to brace myself against the edge of the bed. The room spun slightly, but I focused on steadying my breathing and regaining my balance. Once I felt somewhat stable, I began to sweep my gaze around the room.
The space was small but warm and comforting. The wooden panels on the walls were warm and rustic, and the stone fireplace crackled softly at the end of the room, its glow casting dancing shadows on the walls.
A large old-fashioned cupboard stood against one wall, its contents neatly arranged—ceramic dishes and jars that hinted at a simple, village-like life. The window framed a view of a lush, green forest, the sunlight streaming in and adding a gentle warmth to the room.
My eyes fell upon the mirror near the wall beside a small table with a plate on it, its surface dusty and edged with wear.
'Where am I?' I thought knitting my eyebrows together.
Was this a rescue camp?..No probably not, based on the warmth that the space eluded it was definitely someone's home.
'But who?'
My eyes fell upon the mirror near the wall, its surface dusty and edged with wear near a small table with a small plate placed at its edge.
With great effort, I pushed myself to stand. My legs felt unsteady like they were made of rubber, unstable. Each step felt like a challenge of its own as I made my way towards the mirror on the wall. My legs trembled and might give away any moment as I shuffled across the room.
The effort was exhausting but I reached the mirror and managed to steady myself against the wall with one hand. My fingers, coated in dust, trembled as they traced a path across the grimy glass. I wiped away some of the dust, trying to get a clearer view of the reflection.
The face in the mirror was unfamiliar yet hauntingly close to my own—a young man with pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, and a look of exhaustion that spoke of battles fought and pain endured.
I was dressed in tattered clothes, blood stains still evident, and the sleeves were burned and ragged. My black hair was disheveled, and my deep blue eyes seemed to hold a depth of sorrow and resolve that I didn't fully understand.
The sight was unsettling, a jarring reminder of the life I had just left behind. My appearance was a blend of the foreign and the oddly familiar, reflecting the disorienting reality I found myself in.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. The image in the mirror was a stark contrast to the comforting surroundings of the room. I felt a pang of uncertainty about who had brought me here and why.
The reflection was both foreign and oddly familiar, a jarring reminder of my new, disorienting reality.
"And who might you be?" I muttered, the words coming out as a strained whisper.
Suddenly, a large screen appeared in front of me, startling me and causing me to fall back onto the floor with a heavy thud.
-Ding!
===Status===
Name: Azrael Ravenshade
Title:
Race: Human
Class: Swordsman.
Core Rank:- 3
Age: 16
Stats
>Strength: 350
>Agility: 420
>Stamina: 300
>Mana Capacity: 290
>Intelligence: 187
>Luck: 80
MAGIC ATTRIBUTES: (locked)
Skills: None
==========
A flood of questions surged through my mind as I stared at the screen in front of me. The name "Azrael Ravenshade" was both familiar and foreign, a name I couldn't fully recall but felt oddly connected to.
"Azrael Ravenshade? Who's that?" I pondered aloud, trying to piece together my fragmented memories.
I am not Azrael Ravenshade, I am...Who am I?!
I struggled to remember my own name, but it eluded me. The name I remembered seemed to slip through my fingers like sand. My mind was a whirlwind of confusion as I tried to reconcile the reflection in the mirror with the details on the screen.
The handsome features of the boy in the mirror, despite the pale skin and dark circles, were striking. Even under the exhaustion and fatigue, there was an undeniable presence. The lean, well-defined muscles visible through the tattered clothes suggested a strength that seemed foreign yet familiar.
I touched my face, and the reflection mirrored my actions. It was as though I was controlling this body, but it wasn't entirely mine. The realization was disconcerting.
"Argh..." I groaned, stumbling a few steps. A sudden pain crashed over my head like a tidal wave, causing me to lose my balance. My hand slipped, and a nearby plate shattered, its fragments scattering across the floor.
Painful!
How painful!
My head hurts so badly!
Panic surged through me as vivid, foreign memories began to flood my mind. The pain was unbearable as if someone lashed at me with a pole again and again. No, it was more like a blunt knife slicing my brain into small pieces.
Each injected memory felt like a needle piercing through my consciousness, dragging me deeper into the identity I had usurped. After what felt like hours, I finally managed to steady myself though my mind was still foggy, and my body trembled through to aftermath.
A shard of the broken plate sliced into my palm, causing blood to seep through bringing me back from the dreamless void I was in.
As I gathered my thoughts, the vivid images of the real Azrael revealed themselves. I saw him—engaged in a friendly sparring match with a handsome man with jet-black hair and violet eyes. In the background, a blonde woman with blue eyes, similar to my own, chatted happily with an oddly familiar young girl who had black hair and violet eyes.
It seemed that Azrael had been somehow transported to Obsidian Veil due to an unexpected encounter. When he found a portal to escape, he was attacked by Oblivion Wraiths. Exhausted, he fainted while fighting them, and that's where my memories picked up.
"I see," I murmured to myself, piecing together the fragments of information.
"It seems I've been reincarnated into the novel 'Legends of Thaloria.' A cliché fantasy world filled with magic and warfare. A place where various races live together in 'harmony.' But… alas, as always, the world is destined for doom.
From the looks of it, it seemed that I was the brother of one of the female leads that had appeared in the novel. But according to my recollection, she didn't have one. Either he was declared dead or...
Azrael Ravenshade was possibly an extra- an individual who never appeared in the novel.
-Sigh.
I sighed, trying to come to terms with my new reality.
"But hey, I'm apparently an extra not even mentioned in the novel. So I should be safe… right?"
I glanced around the room, my mind still reeling from the sudden influx of information. The cozy, rustic surroundings seemed to mock my confusion, offering no answers to the myriad questions swirling in my mind.
"Right?" I repeated though the uncertainty in my voice betrayed my lack of conviction. The room's warmth did little to quell the turmoil inside me. All I could do now was navigate this strange new life and find a way to understand the role I was meant to play in this world.
-to be continued.