Kim Eun-Ji sat upright in the sumptuous carriage, dazed. Saints Chronicles. This was what world she had somehow transmigrated into. The popular otome game that took the gaming community by storm, developed by a group of nerdy college students and became a phenomenal success in only two weeks. Many would find this a cool mixture of action, romance, and strategy, but to her, being dropped into the body of Selene Ravencroft was a death sentence.
The busy streets of Elarion-the capital of the country where most of the game took place-whizzed by outside the window as Eun-Ji's eyes widened. In the game, the nation was wealthy and strong, with stunning cities and vast landscapes to discover, but it was also rife with political intrigue, corruption, and class strife. But at this time, none of that mattered. The important thing was to live.
She now adopted the persona of Selene Ravencroft, the antagonist of the game. She was a character who would die horribly in literally every route, regardless of which male lead the player decided to pursue. In fact, this was common knowledge amongst the fans of this game-that Selene was destined to fall. The cruel fiancé of Crown Prince Aldric Vancaster, she had relentlessly tormented Saintess Eri, the heroine of the game. Having awakened as a Dark Priestess-a class detestable in nature-Selene's life started to become a tragic mess. Her desperation, jealousy, and cruel nature led her to make terrible choices, which all wrapped up with her eventual execution.
And that execution was in every ending.
Now, in the carriage and listening to her supposed parents' happy chatter about the upcoming Awakening ceremony, a cold pit of dread formed in Eun-Ji's stomach. She knew more than just Selene's story-she had lived through it in the game. In every route, every ending, Selene met her untimely demise. Sometimes she was executed for her crimes against the saintess. At times, she was murdered by those whom she had trusted. Her fate was sealed.
"I'm doomed," Eun-Ji muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible.
"Hmm? What was that, dear?" The elegant woman beside her, Selene's mother, the Duchess Ravencroft, looked down at her with a curious smile.
"N-nothing!" Eun-Ji stammered, forcing a smile and quickly averting her gaze.
Her eyes darted forward, and that's when she made eye contact with him. Damian Ravencroft.
The breath caught in her throat as the cold, calculating stare of the young boy pierced through her. Damian was Selene's older brother and one of the male leads in Saints Chronicles. In the game, he was portrayed as a prodigious mage—a character who was always several steps ahead, ambitious and ruthless in his pursuit of power. He was cold, manipulative, and... terrifying. Damian resented Selene for her disgraceful Awakening as a Dark Priestess, and his disdain for her only grew over time, leading him to treat her with scorn and cruelty.
In the game, he was one of the most difficult characters to interact with. While he wasn't openly hostile toward the protagonist, Saintess Eri, he maintained an aura of superiority and distanced himself from her unless his affection was raised significantly. And worst of all, Damian was known to conduct dark, twisted experiments on slaves in secret, all in the name of increasing his magical abilities.
Eun-Ji swallowed hard. She remembered the game's lore well. Damian had started his experiments when he was only thirteen, and he was a year older than Selene. That meant... he was already doing them.
With his cold demeanor, Damian's eyes crinkled at the corners, as though he was categorizing her and calculating her value against a vast scheme. His condescending demeanor seemed to emanate from him like an aura, chilling Eun-Ji to her core. The thought of it had made her heart skip a beat.
Eun-Ji thought, I need to keep my distance from him. Damian was hazardous, and she'd already stepped too thinly as Selene. If she made a mistake, she might end up on the wrong side of his inhumane experiments.
"I'm sure our little Selene will do great today," Selene's mother said, pride lacing her tone as she smiled warmly at her husband. "I have no doubt she'll receive a powerful class, just like you, darling."
Selene's father, Duke Ravencroft, tittered, his face relaxed as he looked at his wife. "Let us hope so. A mage like myself or a priestess like you would be the best. That is what our family reputation requires."
Eun-Ji smiled wryly and nodded weakly because she felt herself shrinking into the chair. This was it-the Awakening ceremony. The moment that will seal my fate. If things went according to the game's plot, that's when she would get the Dark Priestess class-the ill-omened, cursed title, which marked the beginning of her downfall. It was a weak class with a primary focus on support and debuffs spells but one greatly feared and reviled in society due to the dark nature of the class. Nobody respected a Dark Priestess, and the moment that title landed on her in-game, it was as if her life began to fall apart.
The memory of the game's storyline flashed in Eun-Ji's mind. Saintess Eri had received the title of Saintess on the day of her Awakening, a revered position blessed by the goddess herself. Eri's powers of healing and purification made her a beloved figure, and she quickly rose to prominence, capturing the hearts of the male leads and securing her place as the heroine of the story.
She was cast off by Selene: her family, cold toward her now; the crown prince, her former fiancé, stayed away from her; and her status within society fell. She used increasingly desperate and malicious means to try and get back on her feet with dignity and the love of the prince. None worked.
"I'm so doomed." Eun-Ji whispered again and slumped back into her seat. How was she to make it through? How avoid the inevitable fate of Selene?
Her musings were hailed as the carriage stopped before a huge temple, its spires tall, columns of marble long shadows cast across the courtyard as the vehicle came to rest. The doors opened, and Eun-Ji's heart started pounding in her chest as the maids waiting outside came to attention, ready to escort them inside.
"Come, Selene," Selene's mother said gently, taking her hand as they stepped out of the carriage. "It's time for your Awakening."
Eun-Ji felt her legs wobble beneath her, but she forced herself to follow. She couldn't stop the ceremony, but she could at least try to stay calm.
As she walked alongside her parents, her mind raced.
"I just have to make it through this," Eun-Ji thought, her heart pounding as they approached the temple doors. "Or else I'm doomed."