Kosuke Haruki awoke to the sound of gears grinding and hissing steam. His eyes shot open, only to be greeted by a dimly lit room filled with unfamiliar contraptions. Strange, copper pipes snaked along the ceiling, emitting low hums, while cogwheels rotated in steady rhythms. The air was thick with the scent of oil and something burning, a far cry from his last memory of falling asleep in his tiny apartment in Tokyo.
For a few moments, he lay still, confusion coursing through him. The bed beneath him felt softer, larger. His body felt… different. He shot up, his heart pounding in his chest. His hands—no, someone else's hands—caught his attention immediately. They were larger, more calloused than he remembered, and the skin was paler than his own.
"What the…?" He whispered, staring at the hands in disbelief.
Staggering to his feet, Kosuke moved toward a tarnished mirror hanging on the wall. The reflection that stared back at him wasn't his. Instead of his familiar face, he saw a tall man with dark, tousled hair and sharp, aristocratic features. His eyes, cold and gray, belonged to someone entirely foreign.
The shock hit him like a tidal wave.
"This… this isn't me."
Memories that didn't belong to him surged forward, invading his thoughts. Adonis, a name he had never heard before, echoed in his mind. The man in the mirror was Adonis, a 24-year-old in this strange world. But how? Why? Kosuke took a shaky breath, clutching the edges of the mirror as he tried to make sense of it all.
He had transmigrated. The realization sent shivers down his spine. This wasn't a dream. He was no longer Kosuke Haruki, an ordinary man from Japan. He was Adonis now, and this world was nothing like his own.
The door to the room creaked open, snapping him out of his thoughts. A woman dressed in a mixture of elegant fabrics and metallic accessories entered, her expression unreadable. She looked at him carefully, as if studying his every move.
"You're awake," she said, her voice smooth, but there was an edge of suspicion in her tone. "I was beginning to wonder if the process had failed."
Kosuke—no, Adonis—stared at her, trying to suppress his panic. "The process?"
The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "The Ascendant Path you chose. You completed the Rite of Awakening, did you not? Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
He blinked. Ascendant Path? Rite of Awakening? None of this made sense. He had no idea what she was talking about, but whoever Adonis was, he was clearly involved in something much deeper than Kosuke had ever imagined. He needed to think fast.
"I… need a moment," he said cautiously, avoiding her gaze. "I just woke up."
She didn't look convinced, but nodded. "Fine. Gather your thoughts, but remember, your time is running short, Adonis. The Council is expecting a report on your progress."
As she turned and left the room, Kosuke let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His mind was racing. What was this world? More importantly, who was Adonis and what had he gotten himself into?
Kosuke sat back down on the bed, trying to organize the flood of information. It seemed like this body had undergone some kind of ritual, something called the "Rite of Awakening." That woman had mentioned an "Ascendant Path," and his mind vaguely recalled fragmented memories—Adonis had chosen the Path of Chains.
His heart sank. The Path of Chains… it involved forming contracts with otherworldly beings, binding them to serve in exchange for power. But there was always a price—nothing in this world came without one.
Kosuke, now trapped in Adonis' body, felt the weight of those chains even now. He could feel something lurking, waiting beneath the surface of his consciousness. The bond had already been made. Adonis had tied his fate to something far darker than Kosuke had ever dreamed of back in his old life.
Suddenly, a soft hiss filled the room. From the corner of his eye, he saw shadows shift unnaturally in the corner. A voice, low and echoing, crawled into his mind.
"You are bound to me now, Adonis. Do not forget the pact."
Kosuke froze. The entity Adonis had bonded with was speaking to him. He felt its presence, a coiling, oppressive force that seemed to watch his every move. The cold, iron weight of the bond settled in his chest like an anchor.
He had no idea what kind of life Adonis had led before this, but now, Kosuke was entangled in the web of his choices. And in this steampunk world where power came at a great cost, Kosuke would have to survive—both the expectations of those around him and the dark, otherworldly force that had claimed him.
With a deep breath, Kosuke—no, Adonis—stood up, determination hardening in his gaze. This was his reality now. If he was going to live in this world, he needed to understand it and master the power that came with it. And the first step would be learning the true cost of the Path of Chains.
The game had already begun.