I awoke to the soft rustling of curtains, the faint scent of lavender floating on the air—a scent that always lingered in the Blackthorn Estate. As my eyes blinked open, the familiar surroundings settled into view. I tried to move, but a sharp, stiff tension gripped my torso like a vice, forcing me to pause. I glanced down, spotting bandages wrapped tightly around my midsection, evidence of Mayer's careful handiwork.
This room… it is my room, Eliot Blackthorn's room.
Despite its opulence, the Blackthorn Estate had felt like a prison. But this space—was unmistakably mine nonetheless. The walls were draped in rich crimson and gold tapestries, casting a dark, regal shadow over the room. Sunlight barely crept through the arched windows, a reluctant guest in the overwhelming gloom. The heavy oak floorboards creaked softly beneath my feet, adding to the stifling silence.
Above me, a grand chandelier hung from the ceiling, unused and forgotten, the candles long turned to dust. Bookshelves lined the far wall, filled with tomes on history, strategy, and warfare—my only true companions. My bed, oversized and made from dark mahogany, sat like a throne in the center of the room, its crimson sheets rumpled from restless nights. It wasn't a place of rest. It had always been a battlefield where Eliot wrestled with his own demons.
I rubbed my temples, trying to ease the dull ache pulsing behind my eyes. How long had I been out?
Too long, by the feel of it.
I winced at the memory of Fendrel's blade cutting into my flesh. I had been careless. No, worse—arrogant. I approached that fight with the confidence of Leon Winter, the man who could crush empires with a single command. But this body, Eliot Blackthorn, lacked the strength to back that arrogance. I had barely survived, and not because of skill or power—pure, dumb luck had carried me through.
I keep forgetting something crucial. I was no longer Leon Winter, not in body. I had to accept that. This life, this body—it was new. Different. And if I was going to reclaim the power I once held, I would need to adapt. But adapting had always been my greatest strength.
Pushing myself up in bed, I grimaced as the bandages pulled against my healing skin. The wounds were still fresh reminders of my recklessness. Swinging my legs off the side, I stood slowly, my body protesting with every movement. My feet found their way to the large mirror standing against the wall near my wardrobe.
I began to unravel the bandages, slowly revealing the evidence of my brush with death. Fendrel's slashes had been deep, merciless, but the wounds were already nearly healed. The skin had knitted together, leaving only faint scars, as though the injuries had been years old. It was… unnatural.
And yet, familiar.
As I stared at the scars, the faintest flicker of recognition sparked in my mind. This body—Eliot's body—had healed faster than it should have. It felt almost as if the essence of Leon Winter was seeping through, affecting this new vessel in subtle ways. Was that even possible? Could the powers of my past life truly bleed into this one? The thought intrigued me.
A noise interrupted my musings—the clattering of a pot, followed by the unmistakable scent of food. Something delicious.
My feet carried me out of the room and down the grand staircase. As I reached the kitchen, I peeked around the corner and saw her—Margot Blackthorn, my so-called aunt. The same woman who had once tossed me aside like a broken toy now stood over the stove, stirring a pot. Her once-arrogant posture had been replaced by that of a common servant.
The smell of sizzling meat and freshly baked bread filled the air, but my mind was elsewhere. I had no time for breakfast, not with a growing curiosity gnawing at me.
A faint clanging echoed through the halls. The rhythmic sound of metal striking metal. My feet moved again, this time toward the training room. As I approached, the door was slightly ajar, enough for me to peer inside.
There, in the center of the room, was Mayer.
He was drenched in sweat, his muscles taut as he swung a massive greatsword through the air. The sword was far too large for any normal man, but Mayer wasn't normal. According to this body's memories, his strength had always bordered on the supernatural, a raw power that set him apart from others. Each swing of the sword was fluid, controlled, but devastating in its force.
But it wasn't just his strength that caught my attention.
There was something else. A faint, flickering light—almost imperceptible—surrounding him as he moved. It was subtle, a glimmer that only someone like me, someone who had already unlocked an Essence, could see. My breath caught in my throat.
This light… it could only mean one thing.
Mayer was on the brink of unlocking his Essence.
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. My theory was true—my Essence from my past life was still with me, somehow carried over into this new one. And now, before my eyes, my most loyal servant was awakening to his own power. The faint light shimmered around him as he swung the greatsword once more, the blade cleaving through the air with terrifying precision.
Life is too sweet, I thought with a smirk.
Mayer, in his raw, brutish way, had always been a man of potential. But this… this was beyond even my expectations. His strength, his unwavering loyalty, and now—an Essence awakening.
The greatsword came crashing down again, and I watched as the light around Mayer flared, brightening with each strike. He wasn't even aware of it yet. But soon he would be. Soon, he would tap into that power, and when he did… according to what Essence he receives, he would grow to be even more useful.
The corners of my lips curled upward, an unfamiliar warmth spreading through my chest. If Mayer's Essence fully awakened, if he could harness it, then he would be more than just my brute. He would become my weapon.
I stood there, watching in silence, as Mayer continued his training, oblivious to the power that was slowly waking within him. This body, this life, may not have been what I once had, but if I could harness Mayer's strength—his Essence—then perhaps this new path wouldn't be so different after all.