In a silent room, on a spacious bed with white sheets, a young man lay asleep, seemingly caught in a nightmare given his constant movement. The young man opened his eyes, feeling a piercing chill on his back and the weight of a blanket on his chest. He looked around; he was in a room that seemed straight out of a medieval castle, with black stone walls adorned by candelabras that emitted a faint bluish light.
He blinked, confused. He didn't recognize the place where he was. The last thing he remembered was being in his room, in front of his computer screen, celebrating after defeating the final boss of the video game Eternal: Hero of Light, a popular role-playing game blending fantasy, action, and strategy themes. Now, everything he saw felt strangely familiar, though he couldn't pinpoint the reason behind it.
A loud thud interrupted his thoughts. The wooden door swung open, revealing a tall woman with an expressionless face. She wore an intricately designed dark maid outfit, and her long silver hair fell like a river over her shoulders. Her crimson-red eyes stared at him without emotion.
"Young Master, the Duke requires your presence in his office," she said, bowing her head slightly.
Kevin frowned. "Young Master?" What was going on? He struggled to get up, his legs trembling and uncoordinated, almost causing him to slip.
He walked toward a mirror in the corner of the room. The image staring back at him was not the one he was used to, but that of a handsome young man with jet-black hair, pale skin, and violet eyes. His features were so striking that they surpassed anyone he had ever seen before. An absurd and terrifying idea immediately came to mind, but he dismissed it just as quickly. "It's not possible," he thought. He closed his eyes, but when he opened them, the reflection remained unchanged. There was no doubt: he had transmigrated into the world of Eternal. What terrified him most was that he recognized the young man in the mirror. Kael Ashborne, the heir to the Duchy of Ashborne. Fighting the urge to scream, he forced himself to focus on what he needed to do.
"Are you feeling well, Young Master?" the woman asked again upon seeing him lost in thought.
"I'm fine," he replied, trying to remain calm. Now that he had composed himself somewhat, he turned back to the maid. As he focused on her features, a name unconsciously escaped his lips. "Lysandra." She was someone he was very familiar with, as Kael's personal maid and an important character in the game—until her downfall in the events that followed.
Eliminating any unnecessary thoughts, Kevin/Kael decided to act as Kael would. He couldn't afford to be discovered until he fully understood the situation he was in.
"Thank you, Lysandra. I'll leave after I get ready."
"Would you like me to assist you in getting ready, Young Master?" Lysandra asked, her voice professional and emotionless.
"No, I'll do it myself. You can wait outside," he replied immediately. Don't get the wrong idea—while the thought of being assisted by a beauty like Lysandra was tempting, he wanted to use the time to prepare for his meeting with the Duke. If it were discovered that he was impersonating Kael, he wouldn't even know how he'd die.
After changing, he left the room. Outside, Lysandra was waiting, her usual impassive expression unchanged.
"Lead the way," he said, preparing himself for what was to come, mentally reviewing all the information he knew about the Ashborne family and the plots threatening his life, which even now were brewing in the shadows.