Pain. Darkness. Then, light.

Magnus Gaunt gasped as he jolted awake, his heart hammering like a war drum in his chest. The last thing he remembered was the blaring of car horns, the screeching of tyres, and the sickening crunch of metal. Then, nothing. Now, he was somewhere else—somewhere unfamiliar yet strangely known.

The scent of old parchment and candle wax filled his nostrils. He looked down at his hands—small, delicate, the hands of a child. A mirror stood across the room, and as he approached it, he felt his breath catch in his throat. A boy of eight years old stared back at him, with piercing emerald eyes and striking features that bore a regal yet eerie resemblance to a face he had seen before. Tom Riddle.

Then, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Welcome, Magnus Gaunt, to your new existence.]

A system. Just like in the novels and anime he had adored in his past life. The voice was mechanical yet smooth, devoid of warmth but filled with purpose.

[As a gift for your reincarnation, you have been granted ownership of the Dark Dimension.]

His eyes widened. The Dark Dimension. The domain of Dormammu himself. He had been reborn in a world that was a chaotic fusion of everything he had ever loved—Marvel, DC, The Boys, Invincible, RoboCop, Darkman, The Mask, The Rocketeer, Chronicle, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and so many more. It was a world teetering between wonder and destruction.

And he was Magnus Gaunt—heir to the accursed bloodline of Salazar Slytherin, the son of Voldemort himself. But there was something else, something that did not belong. Aphrodite. The Greek goddess of love. His mother.

He swallowed hard, his mind racing. This was no ordinary world, and he was no ordinary child.

[Your mission is to alter the plotlines of this world, for each change rewards you with magical locations and equipment from across fiction.]

The words sent a shiver down his spine. This was a game of fate, and he was now a key player.

Magnus clenched his fists. If he was to survive in this world—a world filled with gods, superheroes, monsters, and magic—he would need to use every ounce of knowledge from his past life. He would have to think, scheme, and prepare.

And most importantly—

He would have to embrace the darkness that flowed within his veins, not to succumb to it, but to wield it as his own.

[Quest: Establish your First Change.]

The system's voice rang in his head once more, and Magnus smirked.

"Let's get started."