As Damien thought his life had ended, Damien suddenly found himself in a mysterious void.
His thoughts were jumbled and disoriented.
He couldn't think of anything for a while.
Only after some time passed did his mind regain clarity.
Where am I?... Is this the afterlife?
He thought in confusion, looking around.
But how am I even thinking right now? I thought death was supposed to be the end.
He tried to analyze the surroundings.
Suddenly, he felt a chill spread throughout. He looked at his limbs, which were slowly starting to turn black.
"What's happening now?"
His expression became tense as he felt darkness consuming his body bit by bit.
Just as he thought he was going to be dissolved in the void, he felt a pull.
It was just a small pull at first, but it got stronger and stronger.
"I guess anything is better than waiting here,"
Damien let go of any resistance, his survival instinct kicking in.
His body flew through the void.
He felt a light.
His body started to speed up in the light.
Just as Damien entered the light, the void started shaking.
Its tremors seemed like they would break it apart.
An ancient voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female, echoed through the void...
"You're here at last... the chosen one."
The words were filled with anticipation and unknown excitement, sounding sinister, but Damien couldn't hear them, as he had already entered the light.
The voice vanished as quickly as it came, leaving only the silence.
But for Damien, the darkness had receded, and a sudden, blinding light assaulted his eyes.
He tried to defend his eyes by coiling his body instinctively.
But just as he tried to move his body, he felt intense pain throughout his whole body.
He tried to look around to find where he was when suddenly a kick hit his head.
His head was nearly snapped as his mind started spinning before he went unconscious.
"Throw him in his room," before going unconscious, he heard a voice filled with disdain.
___________________
Inside a spacious room a boy with black hair and red eyes was sleeping on a huge bed.
The boy looked to be in very critical condition.
His already fragile body was filled with many injuries, and his arms bent at an impossible angle.
Suddenly, the eyes of the boy opened.
His crimson eyes looked around him in confusion.
Where am I?
Who am I?
He frowned as he couldn't even remember his identity.
Slowly his eyes were starting to regain clarity. He was getting out of his daze.
The boy tried to move his body to stand up from his bed, but before he could even move a little, his expression winced as he felt the pain of his broken body.
He calmed down, giving up moving as he looked at his body riddled with injuries.
Wasn't I dead?
He recalled something horrible.
I remember getting transferred into some kind of void after dying... and getting pulled toward some light....
The boy was none other than Damien.
Just as he was busy remembering the details, the door to the room opened with a loud noise.
A girl stepped inside with an air of elegance.
Her crimson eyes shone under the soft light.
Her dark red hair flowed over her shoulders like waves of fire.
Her beautiful face had an unreadable expression.
She moved toward him with grace and handed him something.
A glass vial.
The vial had an unknown shimmering blue liquid.
Damien had many questions he wanted to ask..
"Ummmm"
Just as he was going to say something, the girl turned around and walked out of the room ignoring him completely.
"What the hell was that all about?" Damien whispered.
.
.
His mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation.
He looked at the liquid vial the girl had given him..
Am I supposed to drink it or what?
He didn't know what to do with it.
Just then—-
An unimaginable pain coursed through his head.
"Uarghhhhhhhhhh!"
He screamed. The pain was too intense for him to bear.
"Please make it stop..." he pleaded.
He wasn't even able to think straight.
He held his head tightly as if it would explode if he didn't.
Unfamiliar memories began to enter into his mind.
Faces.
Places.
Names—none of them familiar, but all too real.
It felt like he was living in someone else's life, each memory dragging him under.
The pain began to settle little by little after what felt like eternity.
He looked at the once unfamiliar surroundings with newfound familiarity, as if he'd known them all along.
Just then—
The door clicked open.
Damien looked toward the door of the now familiar room as he saw a boy with red hair and red eyes walking in.
He looked eerily similar to the mysterious girl from before.
As soon as Damien saw the boy, his body started shivering slightly.
He couldn't even maintain eye contact with the boy at all.
The boy looked at his reaction with amusement.
He smirked.
"Aren't you even going to greet your dear older brother?" he said softly but his words didn't have any warmth.
"Hello.... brother," the words left Damien's mouth instinctively.
"Wow, it looks like Cedric really went all out on you, huh?" he said, looking at Damien's broken body as if finding something funny.
"You see, stains like you are meant to be wiped sooner or later. So why don't you just save yourself some trouble, just give up and it will be over."
His voice sounded like whispers of the devil.
"I... I..." Damien wanted to reply something, but no words were leaving his mouth.
"Well, anyways, don't get too comfortable. Your time is borrowed anyways," he said with mockery.
"So enjoy your borrowed time, Alden."
He turned around with those last words as the silence returned to the room once again.
As soon as the redhead boy left, Damien heaved a sigh of relief as his fingers clenched into a fist.
He knew where he was and who he was now.
The memories had long since started to settle.
Alden.
The name, which should have felt unfamiliar, now seemed strangely familiar.
He wasn't Damien anymore; he had become someone else.
He had become Alden Draven, an illegitimate son of the Draven family.
And the redhead?
None other than Rodrick Draven, his half-brother.
But that wasn't the real problem.
His pulse quickened as his heart started beating louder as the realisation settled in.
Damn it. I transmigrated into my favourite novel and of all people, as Alden Draven—an extra who's meant to die in the early chapters....
Damien cursed as he realised his identity.