An overwhelming silence filled the room.
Ryo stood frozen, his breath shallow, his mind barely able to process what had just happened. The system "his supposed helper" had shut down before it could even start. And worse, the message had mentioned using the Administrator's lifespan as fuel.
Who was the administrator? Was it the person who left the letter? Or… was it referring to him?
A cold chill spread through his body, and his fingers curled into trembling fists. He needed to stay calm. Panicking won't solve anything. But no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts spiraled back to the same horrifying question—
Had he lost years of his life just to end up stranded in this world?
He forced himself to breathe. His head throbbed, his chest felt tight, but he had to think. Focus, Ryo. What do you know?
He had somehow transmigrated into the world of Heaven's Wrath.
He was in the body of a man whose name he had yet to confirm.
Someone had expected this to happen and left him a letter.
The system—whatever it was—had failed.
And now… he was alone.
A bitter laugh escaped his lips. "Great. Just great."
No system. No guidance. No safety net. His situation had gone from bad to worse, and the worst part? He didn't even know what was coming next.
Shaking his head, he focused on the desk. The letter had given him some information, but he needed more. His only option was to look around and figure out whose life he had taken over.
He turned his attention to the room.
For the first time since waking up, he truly looked at his surroundings. The stone walls stretched high, giving imprisoning nature to the chamber. Heavy curtains covered the windows, allowing pale light to creep through. A grand wooden bookshelf lined on one side of the room, filled with old books .To the right, an ornate wooden wardrobe stood tall, its doors slightly ajar.
Everything about this place screamed nobility—wealth, power, status. But if his suspicions were correct, none of that meant safety.
He moved toward the desk again, searching for anything useful. A few neatly stacked documents sat beside a half-burned candle, their ink still crisp and clear. His fingers hesitated before picking one up.
And then—his breath caught in his throat.
Caius Veyne.
The name was scrawled elegantly across the top of the document, confirming what he had feared.
Caius. One of the earliest villains in Heaven's Wrath.
The knowledge sent a fresh wave of unease rolling through him. Caius wasn't just some background character. He had been a significant obstacle to the protagonist in the early chapters—arrogant, talented, and doomed to be crushed beneath the weight of the main story.
And now, Ryo was in that body .
His hands clenched around the parchment as reality sunk in deeper. He hadn't just been thrown into a random noble's life. He had taken the place of a man fated to die.
"This can't be happening…"
His knees felt weak, but he forced himself to stand . There has to be a way out. Maybe he could still return to his world. Maybe this was temporary. Maybe the system would restart, or someone would wake him up and tell him this was all a terrible joke.
But deep down, a part of him already knew the truth.
There was no way back.
Not yet.
And if he didn't want to meet the same tragic end as Caius in the novel…
He had to survive.
********
[Administrator's POV]
Darkness swirled around her, thick and suffocating. Time slipped through her paws like grains of sand, but she could no longer tell if moments or centuries had passed.
A flickering screen floated before her, a dim blue light barely illuminating her surroundings. Words scrawled across it in cold, mechanical precision:
[System Initialization Error: Insufficient Sacrifice Detected][Emergency Protocol Engaged: Administrator's Lifespan Used as Fuel][Warning: Unauthorized Connection Forcefully Removed]
The administrator's fur bristled, her red tail puffing up as she lashed it wildly. No, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen! Her golden eyes widened as she swiped at the screen, desperate for some kind of response.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The numbers on the screen were dropping—years, decades, slipping away from her existence. She didn't even know how much time she had to begin with. Now? She had even less.
"This wasn't supposed to happen…" Her voice was a soft, trembling whisper. She was supposed to guide him. She was supposed to help. The system was meant to stabilize and keep him from falling too deep into this world's grasp. But now…
Now, she was cut off.
Her body felt weaker, her paws barely holding her up. Her usually sleek red fur felt dull, drained. She curled her tail around herself in an attempt to stop the shaking, but it was no use. The void around her pressed in, endless and suffocating.
If she had retained all of her knowledge, things might have been different. Maybe she could have stopped the collapse. Maybe she could have saved herself and Ryo. But whatever power she once had, whatever wisdom she was supposed to wield—it had been lost to time.
She didn't know when or how, but at some point, she had been cast away, her memories fragmented, her strength depleted. And now, she was trapped in this separate dimension, unable to reach the one person she had sworn to guide.
Was this it? Had she failed?
Her sharp golden eyes softened as she let out a small, exhausted breath. "I… I don't know if you can hear me anymore, Ryo…"
She paused, her voice barely above a whisper now.
"But I hope you make it. I hope you survive."
A quiet, desperate wish formed in her heart, flickering like the last embers of a dying flame. She didn't know if he would remember her. She didn't know if he would even care. But if there was one thing she could still do, it was wish.
Survive, Ryo. Please… survive.
She closed her eyes, her body growing lighter as the darkness pulled her deeper into the unknown.