When I opened my eyes, the first thing I felt was cold.
An icy breeze brushed against my skin like a forewarning, and a shiver ran down my back as I noticed the weight of something metallic in my right hand. I looked down and saw a ring carved from obsidian, with a crimson gem that seemed to pulse like a heart.
That ring… I knew it.
No. It can't be.
I jumped up from the velvet seat I was in and rushed toward the enormous mirror in the room. What I saw staring back at me left me speechless.
Jet-black hair, cold grayish-blue eyes, and a mark shaped like an inverted cross on the right side of his collarbone. A face I had seen thousands of times in illustrations, concept art, and cinematics.
Kael Derenhart.
A name that, in the world of Celestium Chronicles, was synonymous with betrayal, ambition, and an early death.
—No… this has to be a joke.
I staggered back, accidentally hitting a crystal glass that fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. At that very moment, a translucent screen appeared before my eyes, with golden letters written in a language I knew far too well.
[You have awakened in the body of Kael Derenhart.]
Fate established: Death in 365 days.
Survival chances: 0.01%
[Side quests available.]
My heart skipped a beat.
This wasn't a dream.
It wasn't a hallucination. I was trapped inside Celestium Chronicles, in the body of the archmage who died in almost every single route of the game. Worse yet, in each of them, his death was cruel, humiliating, and always inevitable.
But now — knowing every scene, every line of dialogue, every betrayal, and every hidden event — maybe, just maybe, there was a chance.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.
Think, Leonhart. Think.
If the counter marked 365 days, that meant there was still a year before the start of the faction war and before the heroine, Eira Velnor, stepped into her role as protagonist. Time enough to lay the groundwork.
I looked around. I was in the Obsidian Hall, Kael's private office in the Arkanos Academy. I remembered this location well. This very place would be the scene of his first betrayal.
Sylas Renwald.
My so-called lieutenant. The man who, in the original route, stabbed me in the back in less than two months.
I won't let it happen.
If I wanted to survive, I had to move now. Dismantle the pieces on the board before they were even placed. Alter relationships, manipulate events. And first, I had to know just how limited I was at this point.
I extended my hand.
—[Ignis Spark] —I muttered, recalling one of the basic spells.
A small bluish flame danced over my fingertips. It felt so real, so warm… and for the first time amidst all this, I smiled.
Good. This is going to be interesting.
Side Quest Activated: "Establish your influence before the Magi Conclave."
Reward: Delay your first betrayal.
Failure Penalty: Early death.
I chuckled under my breath.
—Alright… let the game begin.