"Fine then, let's begin." Eros said, suddenly vanishing from Damien's front.
He instantly reappeared a few meters away from him, causing Damien's eyes to widen in shock.
'Why did he suddenly move away?' he wondered, his eyes narrowing slightly.
However, he wasn't given the chance to focus on that as a large circle suddenly appeared around him.
"What?" he muttered, subconsciously stepping back.
The circle shone with a bright blue light, intricate lines and runes rapidly spreading around it.
At first, he instinctively moved his feet away, trying to avoid stepping on the strange lines.
However, it was pointless, as the lines spread a lot faster than he could anticipate, covering everywhere within the circle.
His eyes widened, staring at the large magic circle in awe.
His gaze then snapped back to Eros, who was simply staring at him from the distance with a smirk.
"Goodbye Damien. Don't worry, I'll send you a little gift." he said, waving a hand at him.
"What are y—" Damien's words were immediately cut off, as his body suddenly vanished in a flash of blue light.
The circle on the floor rapidly broke apart, disintegrating into thin air.
Eros stared at the empty space, letting out a low sigh.
"Are you sure this is the right choice?" a voice abruptly came from his side.
"Ohh…" he said, pretending to be spooked by the sudden voice.
"This is no time for jokes."
Eros' face immediately turned serious, and he sighed, sitting on the ground.
"Well, we'll just have to watch and see. After all, he's the only one we could have chosen for this." he said, his lips curling into a wry smile.
The white room around him rapidly dimmed, and before long, it was clouded by pitch black once again.
***
Damien's eyes slowly fluttered open.
A dull ache throbbed in his head, and for a moment, everything felt hazy and numb.
The world around him was blurred, spinning slightly, as though he'd just woken from a long and violent dream.
The first thing that came into view were four shadowy figures standing above him.
He couldn't make out their faces yet, but he could see that they were definitely human—or at least shaped like it.
'Where…?' he blinked, his vision slowly growing clearer.
The silhouettes sharpened.
The sunlight shifted from a blur to something more bearable, and at last, he could properly see them.
There were four of them—three standing behind, and one in front.
And the one in front… was something else entirely.
His black hair was scattered and scanty, barely covering his scalp. His cheeks were large and puffy, round like swollen dough.
A thick stomach pushed out from beneath his shirt like it had been trying to escape for years.
And plastered on his lips was a smug, condescending smirk.
Damien's fingers twitched, feeling a wave of repulse wash over him.
He easily recognised that smirk, having being subjected to it many times before, and it disgusted him to the core.
"Ugh…" he grunted, trying to move.
Pain suddenly shot through his chest and shoulder, making him wince.
'Tch… that hurts…'
He didn't need to look to know there were bruises. His whole torso felt sore, as if he'd been shoved around a few times before waking up..
'They're… looking down at me.' he thought, his jaw clenching slightly.
He didn't know why, but he was sitting on the dirty ground.
There was no sign of the white room he was previously in, instead, he was now in a grassy field.
The scent of fresh air filled his nose, and the sound of birds chirping in the distance drifted into his ears.
Most importantly, he didn't feel any Deja vu. Not from the air around him, or even the sounds drifting into his ears.
It was a completely new experience!
He slowly pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the pain. Dust clung to his pants, and his legs felt a bit wobbly, but he stood tall regardless.
His eyes settled back on the four boys in front of him.
They were all around his age. Teenagers, like him. But their eyes all had the same look—mocking, expectant, smug.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Have I really gotten to the new world?" he muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone else.
The fat boy in front tilted his head. His smirk widened, as if amused that Damien could even speak.
Damien's gaze narrowed further as he locked eyes with him.
"And who are you supposed to be?" he asked coldly.
The question hung in the air like a slap.
For a moment, silence reigned.
Then—
"What…?" one of the boys at the back muttered.
Even the fat one at the front seemed stunned, blinking at Damien like he wasn't sure he heard correctly.
"You little…" he began, his brows twitching in visible irritation.
"You bastard," another voice suddenly snapped from the side.
It came from one of the other three—a short, round boy with stubby arms, thick fingers, and greasy black hair that clung to his scalp. His eyes burned with fake bravado, and he stepped forward aggressively.
"Who do you think you're talking to? Watch your mouth, pig!"
Damien's brow twitched.
His gaze slowly shifted to the boy who just spoke. He scanned him from head to toe—the fat cheeks, the stumpy arms, the round belly that jiggled slightly with every step he took.
'Pig, huh…?' Damien thought, his lips curling slightly. 'You look more like the pig to me.'
He didn't even bother to reply to the short, fat boy, turning to the one in front instead.
"Hmm… from the look on your face, you must be one of those bullies huh?" he said, placing a hand on his chin.
The boy in question frowned in annoyance, confused about Damien's strange actions.
'What's wrong with him? Has he finally gone mad from his head getting hit?' he thought, the frown on his face deepening.
"How dare you look me in the eye? Do you want to die?" he asked, moving closer to Damien.
However, the latter simply scoffed, clenching his hands into a fist.
He raised his fists up, getting into a simple boxing stance.
"I know you four won't leave me alone even if I ask, so come at me, I'm ready." he said, his lips curling into a smirk.
'Eros was right! I don't feel it… I don't feel any Deja vu! In this world… I'm finally free!'