"Are you ready to die?"
This was the last question Northern Miles heard before he was killed by his own brother.
Now opening his eyes, he sees himself standing in the middle of a fight.
"Go, shameless! Go shameless!" The crowd cheered up for him.
'Are they cheering for me?' He thought as he glanced around in complete shock.
Never would he have imagined to die and instead of going to the world beyond, he seems himself yet in a total different place.
He gazed ahead, a young boy, seemingly his age was standing there, some distance
from him. A large beam of Ice floating above him. It was waiting — to be commanded or so.
"What is the matter, Lucas?" The boy asked him, tilting his head. "Are you scared now?"
'Scared?' Northern thought. 'More like confused.'
Just then, he fell into a trance and a figure appeared before him.
"Hello, I am you from your past life," the figure said to him. "I brought you here."
Northern furrowed his brows. "What for? I do not understand."
"Instead of dying unjustly, I have come to give you a chance to start your life afresh here. If you succeed, you will be able to return to your former life and pay your brother back for the betrayal."
"What's the stake?" Northern asked the figure.
"You must stop the world from getting destroyed."
Northern blinked. For a moment, he thought he misheard.
"Stop the world from getting destroyed?" he repeated, his voice low, uncertain whether to laugh or panic. "You mean this world?"
"Yes," the figure replied, calm and unmoving, its body shimmering faintly like mist. "This world is called Orpheus. Magic flows here as naturally as air. But in less than five years, it will collapse."
Northern frowned deeply. "And I'm supposed to stop that? I don't even know where I am."
"You'll learn," the figure said, stepping closer. Its face began to take a clearer shape—Northern's own. "You are no ordinary soul, Northern. You carry the essence of the Devil's Bloodline—a power that can either save or destroy."
Before Northern could ask another question, the figure pressed its palm to his chest.
"Live, Lucas," it whispered. "And remember—power comes with memory. Unlock what you once were, and you'll find the path."
The world spun violently.
Then came the sound of shattering glass.
Northern gasped as the image of the figure disappeared, replaced by the sight of a massive ice beam rushing straight toward him. The arena erupted in noise.
"Lucas, move!" someone shouted.
His body moved on instinct. He jumped aside, narrowly avoiding the ice blast that exploded against the ground and sent shards flying everywhere. The crowd roared in excitement, thinking it was all part of the duel.
'Lucas… so that's my name here,' he thought, still breathing hard. 'And this… is real.'
The boy opposite him smirked. "Finally awake? You were spacing out, coward."
Northern stared blankly. He didn't know what to do especially when he had no clue where he was and how things worked around here. The only thing he knew about this place was the name 'Orpheus'
Wait... 'Orpheus' 'I think I have come across this name before... But where?'
He began to think, forgetting the fact that he was in the middle of a fight.
"What's Mr. Shameless doing? He's going to get killed!"
"Is it not better he gets killed? That way, he's family would not have to bother about a shameless offspring like him."
Even with the crowd's uproar, he didn't flinch and continued to think.
'Orpheus...' "Yes, I remember now!" He said. He didn't know that he had suddenly yelled it out. "That God damn novel... What's its name again... Calamity Of Heaven, yes yes. And of all the characters, I just happen to be that useless side character? The shameless one that knows nothing but changing women every day? Ah...!"
"If you're done showing us your madness, can we get down to business?" The boy standing afar asked. He was already getting impatient. "Let's get this over with!"
'It's not like I don't want to... It's just that I can not,' he mumbled inwardly. 'I do not know anything about magic and have no idea if this body has magic. I have to do something else.'
Northern raised both hands slowly, trying to keep a straight face despite the panic bubbling inside him. "Hey, uh… can we not fight?" he asked cautiously. "I mean, there's no need for violence, right? We can talk this out like civilized people."
The arena went silent for a heartbeat. Then, as if someone had pressed play on chaos, the crowd erupted in laughter.
"Hah! He's begging again!"
"Typical Lucas! Always talking his way out of trouble!"
"Someone tell him this isn't one of his tavern brawls!"
Northern's face darkened. He didn't know what kind of reputation this Lucas had, but from the crowd's reaction, it was clear not a good one.
The boy across from him folded his arms, looking both amused and annoyed. "You're seriously backing out now? You challenged me first, remember?"
"I did?" Northern blinked.
"Yes, you idiot," the boy replied sharply. "You insulted my sister, called her a pig, and said you could beat me with your eyes closed. Now you're chickening out?"
Northern's mouth fell open. "I—what?"
The crowd howled again. Some were jeering, some chanting for a fight, others throwing things into the ring just for the fun of it. Northern glanced around, completely lost.
'Great,' he thought bitterly. 'Of all the people I could reincarnate as, I had to become the one person everyone wants to punch.'
"Enough talking!" the boy shouted. His eyes glowed faint blue as the ice floating above him reshaped into dozens of sharp spears. "You'll regret ever crossing me, Lucas!"
'Oh, hell no,' Northern thought, backing away. 'I'll definitely die again if that hits me.'
"I said wait!" he yelled, waving his arms frantically. "Listen, there's been a misunderstanding!"
But the boy wasn't listening. The spears shot forward with terrifying speed.
Northern's heart pounded. His body moved on its own again—rolling, ducking, stumbling out of the way as the icy projectiles shattered against the ground one after another. He could hear gasps and murmurs from the audience.
"Wait… how is he dodging all that?"
"Did Lucas always move like that?"
"No way. That guy couldn't even dodge a drunk punch last week."
Northern barely had time to think. Every movement was instinctive, like his body had been trained by someone else—or something else entirely.
He jumped back, panting heavily, as the last spear missed him by inches.
'I am able to dodge the attacks because of all my years of training as an assassin.' Northern thought as he stopped the catch his breath.
"You are still taking me lightly!" The boy across him yelled and raised his hands. "I will show you my real power! Ice coffin rise!"
At his call, ice particules began to gather above him, until a very large ice coffin was formed.
"Go—"
Before the boy could finish, the ice coffin melted immediately.
"That's enough, Jeremy," a soft feminine voice echoed from above.
All eyes went up and standing in the sky was a female clad in a white robe. The robe was revealing, too revealing for someone like her.
"Aria?"
"It's princess Aria!"
"But what's she doing here?"
Ignoring the questions, the young woman descended and landed ever so gracefully before Northern.
"As for you, you're coming with me."
She didn't leave him any room for talk as she grabbed him by the collar and vanished from the spot.