Ted(luxion)—sat stiffly on the bed, mind rolling like a storm.
"I… I don't remember anything," he said carefully.
He couldn't say more.
He wasn't Luxion.
He'd been reborn—thrown into a body that wasn't his.
And who on earth would believe that?
Dr. Harlon blinked rapidly. "At all?"
Ted swallowed and shook his head. "Nothing. What… what happened to me?"
The doctor exhaled and rubbed his forehead.
"You died."
Ted's stomach twisted. He fought the urge to curse out loud.
He needed to really understand what is going on...
Before the silence could stretch further, the door opened sharply.
A uniformed man entered.
"The Supreme demands your presence."
Dr. Harlon immediately stiffened.
He dropped the tools he was holding and followed the man out without question.
The door closed.
Silence wrapped around the room again.
Ted sighed, shoulders sagging. "What the hell is my life now…"
Then—
A whisper. Soft. Close. Too close.
"Boss."
Ted jerked upright.
He spun around—
—and a tall figure shimmered into existence, materializing from nothing, like smoke turning into a man.
A young man, lean and sharp-eyed, broke into a wide grin.
"Boss! You're alive!" he said, stepping forward, genuinely relieved. "Damn, you scared us—"
Ted blinked.
Where did he come from?
The system chimed:
[Scanning…]
[Identified: Garrick Thorne]
[Role: Friend of Luxion Vale — Elite Tier]
[Abilities: Invisibility, Shadow-Step]
Ted blinked again.
Right… invisibility. That explains the sudden appearance.
Garrick moved in for a hug—full speed.
Ted panicked and pushed him back quickly.
"Sorry—sorry—I… I don't remember you."
Garrick froze.
His smile cracked.
"What…?" he whispered. "Boss… it's me. Garrick."
Ted swallowed. "I'm serious. I don't remember anything."
Garrick stepped back, stunned.
His voice dropped to a whisper, disbelief etched on his face.
"Boss… the others are coming. They need to see you're alive."
Ted felt his pulse quicken.
Others? There are more?
Footsteps echoed outside the room—deliberate, measured, approaching.
Garrick melted into invisibility instantly.
Ted's head snapped toward the door just as it swung open.
A young woman entered, aura crisp and authoritative, her medical coat pristine. The system scanned her immediately:
[Scanning…]
[Identified: Ilara Fen]
[Role: Doctor — Healing Specialist]
[Abilities: Accelerated Regeneration, Restoration Field]
She froze, eyes wide.
"So… it's true," she breathed. "You're alive…"
Ted's gaze narrowed, heart hammering. His mind raced. Why were they all so shocked? Shocked like… like luxion shouldn't be alive..
He thought back to the system's data:
[Hybrid Bloodline: Half Demon — Half Vampire]
[Current Status: Deceased prior to rebirth]
He blinked, incredulous. Hybrid… half demon, half vampire… How could he—or anyone like him—die?
Hybrids were born to survive. Their blood burned with resilience. Their veins coursed with power most could only dream of. They were supposed to endure, to shrug off wounds that would fell kings.
Yet… here he was. Dead..
Ted's chest tightened. So many secrets. So many questions. And I'm in the middle of all of it…
Questions spun around his mind faster than he could catch them: Who is Luxion? How did he die? And why am I in his body?
The room felt suffocating, charged with unspoken truths, and Ted realized—survival was just the first step. The rest would be far, far more dangerous.
A sudden jolt ripped through Ted's mind. His head throbbed, and a sharp groan escaped his lips.
Dr. Ilara Fen stepped forward immediately, concern etched across her face. "Steady yourself… are you alright?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
Ted's vision blurred. Then, like jagged shards of glass, half-formed memories tore through his mind—visions not his own, yet painfully vivid.
A darkened chamber. Luxion—bound by thick, shimmering chains—thrashed violently, struggling against restraints pulsing with dark, malevolent energy.
Powerful figures loomed around him, cloaked, radiating menace. Their voices chanted in a language that made Ted's teeth clench instinctively.
Luxion resisted fiercely. Demonic energy flared along his veins; vampiric shadows twisted around him. He struck, pushed, clawed, defying the ritual with every ounce of strength he had.
But it was no use.
Ted's stomach twisted violently as the visions accelerated. A final strike—the pulsing chains snapping with lethal force—and Luxion crumpled. Silent. Lifeless.
It hit Ted like a thunderclap. Even glimpsing just half the memories, he knew: Luxion had been killed.
He staggered back, clutching his head, groaning, his knees threatening to buckle. "Aaah—!"
Dr. Ilara steadied him, her eyes wide but professional. "Luxion... Focus on breathing. Slowly…"
The room spun. Shapes blurred. Voices twisted. Memories collided with reality.
Ted's knees buckled. Darkness claimed him.
He passed out.
*****************
Dr. Harlon stood in the dim, shadowed office, the faint light from the desk lamp casting long streaks across the polished floor. Silence hung like a heavy curtain, broken only by the soft tick of a clock.
The man's voice cut through the quiet, low and edged with steel.
"Didn't you confirm Luxion's death?"
Dr. Harlon straightened, adjusting his glasses, tension coiling in his shoulders. "Yes supreme… I confirmed it myself," he said, his voice tight. "Brought here this morning, examined every vitals, every pulse. Tried to restore him… but he didn't make it. Not a flicker. And I've never—never—been wrong in my life. So imagine my shock when I saw him… standing. Alive."
The man's expression remained unreadable, a shadow of irritation crossing his features. "Hmm," he murmured, slow and deliberate. "Interesting."
He didn't offer any more words, simply gesturing sharply for Harlon to leave. The doctor hesitated, sensing there was more unsaid, before bowing slightly and retreating into the hallway.
Once Harlon was gone, the man leaned back in his chair, the dim light catching the sharp planes of his face. His fingers drummed lightly on the polished wood.
"Hmph… then tell me," he muttered under his breath, almost to himself, "just who the hell is in his body?"
The room swallowed his words, the silence returning, thick and heavy with unspoken danger.