Darkness.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not pain. Not fear. Just an endless, suffocating darkness that pressed against my consciousness like a heavy ocean. My thoughts drifted without shape, without time, until a sharp sensation pierced through it all.
Cold.
I gasped.
Air rushed violently into my lungs, burning as if I had been drowning for far too long. My body jerked upright, and I collapsed forward, coughing uncontrollably. My hands slammed against a stone floor—rough, cracked, and ice-cold.
Stone floor?
My heart pounded as my vision slowly focused. Dim blue light flickered around me, illuminating towering shelves filled with ancient books. Some were torn, some half-burned, others floating slightly above the shelves as if held up by invisible hands.
A library.
No—this wasn't right.
The last thing I remembered was a book. A strange book with no title, hidden in a restricted section of the old university library. The moment I touched it, the symbols on its cover had begun to glow, and—
"I died," I whispered hoarsely.
My voice sounded different. Younger. Lighter.
I looked down at my hands. They were slim, pale, and unscarred. Definitely not the hands of a twenty-four-year-old college student who had spent nights surviving on coffee and stress.
My breath caught.
"This isn't my body."
Before panic could fully take hold, a sudden pressure surged through my head. Memories—foreign, fragmented memories—flooded my mind like a broken dam.
A name I didn't recognize.
A world ruled by magic.
A role that should not exist.
I clenched my teeth, gripping my head as the pain intensified. Images flashed rapidly: burning cities, sealed ruins, glowing runes being erased from existence. And at the center of it all… spells.
Countless spells.
Spells that had been forgotten.
Spells that had been erased on purpose.
When the pain finally subsided, I collapsed back against the stone floor, breathing heavily.
"…Guardian."
The word surfaced naturally, as if it had always belonged to me.
I wasn't just reincarnated.
I had been assigned.
[Spell Memory System initializing…]
The sudden mechanical voice echoed inside my mind, emotionless yet impossibly clear.
I froze.
[Host identified.]
[Status: Guardian of Forgotten Spells confirmed.]
[Soul compatibility: 100%.]
A translucent blue screen materialized in front of my eyes.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Of course," I muttered. "A system too."
If this was some kind of afterlife joke, it had gone too far.
The screen flickered and rearranged itself.
Name: Unregistered
Race: Guardian (Unique)
Magic Affinity: All (Sealed)
Authority: Forgotten Spells
Current State: Weak / Incomplete
Threat Level: Negligible
Weak?
I let out a bitter laugh. "That sounds about right."
Before I could scroll further, a deep, ancient hum filled the library. The air vibrated, and glowing runes slowly emerged from the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. They formed massive magic circles that pulsed in sync, as if reacting to my presence.
[First awakening detected.]
[Accessing Spell Archive…]
The shelves around me trembled.
One book slid out on its own, floating gently until it stopped in front of my face. Unlike the others, its cover was pitch black, completely smooth—except for a single glowing symbol burning faintly at its center.
The moment I looked at it, my instincts screamed.
Danger.
Not the kind that came from enemies or weapons, but the kind that whispered destruction itself.
[Forgotten Spell Unlocked.]
Name: Ember of Oblivion
Rank: Forbidden
Status: Inactive
I swallowed.
"What exactly did I just become?"
As if answering my question, the foreign memories stirred again.
This world had once been overflowing with magic far beyond imagination. But certain spells—those capable of altering reality, erasing souls, or defying gods—had been deemed too dangerous.
So they were erased.
Not destroyed.
Forgotten.
Their existence removed from history, their names wiped from records, their effects sealed away.
And now…
I was their keeper.
A sudden chill crawled up my spine.
"If anyone finds out about this…" I whispered.
The memories didn't need to answer. I already knew.
I would be hunted.
By kingdoms seeking power.
By guilds craving forbidden knowledge.
And by gods who did not tolerate anomalies.
The runes around the library dimmed slightly, as if acknowledging my realization.
[Warning.]
[Guardian status incomplete.]
[Physical vessel fragile.]
[Recommendation: Conceal authority.]
I exhaled slowly, forcing my racing thoughts to calm down.
First rule of survival: don't stand out.
I pushed myself to my feet, steadying my legs. My body felt light, unfamiliar, but responsive. Whatever this "Guardian" race was, it wasn't human—but it wasn't helpless either.
I glanced one last time at the floating black book.
"Not yet," I said quietly. "I'm not ready to use you."
The book trembled once before sliding back into the shelf, disappearing among thousands of others like it had never moved.
The blue screen faded.
The library grew silent.
Somewhere beyond these ancient walls, a world filled with magic, monsters, and ambition waited.
I didn't know why I was chosen.
I didn't know how this would end.
But one thing was clear.
If forgotten spells were beginning to awaken—
Then this world was already doomed to change.
And I would be the one standing at the center of it all.