Chapter Two: Echo of Faces
A faint moan, then a sharp pain at the back of my head. It wasn't like the usual migraines I'd get after long days at work at Summit Construction. No, this was far worse—so much so that that pain would've been paradise compared to what I'm feeling now. More intense, as if a massive hammer were pounding inside my skull, thousands of voices vibrating in my head, as though my brain were about to melt from the agony.
"Ugh..."
I opened my eyes slowly, a dim light seeping through an unfamiliar window—not my usual one. The walls weren't my room's walls, the ceiling wasn't my ceiling. Where am I? Am I in a hospital?
But what kind of hospital is this old?
I tried to move, but my body resisted me like a child attempting to walk for the first time. A strange heaviness weighed down my limbs, as if tons of iron were pressing on them. It felt like I hadn't moved in ages.
"Aaaaah...!"
The pain in my head flared, forcing a loud groan out of me as I tried to gather my scattered thoughts. It'd be weird if no one came to check after that scream.
The last thing I remembered was the green light, the truck, and the impact.
I slowly raised my hand to touch my forehead.
This wasn't the hand I knew.
Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?
It was unnaturally pale, slender, with long, delicate fingers—nothing like mine. There was a faint bruise on my wrist, but it didn't look like injuries from a car crash.
"I'd like to punch whoever did this makeup."
If I were a fool, I'd have thought I'd been reincarnated into some novel.
I stood up weakly, dizziness washing over me. The floor was cold beneath my bare feet, the chill creeping between my toes, making my skin prickle.
The room was simple—a small bed, a modest wardrobe, and a desk with a few books. Nothing that suggested a hospital, nor even my own home. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
I dismissed the idea of having been reincarnated into the past, but... what if I really was?
With shaky steps, I walked toward a small mirror hanging on the opposite wall. My heartbeat quickened with each step, the cold intensifying as I neared the mirror. A vague sense of dread slithered into my core, mixed with disbelief. What am I about to see? What kind of nightmare is this?
When I finally stood before the mirror, I froze. Time stopped, and with it, my breath.
The ticking of a clock was the only sound in the room.
An eerie silence enveloped the space, as if some monstrous creature were sucking all sound from the air.
And the reason for that was the face reflected in the mirror.
It wasn't my face. Not the face of Asher, the one I knew.
It was the face of a boy around sixteen, with sharp yet delicate features—beautiful in an almost mesmerizing way.
He had dark blue hair cascading over his forehead like a waterfall, and wide eyes of a soft violet hue that leaned toward pink. Honestly, calling them violet was a lie—the eyes staring back at me were undeniably pink, but my dignity as a man refused to describe them as such. Yet, they shimmered with an odd glow.
I raised my hand and pinched my cheek.
A slight sting confirmed this wasn't a dream.
The spot I'd pinched reddened.
His—my—skin was pale and flawless, with high cheekbones accentuating his delicate beauty. His body was lean, bordering on thin, yet perfectly proportioned.
"Damn it."
Despair crashed over me like the entire world had collapsed onto my head. Not just because of my new appearance, but because this face, this form—this blue hair and pink eyes—wasn't unfamiliar at all.
I'd seen it before.
In a novel I'd read years ago.
This was Elias Vandam.
I didn't remember him because of his looks, but because of the teardrop-shaped mole beside his right eye.
Elias Vandam. A side character—barely even that—mentioned only in the early pages of The Grand Academy of Sorcery. A talented student, but merely "Talented Student No. 1," appearing for mere seconds only to die in the academy's first major demon attack.
Just a stepping stone for the protagonist's rise.
His only role was to showcase how dangerous and powerful the demons were. But the situation was absurd—if Elias, the top student, couldn't defeat them, how could the protagonist?
A character who existed just to pad the word count, nothing more than disposable background noise.
A low, hysterical laugh escaped my throat, but it quickly turned into a muffled groan. Before I could burst into tears, I slapped my own face hard.
"Calm down. At least think of a way out of this mess."
I needed to sort my thoughts first.
I died in a car crash, only to wake up in the body of a novel's character? And not just any character, but the unluckiest one in history! A character doomed to die within months—maybe even weeks—when the demons attacked!
I couldn't take it anymore and started crying.
All the suffering from my past life—the stress at Summit Construction, the frustration, everything—evaporated, replaced by something far worse: sheer terror.
When my tears finally subsided, I tried to lift my spirits with random muttering.
I should smile. At least I don't have to deal with a temperamental boss or measly paychecks anymore. Now, I'm facing imminent death at the hands of merciless demons!
I burst into tears again.
I staggered back, collapsing onto the floor. The ground was cold, but my body trembled from within. I tried to gather my thoughts. This can't be real. If I close my eyes, I'll wake up at home. This is just a nightmare, right?
I hoped with all my heart that this was all just a bad dream.
But the pain in my head, this unfamiliar body, and Elias Vandam's face staring back at me from the mirror—all of it was painfully real.
What do I do now?
Do I just accept my doomed fate?
Or do I try to change it?
Ominous questions swirled in my mind, but one thought snapped me back to reality.
I know the novel!
I know the events that are coming. I know when the demon attack will happen, and where! That's an advantage, isn't it? Maybe it's not the end of the world. Maybe... maybe I can survive.
But saying it is easier than doing it.
I could simply skip the academy, but what if I die in some random accident? At least I know what'll happen there.
The idea slowly formed in my mind—a small spark of hope in an ocean of despair.
"I can survive."
No—I will survive, no matter what.
If I know what's coming, maybe I can prevent it. Maybe I can live a peaceful life for myself. Whatever happens, I'll prepare for it. I have to get stronger.
I stood up slowly, leaning against the wall. The dizziness still plagued me, but a new determination stirred inside.
If I want to survive, I'll have to endure this.
I'm no longer Asher, the exhausted man who bowed under work pressure. Now, I'm Elias Vandam—and this is a second chance, even if it's one shadowed by impending death. I have to seize it.
But how? This is a fantasy novel. Is there magic? Special abilities? I tried recalling the novel's details—the academy, the sorcerers, the varied powers. Do I have any abilities? The novel never mentioned Elias Vandam having anything special. He was just the top student.
Then another thought struck me.
In similar novels, where the protagonist is transported to another world, there's often some kind of "system" or "interface" that helps them grow and gain abilities. Could there be something like that here?
I hesitantly raised my hand and whispered the word I'd heard so often in those stories—the word that might be the key to my survival, or just proof that I've completely lost my mind.
"System."
End of Chapter
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.