Then, out of nowhere, his mind was stormed with memories - blurry images, conversations, and experiences that were not his memories. They streamed into his consciousness like rapid-fire shots, chaotic yet, not hurtful.
When the rush finally subsided, he lay still, staring at the intricate patterns on the ceiling. A minute of silence passed as he processed what he had just seen.
"Fuck…" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I got reincarnated into the game I used to play… and as this side character."
He propped himself up and buried his face in his hands. He felt despair creeping in and grabbed at his head as if it would stop all the bad thoughts from coming down like water from a roof.
"Why? Why? Why?" he repeated, his voice trembling.
Sure, being a side character was better than being a villain or a disposable stepping stone, but this character?
Cassian Evros Myrr.
The most pathetic side character in the entire game. A character so pitiful that his very name had become synonymous with failure among fans. His tragic fate was a checklist of misery:
Betrayed by the girl he loved, who fell for the protagonist.
Used as a disposable meat shield for the protagonist's party.
And ultimately, he sacrificed his life to fuel the protagonist's power-up.
"Fuck no." He said with gritted teeths. "I won't live like that."
Even if his actions changed the story, he wouldn't walk the same path. He would rewrite Cassian's fate with his own hands.
Taking a deep breath to calm his mind, he called out, "System."
[Yes, host.]
The voice was neutral, mechanical, yet strangely reassuring.
"What are your functions?"
[Status, Inventory, Quest.]
[To unlock additional functions, the host must upgrade the system.]
"Status."
A panel materialized before him:
[ Name: Cassian Evros Myrr
Age: 15
Race: Human
Level: None (Not awakened)
Bloodline: ??? (Not awakened)
Curses: Serpent's Embrace, ???, ???
Stats:
Strength: 5
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 12
Endurance: 10 ]
Rio—no, Cassian—sighed as he read the name. He had already accepted himself as Cassian; crying over it wouldn't change a thing.
His gaze shifted to the section labeled Bloodline and Levels.
"It won't awaken until the ceremony. Nothing I can do about that for now," he muttered, brushing it aside.
Then his eyes landed on the section labeled Curses.
Cassian possessed a rare and unique physique that allowed him to control curses within his body. It was both a blessing and a curse in itself.
The memories returned—when he was just 12 years old, a powerful organization had kidnapped him. For two months, they subjected him to horrifying experiments, infusing his body with an array of curses, both weak and strong. They treated him like a lab rat, testing the limits of his resilience.
When the Duke Myrr finally located him, his father unleashed unspeakable wrath upon the organization, leaving no survivors.
Even after Cassian's rescue, his body remained filled with curses that threatened to overwhelm him. Only through the efforts of high-tier priests were most of the curses removed. Only one—Serpent's Embrace—remained, as removing it would have irreparably damaged Cassian's body.
But now, the panel showed three curses.
"Why are there three? In the game, he only had one…" Cassian's brows furrowed in confusion.
Then it clicked—the memory of the three orbs in the white void.
"Don't tell me… Those orbs were the curses. And the smallest one, the one I absorbed, was Serpent's Embrace."
No wonder Cassian couldn't use those curses before. His body simply wasn't capable of handling them. And in the game, he had died before he ever had the chance to grow strong enough.
Cassian leaned back, exhaling sharply. "This changes everything."
After a moment, he called out again, "Open the Quest tab, System."
[Yes, host.]
A new panel appeared:
[ Quest Available
{Daily}
Run 10 km
Push-ups: 100
Sit-ups: 100
Meditate: 5 minutes
Reward: +2 stats ]
Cassian groaned, reading the tasks. "I really have to do all this?"
His eyes darted back to his stats, and he sighed. With numbers that pathetic, he didn't have much choice.
"Fine, open Inventory."
[Yes, host.]
A grid-like interface materialized, showing numerous empty slots for storing items.
"So… that's all, right?"
[Yes, host.]
Cassian glared at the unhelpful system. "You're useless, you know that?"
[…]
The silence from the system almost felt intentional, as if it were sulking.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Cassian muttered, rolling his eyes.
/Knock knock/
The sudden sound broke Cassian from his thoughts, sharp against the soft stillness of the room. He quickly gathered himself and called out, "Come in."
The door creaked open, and a faint waft of lavender drifted in, carried from the hallway.
A girl around his age stepped inside. Her long blonde hair shimmered faintly in the morning light, and her bright blue eyes sparkled with a gentle innocence.
She wore a maid's uniform in pristine white and delicate blue accents, perfectly pressed and neat.
"Master Cassian, everyone is waiting for you in the dining room," she said in a soft sweet voice, almost like a whisper, but still clear.
Cassian looked up to his personal maid Sylvia with a nod. "Okay, I'll be there after I take a bath."
Sylvia held back for a moment, the soles of her shoes making a quiet squelch on the shiny floor as she shifted her weight. She twirled her fingers, and then raised her eyes to him shyly. "Umm... Master, do you need help with your bath?"
For a moment, Cassian stared at her blankly before shaking his mind. "That's not something you need to do, Sylvia. You can leave."
A slight pout formed on Sylvia's lips but she nodded at him quietly and left the room. The door softly clicked behind her in the silence.
Once Cassian was alone, he walked to the bathroom. He could smell citrus soap and clean linen as he removed his clothes. The warm, clear light made his pale skin shine and then he saw the dark tattoo on his right hand.
Moving to the mirror, his footsteps muffled in the thick rug, he stood bare-chested, looking at the black serpent tattoo that wrapped around his right arm, its head wide, mouth seeming to bite the base of his neck.
[A/n: Image in comment box]
"That... actually looks pretty cool," he whispered to himself with a faint smile.
The bathroom was quiet except for the sound of water dripping slowly from the facet as he stared at the tattoo for a moment. He knew it wasn't just a tattoo, it was the mark of his curse, Serpent's Embrace, a permanent reminder of the dark power residing within him.
After a quick and refreshing shower, the steam filled the air with the awake and renewing scent of eucalyptus from the soap he had used.
Cassian donned simple but comfortable clothes, the gentle sound of fabric rustling marked the serenity of the air as he moved.
Taking a steadying breath he moved out of the bathroom. The faint creak of the floorboards echoed behind him as he started stepping toward the dining hall.