"Hello?! Is anyone there?!"
Lin screamed with all his strength, calling for help from atop the pile of dirt that covered him. But all his efforts were in vain — his cries echoed into nothingness. The place above him seemed completely deserted.
"Alright, I need to focus and calm down… or I'll die from lack of oxygen."
He took a deep breath and pushed his hand upward through the dirt. Luckily, the grave wasn't deep, and his hand broke through the surface. He used all his strength to push his other hand out as well and started clearing the soil off his body.
In one sudden movement, Lin managed to free himself — only to find himself directly inside a spacious room, lit by intense lights that nearly blinded him.
He got up from a chair, panic-stricken, with exhaustion and fatigue written all over his face.
"What the hell is going on?"
He remained frozen in place, afraid he might be transported somewhere else again. He stood still for a long while, only relaxing once he was sure it was over and there was no longer any danger.
"Okay… let me try to make sense of things."
"First, my head hurt, and I was suddenly in a place that looked like a savanna, standing in front of a stone pyramid. Then, my head hurt again and I was threatened. Then I found myself being buried alive… and now I'm in this luxurious room? This is so bizarre I can't even begin to understand it."
Lin sighed and went to sit on the bed in the room. His face didn't show fear or worry — just confusion. At this point, he had stopped caring about what was happening to him. He had left it all to fate. After all, nothing tied him to his old world anymore. He wasn't even that sad.
After some time lost in thought, Lin noticed a notebook placed on the table in front of him. He reached for it and held it in his hands.
The notebook looked completely new — no signs of damage or neglect.
"Maybe people here are obsessed with cleanliness... Then again, judging by this room, it makes sense. I'm probably in the house of some prestigious family."
Lin opened the notebook, only to find it completely empty. Just countless white pages. He kept flipping through it, trying to find at least a single written word.
"This is getting weirder and weirder… I can assume it's a newly bought notebook, sure, but…"
He kept flipping through the pages until he finally reached a few that had names written on them in a seemingly random way:
"Family"
"My brother: Rayzel Lance"
"My father: Rayzel Rao"
"Creak"
"Creak"
The sound of a door opening.
While Lin was still lost in thought, someone opened the door and saw him staring blankly.
"What's wrong with you?"
As soon as Lin heard the voice, he jumped up and looked directly at the speaker — a young man with white hair, about the same age as him, dressed in an elegant white outfit and holding a sword. Lin instantly recognized him as his brother, Lance Rayzel.
"Nothing."
Lin's answer was strange, even to Lance, but he ignored it and didn't bother to press further.
"Father wants to see you."
Lin had no choice but to go along with it. But deep inside, he knew he was in deep trouble — he had no idea what questions might be asked. And contrary to what fantasy novels claim, he hadn't received any of the body's memories.
"Damn fantasy stories…"
…
"Nothing to worry about. I just need to rely on clever, evasive answers and I'll be fine."
As Lin walked down the hallway, he couldn't help but admire the grandeur and beauty of the place. The floor was made of marble, spotless — the complete opposite of his old apartment. What unnerved him the most was not hearing Lance's footsteps. In fact, he didn't even feel his presence, despite walking right in front of him.
"We're here. Where are you going?"
Lin arrived at the room without realizing it.
"Uh, I just wanted to go to the bathroom."
It was the best excuse he could come up with — one he'd used since his school days.
Lin opened the door to see an office, behind which sat a well-built man with sharp eyes. A plaque on the desk read "Mr. Rao." Even though the man hadn't spoken a word, Lin felt an overwhelming pressure just by looking at him — a fear he couldn't describe.
"Lance, leave us."
Lance didn't hesitate for a second. He left the room, leaving a silence that lingered for several minutes.
"This strange feeling… just standing here makes me feel like a mouse in front of a lion. Even speaking seems impossible."
"Rio… step forward."
Lin immediately stepped forward upon hearing the command. All he wanted was a chance to speak.
"Rio… have you changed your mind?"
Lin didn't understand what Rao meant, so he stayed silent, hoping for more clues.
"Let me ask differently, Rio… Do you still refuse to take my place?"
Lin froze. That was the last question he ever expected.
"I know you're nervous. Being the head of the Rayzel family is a heavy responsibility."
The words echoed in Lin's ears. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He tried to deflect by bringing up Lance.
"What about Lance?"
A look of surprise appeared on the father's face. Rio had never shown the slightest concern for his brother — let alone cared about any of the conflicts between them.
"Lance isn't fit to be the leader. He's just a swordsman — skilled with cutting things up here and there. But you… you're different. You may lack physical strength to the point that a mouse could kidnap you — but you're without a doubt the better leader."
…
"If you'd like, we can continue this later."
Lin left the room, confused and lost in thought. He couldn't understand why Rio would refuse such an appealing position in the first place.
He returned to his room and resumed flipping through the notebook, hoping to find more keywords — when he suddenly heard the sound of a sword from outside. He walked to the window to see who it was.
"Well… looks like Lance is a hardworking guy. He reminds me of someone I used to know."
Lin watched Lance training outside. His eyes could barely follow his strikes or movements — he was darting between wooden pillars at an insane speed, turning stones into pebbles.
"I have no idea how a human could do that… Maybe he's using some kind of power that exists in this world…"