The last thing I remembered was the screech of tires and the crushing weight of twisted metal. Marcus Chen, twenty-eight-year-old software engineer, had died in a car accident on his way home from another soul-crushing day of debugging code for a tech startup that barely paid his rent.
But death, it seemed, wasn't the end.
I opened my eyes to find myself in a body that wasn't mine—smaller, younger, but somehow familiar. The memories came flooding back like data downloading into my consciousness. Aldric Veridian, age sixteen, heir to one of the most powerful families in Terra Nexus.
Terra Nexus. Not Earth, but what Earth had become fifty years ago when five different dimensions collided with our reality. The Great Convergence, they called it. Magic, monsters, dungeons, and towers had torn through the fabric of space-time, transforming a mundane world into something out of the fantasy games I used to code.
"Young Master Aldric, are you feeling well?" A gentle voice pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Elena, my personal maid—Aldric's personal maid—her silver hair tied back in a neat bun, concern etched across her ageless features. She was a High Elf, one of the many beings from the merged dimensions who had integrated into human society.
"I'm fine, Elena," I replied, surprised by how naturally Aldric's memories guided my words. "Just thinking about tomorrow."
Tomorrow. My seventeenth birthday. The day every human child in Terra Nexus awakened their System and received their Class. The day that would determine whether I became a Hunter capable of fighting the monsters that still poured through dimensional rifts, or remained a civilian forever dependent on others for protection.
Elena smiled warmly. "Your family is very excited. Lady Veridian has cleared her entire schedule, and Master Kaelen has returned from his expedition specifically for your Awakening ceremony."
My heart—Aldric's heart—swelled with warmth at the mention of his family. Our family. The Veridians weren't just wealthy; they were titans in this new world. Mother, Lyra Veridian, was the Chairwoman of Nexus Corporation, a multinational conglomerate worth quadrillions that had adapted Earth's remaining technology to work with the new magical reality. Father, Kaelen Veridian, was an S-Rank Hunter, one of the top fifty strongest individuals on the planet. And my sister, Aria, despite being only nineteen, was already making waves as a rising star in the Hunter Association.
"Has Aria returned from the Academy?" I asked, settling back into the silk sheets of my massive bed. The room around me was a testament to the family's wealth—ancient artifacts from the merged dimensions serving as decoration, a window that overlooked the sprawling Veridian estate with its manicured gardens and training grounds.
"Miss Aria arrived this morning," Elena confirmed, straightening my already pristine room. "She's been quite eager to see you. She mentioned something about showing you a new technique she learned."
I smiled, genuine affection warming my chest. Despite having Marcus's memories and personality, Aldric's love for his family felt as real as anything I'd ever experienced. They weren't just names and faces from inherited memories—they were my family now.
"I should probably get some rest then," I said, though sleep felt impossible with tomorrow looming so close. "Thank you, Elena."
She bowed gracefully. "Sweet dreams, Young Master. Tomorrow will be a wonderful day."
As the door closed behind her, I was left alone with my thoughts. In my previous life as Marcus, I'd been obsessed with systems—code architecture, database structures, the elegant logic that made software function. Now I was about to receive a System in the most literal sense possible.
Every person who awakened received a Class that determined their abilities: Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Healer, and dozens of variants and combinations. The stronger the Class, the greater the potential. S-Rank Classes were legendary, appearing perhaps once in a generation. Father had awakened as a Blade Saint, an SS-Rank Class that made him virtually unstoppable in single combat.
But what would I become? Aldric's body was strong, his magical affinity tests had shown promise in multiple elements, and his physical capabilities were well above average. With the Veridian bloodline and resources, he should awaken something impressive.
I closed my eyes and let Aldric's memories flow through me. Training sessions with private tutors, lessons in magical theory, combat practice with weapons I'd never held in my previous life but now felt natural in my hands. This wasn't just reincarnation—it was a complete merger of two souls, two sets of experiences.
The irony wasn't lost on me. In my previous life, I'd created systems, built architectures that others would use. Now I was about to become part of a System that would define the rest of my existence.
Sleep eventually claimed me, but my dreams were filled with code that shifted into magical runes, database queries that became spells, and the persistent feeling that tomorrow would change everything in ways I couldn't possibly imagine.
Little did I know how right I was.