Before You Read Volume 0
Alright. Confession time.
When I first wrote Volume 1, I had the writing strategy of someone cooking instant noodles at 2 a.m.—throw some water in, add random flavoring, hope for the best. My entire thought process was basically: "Cool, make an MC who draws, give him one good friend, toss in some Depression, and BOOM, transmigration time."
And for a while, that worked.
People read Volume 1. Things happened. But then the comments started coming in.
"Hey… who exactly is Reya?"
"Why does she matter so much to Aki?"
"What was his life even like before Ecaria?"
And there I was, staring at my screen like a deer in the headlights, realizing: Oh.
I hadn't actually written any of that.
I'd just… skipped over it. Straight to the magical chaos.
So here we are: Volume 0.
The "missing piece." The part of the story that should have existed before Volume 1 but didn't—because Past Me thought world‑building and character history could just… wait.
Also, full transparency: this is a reboot. A fresh start, a do-over, a chance to make sure you get the full picture without the weird gaps. Same story, same title, but now with the backstory and the depth that I should have written from the start.
Now, I'm going to level with you:
This volume is short. You could technically skip it, jump right into Volume 1, and still "get" the plot.
But.
But.
If you do that, you'll miss why Aki is the way he is. You'll miss what shaped him, why he draws like his life depends on it, why certain losses in Volume 1 hit him like a freight train.
This part, these ten chapters, are the difference between reading about "a quiet guy who draws" and actually understanding him.
There's another thing I should warn you about:
This volume doesn't start like the fantasy you signed up for.
Volume 1 is magic, monsters, and another world; this? This is… quieter. It's drama. It's slice‑of‑life. It's the years before everything changed.
I know that might be confusing at first. You might think, "Wait, where's the magic? Why are we at school? Why am I watching these characters eat adobo?"
And I get it. It's different.
But it's also important. Because this isn't filler, it's the foundation.
I'll even apologize in advance: there might be moments in Volume 1 where you think, "Wait, didn't I already read this detail?" because, yeah… I wrote that first, years ago, without this backstory in mind. Some introductions might feel like déjà vu.
But trust me, this volume makes the rest of the story hit harder.
It turns names into people, and moments into memories. It takes Aki from being "the protagonist" and makes him into someone you know, someone you care about.
So yes, you could skip this. But if you do, you'll be reading Volume 1 with only half the picture.
Read this, and everything Aki does after will make so much more sense.
You'll understand why he draws, why he hides behind it, and why the things that break him in Volume 1 don't just break him, they destroy him.
Oh, and one more thing before you dive in: this story is heavily inspired by some of my favorite webnovels. If you've read Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, Lord of the Mysteries, or Shadow Slave, you might catch the vibe—a mix of dark narrative, emotional weight, and a world that feels just a little too real for comfort.
I should stop rambling now.
Just… grab some tissues. Get comfortable. And read.
I promise, this part of the story is worth it.
— Mangokiller