After an unknown period of time, Ryan opened his eyes again. A different sight greeted him.
Long white, gold, and blue curtains fluttered over a royal bed, blowing in the wind through the large windows. The bed seemed made entirely of gold, and the ceiling, decorated with colors characteristic of the nobility, was a memorable sight.
A magical lamp floated above the enormous room, while all kinds of ornaments adorned each side. The room was elegant, like that of a nobleman from ancient times.
Although he was confused, his mind gradually cleared, as if a stream of crystal-clear water were slowly washing over him, allowing him to hear a conversation taking place at the door of the room.
"The Ninth Prince is fine, Third Prince. Don't worry. The poison has been carefully removed, and his life is not in danger. Please tell the King that everything is fine," explained the doctor in the white coat.
The man in front of him smiled kindly. "Thank you very much, as always, Mr. Rainer. My father will surely be grateful for your kindness and quick actions."
"You don't need to thank me. If it weren't for Minister Martin, we would be in trouble. You should thank him."
"I understand. I will thank him on behalf of everyone," he said, and looked through the crack in the door. "May I come in to see him?"
The doctor quickly stepped aside. "Of course. I must attend to war patients, so I'll take my leave."
"All right, be careful. I'll send people to help you later."
After that, the Third Prince, dressed in elegant purple and black clothes, entered the room. His tight pants matched his jacket and the fine linen shirt he wore underneath.
Ryan frowned when he saw him. For a brief moment, he didn't recognize him.
But, with how he acted, walked, and greeted him, it clicked in his mind.
"Dear younger brother, you gave us quite a scare. Father was so alarmed that he called all the court physicians. I'm glad you're finally okay." Brandon placed a basket of fruit on the bed and grabbed an apple.
"I brought you apples because I know you like them. Shall I help you peel them?" His kind smile and gentle aura enhanced his masculine beauty. Thanks to this and his charisma, he had won the people's affection.
He was Brandon Kraham, the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Evigheden.
'My older brother...' Ryan frowned, finally understanding everything he was seeing.
His first life, as an Earthling, was boring. He was an office worker who loved reading fantasy novels.
Among so many novels, his favorite was Advent of the Primordial Chaos. It was a great novel, with a story rich in mystery and an impressive world background.
That novel had an even more impressive sequel, Advent of the Primordial Chaos: Fallen Portal of the Apocalypse. It expanded on the magic system of the first and made the world much richer.
There was an impressive improvement between the first and second novels in every way, making it his favorite book at the time.
But one day he died in a car accident...
A train hit a truck, and one of the truck's wheels flew off onto the sidewalk, where, coincidentally, he was walking home. The wheel hit a beam, and the beam fell on his head.
He later died of a heart attack.
But fate had other plans, and he reincarnated into the world of the first novel as a street character—an extra who was lucky enough to be taken in by a teacher who raised street children as a side job.
Thanks to his knowledge of the future, he forged his own legend and became the man who delivered the final blow to the Divine of Chaos, the final boss...
'Damn Aster.' He growled inside as he remembered. He could vividly feel the coldness of the blade of his sword piercing his heart, which increased his hatred.
But that brought him back to the present. After dying, he now seemed to have been reincarnated in the sequel to that novel.
And the man in front of him, Brandon Kraham, was the protagonist of that novel. A kind and considerate man... or so he appeared to be. Inside, he was ruthless.
'If I am the Ninth Prince...' Ryan frowned. He had just gone through a near-death experience, induced by an unknown person.
But he was good at remembering. Although 101 years had passed since he read that story, he managed to recall the memories of the person responsible for this.
The Third Prince, Brandon Kraham.
According to the novel, Brandon discovers Ryan's betrayal and his alliance with the forces of evil, the Kazaks, and sends someone to kill him.
But now that he had arrived here and received Ryan's memories, he knew that wasn't true. And the fact that he acted so kindly toward him told him that things weren't as simple as he remembered.
Perhaps, like Aster, Brandon wasn't a protagonist as the novel claimed. It would make sense, considering that he was a being who shouldn't have lived in this world.
His existence must have drastically changed history, even more so because of the moves he made during his first life here.
Furthermore, the sequel novel was set in an apocalyptic world 50 years after the final events of the first novel. Considering the author's dark fetishes, it wasn't impossible that he had kept things until the end in these guys' personalities, which he didn't get to read.
"Little brother? Is something wrong?"
His thoughts were interrupted, and he quickly regained his vision. Brandon was handing him a chopped apple and looked at him with concern.
"Ah... sorry, big brother." Ryan replied quickly. "I'm not hungry. I feel a little strange."
"Oh." Brandon calmly placed the apple on the tray and nodded. "It's normal. You just got stabbed by some damn bastard, so you need to rest. I'll come back to visit you later." He got up.
Ryan simply nodded. Honestly, he didn't feel like talking. He needed to process what was happening.
"Do you want me to call Max? He's been worried about you this whole time." Brandon asked.
A look of confusion crossed his eyes.
It didn't take him long to remember, though. 'I see. The orphan Ryan adopted when he was a child. He should know something.'
"Okay." He nodded. "Thanks for your concern, big brother."
"You don't need to thank me as family." Brandon turned to leave. When he reached the door, he looked back at him. "Remember that I'm your brother. I'll do everything I can to find that bastard who hurt you and bring him to you so you can take revenge yourself." A dangerous look crossed his eyes before he disappeared on the other side.
Ryan clenched his fists under the sheets. He realized he was more dangerous than he thought.
Brandon was too good at acting. For a brief moment, he considered the possibility that this guy was actually being sincere and wasn't the one who sent someone to kill him.
Furthermore, at the story's beginning, he is the king's and people's favorite. Not only is he young, but he is also powerful and has impressive charisma. In that case, accusing him of something is... dangerous, to say the least.
'Besides...'
The most dangerous thing was his power.
'The Author's Path.'
A legendary path. Unprecedented power. The biggest hook of the novel at the time.