"Am I alive?" Ray said as he woke up in a large bed.
'I suppose you are, human,' answered a feminine voice deep within Ray's consciousness.
"Good…"
"Wait—who the hell are you?" he shouted, suddenly on alert.
'I advise you to worry more about yourself,' she said in a tedious tone, then added: 'Observe your surroundings, mortal.'
"You think I—" He was about to lash out in fury at the being inside his head and rose from the bed. But the moment he stood up, words failed him.
He was in a chamber that looked like the bedroom of a European nobleman from the 15th century—completely unlike the room where Ray had lived.
Only one question remained: "Where am I?"
Still in confusion, he began to walk around the room.
Ray then stopped before a window and realized he was on the second floor of a mansion.
'Human, look to your left.' He instinctively followed the mysterious voice's suggestion—and was left stunned.
To his left stood a mirror, and what he saw within it terrified him more than the hand that had dragged him into this situation. The reflection was not his own. Instead, it showed a young man with white hair and violet eyes, more beautiful than any man or woman Ray had ever known. Then, as their gazes met, pain seared through his head, followed by a torrent of memories he had never lived—memories belonging to Dex ThunderBird, third son of Duke Leon ThunderBird.
Ray collapsed under the weight of the pain, but when he rose again, he was no longer just Dex ThunderBird, nor simply Ray—but a fusion of both.
And only one thought consumed him: "Why me? Why was I pulled into the world of the game I Will Kill the Demon King?"
"And why did it have to be as one of that bastard's brothers!"
In response, the ancient voice said: 'Because you told me you didn't want to kill me.'
"Are you the Demon King?" he thought in sheer panic.
'No. I am what you humans would call an Avatar. I am Echidna, the Great Dark Dragon once bound to the Demon King.'
"What do you mean by an avatar? And why was this never mentioned in the game?" he asked, completely confused.
'Avatars are beings who have made contracts with divine-level entities. They are used as puppets by their masters, meant to glorify them and dominate lesser worlds.As for the second part, I cannot answer—that is bound by my former contract.'
Finally, she added: 'And now we are bound by a contract as well.'
At that moment, a mark on Dex's right hand began to glow with a violet light—the shape of a dragon.
Instinctively, he touched the draconic mark with his other hand. In response, the mark projected a game-like screen into his vision.
In shock, he heard Echidna laugh in her melodic tone.
"Why are you laughing, you damned dragon?!"
'Haha… mortals are always amusing to watch, especially when they are surprised. But perhaps some of your questions may be answered by the System. And you needn't shout to speak with me—just think, and your thoughts will reach me'
Embryonic System (Evolution upon Awakening)
Name: Dex ThunderBird
Age: 16
Race: Human
Titles: The Reincarnated / Echidna's Tamer
Status:
Strength: F-
Intelligence: F+
Speed: F
Endurance: F-
Vitality: F
Charm: A-
Mana: Locked
Aura: Locked
(The average for an unawakened human is F)
Class: ???
Subclass: ???