PHASE 1 - Ignorance]
I'm a simple man. My life, it barely carried any surprises. There was not a single moment I could remember that might have excited me. But this… this is something truly unexpected.
Instead of the modern wine glass engineered to disappear and leave only the trace of wine, my hand held a glass made of silver.
Glossy enough that I was able to observe the reflection of a man in it. But that person, it wasn't me.
I was a software engineer who worked on AI models. My job primarily involved monitoring the model's performance and refining its characteristics. With the evolution of AI, players have come to require characters with intelligence in games. And that's all I delivered.
I raised the glass of wine and stared at the reflection. Dense black hair, eyes with red deeper than a vampire, clear facial features and not a single trace of error. It was a perfect face, and those tiny, moon-shaped earrings added an elegant touch of royalty. Not even idols were this…charming.
Ymir Lunar. I know this man because I've worked on him.
Youngest prince of the Kingdom of Luna. Last in line for the succession to the throne, an upper-ranked member of the Golden Order, turned into one of the finest and major antagonists.
And most of all… he was a head professor.
That was the man in the reflection of the silver wine glass. And that's who I am now.
I looked down at a refined physique for a twenty-five-year-old. A sleek black shirt with top buttons undone. Paired with a lowered tie. Paired with black pants and sitting on the royal chair in the corner of a dark-themed luxury room… talk about taste.
I've been sitting here for quite some time. The question was… how'd I die? I couldn't remember any events prior to my death. But why me? If I were to be reincarnated, I should at least know how the world ends. I didn't even have the complete script.
I was just shaping the personality how the team lead wanted it to be. I just know the macro-structure, not the micro-state of the world.
Harmony of the Flute. That's the name of the game I'm in now. An action-based open-world game. The core plot revolves around the fragments of the flute. An instrument of Goddess Luna. It held and still holds the three realms together.
The whole plot revolves around the myth that the one who brings together all the fragments of the flute and plays it will forever become the keeper of the three realms and heal them.
But the fragments, they're not something one could acquire just by fighting bosses or enemies. You'll need to be the destined one for that. And of course, our protagonist…Darin is the destined one here.
I sighed and gulped the remaining red wine in one go.
Despite being reincarnated, I wasn't regretful, or worried. I felt excited. This world had no specific ending. And Ymir Lunar was a Royal.
I smiled at the realization. I was given a second life. I'd better make this one worth it.
And then there were matters at hand, too. Ymir wasn't benevolent.
I know this not just because of the memories I got from him. But the fact that I was the who shaped his personality. If I'm to live as Ymir, things needed to be changed.
"Bard," my voice was low. Barely above a whisper but the gates of the room opened.
"My lord," said the butler standing at the entrance of the room. Neatly combed brown hair, a black suit with a white shirt and paired vest. This guy was just perfect. He heard my low voice even when the doors were closed.
I pulled my tie off by grabbing the knot and threw it on the bed. I wasn't the type to follow that formal dressing sense, even more so when my mind's a mess.
Sitting idle and thinking endlessly won't solve any problem. I'll get used to this reality if I just stop dreaming.
So… the first step is not gaining power, but understanding the situation.
As the wise men say, understand the problem to solve the problem.
"Prepare the carriage, Bard." I said, draping the black coat over my shoulders.
"To what place shall I prepare your way?" Bard asked. Even as he spoke, his eyes never met mine.
"Cerevisia…" I said, walking out of the office.
What I need is not just verification, but power too.