"No… no… No, no, NOOO!"
Adam stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. His white hair was a mess after waking up and immediately going straight to the bathroom.
He brushed it, his purple eyes fixated on his reflection.
"…Whose body am I even in?"
All of a sudden, a milky-white screen spawned in front of him.
[ ASPIRANT! Welcome to Boundara! ]
"Boundara?…"
Adam recognized that word. He'd been transmigrated into his favorite open-world game: Soulbound: The Path of Awakening.
Soulbound is an interactive open-world game where you can have many endings, depending on the choices you make throughout your journey.
But that's not what made the game so popular. It was the interactive spirit animal you were assigned at the start, and the immersive world the game took place in.
In earth where Adam was. The number of depressed people increases as each years goes by.
But everything changed when a company called Bound Star created a game named Soulbound: Path of Awakening. The game became a massive hit, beating other open-world games.
It ultimately cured some people's depression, allowing them to self-insert into a world full of life.
Adam was one of those people. And now, he was stuck inside his favorite game, not knowing what to do.
"What even happened?"
Adam tried to remember.
"This is like one of those webcomics where you get isekai'd into a game. But…"
Adam turned on the sink and splashed water on his face. Then he looked at the mirror again.
"I'm definitely not the main character of the game."
The main character of Soulbound was named Troy. The last thing he'd remembered was that Troy had brown hair and hazel eyes.
Unlike Adam white hair and purple eyes, he tried to remember a character who matched this appearance.
"Adrien?… No, he has dark hair, and he's more handsome than this. Maybe Connor?… Ah, no... he has brown hair."
Adam couldn't think of any character resembling him.
"Don't tell me I'm a background character…"
Tok. Tok, tok.
Someone knocked on the door. He heard a soft girl voice.
"Jaster, are you done in there?"
"Jaster? Is that my name?" Adam turned off the sink and opened the door. On the other side stood a long white-haired girl, similar to him.
She wore an elegant blue dress with a bow in the middle. She also had the same eye color as him.
"BROTHER!!" The girl pouted.
Is She my sister?
"What?"
"We're going to be late for your bond ceremony!"
Jaster eyes widened.
The bond ceremony was when a child, at the age of seventeen, received their first spirit animal. It was held in the capital of each nation.
So Jaster must be seventeen… and today is when he gets his first spirit animal.
Jaster was lost in thought until he looked down and saw his sister still pouting.
Something soft stirred in his heart.
"Let's go." He rubbed her head.
They walked downstairs while his sister complained along the way.
In the kitchen, he saw an old white-haired woman, that seems to be Jaster mother cooking bacon and eggs.
"Ah, sweetie. Go eat your breakfast before you leave. I also prepared your academy shirt in your room."
Jaster sat down while his sister sat beside him.
His mother placed the food on the table and joined them.
"So… are you excited to receive your first spirit animal?" she asked teasingly.
"I guess so." Jaster took a bite of his egg.
"Meoowrr~~~"
A blue cat suddenly poked its head over the table, startling Jaster. He choked while his sister hurriedly handed him water.
A spirit!
Jaster stared at the blue cat while drinking.
"Moon! What did I say about jumping on furniture?"
The blue cat had abnormally glowing dark-blue fur. Jaster mom cut a piece of bacon and gave it to the cat.
The cat purred, satisfied.
"Amazing…" Adam had always wanted to see a spirit animal in real life. Seeing one now was even better than he imagined.
After finishing his food, Jaster went upstairs to change. He'd been so shocked when waking up that he hadn't noticed the uniform hanging in the wardrobe.
The uniform had two layers: a white-and-black polo shirt, and the academy famous jacket with silver lining glowing blue.
On the chest was the academy logo. Two hands shaking, symbolizing the strong bond with a spirit animal.
"Wow…" Jaster put it on and stared at himself in the mirror. "I can't believe it…"
Adam was Soulbound number one fan. He owned every merchandise, bought every in-game pack, and had nearly beaten the game on every path and ending.
So seeing himself inside the world he loved made him smile.
[ Go receive your first spirit animal at the ceremony and embark on a remarkable journey! ]
The white screen appeared again infront of him.
"I really am in the game, huh?"
Since Jaster had restarted Soulbound many times, he recognized the opening message.
"If I'm following the game timeline, Troy is about to receive his first spirit animal. It's also when Bondspire Academy starts accepting new students. Jaster must be a first-year than."
"Hurry up, brother!" his sister shouted from outside. "I'm coming!"
Jaster grabbed his bag.
He and his sister went downstairs and got into the car.
"Lake, did you feed Moon? I'm scared I forgot again…" his mother said, rubbing her head.
Lake nodded firmly.
Lake is my sister's name… noted.
The three of them drove off. Jaster admired the scenery, it was so different from Earth.
Unlike Earth, where everything was high-rise and polution was at its peak, Boundara blended futurism with nature. Where humans can still grow their own kind but also Co existing with spirits at the same time.
He saw two people sparring with their spirit animals. A grandmother crossed the street with the help of her monkey.
Someone flew by on a giant bee while watching a hologram TV.
"I wish Earth was more like this…"
SWOOSH.
A red velvet dragon passed by, its wings blowing against Jaster face as he leaned out the window.
"A Flameheart member…" His eyes sparkled with admiration.
Jaster wondered what his spirit animal would be.
He hoped for a mythical one, since those are the rarest amongst the other spirit. But in the game, the chance was nearly zero.
"I've only gotten one mythical spirit through countless restarts… I doubt I'll get one now."
The car passed under a bridge. Darkness enveloped them, then light burst forth.
Bondspire Academy stood before them.
"Wow, brother, look!" Lake pointed at the massive tower with glowing purple lines spiraling upward like a crown.
"I can't wait…" Jaster muttered as the car drove through an underground glass tunnel leading into the city center.