Ahhh, my head... it hurts. It fucking hurts!"
Jace pressed his fingers into his temples, his teeth grit in pain. "Why does it hurt so damn much?"
His vision was so blurry he couldn't see a thing. Fuck, am I going to die like this? I'm not even twenty yet. Dammit.
He thought of his old life—a life of endless, restless studying. This world is shit anyway. Maybe dying isn't so bad. Instead of enjoying my youth playing football or something, I spent it buried in books. I hate this.
But his wish for the end didn't come true. Slowly, the agonizing pain in his head began to fade.
It isn't hurting as much now... am I going to survive? I must be in a hospital.
But as his eyes opened and the blurriness vanished along with the pain, his breath hitched. His eyes widened at the sky. He saw colossal buildings piercing the clouds—and even above those, massive spaceships cruised through the atmosphere while flying vehicles zipped between the spires.
"Where am I? Is this a dream?" He pinched his cheek hard. "Ow... it's not a dream."
His skin felt different—smoother than he remembered. He looked down at his hands; they were completely unfamiliar. Panicked, he scrambled to his feet. He realized he had been lying on lush green grass next to a decorative fountain. He lunged toward the water, desperate to see his reflection.
"What...?"
He couldn't believe his eyes. His face was entirely different—and incredibly handsome. He stared at his own dark, shiny hair and those piercing, golden eyes.
"Damn, am I really this good-looking? No... did I really get isekai'd into a sci-fi world with looks like these?"
A smile started to spread across his face. The best part? No more endless studying.
At that moment, the watch on his right wrist began to twitch.
"Hmm? What's this? Is this some kind of device?"
Carefully, he pressed a button. The moment he touched it, a blue screen snapped into existence, floating right in front of his face. Jace jumped back, his heart racing.
What the hell?! It gave me a fucking jumpscare!"
Aegis Academy? So it is a school? Is this where I study now?" He slumped his shoulders, let out a dramatic sigh, and looked up at the sky in betrayal. "Seriously?! Even in a new world with spaceships and monsters, I still can't escape school? Study really won't leave me alone... is there no mercy in the future?"
He shook his head and tapped the screen to read the full message. It wasn't a private note; it was a group announcement sent to all students:
[ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS]
The Awakening Ceremony will begin tomorrow at 7:00 AM. All students must report to the Trial Tower. Failure to attend will result in immediate expulsion.
"Awakening Ceremony?"
Jace couldn't help but be surprised. He had read novels about things like this back in his old life. "Wait, is this one of those fantasy things? Like, I get powers and become a hero?"
A wide smile spread across his face, his heart racing with excitement. He had always dreamed of being something more than a regular student. But just as quickly, the excitement was hit by a wave of cold reality. His smile twitched and faded.
"Wait a second... if there's an Awakening Ceremony, there's usually a trial. And if there's a trial, there's definitely going to be danger."
He looked at his unfamiliar, handsome hands and then back at the massive, terrifying buildings. "What should I do? I just got this new life and this face—I don't want to die again already! Damn it, I need a plan."
Another notification popped up. This one was from a contact named Leo.
"Leo?" Jace paused, his thumb hovering over the screen. "Is this the body owner's friend? If he starts asking me about our 'shared childhood' or some secret handshake, I'm totally fucked."
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. "No, no. Don't go there. Just stay calm."
He tapped the profile. The picture showed a guy with messy red hair and a wide, confident grin. A string of messages flooded the screen:
Leo: Hey dude! Tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony! What kind of class do you think you're gonna get?
Leo: Hey, reply bro.
Leo: Hey, you alive??
Leo: Fuck, you're scaring me. Reply, man!
"Ah, so he really is a close friend," Jace muttered. "I better reply before he calls the police and digs a grave for me."
He typed back: "I'm alive, bro."
Ding!
The reply was instant.
Leo: You finally replied! I thought you were dead, man! Why did it take you so long to answer?
Jace bit his lip. What should I say? I don't know the rules of this world or how I'm supposed to act. He decided to go with the simplest excuse possible.
Jace: "I was sleeping."
Leo didn't reply for a long moment. Then, he sent a sticker of a dog doing a military salute.
Leo: Damn, man. I'm over here scared shitless because of how dangerous the Ceremony is going to be, and there you are, just taking a nap? You're really built different, bro.
Jace: "I guess so."
As soon as he sent the message, Jace's stomach dropped. Fuck. So the Ceremony really is going to be dangerous
Leo sent another message, this time with a crying cat emoji.
Leo: Hey dude, good luck tomorrow. I honestly don't know if I'm going to survive this or not...
Jace stared at the screen. Ah, so he's really terrified. He felt a bit of sympathy for the guy; Leo seemed like a genuinely fun person to have around. I should cheer him up a little.
Jace: "Don't worry. You'll definitely make it if you try hard enough. Good luck, bro."
Leo: Thanks, dude. You're a real angel compared to the others.
Jace sent back a thumbs-up emoji.
Leo: Then let's meet tomorrow in front of the Academy gate, okay?
Jace: Okay, let's meet at the gate. Goodbye, buddy.
Leo: Goodbye!
Jace tapped the button on his watch, and the holographic screen vanished into thin air.
"The previous owner of this body really had a good friend," Jace muttered to himself, feeling a bit relieved. It was good to know he wasn't completely alone in this crazy future.
But a second later, his eyes went wide as he looked around the empty park.
"Wait... fuck!" He slapped his forehead. "I forgot to ask him where my house is!"