[[[[Read the prologue, otherwise you won't have an understanding of what's going on, or about Reshi/Arthur's personality]]]]]]]]]]
I was standing.
But, that must mean I had legs. Where was I? My eyes were overwhelmed by a plane of endless, blinding light. It took a while.
It took a moment that might've lasted seconds or centuries before I realised I could differentiate between the various shades of white.
As soon as I made the realisation, the scene around me snapped into place, like an image coming into focus.
I was in a castle, a castle of mind-numbing proportions.
It would've been a breathtaking place, but well, I didn't have lungs. Yet despite the surreal beauty, I soon had to drop my eyes to the wall so I could steady myself.
It was disconcerting.
The concepts of perception and space seemed not to exist here, the walls around me were constantly shifting, appearing right in front of me, then far away, despite never moving.
I shook my head, trying to dispel the growing migraine I felt. 'How can I have a migraine when I'm dead? It's not fair.'
"So, you have died," spoke a serene voice from ahead of me.
I looked up to see a figure standing there, wreathed in light.
It had the appearance of a man, yet at the same time, looked far from any human I'd ever seen. The figure was…too perfect.
Tall, with delicate, regal features. Two shining golden eyes were fixed on me, shimmering with an almost parental warmth. His perfect jaw was accented by long, sunlight hair that cascaded down his shoulders like molten gold, complimenting his pale skin.
"Are you god?" I stammered.
The deity laughed—a pure, beautiful sound that engulfed the palace in its limitless warmth.
"No…not in the way you believe at least? I am an angel Reshi…or perhaps you are my human" the angel mused, his lips twisted into a small satisfied smile. "Nevertheless, you may call me Sun."
Hesitantly, I approached the deity. "Uhh, Mr. Sun? Can I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"I died…didn't I?"
The deity smiled, revealing a row of perfect teeth. "Yes, you are finally, and most definitely, dead. Your long burden is over Reshi."
"And you decided my death, right?"
"Perhaps, in a way. I decided on many deaths."
"But how are you my angel…I didn't believe in angels or any of those things."
This time, Sun did not laugh. His eyes fixed on me intensely like two burning suns.
"Your belief doesn't matter here" he began as he approached me, voicing growing loud and resonant. "I am the only one who made you. I put you into this world, like many others. It was I who was the first witness to your birth by your mother's hand.
And it was I…and only I that held the shovel with you, as you buried her. Though you did not see it.
I blessed, guided and tested you. I gave your burden and I took it away. Your every action was worship to me, your life…in my name."
I nodded calmly, my face a mask of composure. "Thank you. Yes, I see. That answers everything nicely."
Smiling innocently at Sun, I did the next obvious thing.
I punched him. Hard.
Should've expected that it wasn't going to go well.
I pulled my hand back, my fingers bent at remarkable angles. Glaring at the deity, I hit him with my other hand. However, this time, Sun caught it easily, his golden eyes flickering with annoyance.
He seemed to grow larger, his eyes becoming almost dangerous.
Under his gaze I felt a compulsion wash over me, and before I knew it, words were tumbling out as if my mouth had betrayed me.
"You killed my family. You let them die that way. You could've saved them-" Sun blinked, and immediately my voice disappeared, cutting me off mid sentence.
He tilted his head slightly, as if seriously considering my words.
"I guess even for you, this was too much." He swung his hand slowly, his knuckles brushing against my face. And yet, despite the casualness of the blow, I flew back, crashing into the far wall of the palace.
"You blame me?" Sun stalked forward, his every step exuding danger.
Yet when I looked into his eyes, all I could see was a deep sadness.
As if the Angel was also grieving for my family, as if he missed them more than I ever could.
That was more enraging. What business did he have to be sad about my loss?
I groaned, getting to my feet, "who the fuck else would I blame?"
My hands immediately snapped back into place, healing instantly.
I darted forward, running straight at him, feinting a punch I ducked low, planning to trip him. Sun stepped backwards, reading my moves easily.
'Fuck, can he read my thoughts?'
Sun smiled.
'Fuck…. Well, let's just stop thinking.'
I leapt forward, feinting a jab and stepping to the side to land a left body hook. Sun pivoted out the way, his eyes twinkling with amusement. I twisted into a spinning back kick. He caught it, his hands wrapping around my ankle like an iron vice.
Next thing I knew I was flying in the air. 'Fuck.'
I braced for the pain as I crashed back down, my legs shattering instantly. Yet, moments later they were fine again.
'Round 2.'
I ran forward again, keeping my mind blank. Sun looked at me in much the same way you looked at an especially fierce ant.
I threw a punch, it was blocked. I threw another, my body twisting as I transferred weight into the blow. At the last moment, I blitzed my mind with a random thought, hoping it would catch him off-guard.
'I KNOW WHO YOU REALLY ARE'
Sun faltered slightly, his eyes widening.
My punch finally reached him. I screamed my fingers cracking off his face. Clutching my hand, I staggered back, waiting for it to snap back to normal.
It didn't…
Sun ignored me, his face a contradictory wash of emotions.
"Tell me, do you blame the sky when it rains? Do you blame a flood or famine? Or battle mountains? Death is natural; it occurs to everyone in their time. Do not place your morals on me A- "
He bit off the end of the sentence suddenly, as if realising he was about to say too much.
I frowned.
What had he been about to call me?
"Do you understand, Reshi?"
Reluctantly I met his gaze, and despite the simmering anger, rationality took over.
"But why?" I stammered, holding back tears. "Why did they have to die like that?"
Sun smiled sadly, his mask of anger disappearing instantly. He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around me in a paternal hug.
"I'm not sure, Reshi. Death is not truly part of my domain. If it was…perhaps everything would've been different. Maybe your life would've been easier, for that, I truly apologise."
Sun's voice was soft, remorseful, and perhaps what hurt me the most, utterly genuine.
I didn't know what words exactly the deity had said that made the tears well up, but before I knew it, I was crying.
Finally allowing the building crescendo of misery, loneliness, and grief free, as they flowed out through tears and sobs.
Sun kept his peace. He just hugged me close, allowing me to grieve in silence.
After a while, when the tears had ended and I finally managed to compose myself, the deity let me go, his face a warm smile, showing no signs that a moment ago I had been crying into his shoulder.
Trying to ignore the rising embarrassment of having acted like a child seeking the comfort of his father, I quickly wiped the tears off my face, trying to compose myself.
"Did my family come through here?"
"They passed on, Reshi. Though your brother did say he didn't want to see you anytime soon."
I smiled, imagining Joseph speaking to Sun. 'Polite bastard probably bowed and everything.' "I guess I'll just have to disappoint him, then."
"Do you?"
I paused. 'What the fuck does that mean?'
"Maybe," the Angel responded. "I could give you another life, Reshi, in another world."
I shook my head softly, "I'm not sure if I could do much more living Sun."
He chuckled, "why not? You've made mistakes, so why not do it right this time? I know there's plenty in that world who would one day thank your presence if you said yes."
I laughed softly, "You really think so?"
"I know so."
I considered it for a moment. Really considered it.
Why not? I was always going to die anyway, so why not have a little life before I did.
It might be nice. My brain immediately flashed through the countless novels I had read.
"Well, I'm only going if it's a world of magic. I want to be born into a noble family, but not the oldest. The oldest has too many responsibilities."
Sun tilted his head again. "Funny."
"What is?"
"Nothing, I just had the exact same ideas."
I smiled. Even Angels were at the whim of the tropes…
I could feel my body become weightless, my sense of self slowly being pulled away.
"Thank you Sun."
"Take care"
…
When I opened my eyes, I was lying in bed.
No, that wasn't right. My bed was never this damn comfortable. Or this big.
Slowly, I sat up and took in my surroundings—this wasn't my room. Not even close.
But damn, I wished it was.
The room was massive, easily the size of my entire apartment back home, if not bigger.
Every inch of it was dripping with wealth, furnished with the most expensive things I had ever laid eyes on.
'Where the hell am I?'
Clambering out of the ridiculously comfortable bed, I decided to take a look around.
Sun had told me I was being sent to another world, but he never said how it would happen.
Honestly, I half expected to be reborn as a baby, stuck with an adult mind—forced to crawl around while pretending to be a wide-eyed three-year-old bug-sniffer.
Reincarnation novels always pissed me off.
Too many damn chapters wasted on the protagonist as a kid.
By the time he turned eight, he was already secretly the kingdom's most prolific serial killer—before his balls had even dropped. In my opinion, that was the second worst type of isekai.
'So, maybe I've just been dropped into another world instead?'
Then I walked past a mirror and caught something in my peripheral vision.
I froze.
Slowly, I stepped back into view.
The figure staring at me from the mirror wasn't me.
My dark eyes were gone, replaced by large, scarlet ones. My face was younger, maybe fourteen at most. My features were delicate—almost regal. My skin was pale, my body lean and untouched by labor, as if I had never worked a day in my life.
"Who the fuck is this guy?" I muttered, my heart sinking.
'Sun, you bastard. You transmigrated me. That's the worst one!'
Stumbling back, I collapsed onto a lavish chair, trying to process the situation. If I really thought about it, I did ask for this, and it wasn't all bad.
Apart from the whole possessing someone's body without permission thing. And the fact that I'd now have to mimic and deceive their loved ones.
…Okay, so maybe it was bad.
'At least I'm rich and handsome. Small victories. Besides, it can't really get worse from here?'
Just as I was about to get up, a searing pain tore through my skull.
Memories that weren't mine came flooding in.
"AAAHHHHHRG!"
When it finally subsided, I slumped back, my heart sinking even further.
'Ah, shit.'
It seemed the situation could, in fact, get worse. Much, much worse.
I knew who this body belonged to.
I knew everything.
I was in a novel, or at least a world exactly like it.
A fucking novel. Requiem of Retribution. A joint work by two of my favorite authors—'Raguel123' and 'Bl33ding Cr0ss'.
Classic fantasy, but I had loved it. Every time I read it, it was an escape from whatever hell my real life was throwing at me.
Too bad I died before the next volume came out.
But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was who I had transmigrated into.
Not a main character. Not the protagonist. Not even a minor villain in one of the early arcs or an extra with a forgettable death.
No.
I was a side villain who appeared only in a flashback. A fucking flashback. Someone entirely unimportant—already dead before the main story even began.
My new identity?
Arthur Gravewalker. Second youngest of the Gravewalker Dukedom.
And today was the day I lost it all.