"Can’t believe we drove all this way for a bunch of rocks," Ben grumbled, though he was already digging for his phone. The blue light etched hollows under his eyes, making him look like a sleep-deprived ghoul.

  "Oh, come on," Max said, slinging an arm around Ben’s shoulders. "Once-in-a-lifetime experience! Just take your tourist snapshots so we can—"

  "Get back in the car and find a pub?" Harry suggested.

  "Document the mystical energies," Max corrected, brandishing a battered compass that immediately spun in frantic circles.

  They bickered their way toward the monument, their voices fading into the vast, empty dark. Looking around for nice ideas I could get for my art, I found myself rooted to the spot, the pendant at my throat humming like a plucked guitar string.

  I saw strange symbols on the pillars. The wind shifted. Not wind—breath.

  A whisper so soft it might’ve been my own pulse, threading through the gaps between stones. Come closer.

  I took a step. Then another. The grass beneath my trainers crackled with frost despite the season.

  The voice coiled around me, wordless and sweet as poisoned honey. My fingers brushed the nearest monolith—

  —and the world split. Agony sheared through every nerve.

  My vision whited out; my mouth opened in a soundless scream. For one endless instant, I existed only as fracturing bone and unraveling thought.

  My body shook violently without control as I kept blinking my eyes, suddenly finding myself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. Memories flooded in like a burst dam - the pain was too much.

  "Argh! Help! Ben! Max! Anna, help!" The pain burned through me, sharp and unrelenting.

  It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hur— As I struggled to keep my eyes open, blinking against the agony, my surroundings suddenly shifted.

  One moment I was in familiar territory, the next... somewhere entirely unknown. My vision cleared slowly, revealing an unfamiliar place.

  The pain had faded, leaving only confusion in its wake. One question burned brighter than the fading agony: Where the hell am I?

  Embercrown 6th (6/5), Year 1356 of the Arcane Calendar. 12:33 PM

  "Hey Rose, help me out, I'll give you a treat when we go to town on Sunday," my mouth said automatically.

  "Anna, you better buy me something delicious." "Argh! Arghh! Help me!" Anna looked at Rose in disbelief.

  "Did you hear that?" "Yes, it's the young master."

  Immediately Anna ran toward the bedroom, knocking urgently. "Young Master, it's me!"

  Seeing no response, she opened the door. I saw her and with an unfamiliar voice called out, "Anna? My personal maid?" Why did I know her?

  "Are you okay, Master?" she asked worriedly. "I'm okay now. Just had a frightening nightmare. I don't know what I've done to upset our Lord Noctis."

  Anna looked at me with concern. "Do you need anything?" She began praying to Noctis for good dreams.

  "Warm milk would be nice." Shaking her head as she was closing the door, she said, "I will notify Charles immediately to prepare. Master Kyzen, get some rest."

  I smiled at Anna and thanked her. The moment the door closed; I bolted upright.

  That was no dream. I'm Oliver from Earth. No way this transmigration thing actually happens.

  And this is no dream - it's too real. What was that pendant really, how did this happen? My mind was a chaotic mess filled with numerous questions.

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  The full-length dressing mirror to the right of my bed screamed expensive. In the dim moonlight, I saw my reflection - this was Kyzen.

  Ash-gray hair tied in a loose ponytail, strands framing my face, and a few black hairpins keeping part of my bangs in place. I had the look of someone straight out of a fantasy novel.

  My piercing dark eyes and lean yet well-built physique made me stand out even more. At 5'10", I was well above average for my age.

  If I still lived on Earth, I might've had a shot at modeling with this face. Not that I was any less handsome than Oliver.

  After testing my new body and getting used to it - which wasn't that hard since I had Kyzen's muscle memory - I sat on the edge of the bed.

  The pocket watch on the nightstand ticked relentlessly, its silver casing engraved with the Ashford crest. Outside, an owl's cry pierced the night.

  Two lives worth of memory. One body. Somewhere in this impossible world, there had to be answers.

  And I would find them. Had his soul been erased when mine crashed into this body—obliterated without a trace?

  The thought made me sick. I wasn’t a murderer, but if I had unknowingly destroyed someone just by existing here…

  Or worse—what if we merged? Fragments of his memories, his instincts, they were all tangled up in me now.

  Was he still in here somewhere, drowning beneath my consciousness? A voice at the back of my skull, screaming silently?

  And then there was the third possibility, the one that unsettled me most. What if Kyzen’s soul had been displaced?

  Cast out of his own body, forced to wander like a lost spirit, watching helplessly as I lived his life in his place.

  Was he out there right now, raging at the injustice? Cursing my name? A cold shiver ran through me.

  If that was true… then I had stolen everything from him. His body. His future. His existence.

  And there was no way to give it back. The silence in the room felt heavier after my plea.

  No ghostly whispers, no sudden chill—just the same oppressive darkness. Maybe Kyzen wasn’t here.

  Or maybe he was listening and just… didn’t care. I let out a shaky breath and sank deeper into the bed, the weight of guilt pressing down on me.

  "I never wanted this." It was true, but did that even matter?

  Good intentions didn’t change the fact that I was here, and he… wasn’t. What if he can’t answer?

  The thought slithered into my mind. What if his soul was destroyed, and all that remained were echoes—his memories, his habits, bleeding into me like ink in water?

  Would I even know the difference? Would I slowly become him without realizing it?

  I squeezed my eyes shut. No. No, I’m still me. I have to be.

  But the doubt lingered. And then, quieter, a darker fear: What if he doesn’t want his body back?

  What if whatever brought me here—some god, some curse, some cosmic mistake—made sure there was no going back for either of us?

  The bed creaked as I turned over, staring at the shadowed ceiling. "Kyzen… if you’re out there… I’m sorry."

  Still, nothing answered. After a few minutes of sorting through the flood of new memories, I began to understand my current situation.

  The body I now possessed belonged to a seventeen-year-old boy named Kyzen Ashford, the second eldest son of the Ashford family, who held the noble rank of Count.

  If I were to compare this world's level of development to Earth's history, it would fall somewhere between the Medieval and Renaissance periods.

  It is the period in time when the kings were in rule and influenced by the Church, later on the kings grew more influential than the Church except nothing here was that simple.

  This world went by —Velmora, was teeming with races and mythical creatures that defied Earth's logic.

  Dragons, griffins, krakens, and countless other species existed here, though with subtle differences from their Earthly counterparts.

  Velmora itself seemed far larger than Earth, judging by Kyzen’s knowledge. Anyways, putting that aside, the calendar here was a bit strange, three extra months, making the year significantly longer.

  Each month still had 31 days, so time didn't move too differently. Knock knock. "Young Master, it's me, Charles. May I enter?"

  "You may," The door opened, revealing a man dressed in formal butler's attire.

  He stood around six feet tall, with rich chocolate-brown hair and a concerned expression. "Are you faring well now, Young Master?"

  I nodded. "I'm fine. It was just a small nightmare, nothing to be afraid of."

  Looking relieved, he handed me a cup of warm milk. "Anna informed me of what happened. Do you require anything else, Master?"

  After taking a sip—damn, this milk is incredible, what kind of cow did this come from? —I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm fine now. You may take your leave."

  As the soothing warmth spread through me, drowsiness crept in. But something felt... missing.

  Ah, of course. My expression darkened as the weight of realization crashed over me.

  Kyzen’s memories had shielded me for a while, but now… now it was unbearable. Charles took his leave wishing me a good night.

  Mom… Dad… I’d never see them again. No more of Mom’s warm hugs, no more of Dad’s steady voice telling me everything would be alright.

  No more stupid arguments with my little sister, no more late-night gaming sessions with my friends, laughing until our sides hurt.

  I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. They were gone.

  Not dead—just gone, separated from me by something worse than distance. Would they even know I disappeared?

  Would they spend years searching, grieving, wondering what happened to me? That’s too cruel of a fate for them.

  A hollow ache spread through my chest. I wanted to scream.

  I wanted to collapse. But all I could do was stand there, trapped in a world that wasn’t mine, drowning in grief too vast to put into words.

  I didn’t even get to say goodbye.