Darkness.
Then—
Memories.
They surged into me all at once, flooding my mind like a broken dam. A whirlwind of images, sensations, and emotions that weren't mine—but now, somehow,
were.
I saw
him.
Damien Elford.
From childhood to now. Every moment, every experience, every pathetic excuse of a decision he had ever made.
And the more I saw, the more
disgusted
I became.
Born into privilege.
Absolute
privilege. A life where everything was handed to him on a silver platter—money, status, power.
And yet—
What did he
do
with it?
Nothing.
Every opportunity, every resource, every
single
chance to make something of himself? He
squandered
it.
Teachers hired to give him the best education? He ignored them, too lazy to study.
Trainers brought in to refine his body? He made excuses, calling physical effort "pointless."
Tutors in politics, economics, business? He sat through their lessons with a
smirk,
knowing deep down he would never actually
use
any of it.
Because why would he?
Why
try
when his family name alone was enough to carry him through life?
He was a narcissist—
but not even the obvious kind.
Not the ones who
owned
their arrogance, who flaunted their status openly.
No.
He was the worst kind.
A
covert narcissist.
The type who masked their delusions with
self-pity.
The type who sat around doing
nothing
with their lives, yet expected
sympathy
when things didn't magically go their way.
The type who would whine about being "misunderstood" instead of actually
changing.
He told himself he was
better
than others, but deep down?
He was a
loser.
A
pathetic, self-inflicted failure
who resented anyone who
actually
worked for what they had.
And instead of improving, instead of
fixing
himself, he would just sit there, stewing in bitterness,
blaming everyone else for his incompetence.
'Tch.'
These were the kinds of people that disgusted me the most.
The ones who refused to take accountability. The ones who wasted
everything
and still expected the world to
pity
them.
He
chose
to be a failure.
He
chose
to rot away in his own mediocrity.
And now I was stuck in his body?
I felt something
burn
inside me.
I
hated
people like him.
And I
refused
to be like him.
The memories kept coming, wave after wave of this loser's miserable existence—
And all I could think was:
'I will
never
be this pathetic piece of shit.'
Just as another wave of memories threatened to drown me, a voice cut through the void.
Smooth. Soft. But undeniably
authoritative.
"Oh... now that I've looked through your life, you really
are
a special specimen, aren't you?"
I froze.
That voice—
I
knew
that voice.
Because how the
hell
could I forget?
The woman who had appeared in that void like she owned the place. The one who had
mocked
Righteous_One without even trying. The one who had
saved
me from whatever bullshit he had planned.
I turned my head sharply.
"Selene?"
Silence.
Then—
A sharp chuckle.
"Who said you were allowed to address me by name?"
I felt a chill crawl up my spine.
Her voice wasn't harsh, but there was something in it—something
dangerous.
A presence that demanded
respect.
For a moment, I stayed silent, letting her words settle.
Then, I scoffed.
"The hell?" I muttered, rolling my shoulders as I shook off that instinctual chill. "And what exactly am I supposed to call you, huh?"
No response.
I narrowed my eyes. "You're the one who showed up in my head, talking like you know everything. If you don't want me to say your name, then what? Should I call you 'Your Majesty'? 'Oh, Great One'? Tch. Give me a break."
I wasn't going to back down.
Who the
fuck
was I supposed to be here?
I had already lost my original body, been thrown into some
loser's
existence, and now I had to walk on eggshells just because some mysterious woman didn't like the way I addressed her?
Yeah,
no thanks.
Then—
The entire space
shifted.
The darkness around me
moved.
No,
turned.
Like reality itself was being twisted into something new.
I barely had time to process the sensation before my feet
landed
on solid ground—
And suddenly, I was
somewhere else entirely.
A vast chamber stretched before me, grand and regal, yet impossibly surreal. The air felt thick, charged with an energy I couldn't name. The floor beneath me was smooth obsidian, polished to a mirror-like shine, reflecting the warm, golden glow of floating lights that hovered in the air like fireflies.
But what struck me first—
Was the
scent.
A rich, intoxicating fragrance filled the space.
Something sweet. Something dark. Like the perfect mix of aged wine, delicate spices, and something
dangerously addictive.
And then—
My eyes landed on
her.
Selene.
Lounging effortlessly on a throne, one leg crossed over the other, her posture lazy yet undeniably regal.
She was exactly as I remembered—elegant, poised, the very
embodiment
of confidence. The deep slit of her dress revealed those endlessly long legs, and the soft, ambient glow of the chamber cast a halo-like sheen over her impossibly smooth skin.
Her golden eyes met mine, gleaming with something
playful
—yet predatory.
And then, she smiled.
"Much better," she murmured. "Now, why don't we have a little
chat
?"
I met her gaze, unmoving.
Selene leaned forward slightly, resting her elbow on the armrest of her throne, her chin propped lazily against her palm. The way she looked at me—it wasn't just curiosity.
It was
amusement.
"You really
are
a special specimen," she mused, her lips curling slightly. "The fact that you were able to piss him off enough to make him do
all this
... well, let's just say, that doesn't happen often."
I arched a brow. "Are you talking about Righteous_One?"
She chuckled. "I suppose that's the name you know him by."
Tch. So she
did
know him.
I crossed my arms, tilting my head slightly. "And what's your relationship with him?"
Selene's golden eyes gleamed with something unreadable.
"Why should I answer you?" she asked, her voice laced with playful mockery.
I clicked my tongue. "It's not like you'll
die
if you do."
Her lips twitched at that. "True," she admitted, a hint of laughter in her tone. "But where's the
fun
in just revealing everything?"
She sat back, her posture relaxed, completely in control.
"Why don't we make this more interesting?" she continued. "Try to
guess
my relationship with him. If you guess correctly enough..."
Her crimson lips curled into a smirk.
"I'll give you a
reward.
"
The moment I heard that, I smirked.
'Heh. Now we're talking.'
Everything was already going in the direction I wanted. She was interested. Engaged. Teasing, sure, but that meant I had
room
to push.
And if there was one thing I enjoyed, it was
turning the tables.
"Alright," I said, shrugging lazily. "Don't mind me if I try."
Selene's golden eyes gleamed with intrigue.
"Go ahead," she murmured, resting her cheek against her knuckles. "Let's see if that sharp tongue of yours is good for more than just pissing people off."
Tch.
I licked my lips slightly, letting my thoughts turn.