"U-Ugh…" Ethan slowly opened his eyes with a groan. He felt as if he had just been hit by a truck, and his mind was in a completely messy state. Light permeated his eyes as he frowned visibly and then rubbed his face. "What… happened?"
He couldn't remember anything for a few seconds as he tried to adjust to the bright light. As his eyes parted open, memories started flooding his mind.
"Ugh, did I lose consciousness?" He muttered. "I remember… eating ice cream and then… And then everything went pitch black." He muttered. "Hm?"
That was when Ethan realized something was off. His voice that he was speaking with was different from usual… Completely different.
"What? Why is my voice so much higher and… younger? What? What the hell is going on?" He grabbed his throat in confusion. Ethan was a 25-year-old man; he definitely didn't sound like that in at least 20 years.
Then, his eyes looked up, and he realized the second big change. The room he was in… wasn't his room. He was in what seemed to be a wooden cabin. Everything around him looked like it was built out of wood, giving it a rather natural vibe that he hadn't seen in God knows how long.
"Where the hell am I? What happened? Did I get kidnapped?!" He exclaimed with his youthful voice. Then, instinctively, he tried to get down from the bed. The third and strongest realization struck him at that moment. Ethan was far shorter than before…
"What the hell?!" He cursed as he jumped back, slamming against the bed. "Ouch!" He fell with his hands wrapped around his head. "Ugh… What is going on?"
He cursed as he stood up and looked at his body. He looked very youthful; his skin was smooth and white as porcelain, and it didn't look as stretched and as sick as his usual skin. He was also far skinnier. He almost looked like…
"A young boy…" He muttered. "Don't tell me. Did I reincarnate? No, no, this must be some sort of dream."
'However, it looks very real for a dream. Almost too real.' He thought as he pinched his cheek until it hurt. 'I didn't wake up…'
Looking around him, Ethan noticed a mirror on the other side of the room. Walking to it in a hurry, he stared at the reflection. That was when he got completely stunned beyond words.
The boy looking back at him in the mirror was handsome beyond reason. He had midnight black hair that dropped to his eyebrows, two mysterious purple eyes, and a perfect face.
He was easily the most good-looking person he had ever seen, and it wasn't even close. Something that shouldn't even exist.
"What… the hell?" He muttered as he touched his face and inspected it. "I have actually reincarnated… I'm in a different body than mine. How? I thought reincarnation isn't a real thing…"
Holding a strand of his hair, he frowned. "Black hair and purple eyes are surely a very interesting combo. I have never even seen purple eyes before."
After inspecting himself for a bit, he was about to turn around and try to look for any other clues to figure out what happened to him exactly.
"Wait… Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…"
Suddenly, an epiphany hit Ethan like a truck as he flipped around and grabbed the mirror with wide eyes. "Black hair… purple eyes… Strikingly gorgeous features… That sounds far too familiar…"
Ethan knew a certain individual with these unique features. A person he was defending merely a few minutes ago before waking up here. Someone that didn't even exist and was purely fictional.
"This can't be… This can't be Rize… right, right?!" He muttered. 'No matter how I look at it, he looks like Rize, at least what I imagine Rize to look like.'
"Hahaha, surely not, right? Surely I didn't reincarnate as this guy from the sto-"
"Rize! Wake the hell up!"
At that moment, Ethan heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door before it opened. An old man walked in. He was considerably tall and well-built, with grey, slick hair and training clothes.
"There you are."
"..."
"What are you doing? It's time to start."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" The man asked.
"No, I…"
"No time to waste; I will be waiting for you downstairs." He said.
Then, before Ethan could even speak, the door closed again, and the man disappeared. Ethan was left completely stunned beyond words.
"Grey hair, that tattoo on the side of his neck. If my looks are a pure coincidence, then that is definitely not a coincidence."
The truth became visible to Ethan. He had actually reincarnated in the body of Rize. One of the villains of the story 'Magus Of The Reverse World'. A popular webnovel that he had been reading for the past two years non-stop.
It was his favorite story ever and one of his most favorite pieces of work he had ever consumed, so he naturally was very drawn to it. His favorite character, however, was not the typical choice between the male lead or the different main characters. His favorite was this very character he was in right now… Rize.
A boy who was an orphan, adopted by the royal family. He proved his talent and power, and so he was trained to become the bodyguard of the royal princess of the entire nation. He was extremely loyal to the princess and was even hinted to have fallen deeply in love with her.
He dedicated his life to her and her cause until one day… She betrayed him and left him to his death. That was the moment his entire life switched, and he became one of the villains of the story until his death.
'How was I reincarnated? And who reincarnated me? And why Rize of all people? Is it because I said I would do the same thing if I were him? This makes no sense!' He thought to himself.
"I am truly going to lose my mind." He rubbed his hair. "Ok, let's calm down first and try to understand what happened and, more importantly, which phase of the story was I sent to… If this world does follow the story."
"Rize!! Get down here!"
"Y-Yes!!" Snapping out of his daze, Ethan finally left the room. The cabin he was in was quite spacious, with two stories. The smell of food permeated the warm place, and the sound of sizzling echoed through the walls.
Looking over the wooden rails, he saw the old man cooking in the kitchen. 'This cabin… If I remember correctly, it's the place where Rize went to train when he was a kid.'
As much as Rize was an important character, not many details were known about his childhood, so these were just bits and pieces sprinkled across the entire story that Ethan gathered. Walking down the stairs, he walked into the kitchen to find the old man.
"Sit down. Food is ready." The man said as he served two plates. There were eggs and bacon, bread, and butter alongside a large cup of milk. "Don't leave a single crumb; you need the nutrition and every ounce of energy to take on your training."
Ethan nodded his head. 'I forgot how strict this old man was… His name is Geralt, and he's the head servant of the royal family and one of the key characters in the future. He is also the person who found Rize and adopted him two years ago.
Now, the two had come to this remote cabin in the woods to start his official training to take on the role of the princess' bodyguard during her trips to school.
'I guess I have been brought to the point where Rize truly started his journey. Interesting…' Ethan mused. 'But, if I remember correctly, this training was what shaped Rize and how strong of a character he became.'
"Gulp… Could this be?"
"What are you waiting for, Rize? Eat."
"Yes, sir!" Ethan nodded as he grabbed the fork and started eating. He felt quite hungry, so he was able to wolf the food down rapidly. After he was done, he looked at Geralt, who wiped his mouth.
"Now, go put on your training clothes and meet me outside in 5 minutes."
"..."
"Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
Ethan stood up and walked away. 'This is so odd. How am I talking to a web novel character?! If this is a dream, then it's a pretty weird one.'
Walking into his room, Ethan saw the clothes on his chair. So, he quickly wore them and checked his fit in the mirror. He was wearing brown pants and a brown shirt, very plain but comfy and flexible.
"Ok, this is good enough." He muttered. "Sigh, what the hell am I even doing?"
Ethan didn't even realize that he had started behaving like Rize and doing what he was supposed to do as if he was now that person, truly. But was he really Rize? Or was he Ethan? Or was he a mix of both?
The questions kept piling in with no real answer whatsoever. 'Well, I have nothing to lose or win. I can only play along for now and see where things go. However… If I'm truly Rize now and this isn't a dream…'
"Then…" He smiled faintly. "Isn't this a bit too sick of a joke?"