Note: This story is normal, okay? There's no yuri, no gay content. It's truly a normal story. Even if there is romance, it's definitely related to the MC with fictional characters. Please, don't immediately consider it gay or whatever just because feelings of love emerge from male characters toward the MC (in female form) in this story🥲🥲
I'll give you another little warning. If you're readers who don't like things that drag on or beat around the bush, I can't guarantee this story will suit your taste, and if that's the case, you don't need to force yourselves to read it all the way through😌😌
But even if you only read a few chapters, I'm really happy and grateful that you're willing to spend your time reading this story.😊😊
***
𝘽𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙈...!!
The explosion split the night in two. A moment later, a wave of cold swept across the ground, turning the dew into ice crystals in an instant.
Amid the chaos, a man ran, stumbling. His breath came in ragged gasps.
His face was pale. His usually neat hair was a mess. Cold sweat froze at his temples before it could even drip. Both his legs had already turned blue, thin lines of ice creeping up them like roots. But he kept running. He had no other choice.
Behind him, the sounds of battle still 𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙚𝙙,the screams of his bodyguards, who were probably ice statues by now, trying to buy him time.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT ALL...!!" he screamed, his voice trembling with fear.
"WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME?!"
He was no ordinary man. Among the nobility, his name was known as clean and honorable. But that was only a mask. Behind it, he was the boss of the largest black-market trading network in the kingdom. His noble status was the perfect shield. No one suspected him, not even the imperial family.
Thanks to his talent for disguise, his wealth had surpassed even that of the highest Viscounts. Had his business continued undisturbed, he might have become the true ruler of the underworld.
But tonight, everything had fallen apart.
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙃!
"Ugh?! ARGGGHHHH…!"
A blade of blue energy shot out without a sound, slicing through his thigh. Blood sprayed out, some of it freezing before it hit the ground.
His body collapsed. His trembling hands clutched the gaping wound. Heat and cold slammed into his nerves at the same time. It was a pain he had never imagined in his whole pampered life.
𝘛𝘢𝘬… 𝘛𝘢𝘬… 𝘛𝘢𝘬…
Footsteps. Slow. Calm. Not the steps of someone in a hurry to give chase. These were the steps of someone who knew the prey wasn't going anywhere.
Each step sounded closer. Heavier.
With the last of his strength, the man looked up.
Before him stood a figure in a black cloak. The figure was only as tall as a fourteen-year-old boy, but the pressure it radiated made the air feel heavy.
White hair spilled out from beneath the hood. The face was hidden behind a skull mask. Only one eye was visible: sapphire blue, bright, and alive, which looked strangely out of place beside the mask of death. The other eye was hidden behind the bangs.
But that wasn't what made the man tremble.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of floating ice swords circled the figure, turning slowly as if awaiting a command.
"You... you..." His voice shook. "...Frost Assassin?!"
That name alone was enough to frighten people half to death. 'Frost Assassin' was a hired killer who had spread terror over the past three years. All his targets met the same end: frozen to death, then shattered into crystal dust.
What set him apart from other assassins wasn't his method of killing, but his targets. He dared to take contracts to kill Hunter Rank S.
And he had succeeded. One. Two. Three. Plus two more who survived but were left permanently crippled.
The news shook the entire kingdom. The bounty on his head skyrocketed, drawing Bounty Hunters to chase him, but...
Not a single one returned alive.
Word even reached the commanders of the Holy Spirit Empire, including the legendary 'Blue Flame Knight' Daniel Azura, the Second Commander, whose strength was equal to a Hunter Rank SS.
When the two finally clashed, the result wasn't merely "terrifying." It was a catastrophe. Cities were destroyed. Mountains were flattened. Blue flames burned the sky and met a blizzard that froze everything it touched.
Fortunately for humanity, 'Frost Assassin' was still a level below the Second Commander. The battle ended with him gravely wounded, while Daniel Azura was almost unscathed.
Realizing he couldn't win, 'Frost Assassin' did something he had never done before: he fled.
Even so, the world learned one thing from that fight: the strength of 'Frost Assassin' was "only" equal to Hunter Rank S+.
"Only" might not be the right word. That level was still far above ordinary people, including the wealthy noble now crawling in fear before him.
He was only Rank C+. Before an apex predator, he was nothing more than an insect.
Behind the mask, there was no reaction at all. An offer of wealth? Not interesting. He already had the spoils from the three Hunter Rank S he had killed, enough to buy a small kingdom. A dog? He preferred to work alone.
"...Don't worry," the voice behind the mask said, calm and cold. "Your death means a great deal to me. So you won't die in vain."
"Huh?"
The confusion on the man's face instantly turned to terror when 'Frost Assassin' swept back his hair and revealed the left eye that had been hidden all along.
"T-those eyes..." His voice trembled with fear.
Unlike the sapphire right eye, the left eye was unnatural, a silver iris ringed in black, with a deep blue pupil as dark as a bottomless pit.
In the history of magic, there was only one kind of '𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀' with that form. Most people even considered it a myth.
"𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀... 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻..." The words left his mouth like a final incantation before death.
Who would have thought that the legendary eyes said to be able to kill even immortal beings would one day stand before him?
"You guessed right," 'Frost Assassin' said calmly. "Unfortunately, there's no prize..."
In his vision, the world had turned into a canvas of crisscrossing black lines, connected to every object, visible or not.
Every line was a weakness. A path to... 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵.
With a movement full of 'indifference', he raised his ice sword.
Then, without hesitation, he cut one of the lines connected to the man.
There was no blood. No scream.
Only a soft sound, like a thread snapping.
The man's body collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. His eyes were still wide with shock. Then they slowly cracked like glass, before he finally turned to ash and was carried off by the night wind.
Behind the mask, 'Frost Assassin' let out a breath, full of relief but also weariness.
'Finally... All the conditions are done.'
A transparent blue light appeared before his eyes:
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 '𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀' 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲!]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲!
𝟭. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 (𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲)
𝟮. 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲)
𝟯. 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗦 (𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲)
𝟰. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 '𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻' (𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲)
𝟱. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝟴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁 (𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲)
𝟲. 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮 (𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲)
𝟳. 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗡𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀 (𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲)
𝟴. ...
...]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱! 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱!]
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆]
The expression behind the mask changed. At first he had felt a little interested, but when he heard the name of the System, which didn't match his expectations, he frowned instead.
'Template System?'
There were many things he wanted to ask. But he knew this wasn't the time or place.
Besides... his actions tonight had already drawn too much attention.
His senses caught powerful auras approaching, Tier 6, Tier 7, even several Tier 8. Without a doubt, they were the empire's elite troops.
'Frost Assassin' sighed coldly, and the breath crystallized in the air.
He was sure he could wipe them all out, but an unnecessary fight would only waste energy. Besides, the more abilities he revealed, the harder it would be to hide later.
Unfortunately, even a wish that simple turned out to be too much to ask tonight.
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍...!!!
The ground shook violently. Rocks floated into the air as if gravity had lost its power. Trees were torn out by their roots. The entire area seemed to rebel against the laws of physics.
"You won't escape this time, Frost Assassin."
A woman's voice, cold, came from above.
Suddenly, the body of 'Frost Assassin' felt many times heavier, as if a mountain had been piled onto his shoulders. But his face remained calm.
He slowly looked up. In the air, without wings and without any aid, a woman floated, relying on pure power alone.
Her beauty was unnatural, as if untouched by time. Her silver hair fluttered gently. Her face was almost devoid of expression.
Her eyes looked down coldly, like a moon gazing down on the world below.
"...𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿," 'Frost Assassin' murmured, his voice still calm even though his body felt ready to crumble.
"Or... should I call you 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆?"
𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘼𝘼𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙍...!!!
A wave of gravity slammed into the surrounding area, forming a giant crater with 'Frost Assassin' at its center.
The real battle had only just begun.
***
In the middle of a bustling city, a boy walked calmly along a street crowded with vehicles. He was almost fifteen years old. Even though he was trying to hide, his face still drew far too much attention. He pulled his hoodie's hood down deeper.
His steps stopped in front of a large screen broadcasting the news. It wasn't just him. Dozens of other people were also frozen in place, watching.
"Frost Assassin has struck again," said a middle-aged man, somewhat in awe.
"Even the Queen of Gravity couldn't stop him," another chimed in.
"Quiet, watch your mouth!" a woman hissed, her eyes wary as she scanned the surroundings. "If the Empire's soldiers hear you, your life is on the line."
"What can I do?" the man shrugged. "They've sent elite troops to kill or capture him, and every one of them failed. That's a fact, isn't it?"
"Lucky for us he's only Tier 8, equal to Rank S+," someone said in relief. "Imagine if there were a Tier 9 Assassin roaming around. No one would be able to sleep soundly."
A teenage girl sighed. "But... you have to admit, he's so mysterious."
"Kyaaa!" her friend squealed. "I really want to see the face behind that mask! He must be handsome!"
The men nearby just shook their heads, choosing to ignore the chatter.
It was ironic that the killer's terrifying reputation made him a subject of fantasy for girls, who forgot that every assassin has a reason for hiding his face.
Even more ironic, not one of them realized that the person they were talking about was standing right among them.
'I underestimated her strength...'
The hooded boy, Frost Assassin, narrowed his eyes at the screen.
The memory of the fight with the Queen of Gravity replayed in his head. If it weren't for the Mystic Eyes, he might not be standing here now.
'This world really is full of unexpected dangers.'
Lux Frost, the real name of Frost Assassin, looked up at the gray sky and let out a long sigh.
It had been fourteen years since he began living in this world, or, to put it another way... his second life.
In his first life, Lux had been an ordinary office worker. His life was monotonous until one day, someone stabbed him from behind on his way home.
Before he could even understand what had happened, he had been reborn in a completely different world.
At first he thought it was a parallel Earth... Tall buildings, motor vehicles, an ordinary modern world. But... he was badly mistaken.
This world was a mixture of modern, medieval, and fantasy all at once. Magic, magical swords, dungeons, monsters: all of it was real. All of it was part of daily life here.
He had cursed his fate for a while, feeling like the gods were toying with him. He had died tragically in his first life, only to be born again in a dangerous world.
But fortunately... there was one thing that kept him from despairing too much.
He had successfully awakened a rare 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁. It was his capital for surviving in this world.
A Talent, in short, is a special ability that nearly every being in this world possesses, the path through which magic and superhuman powers manifest.
Those with a strong Talent are rare. As rare as those whose Talent is completely useless.
What made Lux different was that he had received two Talents at once. To avoid attracting too much attention, he announced only one, an ice-themed Talent. The second Talent he kept a secret, at least until he was strong enough to reveal it.
His first Talent was 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗜𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗿, which transformed his body abnormally, granting him a high affinity with ice, extraordinary resistance to magic, and a face far too handsome for an ordinary human.
As for the second Talent... it was far more dangerous.
𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
Eyes that can see the lines of death in everything. Once a line is severed, death is certain.
At first glance it sounded overpowered, but this Talent also had a clear weakness.
Beings with no 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 at all are immune to this Talent. And unfortunately... this world was full of such beings.
So Lux's plan was simple. Hide, gather strength for years, then emerge with invincible power.
But three years ago... he discovered the existence of his third "Cheat": a 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺!
He had been full of hope for a moment, before that hope evaporated. It turned out the System would only unlock after certain conditions were met, and the most impossible one was becoming an accomplished Assassin and killing a Hunter Rank S Tier 8.
Fortunately, thanks to the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and a strong will, all the conditions were eventually fulfilled. The System was unlocked.
***
"I'm home..."
His cold voice broke the silence of the apartment as Lux stepped inside. With practiced movements, he turned on the lights, switched on the AC, tossed his bag aside carelessly, and began treating his own wounds.
Gaping wounds covered his body, a sight that should never be seen on someone so young.
But his face remained flat. No wincing. No expression of pain at all.
Ever since the Talent "Divine Ice Emperor" had activated, Lux had lost the ability to express himself normally. The Talent had made his body no longer entirely human, and as a side effect, his brain had gone numb to emotion. Even when he wanted to smile, the muscles of his face refused to move.
Lux didn't worry about it too much. There's no gain without sacrifice. Losing his expressions was a fair price for the great power he received in return.
Besides, maybe the System could help him deal with this side effect.
"Template System?" Lux frowned. "Never heard of it."
His limited experience with novels and games made the concept feel unfamiliar.
[𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰, 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁.]
[𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 '𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗹'.]
[𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿.]
Lux fell silent for a moment, digesting this. The System sounded powerful because it borrowed the power of fictional characters, even godlike ones. But there was one big problem.
"Are you kidding me? I've never even watched anime, played games, or read comics," he said flatly. "How am I supposed to use that character's power the way it's meant to be used?"
It was a serious problem. Years of struggling to survive had left no time for entertainment like that. All he knew were the popular titles, Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, One Piece, Detective Conan, and even those only vaguely.
[Don't worry, Host. Besides life experience, the Host will be given a reminder of how to use the character's power when the Template is activated]
"In that case... try randomizing one character now."
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱...]
[𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 '𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲' 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲...]
[𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄...]
While waiting, Lux stayed fairly calm.
Even if he got a weak character, it didn't matter, as long as the power was useful. Besides, the weaker the character, the more points he could earn by accomplishing something extraordinary.
'Like the protagonist of a Chinese novel who pretends to be weak, then slaps the enemy in the face when he shows his true strength,' he thought. 'Troublesome, but worth it.'
Of course... it would be even better if he got a strong character.
[𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗴! 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗯𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱!]
[𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲『𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗘𝗶 / 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗻』𝗻𝗼𝘄?]
Lux blinked. From the name... this was clearly a female character. But Genshin Impact?
He had heard of that game before. After all, a coworker in his previous life had once talked about it, and it was very popular.
Though, well... he had never played it.
But as a character from a famous game... she must be strong, right?
"Install," he decided without a second thought.
[𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴...]
Lux frowned, feeling something foreign begin to merge with his soul: memories that weren't his own, slowly seeping into his mind.
In those memories stood a woman, graceful and commanding. Her long dark purple hair flowed freely, her skin was porcelain pale, and her purple eyes gleamed with light blue pupils. The luxurious kimono she wore only sharpened her intimidating aura.
In her hand was a katana-like sword, wreathed in purple sparks of electricity. One look was enough to know that she was not someone to be bothered... unless one wanted to end up headless.
She was the most beautiful woman Lux had ever seen so far... But behind that beauty lay a deep loneliness.
"𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘌𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺... 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯."
The soft whisper reached his ears...
Her voice was melodious yet cold, but suddenly...
The woman drew her sword, so fast that Lux had no time to react!
"<<𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢>>"
𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙃𝙃...!!!!
For a moment, time and space seemed to stop. Then everything split in two!
***
"Wha—!"
Lux woke up, gasping for breath. His body, which had begun to 'change', was drenched in cold sweat. His trembling hands held his head as a strange sensation crept through his entire body.
'Strong... She's so strong.'
The memory of Raiden Shogun's, or rather, Raiden Ei's battles left him a little speechless.
The Electro Archon, ruler of lightning, with power beyond reason.
She might still be inferior to the ancient monsters who had lived for millions of years in this world, but Raiden Ei's swordsmanship was on a completely different level, techniques that could cut through space and time, something Lux had never heard of until now.
But...
Raiden Shogun and Raiden Ei... two consciousnesses in one body?
Slowly, Lux began to understand the difference. Raiden Ei was the true Electro Archon. Raiden Shogun was the puppet she created, a vessel for the Archon's consciousness.
Though only a puppet, Shogun had her own consciousness and will.
Inside her body was an artificial dimension created by Raiden Ei, called the 'Plane of Euthymia', where Raiden Ei meditated, contemplating Eternity.
As the creator, Raiden Ei could take over Raiden Shogun's body whenever she wished.
Two souls, one body. While one controlled the body, the other waited in the 'Plane of Euthymia'.
But there seemed to be a great risk. Raiden Shogun might rebel one day, like an artificial intelligence that eventually turns against its own creator. She surely wouldn't remain obedient forever.
Luckily, right now, the body and both consciousnesses were under Lux's control. So—
Wait. The body?
Lux slowly raised both his hands. His eyes widened.
What is this—
His sentence cut off the moment he saw his reflection in the mirror. His expression changed instantly.
What was reflected wasn't a handsome white-haired teenager with mismatched eyes.
What stared back was a very beautiful adult woman, with long purple hair flowing freely and a luxurious kimono clinging perfectly to a slender but strong body. There was a small beauty mark near her right eye.
Lux's hand, now more delicate and feminine, touched the surface of the mirror.
The woman in the mirror moved at the same time, exactly the same. Her purple eyes flashed coldly as her red lips moved.
"...Return my form to what it was..."
A melodious but cold voice sounded.
And for the first time since losing the ability to express himself, Lux felt something he couldn't put into words.
Because that voice clearly hadn't come from his own mouth.