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 story๐ฅฒ๐ฅฒ
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 through๐๐
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.๐๐
***
๐ฝ๐๐๐๐...!!
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 ๐๐๐๐ค๐๐,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.
๐๐๐ผ๐๐!
"Ugh?! ARGGGHHHHโฆ!"
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.
๐๐ข๐ฌโฆ ๐๐ข๐ฌโฆ ๐๐ข๐ฌโฆ
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 '๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐' with that form. Most people even considered it a myth.
"๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐... ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป..." 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... ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต.
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:
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐ '๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐' ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ!]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ!
๐ญ. ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ (๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
๐ฎ. ๐๐ผ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป (๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
๐ฏ. ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฆ (๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
๐ฐ. ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด '๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป' (๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
๐ฑ. ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ด ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ (๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
๐ฒ. ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ (๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
๐ณ. ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ๐ (๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฒ)
๐ด. ...
...]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐น๐น ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ณ๐๐น๐ณ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ! ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ป๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ!]
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐, ๐๐ผ๐๐. ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐ผ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ท๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐]
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.
๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐...!!!
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.
"...๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฟ," 'Frost Assassin' murmured, his voice still calm even though his body felt ready to crumble.
"Or... should I call you ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐?"
๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐...!!!
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 ๐ง๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐. 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 ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฟ, 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.
๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
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 ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ต 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 ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ!
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.
[๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ, ๐ด๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐.]
[๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ'๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐๐, ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ '๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น'.]
[๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐๐ฝ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ. ๐๐ณ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.]
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."
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ...]
[๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป๐น๐ '๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ' ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ...]
[๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐...]
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.
[๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด! ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ณ๐๐น๐น๐ ๐ผ๐ฏ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ฑ!]
[๐ช๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ง๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒใ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ถ / ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐ด๐๐ปใ๐ป๐ผ๐?]
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.
[๐๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด...]
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.
"๐๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ... ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ถ๐ด ๐ค๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ."
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!
"<<๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ง๐จ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ข>>"
๐๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐...!!!!
For a moment, time and space seemed to stop. Then everything split in two!
***
"Whaโ!"
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. Soโ
Wait. The body?
Lux slowly raised both his hands. His eyes widened.
What is thisโ
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.