He opened his eyes to a completely different world. Though calling it a "world" felt like an exaggeration—he was simply in another room. A breathtaking one.
Colorful shimmering lights hung from the ceiling like captured stars. At the center floated a glowing dome of glass and polished stones that sparkled softly even in shadow, bathing the space in gentle, shifting hues. Around the room, candle lamps burned inside delicate glass casings, their flames dancing like living things. Ancient paintings adorned the walls, marble and rich wooden furniture gleamed under the light, and two tall open windows let in a cool, crisp breeze that carried the scent of distant forests.
The questions hit him instantly, the most natural ones: *Who am I? Where am I? What the hell is my identity here?*
But answers didn't come. Instead, the previous night's memories flooded back.
Just like every other night, he had eaten, played mobile games, watched some 18+ content, remembered a few old crushes, cursed the world in his head, and fallen asleep wishing he wouldn't wake up.
Now he had woken up to *this*.
The candle lamps flickered. Through the large windows, he could see the sun struggling to rise behind distant mountains, slowly painting the peaks and the thick forest at their feet with the first golden light of dawn. It was still early morning here.
His gaze dropped to the bed. The sheets were impossibly royal—rich, vibrant colors, softer than anything he had ever touched. This couldn't possibly belong to him.
Then his eyes found the mirror beside the bed.
He picked it up with trembling hands. The face that stared back made his stomach drop.
It wasn't his.
If evolution and upgrades had been applied to his old face, this might be the final result—only far more beautiful than any upgrade could explain. Long, thick hair, white with reddish streaks. Flawless skin. No trace of the chubby, messy boy he used to be. This body was lean, elegant, almost ethereal. The royal garments clung to it perfectly, accentuating every line. He looked… breathtaking.
A wave of embarrassment hit him. He quickly looked away.
The woman's voice broke the silence. "Jagraj, why are you up so early? You never wake at this hour."
The sun was only just rising. To her, this was still dawn.
Before he could respond, she fired more questions, concern thick in her voice. "Jagraj, are you alright? You're not speaking. Is your body unwell? Did you have a nightmare? Did you… soil the bed? It's okay, you're growing up. These things happen—"
She moved closer, almost pushing him aside to inspect the sheets herself. After a thorough check, she straightened up. "Everything looks fine. What's wrong with you? Why are you so quiet?"
Rudra said nothing. He just stared at her, jaw tight, fighting every instinct.
In his previous life he had been a secret admirer—never bold enough to approach any girl, though he dreamed of love, marriage, nights together. He kept those feelings buried deep, never wanting to hurt anyone. He satisfied himself with videos instead. Only twice had he lost control as a kid, but he never crossed lines. He teased at most. Nothing more.
He didn't want to ruin anyone's life. Life was short. Why leave scars?
A cold gust of wind suddenly swept through the room, raising goosebumps on his new skin.
Without thinking, the words tumbled out: "I want to exercise. Do some physical training. Leave me alone for a while."
The woman looked stunned. "Exercise? You've never shown interest in that before. His Majesty has begged you countless times to train your body, but you only ever cared about books and… girls. Now suddenly you want to exercise?"
There was suspicion in her tone—not innocent curiosity, but something sharper. She was doubting him.
Rudra kept his face blank. "I need some time. Come back later. Leave now. Let me be alone for a bit."
She hesitated, clearly unsettled by his strange behavior, but eventually bowed slightly and left without another word. The door clicked shut behind her.
The moment she was gone, Rudra collapsed onto the bed, letting out a long, shaky breath. All the tension he had been holding back poured out of him. He knew exactly how hard it had been to keep himself in check while she stood so close.
Now, in the quiet, old memories began stirring again in his mind—slowly, relentlessly.
Rudra remembers what happened in his past life. The first memory he remembers was of his dad. From the very beginning his dad wasn't right. It wasn't this bad. His dad used to torture his mother but still he used to earn money but slowly it all broke. When he passed the diploma it was already too late. One night his father was found dead after he was drunk and that was the start of the incidents
After his dad died he took everything on his shoulders. He couldn't find any suitable job so he goes on labours for one month. After one month his mother and little brother died out of nowhere from an unknown disease. After that he stopped working because he was broken down and he doesn't need to live anymore. He thought that he will live as long as he can but then things started to change like someone was playing with him.
His stiff elder brother died too and after his death his aunt, the sister of his father, died as the little sister of his father was married to a family. The grandfather didn't give her anything in the will so everything comes to him at last. Some people start to doubt that he killed everyone but he knew he wasn't the person. He was already broken and these all broke him to the end. He decided he will live like a loser. He starts to play games all the time, watch R18 content, and one night he falls asleep and dies. His spirit, although, didn't disappear from there.
The remains of his soul stayed there. Fortunately he stayed there because he found that the cause of his death was that little aunt, the little sister of his father. He couldn't do anything. He was reborn here and somehow, someone, secretly tried to kill him again by poison. This fact probably let him remember his past .