The darkness came and it wasn't empty. It pressed against him. Suffocating. Like drowning in ink.
Julien floated in nothing. No up. No down. Just the weight of his existence crushing inwardly.
Where am I?
The thought resonated before being swallowed by the void. It remained silent for a while.
Then the whispers came. They grew slowly from the depths.
"You don't belong here " The tone wasn't hostile. Just... true. Honest.
The space twisted as shapes emerged from shadow. Not solid. More like impressions. Memories given form.
Auryn's echoes, they were. They rippled through the darkness.
A younger prince sparring in courtyards. Bloodied knuckles. Determined eyes. A low growl that showed he could keep going.
An older Auryn signing documents. Territory maps. Tax ledgers. Responsibilities. The weight that came with an empire.
The final echo. Standing on broken stone. Hero's sword raised. "I lived as a dragon. I'll die as one."
The whispers grew louder. "This body is ours. This life was ours."
Julien's chest tightened. "I know."
"Then why are you here?"
He couldn't answer. Or better still, he didn't know how to. He knew he possessed something that wasn't his but it was given and wasn't stolen. At least not yet.
Soon another memory flickered into existence and this time, it wasn't Auryn's.
Emilia ran to the school bus. Seven years old. Her pigtails bouncing.Turning back to wave. Her smile was contagious to all.
The image shifted after a quick glitch.
Now he was in the hospital room. Emilia at fourteen. Her eyes were red. Hands trembling while holding his phone.
"I love you. Please don't go. Please—"
He'd tried to speak. His lungs had failed. The words never came.
Julien's throat constricted even here in the void. "I never got to tell her. Never got to say it back."
A flash of light appeared and suddenly Julien found himself in his room.
Blueprints spread across his desk. Roman Colosseum. Babylonian ziggurats. Egyptian pyramids.
These were not just buildings.They were civilizations.
He'd studied how they rose. How they fell. How new worlds rose from their ashes like phoenixes.
"Buildings aren't just art," he'd told his professor once. "They're tales of survival. Strategy and legacy."
The void shifted. Everything shuffled up and down as warmness spread out through the echoes of memories.
"I need to build," Julien said. To himself. To the echoes of the past. To whatever listened. "I never reached my potential. I won't waste this. Not this time."
Auryn's echo turned toward him. Solid now. Not hostile. Only watching.
"You protected yours," Julien continued. "I protected mine. We're the same."
Silence remained between them but in the depths of this silence was understanding. Purpose and acceptance.
"Let me carry it forward. Let me finish what you started."
The echoes froze. Then slowly, like embers burning away, they folded into Julien's consciousness.
Not possession. But Integration.
As they became one. Julien felt pain. His soul trembled as if a force was stitching it back together.
There was a release and the void collapsed.
Hah—!
Julien gasped awake. His chest rose and fell. No hollow ache. The weight of drowning had disappeared.
He was whole.
The room came into focus slowly.
Draconic carvings lined the walls. Dragon statues coiled around pillars. Mouths open. Eyes watching.
Incense smoke curled from bronze plates. It was heavy and sweet to the nose.
Julien—no, Auryn looked at his hands. They were larger than Julien's had been. Scarred from training. Hardened.
But they felt like his now. Not borrowed. Not stolen.
His.
He flexed his fingers. They responded perfectly.
A sound from nearby pulled his attention.
A snore...
Borin slumped in a wooden chair beside the bed. Gray beard touching his chest. Weathered face filled with exhaustion.
His armour was still on. Axe propped against the chair within reach.
Auryn's vision sharpened. Not consciously but instinctively. A faint glow surrounded the dwarf. Silver. Steady. Warm.
The sensation that came with it wasn't visual. He could feel it. Like standing near a campfire. Safe and protected.
This was loyalty.
The word surfaced from nowhere. But it was perfect. Auryn didn't understand the colors yet. But he understood the feeling.
This man was safe.
The dwarf's eyes snapped open.
For a heartbeat they stared at each other. Then relief flooded the dwarf's face.
"My lord!" His voice cracked. Emotion spilling.
"Three days—we thought—" He stopped. Swallowed hard."The court's been circling like vultures. Your brothers asking questions."
Auryn's throat tightened. This stranger cared. Deeply for him.
"I'm..." He paused. His voice came out smooth with confidence. Auryn's voice. Still alien to his ears. "I'm better now." He continued.
Borin leaned forward. Studying him closely. "You've been unconscious. The poison nearly took you."
Poison. Right…
Fragments of memory surfaced. Not his but the original's.
"What happened?" Auryn asked carefully.
"Assassination attempt." The dwarf's jaw tightened. "Guard poisoned you sir" He shook his head. "You shouldn't have survived."
Auryn processed what he heard. An assassination. Someone wanted Auryn dead.
Someone still wants ME dead.
"The guard?" Auryn asked.
"Captured. Interrogated. He's been going around in circles." The dwarf's expression darkened. "We'll break him soon."
Auryn nodded slowly. Playing along. Pretending he knew what Auryn should know. What he should do.
Borin stood. Stretching as his joints popped. "You need strength. I'll bring something myself."
He moved toward the door after a short bow. At the door he paused. Then looked back.
"Something changed in you, lad." His eyes narrowed slightly. Not suspicious. Concerned. "Your eyes..."
Auryn's stomach dropped. What about them?
But the dwarf didn't press. Just shook his head. "I'll be back. Your highness."
He left. Auryn was finally alone.
The room settled into silence. Just the crackle of incense and distant footsteps in corridors.
Auryn stared at the ceiling. The decor was actually majestic and this was only the third prince's room.
Those colors. The silver around the dwarf. What was that?
The thought formed clearly. Almost like a question directed at something.
Golden text flickered to life in his vision.
Floating and translucent and only visible to him.
══════════════════════════
[SKILL: AUTHOR'S EYES]
[FUNCTION: Detect narrative roles via aura]
- SILVER: Loyalty
- GOLD: Protagonist
- CRIMSON: Antagonist
- GRAY: Doomed
[RANGE: 50 meters]
[COST: Mental fatigue (passive drain)]
══════════════════════════
Auryn's breath hitched.
Narrative roles. Auras. I can see who's loyal. Who's dangerous.
He focused. The ability activated without conscious effort.
The world shifted. A wavelength of colors bloomed through the stone walls. Faint but present.
A guard in the corridor outside. Pale silver. Dutiful but not yet devoted.
A servant passing further away. Gray. Fading. Doomed.
The word sent a chill through him. How unforgiving the story was.
Another guard. Distant. A flicker of crimson mixed with pale silver.
Enemy? Or just ambitious? The ability still left a lot to interpretation.
Auryn tried to hold the vision. The colors brightened. The details sharpened.
But the pain was unforgiving, lancing through his skull. He gasped as the colors vanished. His head throbbed.
Too much. Can't hold it for long.
He experimented further. Focused on dimming the intensity. Like adjusting brightness on a screen.
The colors returned. Softer. Manageable. The headache eased to a dull pressure.
He could control it but the exhaustion was still ever present.
He sighed.
Letting he ability fade completely. And the world returned to normal.
Auryn closed his eyes. Breathed slowly.
I can see loyalty. Danger. Death.
I can change things. He thought.
---
The door opened.
The dwarf returned carrying a wooden tray. Warm bread. Roasted meat. Clear broth.
The smell hit Auryn immediately. Rich and savory. His stomach growled. His lips moistened slightly.
Borin set the tray on the bedside table. Pulled a chair closer and sat.
"Eat, lad. You need strength." He instructed with a fatherly tone.
Auryn reached for the bread.
His hand trembled.
The motion stopped halfway. His throat tightened. A phantom burn crawled up his esophagus. The sensation of the poison lingered in his mind.
Auryn's body remembered. The venom spreading. Organs failing. Death crept in and actually took him.
He stared at the bread. It looked harmless. Smelled good.
But his hand wouldn't move. His bones felt rusted.
What if it's poisoned? What if—
"My lord." Borin's coarse voice cut through the spiral. "How fare you this morning?"
Auryn wanted to say: Terrified. This isn't my body. I don't know how to work it.
He instead said "Somewhat improved."
The words came out smooth. Confident. Auryn's voice betraying all of the fear underneath.
The dwarf studied him. Then leaned forward. Their eyes locked.
"Look at me, lad."
Auryn met his gaze. The silver aura pulsed faintly.
"I tested this food myself." The dwarf's voice was firm and steady. "Ate from every dish."
He picked up the bread. Took a bite. Chewed deliberately. Swallowed.
"No harm will ever come to your table again." The dwarf's eyes hardened. "Not while I still draw breath."
Something in Auryn's chest loosened. He saw the determination in the dwarf's face. Not duty. Love.
It reminded him of someone.
Emilia. Holding his hand at the very end. Refusing to leave.
His throat tightened. Eyes stung. He wanted to cry but that wouldn't be so princely now. Would it?
Auryn picked up the bread. His hand still shaking slightly.
He took a small bite. Flavor exploded across his tongue. Warm. Rich. His first taste of food in this body.
He chewed slowly and swallowed without a fuss.
The dwarf nodded in approval. "Good lad."
They ate in silence. Auryn managing his fear one bite at a time. The dwarf standing watch.
For the first time since waking, Auryn felt something other than panic.
He wasn't alone even in this new world.
A small smile formed on his face. Borin noticed. Smiling back.
---
While eating, Auryn thought: What am I now? Show me.
The golden text returned.
══════════════════════════
[AURYN IGNISAR]
Third Prince, Dragon Empire
Rank 2 (Adept)
Draconic Aura: Weakened (recovering)
CURRENT STATE:
- Physical: Stable
- Magical: Depleted (47/1,600 Mana - recovering)
- Mental: Soul integration 67%
ACTIVE SKILLS:
- Author's Eyes (Narrative Detection)
- [LOCKED]
- [LOCKED]
[INNATE MAGIC:]
- Fire Manipulation (Rank 2: Basic Flames)
- Partial Transformation (Arms/Claws/Scales)
══════════════════════════
Auryn read slowly. Processing as he ate.
Third Prince. Rank 2. Weakened.
The villain. The one who dies at chapter 47.
His jaw tightened.
But I have time. I can change this.
I didn't survive all this just to die again.
—
There was a knock at the door.
Borin's eyes twitched. He looked straight at the door. Hand moving to his axe instinctively.
"Enter," Auryn called.
A guard stepped in. Nervous. Silver aura around him. "Your Highness." He bowed quickly.
"The prisoner—the traitor who tried to kill you."
Auryn set down his bread. "What about him?"
"He's been interrogated. But he demands to speak only to you."
The dwarf growled. "Demands? He's in no position—"
Auryn raised a hand and silenced him.
He stood slowly. Testing his strength. His legs held.
"Take me to him."
The guard hesitated. "My lord, you just woke—"
"Now." He said. His tone low and chilling.
The guard swallowed. Nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
Auryn moved toward the door. The dwarf followed immediately.
As they left, Auryn thought. This man tried to steal my second chance.
Time to find out who wants me dead.