Chapter 1

"Damnit," he muttered under his breath, tossing the controller aside and slumping against the sofa. Glancing at the screen in front of him, he let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head.

"12 games... 12 damn ranked games lost."

He was too angry to even be angry, if that even made sense. He had taken the day off to climb the rankings, but it seemed luck was not on his side today. Frustration simmered within him, although he tried not to show it. All he wanted was to smash that TV screen, but he knew he couldn't afford such a luxury – he was broke.

"I'll just take a break from the game... It's probably for the best."

The new season was approaching, and he was confident in his abilities. He reached for a soda from his mini-fridge and drank, realizing he hadn't hydrated for four hours straight.

His eyes drifted to the calendar, and he let out another sigh.

"My vision is getting more blurry." His gaze slowly shifted to the glasses on the table in front of him. "But I hate wearing them." Christopher rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He got up and headed to the bathroom, grabbing some painkillers from the shelf. Pouring himself some water from the tap, he tossed the painkillers into his mouth and swallowed them with a gulp of water, wiping his mouth afterward.

Feeling a bit better, he walked back to his room and collapsed onto the bed, attempting to sleep. However, even after taking the painkillers, his headache seemed to worsen slightly.

"Urgh."

Groaning, he buried his face in a soft pillow. Minutes passed by, but the pain became unbearable. He took several more painkillers, hoping to subdue the dreadful headache.

"Agrhhhh!!"

Christopher screamed in agony as he reached for the twelfth painkiller, and that's when things started to get chaotic.

Blegh!

He vomited a mouthful of blood, he felt his head go dizzy. His heart pounded like a hammer smashing against a metal cage, blood tickled down his nose, ears. His heart started aching, he choked on his own blood.

He grabbed his throat, his fiery red eyes widened. Then suddenly, his cries stopped. An ominous silence followed suit, and after a slight delay... His body fell limp.

Lifeless.

***

"Ahhh!!"

Echoing through the small room, a blood-curdling scream escaped the lips of a 11-year-old child who sat up in a frenzy. His wide eyes were filled with complete horror, as if he had just glimpsed the depths of hell itself.

His breathing became rigid, and tears streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably. Clutching the ragged upper wear, he tried to steady himself, but his entire being trembled with fear.

"I-I... I'm n-not... D-Dead?"

In a state of shock, he examined his arms, only to discover they were small, unfamiliar. Panic surged within him.

'What... The... Hell...?'

Swallowing hard, his dry and aching throat struggled to make sense of the surreal situation. The room around him was dimly lit, and at the edge lay a cracked mirror. He mustered the strength to stand up, but his legs felt weak, making him stagger.

"T-This..."

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he saw a boy no older than 11 staring back at him with pale skin, captivating blue eyes, and a striking shock of platinum blonde hair. He reached out to touch the mirror, half expecting it to be an illusion.

"What in the god's name..."

Then, like an unstoppable avalanche, a deluge of memories flooded his mind, each one hitting him with the force of an express train. The sheer weight of information overwhelmed him, causing him to waver and eventually lose consciousness.