Reincarnation

Even though his body was shaking, Angel still mustered up the courage that plagued his everything thought.

"Was it all a facade? Did you always resent us? Why did it-"

"Yes." Nico cut him off coldly.

"It was all a facade, you… were nothing to me, just a friend. Im better than you at everything, especially intellect. Why did I play such a facade? Being who I really was, was too much of a hassle. If they knew what I could do, what I could do, then I would have been locked in your family's cage like a bird who couldn't fly. She needed me, and I needed her; I had been in love with her ever since I was born; she was all I cared about. I hated your family for 18 years, and I've hated you for 18 years. So yes… it was all fake in order to fool your family." Nico admitted, not masking the sinister grin n his face.

"Though I will tell you this when I squeezed the life out of your parent's eyes earlier, they held the same amount of rage and betrayal you currently hold within your eyes," Nico said as he let out a sliver of laughter, watching Angel fall deeper and deeper into the pit of despair.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Angel couldn't handle it anymore; everything was too much; his family became bankrupt; he lost all his friends, fortune, and parents, whom he loved dearly; he lost… his brother, who hated him for a long time.

The teen was screaming at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing off the room's walls. His face was contorted in mixed emotions, mainly anger, fury, despair, insanity, sadness, and betrayal.

His fists were clenched tightly at his head, his body shaking with delirium.

His breathing was ragged and labored, his chest heaving with each breath. His mouth was open wide, his voice rising and falling in a cacophony of emotion. The teen's words were a mix of curses and pleas, his voice rising and falling in a desperate attempt to make himself heard.

But no one was listening... the teen's screams were filled with pain and anguish, his voice cracking. Tears streamed down his face, his body trembling with the effort of trying to contain his emotions. He was at the end of his rope, which was too much to handle.

Nico seeing this, couldn't help but laugh more as a content smile appeared on his face again.

He looked back at the despairing Angel, and a ruthless glint appeared in his eyes.

"Alice activated protocol, Fallen Angel," Nico spoke loudly.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

A few seconds later, Angel's scream turned into pure agony. Managing to look down, he noticed two arrows piercing his knees.

The teen was a young man, barely out of his teenage years, and his mind was close to breaking.

He had been through so much in his short life and struggled to cope with the weight of it all. He had been through heartache, loss, and pain and struggled to make sense of it all. He was so close to giving up, to give in to the darkness threatening to consume him.

But then, two arrows pierced his knees, and he screamed in agony and despair. The pain was unbearable, and it felt like his entire world was crumbling around him. He felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside out and filled with rage and despair that he had never felt before.

He wanted to lash out, scream, yell, and fight back, but he was too weak to do anything. The pain was so intense that he felt like he was going to die and was filled with a sense of hopelessness.

He felt like he was being punished for something he had done, and he was filled with a deep sense of guilt and shame. He wanted to cry out, to beg for mercy, but he was too weak to do anything.

"I know she would not have wanted this; I know if she were here, she would possibly take pity on me and console me, but she was the last living thing keeping my morality in check." Nico shrugged as he looked at Angel, who lay on the floor.

He knew there was no point in continuing… after two full years… he had finally completed his mission.

He just needed to do one more thing left.

Taking one last look at the pathetic Angel who lay screaming into the sky, Nico walked out of his house.

He continued walking peacefully, enjoying the scenery around him, his destination… to visit her.

After 5 minutes of walking, he arrived at the cemetery before arriving upon the highest hill.

…

…

…

A boy was standing in the cemetery on the highest hill overlooking the entire cemetery, the dead of night surrounding him like a blanket. He was alone, the only living soul in the graveyard, and the only sound was the occasional hoot of an owl in the distance.

He was standing in front of his beloved's tombstone, staring at it with sadness.

But as he stood there, he also felt a sense of relief. He knew that his beloved was at peace now and that she was no longer suffering. He knew that she was in a better place and that she was finally free.

The boy looked up at the night sky, filled with awe. The stars twinkled and danced in the sky, and the moon was full and bright. He felt a sense of peace and tranquility wash over him, and he knew his beloved was looking down on him from above.

He lay on the ground before the tombstone and stared at the stars. He felt a deep sense of contentment as he slowly closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment.

After a few minutes, his mind drifted away, his thoughts becoming increasingly distant until he was in a state of complete tranquility.

The boy felt his body relax and his breathing slow. He felt a warmth radiating from his chest, and a gentle smile spread across his face. He felt a sense of comfort and security, knowing that he was not alone anymore. He was at peace and knew his beloved was watching him.

The boy's consciousness slowly faded, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

He felt a sense of joy and happiness, knowing that he was now reunited with his beloved.

He felt a sense of completeness and knew he was finally at peace.

The boy lay there for a few minutes, his body slowly becoming still. His smile remained on his face, and his eyes were closed in a peaceful slumber. He had found his beloved and was reunited with her in the afterlife.

He had found peace, and he had found love.

He had found his final resting place.

...

...

...

"Gasp!"

Nico's eyes fluttered open quickly as he took a deep breath.

Awakening from his eternal slumber, Nico gently moved, his figure capturing the refined details in his movements as it gently sat up.

Nico surveyed the room in confusion as he felt the warmth of the gentle sun slowly enveloping his body, and his body shed off the laziness, becoming more energetic.

As he looked around, he found himself in an unfamiliar one-room apartment.

Nico didn't have time to process what happened as he felt the hair behind his neck stand up instantly, causing him to skillfully shoot out of bed and enter a low combative stance that showed off his skills in close combat beautifully.

Seeing that nothing screamed danger; he slowly left his combative stance.

"I guess my senses sensed danger due to my unfamiliar surroundings…" as he spoke, his voice sounded like the finest silk, similar to a highly skilled symphony that one can get lost in if they don't pay close enough attention.

Nico's eyes narrowed once more as he scanned his unfamiliar surroundings.

As he finally paid close enough attention and his mind was up and running at full capacity, he found the room similar to an apartment room as everything was light gray but very minimalist.

As he finished scanning the room, he walked toward the bed he was previously in that contained dark grey sheets.

His finger gently caressed the sheets.

'It feels like silk but more… softer.' he thought.

He found that even though he was in a hospital room, the room itself didn't look like it was from his time.

'It somehow gives off a futuristic vibe…'

He stood as his perfectly trimmed eyebrows furrowed.

As he stood there staring, an object in the corner of the room suddenly reflected the light from the sun catching his attention.

He was so immersed in sensing the dangers in the room and assessing the situation that he didn't notice a mirror in the room.

Ignoring the floating screen, he leisurely walked towards the mirror.

His posture and walking style was able to captivate anyone who looked as if it screamed elegance, balance, and freedom of restraints.

Snow-white hair.

Flawless jade-like skin.

Irresistible pure black eyes like a window into an abyss.

They were a void of nothingness, a deep, dark, and mysterious place that was impossible to comprehend. The eyes were like two black holes, sucking in all the light and energy around them, leaving nothing but a deep, dark void. So dark that they seem to absorb all the color around them, leaving only a deep, inky blackness that seemed to be a portal to another world, a world of absolute nothingness.

What reflected in the mirror was him, but not him simultaneously.

His past self was indeed beautiful and enchanting, putting everyone to shame, but his current appearance can only be described as god-like and seductive.

It put even his past self to shame.

His body type and height were the same, as well as his face bone structure and finer details.

The only differences were his eyes and hair; in his past life, his eyes were dark purple and contained slivers of light purple, while his hair was snow white.

Now he only had snow-white hair and black eyes.

He knew this face would cause problems, as even in his past life, his face would be a walking billboard gathering countless stares due to his handsomeness. Now that his handsomeness had turned seductive times a million, he was already getting a headache just thinking about it.

Then there was his body; it was the same as he stood at the height of 6'2'' (189 cm), and an Ectomorph body which was long, lean, with narrow shoulders and very little fat along with very little muscles.

Nico ran his hands along his body, examining it to make sure nothing was removed or surgically tampered with.

After finding nothing wrong, he walked over to the bed as he, elegantly sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

A sudden excruciating pain assaulted his mind as he was busy with his thoughts, making him groan slightly.

All he felt was pain for a split second before it was gone.

Nico was still expecting things; he couldn't feel the pain anymore; he just sat there in a trance as his eyes gave off a slightly lackluster light.

It seemed like hours, but it was only a matter of seconds before the light in his eyes returned as he started messaging his forehead.

No one knew what he was thinking, which was a common occurrence.

Only after a minute did he process everything, stop messaging his head, and lean back into the bed.

"Sigh…" Nico released a slight sigh as it's been a while since he felt pain; he shifted his gaze to the nightstand to his right and saw a phone.

He easily maneuvered his body and grabbed the phone.

The phone was modern-looking and futuristic; Nico saw the sleek black screen with no bezels on the side or top; he couldn't even see a front camera.

He tapped the screen with his index finger, and the phone lit up, revealing a rather explicit scene of a 2-D girl that was completely nude with rather luscious enormous breasts.

Nico ignored the lock screen and swiped his index finger on the screen once more.

Suddenly another holographic floating screen appeared before him.

___________________________________________

[School: Celestial Star]

[User: Nico Stolas]

[Course: Hero Course (First-Year)]

[Age: 16 ]

[Bloodline Grade: Bronze]

___________________________________________

Nico released a bitter sigh as his suspicions were confirmed true.

Earlier, he couldn't see it due to the sudden appearance change, then the trance he experienced told him what happened, but he still had a slight doubt in the back of his mind, and now that tiny doubt vanished within a second.

"Reincarnated inside my favorite novel… as the useless prince no less..." Nico sighed.

He even had the same name... somewhat.

In his previous life, his name was Nico Yin, but he changed to Nico Evergarden when he was adopted.

Now it was Nico Stolas...

A side character, better known as the 'Useless Prince,' a redundant name for Prince charming. He was gifted with looks that even gods were jealous of, but no one saw his true face beside a few specific people.

There was a specific reason why no one ever saw his face: it would attract too much attention, make women fall for him left and right, and make men his sworn enemy.

He was even kidnapped once when he was a kid.

Then why be called the Useless Prince? It was simple… he was useless... literally.

Hence the Prince who once sat on his throne overlooking the people under him is now reduced to a trash Prince worthy of no one's respect.

He couldn't recognize himself earlier because, as mentioned earlier, no one has ever seen his true face, so it's only natural he didn't either, as it was never mentioned in the novel.

Now he understood why, as any form of words would bring shame to themselves for trying to describe such a perfect face.

Of course, Nico discarded the thought of this being a novel anymore as this was his new reality.

Now one might be wondering why Nico was taking this so… smoothly.

After everything, he went through in his past life and the Evergarden family, and after her death, his mind was conditioned to the extreme, as mentioned earlier.

Though he wondered what happened to his 'other' body, was it lying on her grave?

He knew he had died; hell, he let himself die by falling asleep, but he didn't think he would reincarnate as the Useless Prince in his favorite novel, no less.

He didn't mind as he was a side-side character.

He had no more meaning after her death besides destroying the Evergarden Family, and he's already done that, so he had nothing else to do.

Which meant he was living in the shadows… which was now his domain.

However, one thing about all of this irked him the most: the original protagonist and his harem.

'He gets to love and be loved by multiple females while I have no one; he has multiple women while mine was taken from me...' Nico thought bitterly before he went onto more critical issues.

Though currently, the way Nico grew up, he didn't exactly see the bright side in everything; hence he was more concerned about his potential and low bloodline.

His current potential and bloodline were considered low at best, and from what he read in the novel, he would surely die later on in the novel due to his low bloodline.

Staring at the ceiling again, Nico started thinking of multiple ways to escape his predicament.

Even though the shadows were his domain, and he had no more meaning in life, it didn't mean he wanted to be weak.

Even though he hid behind the veil of mediocrity in his past life, he wasn't weak by any means, just naive. Then his nativity vanished, along with the veil he hid behind. However, even after his cloak vanished, he still operated in the shadows to bring down the Evergarden Family, who only knew it was him because he personally killed his adoptive parents and Angel.

Hence he wasn't contemptuous of such a low rank with G-grade combat power.

In his current academy, he was considered garbage.

Then there was the world he currently resides in, a futuristic world of magic, skills, and royalty.

Meaning mana and magic have existed here naturally for ages.

Elves, humans, dwarves, and shuras were major species in this world.

The peace that existed, in the beginning, was broken down by the shuras, who could not contain their greed, as they wanted the whole world for themselves.

Shuras are born with an exceptionally powerful physique and superior strength. Exceptional mana, while elves are exceptionally skillful in manipulating mana with natural abilities, dwarves are good at production. At the same time, humans have a weak constitution, and some have strong bloodline abilities, but still, they need to train harder than other races, but they are the most adaptable.

Humans have strong adaptability compared to other species, and with the flow of time, they started to grow stronger, though, in terms of strength and controlling mana, they were not as good as elves and shuras, respectively.

All the species allied to form a united battlefront to repel the invasion of Shuras and fought countless battles to stop Shuras from marching and finally ensure peace for ordinary people.

But it was just a temporary peace.

Many Hero academies were founded to ensure a steady supply of strong warriors and groom talented individuals to shoulder the world's burdens. Each kingdom has at least one primary hero academy that chooses the best of the best talents and grooms them with the best resources and facilities.

To Nico, this is where his favorite novel set apart from the rest, as although the concept of kings and kingdoms was present, technology still progressed.

People who could not utilize mana focused on scientific technologies or other important things to enhance humanity further.

The modernization kept its growth along with warriors providing them with the best equipment, training facility, and support.

The novel's protagonist is the son of a Duke, who was extremely talented in a very unique weapon... a scythe, and will become a legend earning the title of 'Scythe of the Silent Night.'

Though he doesn't have an overbearing system to help him on his journey, being born in the Duke's house gave him a head start compared to others, along with an ancient artifact he got before entering the academy.

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[ System Loading: 35% [3 hours to complete]

"Ah fuck me..." Nico mumbled bitterly.