1 Transmigrated

In a world strikingly similar to our own, a hidden layer of reality exists. This unseen realm, teeming with supernatural entities, coexists with the human world, a secret tapestry woven into the fabric of everyday life. Among these entities are the Phantoms, spectral beings who feed off human negative emotions.

Because they are invisible to the human eye, they lurk in the shadows, forever tethered to their human hosts.

Then there are those who stand as humanity's unseen protectors - the Aether Bearers. These are ordinary humans, granted extraordinary abilities. They possess the power to control Aether, a mystical energy,the energy that opposite to dark energy coming from the Phantoms.

Their purpose? To hunt down and vanquish Phantoms that pose a threat to humanity, especially those on the precipice of evolving into dangerously powerful entities.

This world is also home to other entities, each with their own stories and secrets. But their tales are for another time, another chapter.

Welcome to the world of "The Phantom's Curse". This is the setting of a decade-old novel, a tale born from the creative mind of our protagonist, Lucas. A narrative filled with suspense, danger, and the supernatural, left tragically without an ending.

The reason for its unfinished state? Its creator, Lucas, lies confined to a hospital bed, his body paralyzed by an unknown ailment.

His gaze is perpetually fixed on the sterile, impersonal white ceiling of his hospital room, his expression etched with profound boredom.

His life feels devoid of meaning - a solitary existence marked by the absence of friends, family, and love.

A Virgin.

Thanks to the income from his successful novel, his medical bills are taken care of, allowing him to languish in the clinical whiteness of the hospital room until his inevitable end.

An end that, it seems, is imminent.

His consciousness is fading, the edges of his vision blurring, the world around him slowly dissolving into a hazy fog.

'At last,' he thinks.

Lucas harbors no regrets in his life, making the prospect of death less daunting. Yet, as the final threads of his life begin to unravel, his thoughts keep returning to his unfinished novel. The novel crafted with passion and dedication, the novel that has been his sole companion through the lonely years.

His life's work.

His reason to keep living until now.

A single, poignant regret surfaces in his mind as he closes his eyes against the encroaching darkness.

'I should have written the ending.'

And with that thought echoing in his mind, Lucas surrenders to the inevitable, embracing the silent oblivion that awaits him.

_______________

'Wake up'

'Lucas'

'Luc-----than'

'Wake Up!!'

Lucas's eyes snapped open, immediately assaulted by the blinding light that flooded the room from an uncovered window. Blinking rapidly, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, taking in his surroundings in slow, measured glances.

'Where am I?'

He was in a bedroom, but it was far from familiar. It was not the sterile, impersonal hospital room he remembered, but a lived-in space, filled with a jumble of clothes and an exotic, unfamiliar scent that hung heavy in the air. The room was a stark contrast to his orderly life, adding to his growing confusion.

'Whose room is this?' Lucas thought, his brow furrowing as he surveyed the chaos.

His eyes narrowed as they landed on a poster plastered on the wall, featuring a woman in a rather suggestive pose.

'Is the owner of this room some sort of pervert?' he mused, a wave of distaste washing over him.

'I should wash my face first,'

With a sigh of frustration, he pushed himself up from the bed, his muscles protesting after what felt like a long period of disuse. He began to explore, his bare feet brushing against damp clothes strewn across the floor as he made his way towards a door on his right. He had an inkling that it led to a bathroom.

Creaak

His guess was correct. Pushing the door open, he was greeted by a small but decent bathroom. It was as chaotic as the bedroom, with various toiletries littered across the surfaces and a damp towel discarded carelessly on the floor.

Lucas moved towards the sink, turning on the tap to splash some water on his face. He hoped the cool water would help clear his mind and wash away the remnants of sleep.

As he looked up into the mirror, his heart skipped a beat.

The only thing that plastered in his mind right now is a question.A crazy question.

'W-who is this?!' he thought, his eyes widening in shock. The face staring back at him was unfamiliar – black eyes, black hair, a strong jawline. It was an attractive face, undeniably more so than his own, but it was not his.

'This is not my face.'

He reached up to touch his face, his reflection mimicking his movements. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation.

Questions swirled in his mind - Who is this? Where am I? Who am I?

With a newfound sense of urgency, Lucas returned to the bedroom, the door banging against the wall with the force of his exit. His eyes darted around the room, desperately seeking any clue that might answer his questions.

'There must be something,that can explained this,'

Just then his gaze landed on a rack of trophies, each one a testament to the athletic prowess of the room's owner. But it was the name etched on each trophy that caught his attention.

Ethan Allen.

Ethan Allen.

Recognition washed over him like a tidal wave. The black eyes, the black hair, the strong jawline, the fit body - they all matched the description of Ethan Allen, the best friend of Alex, the protagonist of his novel, "The Phantom's Curse".

The realization left him reeling. He was Ethan Allen. He was a character in his own novel.

________________

'This made me sick.'

Lucas, now in Ethan's body, sat on the edge of the unfamiliar bed, his mind racing. The trophies bearing Ethan's name served as a stark reminder of his new reality. He was no longer in his old body.Not as Lucas, the author confined to a hospital bed, but Ethan Allen, a character in his own novel, "The Phantom's Curse".

'How did I end up here?' he wondered, his mind reeling from the enormity of his situation.

He had gone from being the creator of this world to a part of it, from shaping the narrative to living it.

He tried to recall the last thing he remembered - the sterile ceiling of the hospital room, the feeling of impending doom, the regret of leaving his novel unfinished. And then... darkness. Now, he was here, in a world he had crafted from his imagination.

'What is the purpose of all this?' he pondered, his gaze falling on the trophies once again.

Was he here to finish the story he had started? To live the adventures he had so carefully crafted for Ethan and Alex? Or was there a bigger purpose he was yet to understand?

As he grappled with these questions, Lucas realized that despite the confusion and fear, a part of him was excited.

'Excited?Why?'

He thought before he mind wander to the endless novel.The only regret he felt before his dead.

'But this is different than writing the ending.This is far from that,but why am I feeling like this?'

Actually he know the reason.

He had been given a chance to live in the world he had created, to experience the adventures first-hand, and perhaps, to give his story the ending it deserved.

Lucas itself is someone who love adventure since he was a kid.

Added with this supernatural and dangerous world made his excitement reach its finest.

'I maybe died to early,but should I try it? After all death is not that creepy.'

He thought as he nod to himself.

'Whatever, another life isn't that bad,'