Behind the plot

One Month.

It's been exactly one month since I was thrown out of the Arenford family.

Well… maybe "thrown out" isn't the right way to say it.

Out of what I guess was either guilt or a way to avoid a scandal, they didn't throw me out like trash. Instead, they gave me a choice: stay in the mansion, but as a servant. A cruel offer, considering I was family. But depending on how you look at it, maybe it was their way of showing mercy.

I refused. I left. And I had every reason to.

Truth is, I didn't have another option. Staying meant I'd be trapped in the same fate as in the original story—the one I'm trying to escape no matter what.

There are two reasons for that. But the most important one? If I follow the story, I might never see her again.

The world I'm in now comes from a game I once played. Demons and Gods: Battle for Immortality.

At first, realizing I was inside a game was terrifying. I couldn't accept it. For hours, I sat frozen, trying to convince myself it wasn't real. But no matter how hard I denied it, the truth didn't change.

Sigh.

It all started one night at work.

A young man walked into the supermarket during my late-night shift. He wore sunglasses and a surgical mask—even though it was past midnight.

Strange, right?

He came up to the counter and asked me to watch over a game while he grabbed something from the back.

I waited.

And waited.

But he never returned.

Hours later, as I closed the store, I found myself holding the game—Demons and Gods: Battle for Immortality. I took it home, curiosity outweighing common sense.

That was the beginning.

The game was an adventure-romance with countless possibilities. The goal? A "happy ending." Sounds simple. But in reality, it was almost impossible. I spent hours, then days, then whole weekends chasing that ending. No matter what I did, I kept failing. Yet, I couldn't stop. Each choice, each moment, pulled me in deeper.

And now… here I am. I am Lumiea.

But I refuse to live Lumiea's life.

In the game, Lumiea—the person I've become—was meant to be kidnapped the night I left the mansion. The Dark Church would lure him in, offering something he couldn't refuse: revenge.

Even if he said no, they would have taken him by force.

There were at least six or seven of them.

But the real danger wasn't the kidnapping. It was the deal.

It would awaken Lumiea's powers, leading to the birth of Kyren—the game's villain.

That night, I escaped before they could find me. I forced my body to move, slipping out of the mansion's grounds. Maybe it was luck. Or maybe… something else. My escape felt too easy. Like something unseen was helping me.

Either way, it doesn't matter now. I'm free. The story can't control me anymore. My future is mine to decide.

Haa.

With a sigh, I shoved a wobbly table against the wall, cleared the floor, and grabbed a small bottle filled with dark red liquid. Then, I knelt at the center of the room.

In this world, Blessings determine everything—status, respect, even survival. Most people awaken them at thirteen.

Lumiea—I—never did.

At least, not in the normal way.

Why? Because Lumiea carries a demon's blessing.

The game didn't reveal much about his abilities. I only know pieces of his story.

But one thing is certain: his power was born from darkness.

And tonight, I'll awaken it.

Carefully, I uncorked the bottle, pouring the blood into a metal tray. My plan was simple—recreate the ritual the Dark Church used to unlock Lumiea's power.

I might not know exactly what will happen, but I remember the magic circle they used. The image is burned into my mind.

With another sigh, I dipped my finger into the blood and started drawing. Slowly, the circle took shape—layers of symbols, interlocking lines, a complex star-like design.

It was exhausting.

The blood ran out faster than I expected. At one point, I thought about cutting my palm to finish it. But in the end, I managed.

"Ha…" I exhaled, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

I'm weak. If I had used my own blood, I would've passed out before finishing.

Sigh.

During my time in hiding, I trained myself to sense mana. It's a key part of the ritual.

Now, I'm ready.

I took a deep breath, stepped into the center of the circle, and began circulating my mana. I let it seep through my body, flowing into the magic circle.

The symbols absorbed it instantly.

Suddenly, the entire circle glowed red.

My body froze.

Panic shot through me.

Was this supposed to happen? In the game, I never saw the full ritual. I have no idea what comes next.

Then—

I felt it.

Something was crawling out of the circle.

I tried to move, but my body wouldn't listen.

And then—

Pain.

A burning, unbearable pain tore through me, like fire running through my veins.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!!"