Chapter 1

A/N: This is mostly an experiment for me to branch out from using my usual character template and try something else. 

Warning; Some might not like this mc's personality. 

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-[Nathan]-

Do you want to know the best thing about being dead? Well there isn't one. No entertainment, no teacher to blackmail into giving me an A and, more importantly, no hot girls. 

A true nightmare. 

Why am I dead? That's because some idiot couldn't handle the fact that his sweetheart of a girlfriend had been a slut for the majority of their relationship. 

How was I supposed to know he had a gun? Well, he did and he cornered me when I went to the men's room before enacting his 'revenge'.

Bullet to the brain, 2/10. I wouldn't recommend it. 

I could almost still feel the bullet burrowing through my skull. Raising my hand to massage my temple, I pause. That's new. 

I didn't have hands a moment ago. Hell, I didn't even have a body a moment ago! I was just existing in some kind of dark space or something. 

The realization that I had a body once more was accompanied with the power of sight as my eyes opened to see the ceiling. For some reason I'm on my back on the floor. 

Not that I can complain, it's a better alternative to being dead or being wherever the hell I was before.

Forcing myself to my feet, I feel different, very different. It's difficult to explain but I know my own body enough to tell when something is different. Or is this not my body?

Pulling the tips of my hair, I can see that it's still black. The rest of me that I could see was almost the same. Almost, because I could feel something very different about me that I have never felt before. My body feels like it's brimming with energy. 

I'm still in the same clothes I supposedly 'died' in. Searching my pocket for my phone, I found a bunched up piece of paper instead. 

I would have tossed it away but I don't remember putting that there. Spreading it open, I see the single line of words written on it. 

'Essence of the Archmage.' I was confused for a moment until I recalled, quite vividly, of a time, a few months ago, where I saw it. 

There was this girl I occasionally spent the night with. We both knew we were only physically attracted to each other, nothing serious. She was into many forms of entertainment; TV shows, movies, anime and all of that. 

I think that's why we got along so well, our shared love of a good time. She was apparently even deeper into it than I was. I still remember when she gave me a list, a CYOA list as she called it. 

I didn't even read the whole thing. I just picked the one that stood out to me. 

Obviously, I didn't know it would be relevant but I'm starting to think she may have had something to do with this but that's a thought for later. 

The full details of the essence were available to me with my now perfect memory.

****

Essence of the Archmage

*Perfect memory with infinite storage.

*Capacity to learn any magic, even unique ones upon seeing it once, or understanding enough about it. This also includes things like Ki, Chakra, soul power, etc.

*Possess an internal supernatural reactor that can adapt to any supernatural energy to fuel spells, enchantments, powers, etc. This reactor provides a steady supply of power that will grow over time. Right now you could use high-consumption abilities with wild abandon, and still not make much of a dent after a few hours.

*Can teach others systems of magic even if they previously lacked the capacity to use that system or magic in general.

*Manipulate entire systems of magic or combine them with experimentation.

****

I would be over the moon about this had it not been for the collection of memories and images that barreled into my head. 

It only takes a moment for it all to settle and arrange itself, leaving me with only one word to say. 

"Fuck." I'm in Mystic Falls. To my recollection, that is the main setting of the Vampire Diaries series which, might I add, shouldn't exist. Then again, I got shot in the head and here I am so I guess anything's possible. 

Moving through the building of the house I was now familiar with, I made my way to the bathroom to find a mirror. 

Black messy hair, check. Gray eyes, check. No abnormal hunger, check. I'm still human, a human with enough magic to rival a few stars but human. Or witch if I'm following this world's terminologies. 

Witch or Warlock, whatever. I'm getting off track. 'I' was born in New Orleans but 'my' mother was born in Mystic Falls. Apparently I moved here a few days ago to away from my mom who still resides in New Orleans. 

The woman is an alcoholic who spends most of her time getting wasted and traveling the world. I guess when you're from old money you don't need to work. Fortunately, I have a trust fund that keeps me sustained while she has her fun wherever she is. 

It's no surprise that I don't know who my father is. The similarities between my life on earth and this one are alarming but oddly enough, it helps me settle in, if only just a bit. 

At least my name is still the same. 

Moving on, it's January 4th 2010 and by my recollection, the vampires that the Salvatore brothers released from the tomb are roaming free. 

That means no going outside for me for a while until I figure this whole magic thing out. 

Yay. 

-[Later]-

After rummaging through my head, I decided to settle for a branch of magic that is foreign to this world and much more versatile. 

Logomancy; also known as backwards magic practiced by Giovanni Zatara and his daughter. It is magic that allows the user to cause magical phenomena and effects. 

I spent around half an hour pouring over the specifics of how it is used. Different from the traditional styles of magic, logomancy uses the backwards words as the foci to initiate the desired effect. 

Even then, that was only a part of it. In addition to the words, the caster had to pour out their intention into the spells as well as their imagination as to how that intent is carried out. 

Once I grasped it all, I felt it click at the back of my mind. I didn't suddenly gain the Zatara family's experience in speaking backwards but the magic needed to cast it was all mine. 

I hadn't stopped grinning for the last few minutes at the mug that was floating in the middle of the room. It's disconcerting rearranging words backwards but I stuck to single word spells for now to get the hang of it. 

I couldn't help myself, staring at the empty notepads on the table. Focusing on it, I spoke. "Erif!"

They immediately burst in flames, burning through it quickly. Only a moment later did I realize my mistake. 

"Retaw!" I chanted, a blob of water appearing over the table before falling and dousing the flames. 

Well that was stupid. I just set fire to a wooden table. I take a moment to rearrange the words in my head before chanting again. 

"Xif siht elbat." Before my eyes, the charred pieces of wood reverted to its healthy and undamaged appearance. 

I love magic.