Chapter 01

I opened my eyes for the first time in this body and saw my father's face looming over me. He looked pale and haggard, his breath ragged and wheezing. I felt a surge of fear and confusion. What was he doing here so early in the morning?

"Dad, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

He didn't answer; he just stared at me with a strange gleam in his eyes. He moved suddenly, reaching for his sword. I barely had time to react and grab the knife under my pillow. He swung his blade with swift and brutal force, slicing through my neck. I felt a searing pain, then nothing.

As I died, I cursed him with all my might. Why did he do this to me?

Or at least that's what I hoped, because for some reason I opened my eyes again. But something was different. I felt like my head was in place. For a brief moment, I thought it was all just a silly dream, but the feeling of pain I felt when I woke up was too real to be a simple dream or delirium. I was the Archduke of Astrea, a city that was starting to become a large merchant city, and my name was Garrick Stormwind. My father killed me for no apparent reason. And by some miracle, or irony of fate, I woke up in some kind of dungeon, with chains binding my arms, and without having the slightest idea where I was. Or worse yet, I had no idea who I was. I searched for something that could reflect my image until I found some glass fragments on the floor. perhaps a broken mirror. I picked up the largest piece, took a deep breath, and looked at myself. The person I saw was a complete stranger to me. He had long, dark hair that reached his shoulders and a lifeless expression on a bruised face as if he had been beaten recently. A frail person. I pushed the glass away from me, and that's when I noticed something that shocked me. My new body's wrists were bloody. I touched them desperately; I couldn't let something happen to this body. This could be the first step towards my revenge. To my surprise, there were deep-cut wounds on both wrists, but for some reason, they were healing at an incredible speed, as if a healing spell had been used on me. After the scare passed, I realized what had happened. The original owner of this body committed suicide. That explained the glass fragments on the floor and my wrists being cut.

"Could this have served as a catalyst that allowed me to enter this body?"

I started to analyze my situation, but nothing seemed to make sense. Two people unknown to each other die in different ways for some still-obscure reason, I was able to take possession of the body of this prisoner. None of those situations made sense. I had never heard of a case of body swapping, or whatever the event was called. While I was lost in my thoughts trying to understand what was happening to me, I heard a key click into an opening, and within moments, the dungeon bars opened. I waited apprehensively to find out who, or what, would pass through that entrance. A little boy entered the place. He was small and looked to be about ten years old at most. He wore luxurious clothes, similar to the ones I wore in my old body. His hair was light, almost golden, and he had a smile on his face that chilled my spine. My body reacted on its own, trembling with fear. The previous owner must have been terrified of this child.

"Good morning, my dear Kaleb. I hope you slept well last night."

Kaleb. So that was my new name. At least one of the countless questions that lingered in my mind had been answered. As he came closer, I resolved to hide my true identity. The reaction that this body had upon seeing that person was not normal. I should just pretend to be this Kaleb for a while until I get information and resources so I can get my revenge. The boy was already close to me and I was lost in thought. Upon noticing his movements, I realized he was going to uncuff me. That cheered me up a little. The discomfort in my neck was already starting to bother me. As soon as the chains fell off, I quickly got up and just waited to see what would happen next.

"Follow me; it's time for my sword training, and I'm getting sick of staying in this place for so long." He said this as he headed towards the entrance. I didn't understand for a moment: if I were in a dungeon, why was I being released as if this were something normal? This was starting to intrigue me. Seeing that I was standing still and very quiet, the boy already at the door turned around with a furious look, totally different from the child from a few seconds ago.

"You better not be testing my patience first thing in the morning, Kaleb. You know the kind of punishment that awaits you if you make me angry." As he said this, he looked directly at the bruises on my face, and as he did so, he gave a satisfied smile.

While following the boy, I analyzed the surroundings of the place. The place seemed familiar to me, even though I was walking through the dungeon corridors. It was a place known to Garrick Stormwind as well as Kaleb, something that didn't make much sense to me. How could an archduke and a prisoner know the same dungeon corridors? Even more so when it comes to the dungeons present in another family's mansion. I tried to get those thoughts out of my head. There was no point in asking any more questions at the moment. That would only bother me. We left, and my eyes started to hurt. I don't know how long it has been since I entered this new body, but from the first moment it happened, I was in an environment with dim lighting. I needed a few moments to get used to the light, but after that, I was able to see the place where I was being held captive. A beautiful two-story mansion stood in front of me with a large and lovely garden. But what caught my attention most was not the splendor of the building but rather the feeling of nostalgia that hovered over me from the first moment I stepped onto that lawn. The place had changed a little compared to how I remembered it, but there was no way I wouldn't recognize the site. That was Garrick Stormwind's residence. That was my old house.