The Beginning

In the sprawling expanse of the Trias Empire in the Polehso Continent, where the seas whispered secrets and the wind carried the echoes of ancient magic, the known world teetered on the precipice of an unseen abyss.

Here, amongst the myriad of bustling markets, silent forests, and grandiose cities, magic didn't just exist—it flourished, it dictated, it ruled.

The age of technology that one might have expected was instead an era where arcane arts were the lifeblood of civilization.

This was the world Alex Rodriguez—a man of mundane beginnings from a place called Earth—found himself violently and blindly thrust into. 

In the candle-lit chambers of a grand palace, the Second son of the Gratis Duchy, Finley Von Gratis, had lain lifeless. His untimely demise, a mystery to the court physicians, had sent ripples of sorrow through the noble household. 

However, this event marked the beginning of something far more profound, for it was then that the gods intervened.

In an isolated space within the abyss, the three main gods of the world Alex fell into met up in the center of the universe to discuss their next move.

Causality, the weaver of destinies, plucked a single silver vial adorned with swirling etchings from the fabric of the cosmos. With a mere flick, the vial shattered against the firmament of the world, its contents spilling out in streams of liquid light. 

This act was not mere whimsy, but a desperate attempt to halt the steady march toward oblivion. 

This human has lived a proper life, I bet he has a pure soul, —Causality whispered.

Dominion, whose very essence bound the order of all things, traced the ancient runes of a gate within the ethereal plane. Each rune pulsed with the authority of the divine, forging a bridge that spanned worlds. 

It was through this gate that the soul of Alex Rodriguez, unwitting and unsuspecting, was ensnared and pulled from his reality.

His soul does not have mortal binds, so he lived as an abiding citizen, this is a good choice. —Dominion said to Causality.

Lastly, Cycle stood aloof, a god who observed the endless dance of life and death, creation, and destruction. Upon the lifeless form of Finley Gratis, she had placed her trust in a single, unassuming stone—the Stone of Reincarnation. 

Nestled deep within the corporeal vessel, it pulsed with a serene light, a silent sentinel that awaited a sign to unleash its profound ability to ensure the cycle continued unbroken.

His soul has a good foundation, it seems like the stone is placed on a perfect vessel. —Cycle added.

As the powers of these deities converged, the soul of Alex Rodriguez fused with the body of Finley Gratis. Awakened in a realm where the mundane was transcendent, Alex—now Finley in flesh but not in spirit—gasped for breath.

The air was thick with the fragrance of unknown flowers and the tingle of magic so potent that it seemed to vibrate within his very bones.

Awaken! The three deities shouted as Finley regained consciousness.

Eyes blinking open, he found himself in an opulent room, gilded with ornaments that spoke of a wealth and heritage far beyond anything he had ever known. The weight of fine linens and concerned faces surrounding his bedstand was the first indication that his life had irrevocably changed.

"Master Finley!" a voice exclaimed, relief dripping from every syllable as an elderly butler stepped forward. "You have returned to us!"

But Alex, now Finley, did not understand. His last memory was of an Earthly night, the glow of city lights outside his window, the humdrum rhythm of urban life. Now, whispers of his newfound identity crept into his consciousness—Finley, the duke's son, a noble of the Trias Kingdom. He lay there, the gears of his mind struggling to mesh with the reality before him.

Outside of human perception, the three gods watched in silence. Causality's gaze was firm, Dominion's posture commanding, and Cycle's aura serene. 

They had gambled the last of their divine interventions, and all that remained was to see whether Alex Rodriguez—Finley Gratis of the Trias Kingdom—would rise to the occasion. 

For in his veins, he has now flowed not just noble blood, but the fate of an entire world. 

Alex Rodriguez had long ago mastered the art of navigating the complexity of his life as a college student with the grace of a seasoned sailor braving a relentless storm. 

By day, he was steeped in academics, pouring over texts and theories that promised a future as bright as the students that lined the hallways of his university. By night, he was waging a silent, relentless battle against the aggressive tides of Stiff Person Syndrome—a rare, debilitating disease that turned his own body into a prison of pain and unpredictability. 

Each day brought with it a rigorous routine of medication and therapy, a cocktail of hope and despair served in equal measure. His was a life marked by properness, by the necessity of strict schedules and regimented care, all in the quest to preserve the semblance of normalcy amidst the chaos of his condition. 

Alex's world was one of contrasts—of the youthful vibrancy that pulsed through his veins and the betrayal of his musculature that aimed to snuff it out. He walked the campus with stoic resolve, his classmates none the wiser to the steel will it took for him to simply move from one lecture to another. 

But as the invisible hourglass of his existence waned, so too did the potency of his treatments. Doctors whispered behind closed doors, exchanging frowns and sympathetic glances as they reviewed the progression of his disease, a silent acknowledgment that their arsenal of modern medicine was failing. 

It was during one of these numbingly familiar nights, as he lay in his small, neatly kept room surrounded by the muted sounds of a world that felt increasingly distant, that the tendrils of sleep began to enshroud him. Yet, instead of the darkness that typically greeted him, there was a pull—an irresistible force that tugged at the core of his being. 

Alex's journey in another world began not with a farewell, but with a sudden, wrenching departure from all he knew. The pain of his body, the confinement of his disease, and the looming shadow of an early end were all stripped away in an instant. In their place, there was light—a light so pure and encompassing that it seemed to speak of otherworldly origins. 

He awoke to the opulence of a room fit for royalty, with the concern of unfamiliar faces peering down at him. But these were not the faces of doctors or nurses; they were the faces of servants and a family he had never known, all addressing him as 'Master Finley.' 

As the gravity of his situation settled upon him, Alex's heart raced with a freedom it had not known in years. His limbs moved with a foreign ease, yet innately his own. The stiffness that had once been his constant companion was gone, replaced by a vitality that seemed to defy explanation. 

In the shadows beyond perception, the three gods—Causality, Dominion, and Cycle—watched the unfolding drama. They had chosen Alex for reasons of their own, weaving his once-tragic end into a new tapestry of beginnings. 

The Stiff Person Syndrome that had once condemned him to a life of confinement was now a memory, a relic of a past life. Before him lay a path rife with magic and mystery, a path that would demand all the courage and wit he possessed. 

Alex Rodriguez, embodied as Finley Gratis, would now navigate a world where the arcane ruled, and where his role in the grand scheme of gods and men was yet to be revealed. 

The return of consciousness was a cruel trick, for with the opening of his eyes, Alex Rodriguez—the young man now inhabiting Finley Gratis' body—was met with an acute sense of loss. 

The opulence of his surroundings, the affluence evident in every golden thread and painted cherub on the ceiling, did nothing to soothe the ache that welled up within him. It was the knowledge of what he had left behind on Earth that gnawed at his soul. 

His family, his few but close friends, the life he painstakingly carved out within the limitations of his disease—all were now beyond his reach, existing in a reality that felt as distant as a fading dream. 

Regret coiled tightly around his thoughts as he tried to reconcile the impossible situation, he found himself in. 

The people of the duke's household watched their young master with furrowed brows, concerned whispers fluttering through the air like anxious butterflies. 

They could not see the inner turmoil that ravaged the young man's spirit, only the odd behavior and disjointed words that hinted at a mind undone. 

"He must be suffering," murmured one servant to another, a hand gently placed over her heart in sympathy. 

"Perhaps the illness took more from him than we thought," mused another, their eyes filled with worry. 

Amidst the sea of concern, Alex's new siblings stood like beacons, each a testament to the stature and legacy of the Gratis line. They, too, watched their brother with a mix of uncertainty and hope—hope that he would somehow return to the brother they knew, the sophisticated boy groomed for a high-stakes world of politics and power. 

Gretchen Von Gratis, the eldest, and the spitting image of her late mother exuded a quiet strength that was palpable. Her purple hair cascaded down her back like a royal banner, and her ember eyes flashed with the same intensity as Duke Gratis himself. 

At twenty, she was both a formidable swordswoman and a sorceress of considerable talent. She stood at the foot of Finley's bed, hands clasped, the picture of regal composure marred by the slightest tremor of concern.

Alfie Von Gratis, with her vibrant green hair and dark ember eyes, had inherited her mother Hestia's affinity for the natural world. 

The botanical gardens were her sanctuary, her laboratory where she honed the art of alchemy, each potion and elixir a testament to her dedication and skill. 

She leaned against the wall, observing her brother's fitful restlessness, her expression a mix of sisterly affection and scientific curiosity.

Theodore Von Gratis, the quiet scholar, seemed almost a shadow beside his more colorful sisters. He shared his looks with Gretchen, but where her presence was bold and commanding, his was reflective and reserved. 

Often lost in tomes of knowledge within the halls of the Trias Academy of Magic, he cared little for titles or lands. His introverted nature made him a mystery to many.

The twins, Gio and Dio, were the mirror image of youthful exuberance—two boys with mischievous grins and a penchant for harmless pranks. Their dual-colored eyes set them apart, a curious feature that sparked rumors of a unique magical lineage.

Still, their innocence remained untouched by the weight of ducal responsibilities, their world one of play and laughter.

Alex, now fifteen-year-old Finley, felt their gazes upon him, each pair of eyes a silent plea for him to be the brother they remembered. Yet, the reflection staring back at him from the polished surface of his bedside table was not his own. 

Black hair framed a face that bore the Gratis signature amber eyes—an unfamiliar visage that carried the expectations of a lineage he had not been born into.

Is he alive? Is he alive? The twins iterated like two playful fairies jumping at the end of the bed of their sleeping brother. 

Get out of bed, Gretchen angrily whispered to the twins, Finley is still resting so we should go, so he can rest properly. 

I'll be back before lunch, and I'll bring the elixir I made for him so let me know when he awakens. Hestia said to the handmaids. 

Yes, my lady! as they respond to Alfie.

Gretchen picked up the twins and dragged them out of the room while Alfie hugged Theodore who was saddened by his brothers' situation. 

In the quiet moments of solitude, when the servants had retreated and his siblings left him to his thoughts, Alex wrestled with the gnawing sense of displacement. 

He was Finley Gratis in the flesh, yet within the shell, he was still Alex Rodriguez, a soul cast adrift in a world governed by magic and divine machinations.

The gods had given him a second chance at life but at the cost of everything he had ever known. As he lay there, caught between two identities, Alex wondered whether the unraveling of one world was worth the salvation of another.