Chapter 3

As I was looking at the scenes floating in the darkness, I realized that I wasn't there—the kid, his parents, his family, and friends—there wasn't anything that I recognized. 

I was confused because the scenes that are playing in front of me are the life of Aish Floren. 

As I focused more, I started remembering my own life back on earth. 

Suddenly there were ripples in the darkness, and I could see the scenes changing, and now in place of Aish, my memories started playing. 

Before I could make sense of what was happening, the scenes started changing again, and now the darkness was divided into two parts: one was currently playing the life of Aish, while the other side were my memories. 

It looked like both sides were fighting for dominance; they started merging and taking each other's space. 

Suddenly, in the memories of Aish, I could see my face, and sometimes I would see Ria or Queency talking with Aish. 

"Look, I'm even learning swords now."

"I'm stronger" 

"Why don't you ever listen to me, idiot?" 

"I love you, SK, the real you." 

"Welcome home, Amy." 

"Forgive me for leaving like this." 

"Big brother's gift, do you like it?" 

"Wake up lazy." 

I could hear their voices, but I could not remember what it was about. 

Now it was hard for me to differentiate between what was real and what I was imagining.

As time went on, a slight headache started coming back, and I could feel my body squirming and shaking. 

I held my head, and for the first time, a cry of pain escaped from my mouth. 

But instead of stopping, the scenes started merging faster, and now I could not tell both apart. 

I was feeling angry as a thought came into my brain—that I would forget my old life. I did not want to forget everything; I did not want to forget Ria or her. 

I focused and tried to remember everything about them to remind me of the time we spent together, but as I thought my memories were getting hazy with time, all I could see was Aish and his life. 

"I will not forget her." 

"What the hell kind of nightmare is it?" 

"Wake up, damn it." 

As I shouted that, I remembered that this was not a nightmare, and I was supposed to be dead. 

As the memories of my death came to my mind, my headache increased suddenly, and I could feel my head bursting as it tried to accommodate the memories of both my lives. 

"Fucking Damn it All." 

"Someone stop it." 

As the pain became unbearable for me to handle, I could not even think of anything anymore. 

I started shouting like crazy while holding my head. 

I was losing all hope when I felt someone holding my body and massaging my head. 

I could feel someone opening my mouth and making me drink something. 

I did not know what was happening around me, as I was not in any condition to think anything, so I instinctively opened my mouth, as what I thought was water went into my mouth. I could feel its taste; it was different from anything I had tasted before; it was sweet and viscous; it felt like honey but sweeter. 

Soon after that, a warm current washed over my body, and I could feel my headache lessening. I wanted to look ahead and see what happened to the memories, but I felt my consciousness drifting away as I once again lost myself in the peaceful embrace of darkness. 

Sometime after feeling better, I opened my eyes and found myself still surrounded by darkness. 

I touched my head, but I am not feeling any headache now.

I remembered what happened before, and I tried to see what was in front of me. 

For a second, I was scared that I might forget everything, but when I looked ahead, I was shell-shocked. 

The pitch-black, perfect dark screen in front of me is broken now. There were many cracks in it. 

The scenes of my life and Aish's life were there, but unlike before, they were not playing non-stop. 

I went ahead and tried to touch one part nearest to me, and the scene of Aish playing with his sister started appearing. 

I took a deep breath and went ahead to check with other scenes, and they were all fine. 

I watched Aish grow up and I watched how he lived. 

I went ahead and touched a part that had the memory of me from my past life, and Queency was staring at me. 

[So, your sister's coming, huh] 

Yes, she could not wait. I told her not to, but she wanted to meet her sister-in-law. 

[What? I have not agreed yet.] I do not remember you proposing to me. 

--- [Do I need to] 

[ hmmm] 

Watching the memory and her beautiful face while she was pouting, a smile came on my face, and with that, the memory ended. 

I tried to touch other pieces and hoped to see every memory available of her in my brain again, but the headache started coming back, and I knew I had to stop. 

After I watched Aish's whole life, I understood what was happening before. 

As a person who read novels all the time for his living, I figured that after my death I was reincarnated in his body, and all this time, our souls were just merging. 

I was happy at first after realizing that I had a new chance, a new life, as it meant I could start anew. 

But as I continued my journey to Aish's memory lane, that happiness soon turned into a frown on my face. 

(Just my luck) 

(I had to reincarnate into his body.) 

If you are wondering why I was cursing my luck and feeling angry over it, the answer to that is. 

Just like any other villain novel, I reincarnated into this world's villain. 

This world was called Arcadia. 

It was based on the story of the novel I first read, "APOLLO'S CHOSEN: RISING HEROES OF PEACEFUL TIMES."

Now this world follows a fantasy setting where every other cliche of fantasy stuff was available: manga, dungeons, monsters, towers, powers, and systems. 

If I were in anyone else's body, I wouldn't hate it that much, because, as the title of the book says, it was set in a somewhat peaceful era, so I could survive by hiding or simply looting some chances of some characters, but I was in the body of this world's second main villain boss, Aish Floren. The First Fallen, The Great Devil. 

Here, unless the protagonist and his camp defeat me, they cannot fight the final villain boss, The Demon King DITAIL.

Now some of you might think what am I so scared of—what is the worst that can happen—my death—please, I have already died once. And the darkness was peaceful. 

So, what am I so scared of? Well, that is because I did not die in this story. 

Nope, I get trapped and forced to live a miserable life for all eternity all alone, without the power to even do anything. 

Now if that was not enough, there is more, but just thinking about that, sweat started to form on my soul body. 

(Leave it; I cannot change anything staying here.) 

(I guess I should wake up first.) 

I do not know how long it has been since my death—and the darkness—and then this merging—but I was finally ready to open my eyes to the new world. 

I am kind of excited to see this new fantasy world that is so different from Earth. 

And after that thought, I opened my eyes, and the light of the sun hit my face.