Fuuuck!
Fuck this shit hurts!
I feel like I'm burning fucking alive!
Shit I'm falling, no I'm floating? Or am I flying? It feels like I'm fucking flying to the fucking sun!
Oh it suddenly stopped. I feel weird, at least it doesn't hurt anymore. I would even say that it kinda feels good now. Well not really since I can't feel anything now which is better than feeling like I'm being burned alive at the stake.
I can see something, I see colours I cannot understand nor describe. I guess the best way to describe them would be those abstract art paintings that you cannot make sense of yet they still get sold for like 300 million dollars. Okay maybe I'm exaggerating but I don't know why people pay so much for them. These colours constantly keep changing and it's giving me a headache.
Fuck my eyes hurt now. Who threw a fucking flash grenade at my fucking face! Oh! I can actually see now, it's dark — Ahh! Fuck! My head feels likes it's gonna fucking explode! Arthus Nachthelm felt a throbbing pain in his head and memories that were foreign to him started entering his mind. Not only that but he also felt countless needles stabbing his body at irregular intervals.
The pain was slowly but surely getting less and less. Arthus finally accumulated enough strength to finally be able to move. He suddenly opened his eyes and jolted upwards to sit. He saw star shaped white objects floating in his eyesight before dimming and disappearing for good.
He looked around and found himself in a dark, disgusting and filthy alley somewhere. It smelled like something was burning. He tried to stand but his legs were shaking. He fell to his knees and attempted to stand again, his legs wobbly but he stood firmly. He looked around him and saw that the ground was cold and was covered with a thin layer of ice. The area where he had laid formed an outline of a person.
Then he remembered. He was Arthus Nachthelm, a minor noble residing in North Borough, Backlund. His family earned their title three generations ago by providing logistical support to the Royal Army. Though they never rose above the rank of baronet, the Nachthelms managed to preserve their status by adapting to the times.
His parents, Lord Cedric and Lady Helene Nachthelm, expanded the family's wealth through a mid-sized shipping and storage enterprise headquartered in Backlund's docks. The company, Nachthelm & Co. Logistics, specialized in secure freight movement between Backlund, Pritz Harbor, and Desi Bay. Their discreet handling of sensitive cargo including items bound for nobles and even banks gave them an unspoken reputation for reliability and confidentiality.
Arthus inherited the business five years ago after both his parents died under somewhat mysterious circumstances officially, a carriage accident en route to a warehouse inspection. Since then, he's been quietly running the company with the help of a loyal steward and a suspiciously competent secretary who he found out had ties to a secret organization.
The secretary Elira Vanyne entered Arthus's employment shortly after his parents' death, recommended by a "trusted associate" of his late mother. It turned out she was actually a member of the Demoness Sect. She had introduced Arthus to the world of beyonders, and Arthus like every other man wanted to be a part of it. I mean who wouldn't want to have magical powers and go on adventures?
When the opportunity came, Elira gave him the Assassin potion. Arthus drank it, and survived. Not only did he survive but he thrived. He quickly digested it due to the knowledge of the acting method, courtesy of Elira and wanted to advance to sequence 8. After he drank the sequence 8 Instigator potion, he found out from Elira that to advance to sequence 7 on the Assassin pathway, he would need to become a woman. The transformation wasn't metaphorical or symbolic; it was literal as the potion's name is Witch.
Arthus obviously refused.
At first Elira tried to convince him to change his mind but Arthus was stubborn. Who would blame him? When she failed to convince him, well she straight up killed him by burning him alive with those cursed black flames. How romantic. Well good thing he wasn't Arthus back then.
And then the realisation dawned upon Arthur, well he was Arthus now but that was beside the point. He had freaking reincarnated, transmigrated or time travelled, whatever you wanna call it into his favourite novel Lord of the Mysteries.
He looked into the sky and yep, there it was in all its glory, the red moon. "Chat I'm so fucking cooked" Crap shouldn't look into the sky too long or else… Let's not think about that, I've got other things to worry about. Like the fact that I drank the assassin potion. He instinctively felt his groin, "Well at least it's still there" he said with a smile. "I'll just switch to the hunter pathway" he said, his smile vanishing. How unfortunate, I wish I could choose the reader pathway but alas fate has other plans.
With his financial situation it wouldn't be too hard to find the materials for the potion but there was another problem. He didn't know any beyonder channels to get the said materials. Before he had Elira who had the Demoness sect to provide the materials, now he would need to do all that himself. For now he had to go back home but what if Elira was there? How would he deal with her when he is only a sequence 8? She was a sequence 7 according to his memory. Isn't that just courting death?
Or he could go to the Church, no he couldn't, it would risk revealing his identity as a beyonder. If only he was a beyonder from a pathway controlled by the church it would be a good idea but no, he had to drink the assassin potion. "Fucking idiot" he said to himself. What can I do? If I don't go back to my position I won't be able to support myself financially in whatever future endeavours I have.
Wait! I should go to the police. I will file a report saying I was mugged and assaulted. Yes! It was premeditated by Elira who was colluding with some thugs who beat me up and robbed me. They took all the money I had on me and left me for dead but miraculously I survived. I am feeling unsafe and need security due to a fear of retaliation or further attacks.
Since I am an instigator it should be easy to convince them. This way it should make it harder for Elira to retaliate against me since the matter has been brought to an official body and if she does interfere, she would risk getting the church involved in the matter which should be unlikely. If the church does get involved then I will come clean and just say I was tricked by Elira into drinking the assassin potion and had no choice. I would be under constant surveillance but I believe I could find an opportunity to escape with my money. "Yes, that is a good plan! I'm so smart hehe".
With that in mind I started to make my way to the police station, of course not before slamming my head against the wall and punching myself repeatedly. Why did I do that? Well of course because I was assaulted! I had to play my part. With that out of my mind, let's use my abilities! "You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it. Shadow walk!".
"A?" nothing happened. "Erm what the sigma?" why was nothing happening? Aren't I a sequence 8 instigator?, I should be able to use Shadow concealment like I used to. Then I realised, I died. And because of that I lost my beyonder characteristics. I looked around carefully again and didn't see anything. " They must have been collected by that bitch Elira. Damn it I could've sold them!" But that brings another good news! "I don't have to be a witch!" Not that I was going to be one of course, I would've switched to the hunter potion for sure!
"I can choose whatever pathway I want to choose!" Of course this needed verification before I actually drink another potion, I don't want to lose control and be a mindless beast after all. With that in my mind I started making my way to the police station again with a big smile on my face. Arthus started picking up his pace and started skipping. Yes you heard it right, don't blame me I'm just very happy. Soon he saw the police station.