The mansion was too quiet.
Lucien stood in the grand hallway of his home—no, a warped version of it. The chandeliers above were dim, their crystal arms swaying as if a breeze had just passed through. The walls were cracked, the air dry with the scent of dust and death. Portraits hung askew, faces of loved ones half-scorched or scratched away.
"Celeste?" Lucien called, his voice echoing through the corridor. No answer. He took a few steps forward, heart thudding painfully.
"Seraphina? Father?"
Still silence.
The floor beneath him creaked. A cold gust crawled down his back, but he pressed on. At the end of the hall, the door to the main drawing room was slightly ajar. A flicker of golden light leaked from the gap.
He pushed it open slowly.
"No—"
The scene before him shattered his breath.
Celeste lay slumped on the floor, her silver hair soaked in blood, her eyes wide in eternal surprise. Seraphina's body was draped over hers, arms outstretched as if to shield her daughter. Maeve—always composed, always deadly—was against the far wall, her twin blades broken, her throat slashed. And Caelum… his father… knelt before the fireplace, pierced through the heart by his own sword.
Lucien's knees gave way.
"No, no, no—this isn't real! This isn't real!"
He scrambled forward, trembling fingers reaching out to Celeste. "Come on! Wake up, idiot. Say something—laugh at me, yell at me—anything!"
His voice cracked. He touched her cheek—cold. The kind of cold that left no doubt.
Lucien screamed.
"NOOOO!"
His lungs burned. The walls trembled around him as if reacting to his grief. The air itself twisted, spiraling—
And he jolted awake.
---
His chest rose and fell in ragged heaves. Sweat drenched his body, matting his hair to his forehead. He lay in his room—his real room in the Academy dorms, sparse but familiar. Morning light filtered in through the window. The nightmare had ended.
Lucien sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. He could still feel the taste of blood, the ache of loss.
"A dream," he muttered, "just a dream…"
He stared at the palm of his hand. It was trembling. That dream—it felt too real. Too vivid. Like a warning.
Taking a long breath, he focused himself.
"Status," Lucien said aloud.
A faint hum passed through his body. A golden-blue light flickered before him, and with a soft chime, translucent runes expanded into the air. His Codex had awakened.
---
Status Screen
Name: Lucien Vaelor
Race: Human
Age: 13
Class: Unawakened
Codex Rank: E
---
[Traits]
• Observation Eye [F] – Enhances perception, allows the user to analyze minor weaknesses and detect irregularities.
• Adaptive Learner [G] – Improves proficiency gain when learning new skills or techniques.
• Mana Sensitivity [E] – User can sense mana fluctuations and identify elemental signatures.
---
[Attributes]
Strength: E
Agility: E
Endurance: E
Intelligence: E
Willpower: E
Dexterity: E
Charm: C
---
[Mana Type]
Astralis Mana [E] – A rare and transcendent form of mana said to originate from the stars and the gods themselves. Astralis Mana carries the resonance of celestial harmony and divine balance, radiating an ethereal glow and a calming, otherworldly presence. It is whispered in ancient texts to be the breath of the cosmos—the primordial force that shaped reality, time, and fate. Those who wield it can tap into both devastating offensive power and profound restorative abilities, though its true potential remains locked behind great trials of soul and spirit.
---
[Elemental Affinities]
• Fire Affinity – 0% Mastery
• Water Affinity – 0% Mastery
• Earth Affinity – 0% Mastery
• Air Affinity – 0% Mastery
---
[Skills]
• Basic Swordsmanship – [Intermediate]
• Mana Control – [Basic]
• Meditation – [Basic]
• Mana Infusion – [Basic]
• Combat Footwork – [Basic]
---
Lucien stared at the screen for a long while.
"So it's finally begun," he whispered, a small smile forming on his lips.
Two months. Two months of physical torment, mental adjustment, of hiding the truth from everyone around him. Of learning to walk, talk, and act like Lucien Vaelor, when inside, he still carried memories of a different world. Of a different self.
"So finally… after two months of coming to this world… I've awakened."
He stood and stretched, his muscles humming with newfound vitality. The glow of mana beneath his skin was faint but present—like a long-silent voice finally whispering back.
He walked toward the mirror. The reflection staring back at him wasn't just a young noble. It was someone with purpose.
"Now I can finally move toward my goal. To get stronger. To survive."
His voice hardened.
"To get stronger fast, I'll have to steal all the opportunities I can. Even if it dishevels the plot of the novel."
He remembered the original storyline—Mask of the Hero. A grim, morally grey tale where power justified action. He wasn't the protagonist here. Not originally. But he refused to play the role of a side character doomed to suffer.
"Now you might say what I'm doing is wrong... But the original MC of Mask of the Hero? He was worse."
He clenched his fists.
"Noah Miller. The 'chosen hero.' Son of Baron Miller. A degenerate, an egomaniac—and a manipulator who'd sell his own blood for clout."
Lucien spat the name like venom.
"The author made it clear from the start—Noah was not the goody-two-shoes type. He was vile. He used women like pawns, lied, cheated, and backstabbed anyone who stood in his way."
His mind flashed through the opening arcs.
"To gain political leverage, he seduced the daughter of Count Delvar and sold her secrets to her enemies. When his best friend from childhood stood in his way, he orchestrated a dungeon trap with Amelia—yeah, that Amelia—and left him to die."
His voice dropped.
"The last words that 'friend' heard… were Noah swearing to steal his fiancée."
He scoffed bitterly.
"And the bastard did."
Lucien's hands trembled again, but not from fear. From fury.
"He led raids against neutral villages, pretending they were demon-corrupted, just to gain war merit. He executed surrendered enemies to inflate his kill count. And when a poor orphan girl awakened rare healing magic, he kept her caged—drugged and obedient—just so his 'heroic' team had their own private medic."
Lucien looked into the mirror once more, eyes burning.
"So yeah. I'm not going to feel guilty about stealing his fate. I deserve it more than he ever did."
He tapped the status screen with resolve.
"This Codex? This is just the beginning. Every quest he would've gotten, every legacy he was meant to inherit—I'll take them. Every companion he was meant to 'charm' and ruin—I'll protect them. And every injustice he would've committed… I'll erase."
A faint pulse surged through the room. Lucien's Astralis Mana responded to his will, glowing faintly around his chest.
"I may not be the original protagonist of this world... but I'll carve a new story into its bones."
He turned toward the window, the rising sun cresting over the eastern mountains of the Empire. The Academy bell began to toll in the distance.
Time was moving.
So would he
A/N :And with this Lucien has awakened.So for the next chapter I am thinking of something adventurous.Hehe
And yeah one more thing or more like a request if you are liking the novel so far atleast add it to your library it helps me way more than you think.Thanks for reading,see you tomorrow