Death was a lot less dramatic than I'd expected.
One moment, I was half-awake at my desk, heart pounding after a long night's binge-read of Arcane Hearts: Legends of Arclight, the very same trashy webnovel I'd mocked my roommate for enjoying. The next, there was a blinding flash, the screech of tires, and the too-late realization that "Look both ways before you cross" is sound advice for a reason.
Then, nothing.
A lull.
A sense of weightlessness and… regret?
If anyone ever tells you your life flashes before your eyes—they're only half right. Mine was more of a highlight reel: missed deadlines, skipped lectures, empty coffee cups, the feeling of never quite belonging.
What came after, I can barely describe.
A haze of colors. The feeling of being squeezed into a suit several sizes too small—and then, with a jolt, my world snapped sharply into focus.
I opened my eyes to sunlight streaming through grand stained glass. Marble pillars ringed the room. Voices murmured and echoed. I stared at long, slender fingers that weren't mine.
It only took a moment for memory to slam into me—this academy uniform, that elaborate student crest stitched at my heart. I'd seen them more times in illustrations than I'd ever admit.
But the biggest clue?
The glassy-eyed students gossiping in the corner, all dressed like B-list extras and rattling off lines lifted straight from Arcane Hearts.
My heart stuttered.
I knew this place.
This was Arclight Academy—the setting of that ridiculous, melodramatic webnovel. The one where heroes clashed, villains plotted, and "mob" side characters existed for comic relief or body count.
I checked my reflection in the polished window.
Pale hair, sharp chin, unimpressive frame.
Riven Ulric.
In the book, he was a nobody—fodder for bullies, quickly forgotten by chapter ten.
Well. At least I wouldn't have to fight demon lords or save the universe. Being invisible sounded perfect to me. I could survive by being smart, by laying low, by keeping my head down.
That was my plan—simple, sensible, safe.
And it might have worked, if not for five pairs of eyes boring into me the second I entered the hall. Each belonging to one of the main heroines. Each face radiating a different flavor of beauty—and hidden danger.
I shuddered, feeling oddly exposed.
But no matter. All I had to do was avoid the spotlight and stay out of their way. It wasn't like my thoughts were being broadcast to them in real time, right?
I forced a grin, quietly reassuring myself that blending in was my greatest skill.
No one would ever pay attention to a background character like me.
Right?
[End of Prologue]