Rain lashed against the taxi's windshield as Emir Alkan checked his phone one last time. He'd just finished the final volume of a popular web novel—an epic fantasy where the noble hero defeated a ruthless tyrant. Emir had always sympathized with that villain more than he cared to admit. "If only he'd made smarter choices," he muttered, paying the driver and running through the downpour toward his apartment.
He never made it to his door.
A screech of tires, a blur of headlights, and the world went black. When consciousness returned, it wasn't to the smell of antiseptic or the buzz of fluorescent lights. It was to the scent of incense and old parchment. He felt cool satin beneath his fingers and a heaviness on his chest—like jewelry.
His eyes flew open. He stared at an ornate canopy carved with serpentine dragons. Rich brocade curtains surrounded a vast bed. His hands—no longer his hands—were slim and pale, adorned with gold rings. He sat up, heart pounding. **This wasn't Istanbul.**
A mirror stood beside the bed. The face that stared back was achingly beautiful and unmistakably male, with inky hair cascading over broad shoulders, dark eyes lined with kohl, and a mouth curved naturally into a smirk. He wore a regal, high‑collared robe embroidered with crimson phoenixes. Memory slammed into him.
He knew this face.
He had died and woken up as **Prince Azrael Raventhorn**, the cruel and brilliant antagonist from the novel he'd just finished reading. In the story, Azrael schemed his way to power, committing atrocities, only to be overthrown and executed by the hero.
"No," Emir whispered—except the voice that emerged was deeper, smoother. Panic threatened to swallow him. He gripped the bedpost until his knuckles whitened. *Is this some kind of dream?*
As if in answer, a faint chime resonated in his mind. A translucent panel blinked into existence, visible only to him, floating at eye level:
> **Villain Evolution System Activated**
>
> **Host:** Azrael Raventhorn (Reincarnated)
>
> **Primary Objective:** Survive beyond the execution event.
>
> **Secondary Objectives:** Increase Influence, Prevent Hero's Ascension, Unlock Alternate Ending.
>
> **Warning:** Disclosure of system to any character will result in immediate penalty. Reincarnation knowledge is hidden from the world by default.
>
> **Beginner Reward:** "Insight – Past Life" (You retain meta knowledge of the original story.)
Emir—Azrael—sucked in a breath. He could feel the cool weight of a circlet on his forehead and the warmth of a thick robe around his shoulders. His heart hammered, but a strange calm settled over him. *I've been given a chance…* he thought. *A second life. As the villain, yes—but with knowledge of the entire plot and a system to change it.* A slow grin tugged at his lips. In his last life, he'd always wondered why the villain never used his intelligence properly. Now, it was up to him.
Footsteps approached the door. Azrael took one final glance at the panel, dismissed it with a thought, and masked his expression just as an elderly eunuch bowed his way into the room.
"Your Highness," the man murmured, eyes fixed on the ground. "The council awaits your presence in the throne room."
Azrael rose gracefully, shoulders straightening with imperial ease. He'd play his role—at least for now. But inside, Emir's mind plotted furiously. The world thought he was the tyrant destined to fall. **He intended to prove them wrong.**