Eren can clearly still remember it, his girlfriend of two years screaming at the top of her lungs about how selfish he was. She stood there, tears streaming down her face as she told him what a horrible boyfriend he'd been for the past two weeks. She stood there indecently dressed, with her lipstick smeared and a stunned stranger looking on in disbelief from their bedroom. He didn't even refute her claims, as the shock of the moment left him completely speechless.
He'd only been a 'shit' boyfriend, as she calls it, for the past two weeks because of the small box in his pocket. Its insignificant weight suddenly feels much heavier. What a fool he's been, running around like a chicken with its head cut off, working extra hours, taking jobs no one else wants, and all for what? Looking at her pretty face now, he can't seem to find the woman he was about to propose to. Instead, he sees a strange creature glaring at him, accusing him of things beyond his control.
She's the one that wanted a big ring to show off to her friends. She's the one who said she wanted her wedding day to be something straight out of a fairytale. Those dreams cost lots of money, money he had to scrape together. Yet now, after he's bought an expensive diamond ring, he comes home only to find her half-dressed with a stranger in their bed. His late mother must be laughing at him from hell. She always said nothing he touched would ever amount to anything; she'd certainly been right.
In a single night, his three world views on life were shattered beyond repair. He can't even remember how he got out of that house. Before he knew it, he was walking through crowded streets, with a gloomy sky perfectly mirroring his heart. He must have been out of his mind, so distraught he didn't even notice it when the streetlight turned red. There was just a sudden shock, a loud bang, and then the next thing he knew, the world had flipped upside down.
"Oh my god! Someone call an ambulance!"
"Someone just got hit on the road!"
'It's rude to record someone without their permission you know.'
Eren Walden felt nothing as he lay there dying on the street. There was just one random thought floating through his head as he closed his eyes for the last time: the thought of what comes next. He was a devout Christian and a firm believer in heaven and hell. Yet when he died, he couldn't confidently say he'd end up in one or the other.
He hadn't been an asshole, demeaning, tricking, or harming anyone else during his 27 years on earth, but…he hadn't been a saint either. His motto had always been to give as good as he got while minding his own business for the most part. He hadn't gone out of his way to be mean to anyone, but he hadn't gone out of his way to save anyone either. Could someone like him win a pass to Heaven so easily?
When next he comes to, he finds himself on a bed. It's certainly not what he was expecting, but it's comfortable. For a moment, he wondered if he might have been saved. Could he have been rushed to the hospital in time? But that couldn't be, this place doesn't feel or look like a hospital ward. The bedding is far too expensive, just by lying on it he can tell that much, these have got to be some of the softest sheets he's ever slept on. It's so comfortable that he can hardly bring himself to notice anything else, but he does notice the seemingly out-of-place décor of the room.
The luxuries large four-poster princess canopy bed he's currently lying on, with its richly carved lifelike murals of angels and cherubs. The high canopy of translucent blue gauze drapes flowing down from above like a gentle stream, giving off a dreamlike, hazy feel to it. The grand fireplace at the front of the room gives off a strong glow, able to breathe warmth into the such a large space. Several bejeweled large trunks were lined up at the foot of the bed, accompanied by ornate plush chairs and a beautiful vintage vanity, the kind one might only see in a museum.
It hardly looks like anything he could afford in his entire lifetime. He silently observes the situation with curiosity. He attempts to get up and instantly realizes something is terribly wrong. For 27 years, he has grown accustomed to a certain physical presence between his legs. Now, he experiences an unusual absence in that area, noticing instead two distinct weights on his chest. They aren't heavy enough to strain his back, but they are certainly noticeable to someone who has sported a flat chest for the past 27 years.
The warning signs are so ominous that he can hardly bring himself to look into the full-length mirror across the room. He's so petrified by what he sees, he even forgets to scream. Silently, he just stares in horror. The beautiful brown girl in the mirror mirrors the anguish within him. What's worse, he recognizes those large amethyst eyes, flushed cheeks, and full plum lips. The familiar flowing curly silver locks of hair and those distinct long pointy ears.
'Ariellia Silvy Garrod' the beautiful yet vain spoilt dark elf who forces the hero to marry her at the start of the game. The first villain a player encounters in the game. Yes, a game. His girlfriend had been right about one thing: he hardly had time to live like a normal person. He'd been so stressed working all those long hours, his only relief came in the form of a simple mobile game. He'd only played it in passing to de-stress and barely paid any attention to it.
The game, titled "The King's Return," is a role-playing adventure featuring sophisticated graphics and streamlined gameplay. In typical RPG fashion you start off as a weak hero character without any history. It's up to the players to overcome game obstacles, level up, kill monsters, and defeat villains to uncover the hero's true origins and lead him to victory.
It was the last game he played before he passed away. He had expressed his dissatisfaction with the developer's lack of creativity and character development by leaving a long biblical negative review on their site. To think this would be his version of hell, to be turned into a seventeen-year-old villainess doomed to die at the very start of the game. Eren reaches for the bandaged head of the girl in the mirror, only to see her mimic the gesture. The whole thing struck him as surreal.
"Oh lord, my sweet Arie! Who dare hurt my precious baby girl!"
Before she can get a handle on the situation an older middle-aged man with a stout mustache and charming face waltzes into the room. "The King's Return" was designed to reflect elements of fantasy and aspects of the medieval western period. The slightly plump man was dressed extravagantly like a duke of ole. Eren-no Arie recognizes him to be Duke David Vas Garrod, the original's father.
Yet another minor character players hardly ever encountered in the game. Mentions in the game for him were so few she almost forgot his existence entirely. But here in front of her Duke Garrod is very much alive and breathing. He's not some fancifully drawn 2d character made of pixel data. She can feel his breath as he hugs her closely. There's a slow steady thump in his broad chest that proves he's alive.
…
She doesn't know what to do or say. Eren Walden had never been close to his parents as a child. It's part of the reason he'd grown to be so withdrawn as an adult. This open display of affection from a parent is something entirely new to her. She doesn't know how to respond so she simply lets her father hold her in his arms. She's a bit surprised by how easily he lifts her up as though he was carrying a baby. He's a lot stronger than she originally thought.
"Why so quiet Love, are you still sad from your run in with Rei and his friend?" Duke Garrod asks.
"Rei?" Surely, it's not who she's thinking of.
"Rei of course, the orphan boy you like so much. My future son-in-law, silly." He lightly pinches her cute cheeks.
Ariellia stares into his similar amethyst eyes in a daze. How could she possibly forget Rei Vernon Bastion, the true protagonist of this game. One of the main reasons Ariellia met such an untimely demise so early in the game was because she had used her father's clout to force him into marrying her. As a spoilt princess of the elder race, Ariella has always been able to get anything she's ever wanted without much effort.
To her misfortune she set her sight on the protagonist just at the start of the game. She purposely got her knights to arrest-kidnap his close childhood friend and held her hostage to force Rei into marrying her. Her current head injury was likely due to the scuffle that took place during the process of kidnapping the heroine. It's to be expected that once the deed was done the protagonist hated her guts. Most players felt it was satisfying and just to watch her die during the monster march a month later. Ultimately, she was nothing but a minor villain at the opening chapter of the hero's journey.
"Daddy?" It's strange hearing the word come out of her mouth. Living as Eren, her parents passed away many years ago. To think she would now have to play the part of a pampered young miss, how laughable.
"Yes, my little moonshine?"
"Um, where is Rei right now?" she whispers, so embarrassed to be acting cuteish that a natural blush appears on her cheeks. Duke Garrod mistakes her response for shyness and chuckles.
"I know you like the boy a lot sweetie but we must follow proper customs. Rei will not be able to see you until the wedding ceremony tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!" She's so surprised she can't help but blurt it out. Her panicked expression must look funny to the duke. He lets out a hearty laugh.
"What, not fast enough for you? I remember I raised you to be a proper little lady, hm…just where did I go wrong." He jokes.
'Maybe when you keep spoiling her, or overly pampering her' Eren thinks, but that's beside the point. The duke said the wedding ceremony would take place tomorrow! She just got foisted into this situation and already she's supposed to be married off to another male. Sure, she's a girl now but that's beside the point. She must cancel the wedding somehow. Nothing good ever happens to those who challenge the protagonist!
"Daddy, I don't think I'm ready…can't we cancel the wedding for now?" she blinks those lovely clear amethyst eyes at him. This should be more than enough to get the overpampering Duke to revoke the wedding...right?
Wrong, to her surprise Duke Garrod actually shows he has a spine for once. "I'm sorry sweetie but father has already sent out the invitations to the neighboring cities. The guests have already started arriving in droves for the ceremony and the tribe shaman is ready. I dare not insult an envoy of the moon goddess Selene."
…
She's screwed; there's just no better way to put it. She's utterly and completely screwed. Her second life…whatever this is will be short lived. Only a fiery death awaits her if she lets this marriage go through, but what's she to do?
"Get some sleep my little moonshine, I'll see you first thing in the morning." Duke Garrod sets her back onto her bed and leaves the room before she can say anything else. She's left gaping, lifelessly staring into space like a dead fish. She curls up under the comfortable covers and hopes for this to all be a lucid dream. Who transmigrates into a game after death anyway? Shouldn't the choices only be Heaven or Hell?