I woke up Sudently.
Not from a nightmare, no. Rather from that strange sensation that something was watching me.
The royal chamber was shrouded in half-darkness; only a few dying embers in the hearth cast a reddish glow across the carpets and curtains. The heavy silence was broken only by the breath of the wind beyond the arched stained-glass windows.
I was hot, yet I shivered. I pushed away the silk sheets and sat on the edge of the bed, unsteady, my heart racing too fast.
My reflection, in a mirror half-lit by the final flicker of a candle reaching its end, gave me an even more disturbing image: that pale face, almost spectral, with shadowed eyes, and hair streaked with deep blue glints. That wasn't me. At least… not the me from before.
I ran a hand over my forehead and sighed:
Well… Dragobert or whatever your name is. If you're stuck in here, you might as well wake up for real.
And then… *cling*
A crystalline sound rang out, not in my ears, but in my head. A bluish glow appeared, floating in the void, right in front of me.
I jumped so hard I almost fell off the bed.
Wait, what the duck?!
A rectangle floated there, translucent, like a magical pane of glass conjured from nowhere. Strange symbols, mixing ancient runes with familiar pictograms (I could swear I saw a battery icon!), pulsed softly. It was… an interface. An interface like in a video game.
I reached out. The screen rippled like water. I even thought I heard a faint *plop*.
Okay. Either I'd gone completely mad, or I finally had the cheat code to my new life.
Words aligned in glowing letters:
[Royal Heritage System: Activated]
Idle time: 10 years, 3 months, 17 days.
Recognized user: Dagobert III.
Status: Survivor of a Miracle.
I stood there, dumbfounded. It was official. I had a HUD in a medieval world.
This is the premium version of reincarnation!
The message vanished, replaced by what looked like a main menu. There were six tabs, each marked by some kind of rune, but thankfully a label beneath each one explained what they were:
- Statistics (55)
- Skills (0)
- Inventory (0/1)
- Quests (0/0)
- Encyclopedia (0) (!)
- Heritage (!)
A nervous chuckle escaped me.Great! A world of fog, ministers who want me dead, and me… with an RPG menu. How exactly am I supposed to grind XP here? Where is the tutorial?
My finger hovered above the Statistics tab. The moment I touched it, I felt a vibration travel up my arm. The screen opened instantly, revealing a pitiful list:
Strength: 2
Agility: 2
Vitality: 2
Intelligence: 36
Charisma: 13
Seriously?! Even a slug would have better stats than that! I had no idea what the average here was, but this looked pathetic...
Yet deep down, I couldn't help but smile.
Despite those ridiculous numbers, despite the scheming ministers, despite this weak body and uncertain future… I had something nobody else here had.
A secret.
A power.
A promise.
I pressed my hand against the glowing screen.
Very well… if you want a prince, I'll be one. But not yours! A new one.
The interface shimmered, as if in approval. Then it slowly faded away, dissipating into the air like a candle flame snuffed out.
I collapsed back onto the pillows, heart racing, eyes wide open in the darkness.There was no way I could sleep after that. But for the first time since my arrival, I wasn't afraid anymore.I was eager.
But how to open it again?
I thought about reopening it, and magically it materialized in front of me once more. VICTORY!
One icon caught my eye: "Encyclopedia" . I pressed it. The screen reorganized instantly. A new menu unfolded:
[Earth Encyclopedia]
Source: Original User's
MemoryStatus: Fragmented
Access: Unlockable
I blinked. An encyclopedia?…From my old world?... It looked like Wikipedia.
I scrolled through. Hundreds of topics were listed, but most were grayed out, locked, with even their titles hidden. Some categories, however, glowed faintly, accessible.
There was a search bar. I typed "airplane" to test it: several results appeared, all locked.
Great… I didn't know this was an encyclopedia in DLC made by EA....
Unlocked categories:
- Human Biology (Basics)
- Mathematics (Basics)
- Physics (Basics)
- Practical Technologies (Basics)
- Arts (Basics)
My hands trembled slightly.If what I was seeing was real, then… I literally had the knowledge of my old world, condensed into this interface.
I clicked on "Human Biology". A skeletal diagram appeared before me, floating in the air, with clear labels. I could zoom, rotate, even add or remove layers, muscles, organs, circulatory system. At the bottom was a notice:
(!) New unlocks:
- Circulatory System (Basics)
- Healing (Basics)
- Nutrition (Basics)
A breath escaped me.
OMG… in a medievalish world… this is real magic
!
I moved on to "Practical Technologies". Again, some topics unlocked after reading the base article.
(!) New unlocks:
- Crafting (Basics)
- Food Preservation (Basics)
- Agriculture (Basics)
- Metallurgy (Basics)
My eyes shone.Each entry could completely change this world. I didn't need magic… I already had the ultimate weapon: knowledge.
But knowledge isn't the same as skill. Applying it depends on ability, training, perseverance…
I clenched my teeth. Of course. Knowing how to make soap was one thing, having the ingredients, the tools, and people willing to listen was another. And maybe they already had it here… maybe they didn't need this knowledge.
Finally, out of curiosity, I opened "Arts". A few stories, poems, musical pieces was here…
It might have been cool if that weren't things like "Chirpy Chirp Goes to Market,""Bunny's Nursery Rhyme," …
Sériously ?! Can't I have all tomes of Lord of the Rings instead?
I returned to the main menu, breath uneven.
A smile spread across my face again.
If I played my cards right… I literally had all the knowledge of my old world to help me develop this kingdom.
Then the last icon caught my attention, and I opened it:
Inherited Skill: ????????
Activation condition: Will to Survive
I frowned.Will to survive… that's a bit vague, isn't it?
I tapped it. The screen pulsed harder this time, and a cold wave surged up my arm.
For a split second, a figure appeared behind the interface: a young man, my age, like the one I've seen in the mirror... wearing the same crown I'd seen in the throne room. His eyes were lifeless, his lips trembled as if he was trying to speak…
Then *crack*
The image shattered into a shower of glowing pixels.
My breath caught.That was… the real Prince Dagobert III? The one who should have been me in this world?
I froze, unable to tell if I'd dreamed it, or if the system had deliberately shown me an echo of its former master, of what he might have been, or perhaps of the shape his spirit currently took. I didn't know. I was lost. But it didn't matter, I'd find out eventually.
A message appeared:
Skill Unlocked: Persistence
Effect: Fear Resistance (LV.1)
A subtle warmth pulsed in my chest.
I lay back, eyes open in the darkness, not even noticing the candle had burned out and gone dark, my mind swirling with new thoughts.
This system wasn't just a tool. It was an inheritance. A memory. An invisible pact.And this time, I made a promise:
If I have to survive in this nest of vultures… it will be with your weapons. Thank you, and rest in peace. I'll take care of your kingdom.
The interface closed like a snuffed flame.But I knew it was waiting, hidden in the shadows, ready to reopen at my call.
.
.
.
.
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The Awakening of Prince Drago
Chapter 4: The Screen in the Shadows
Author: Léonardo de Deuille