[Memory seal complete.]
[System initializing…]
{ Welcome, Host. You are currently in the process of awakening a system. }
[Continuing the host–system bonding process.]
[Recommendation: Brace yourself for a little discomfort.]
"F*ck you," I muttered inwardly. A little discomfort? I've already been through hell.
I clenched my teeth, determined not to make a sound, to endure it like a man. But then I remembered—my body was no longer that of a man. It was that of a newborn.
The moment the pain spiked again, my body betrayed me. My tiny lungs filled with air and a sharp, shrill wail burst out.
I was crying.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably, and the sound echoed through the chamber. My mind screamed in embarrassment. Damn it! I'm a grown man in here. Who wouldn't feel humiliated, bawling like this?
And yet… what could I do? After all, it wasn't every day that a man's soul was forced into the body of a baby, with a cosmic system carving itself into his very being.
Suddenly, I felt my consciousness slipping once more, as if someone had pulled the ground out from under me.
Damn it, I muttered inwardly, my thoughts sluggish and heavy. Why… why is it that I keep losing my consciousness again and again?
I struggled, tried to resist, but my newborn body was far too weak to anchor me. My mind swayed like a candle flame in the wind.
And then, as if fate itself mocked me, I couldn't hold on any longer. My vision blurred, my body grew weightless, and I tumbled headfirst into the abyss of dreams.
But these weren't ordinary dreams.
I fell through starlit voids, fragments of broken memories flashing like shattered glass around me—faces I couldn't name, blood I couldn't forget, and a looming voice whispering through the darkness:
"You cannot run from fate… only break it."
...........
When I opened my eyes again, the world was bathed in silver moonlight. Night had fallen.
I glanced around and noticed that at some point, a maid had slipped in and changed my clothes.
Hah! How embarrassing.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving me alone once more. Silence filled the room, broken only by the faint rustle of curtains swaying in the breeze. It was a luxurious chamber—polished wood, silken sheets, and gilded furniture that reeked of nobility.
My gaze drifted sideways… and then I saw it.
A mirror.
And in that mirror—a baby stared back at me.
So… this is me?
I studied the reflection, and a smirk tugged at my thoughts. Hoh, it seems my parents are not only rich in wealth, but in appearance as well. This face… this will definitely grow into a lady-killer's charm.
But as soon as that thought formed, heat rushed to my cheeks. Damn it! What are you even thinking, me?
I sighed inwardly. Great. I've already taken my first steps down the road of narcissism.
Even still, I couldn't help but admire myself. The combination of raven-black hair and blood-red eyes really did look… striking.
But just as I was silently praising myself, a soft system chime echoed in my mind. A glowing message appeared before me, and the words that followed nearly killed me with embarrassment.
[Ding! Stop being such a Narcissist, Host.]
[Recommendation: Control yourself, or you will be walking the path of no return.]
If I could have facepalmed with these stubby little baby hands, I would have. Instead, I did it in my mind and wished a hole would appear so I could crawl into it.
Fuck! Seriously?
This was my very first proper interaction with the system, and I had already branded myself as a narcissist. Worse—this wasn't just any system. This was supposed to be my lifelong companion, my one guide in this new life. And now, my grand debut… was as a self-obsessed baby.
Damn it, future me is going to regret this so much.