The crunch of straw echoed beneath his boots.
Darius Maximoud walked hurriedly through the scent of hay and damp earth, while the morning wind blew gently from the east. A cow watched him indifferently, chewing grass without haste, and for a moment, that rhythmic, monotonous sound was the only thing that connected him to reality.
The young man stopped in front of the fence, exhaling deeply.
The air was cold, and dew still covered the golden stalks. Darius sat right in front of the small house where the chickens slept, and after a few seconds of silence, he murmured softly:
"This looks… too real." He lifted his gaze to the blue sky, as if searching for a crack in that illusion. "From what I can see, this isn't a dream. If this is real… then I've been reborn as Darius, the antagonist."
The words slipped out with a tone between resignation and bewilderment.
Around him, the chickens clucked carelessly, pecking at the ground. The smell of manure, the damp wood, the faint whistle of the wind through the trees… everything was too vivid.
"This can't be just a hallucination," he thought as he watched the breeze stir the leaves.
He walked slowly toward the shadow of a large tree, where the sunlight filtered through golden dust motes.
The wind rose, moving his dark hair as he looked out toward the horizon.
"Since I'm here… that means this is the Maximoud family farm," he said firmly, though his heart was pounding. "I remember it perfectly. I read it in the novel, from the very first chapters."
He lifted his gaze and froze.
In the distance, above a chain of floating mountains shrouded in mist, stood a monumental mansion.
Its towers rose among the clouds, covered in vines and gleaming vegetation, like a castle suspended between sky and earth. It was the main residence of the Maximouds, one of the most feared and respected families on the continent.
"At least I reincarnated at the beginning of the story," he said, sighing in relief. "There's still time. The Zenith Academy and… everything that follows hasn't started yet."
But his relief didn't last long.
Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced his mind.
An ethereal vibration, a mechanical hum. And before his eyes, floating in the air, a bright blue screen appeared with glowing letters.
[Omniscient Narrator System – Activated]
Darius took a step back, his heart pounding.
"I don't know what the hell this guide is or why it's appearing to me," he muttered, staring at the symbols floating before him.
The letters began to rearrange themselves until they formed a table.
---
==Omniscient Narrator System==
[Omniscient Narrator – Level 1]
Status: Incomplete Awakening – 40% / 100%
Name: Darius Maximoud
Rank: G
Strength: G
Agility: G
Endurance: G-
Intelligence: G
Aura Control: E+
Luck: E-
Fortune: D+
Stars: 0+
[Class]: [Swordsman Level 1]
---
Darius stayed silent for several seconds.
The wind blew softly, but he barely felt it.
"I know this novel of my sister's very well," he whispered, barely audible. "And as far as I know… there's no system in the story."
He frowned.
"This… this doesn't make sense. The original story was a power novel based on Aura, not on systems or stat panels. Why do I have something like this?"
He recalled the fundamentals of the world.
In that story, humanity had awakened a special energy called Aura after the Cataclysm of the Void—the event that brought dimensional rifts.
Since then, humans were divided into Vibrators—those capable of manipulating Aura—and Non-Vibrators, those who couldn't.
Aura granted superhuman strength, speed, and endurance. It was the key to surviving the anomalous radiation of the dimensional rifts—the same radiation that transformed ordinary humans into monsters called Fisunoids.
The Vibrators were the wall that protected humanity, but even they weren't immune, only resistant. Many ended up transformed into higher versions of those creatures: High-Level Fisunoids, capable of destroying entire cities.
Over the years, humanity managed to adapt and find medical, civil, and political solutions to deal with that. That's why the Zenith Academy existed—a school to train specialized Vibrators and Aura Experts to protect living beings.
Darius knew all of this. He had read it, analyzed it, and memorized it.
That's why seeing a "System" in front of his eyes was an impossible anomaly.
"This is… extraordinarily unusual," he said, touching the air where the screen floated. "These stats… shouldn't even exist."
In the original story, the students of the Zenith Academy only obtained information about their potential by using specialized devices after going through several physical and mental tests. There were no magical interfaces.
"Then, why me…?" he murmured.
As his mind cleared, a grim memory struck him like lightning.
The exact moment when the heroine of the novel raised her sword and… cut off his head.
His breathing grew erratic.
"No… no way!" he shouted, eyes wide open. "That means I'm destined for the same fate!"
He jumped up, pacing under the tree.
"I don't want to die again! Not in this world too!"
Fear overwhelmed him. He could feel the desperation, the cold sweat running down his forehead.
But amid the chaos, an idea crossed his mind.
"Unless…" he said, a spark of determination lighting up his eyes. "Unless I become stronger than her."
He looked back at his screen.
---
==Omniscient Narrator System==
[Omniscient Narrator – Level 1]
Status: Incomplete Awakening – 40% / 100%
Rank: G
Strength: G
Agility: G
Endurance: G-
Intelligence: G
Aura Control: E+
Luck: E-
Fortune: D+
Stars: 0+
[Class]: [Swordsman Level 1]
---
"If I can increase my stats…" he smiled slightly. "And if I remember all the places where the heroine got her trap items, then I can get ahead of her."
His thoughts organized themselves. His breathing steadied.
"That's it. I know this story like the back of my hand. I'm at the beginning… she doesn't know me yet, and if I remember correctly, there are still 4 weeks left before classes resume at Zenith Academy."
He looked at the horizon.
"That means her stats should be equal to or slightly higher than mine. I have time… three weeks before classes start at Zenith."
He raised his eyes toward the Maximoud mansion among the floating mountains.
"But I must be careful. I can't raise suspicion. If my family notices anything strange… I'm dead."
The wind blew harder.
"That family…" he said with a trembling sigh. "They're not just rich nobles. They're leaders of The White Hand, the most dangerous and bloodthirsty mafia in the entire country—or at least one of them."
"This farm is just a facade to hide the true criminal activities of this family—trafficking, manipulation, and all kinds of shady things you could imagine."
"Therefore, if they notice anything strange, it could be the end of Darius. That was the problem running through his head; he didn't know what to do—he had never dealt with mafias, he'd always been a normal civilian who died from lung cancer."
He recalled the darkest fragments of the novel.
"Especially Darius—he wasn't an angel at all. He was the worst of them all. There's a reason he's the antagonist of this story. He was ruthless and cruel, the kind of antagonist who was basically a genius—manipulative and heartless."
Torture, murder, corruption… all under the control of the Maximouds.
Darius was no saint. He was the heir of chaos. A villain without empathy, a ruthless young man molded by a family complicit in his heinous acts.
"It'll be hard to act like him…" he admitted bitterly. "But I'll do it. Whatever it takes to survive."
Silence returned. Only the hum of insects and the murmur of the wind could be heard.
Darius took a deep breath and began descending the hill.
But before he took three steps, a voice called from behind.
"Boss Darius, wait for me!"
Darius turned sharply.
A dark-skinned boy, about his same age, came running toward him. He wore farm clothes and had short, curly hair with light blue eyes that gleamed under the sun.
"When did he get here? I didn't sense him at all," Darius thought, surprised. "I hope he didn't hear anything I said."
"Wait a second! I think I know him—that voice, that attitude, those descriptions… that means it must be him. If it is, then I don't have to worry; I know these characters very well."
Pretending to cough, he instantly regained his composure and organized the memories in his mind.
"Ah… Davincio, it's you. What are you doing here? Did you finish collecting the eggs from the henhouses?"
The young man grinned broadly.
"Of course, Boss Darius! Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. By the way, I came to get you. Your mother wants to see you."
Darius froze.
"My mother? She's here? I thought she was still in the Northern Continent…"
"She's back," Davincio replied casually. "She arrived without warning and says it's important. That's why she sent me to fetch you."
The color drained from Darius's face.
"Crap… crap, no. Not now."
He had planned to leave the farm and head to a nearby dimensional dungeon to obtain the first trap items.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"I'll take it easy. That woman… she's dangerous. I'll act naturally."
Darius Maximoud kept sweating buckets colder than Antarctica, trembling in nervousness. They were talking about the mother of the original Darius—the wife of the head of the Maximoud family and supreme leader of the [White Hand] mafia.
"I THINK I CAN'T STAY CALM!"
Davincio looked at him worriedly.
"Are you alright, Boss? You're trembling and sweating a lot. Are you sick or something?"
Darius forced a smile.
"Don't worry, Davincio. I'm just… tired. Worked hard on the farm, that's all."
"Damn it, I have to act natural. It's not that I'm scared to see my mother. Well, maybe a little. But the most worrying thing is that she shouldn't be back from her trip yet—that happens later. What just happened?"
Darius kept his mind calm and steady. "Alright, I'm calmer now. I need to learn more about this world and get stronger to survive. For now, I'll just follow the story a little."
"I mean, I can't just change the entire story and make scenes or events happen that shouldn't or that were supposed to happen in the future. If that happens, like now, things will get out of hand and I won't know what to do."
Then Darius Maximoud, acting as he should, nodded calmly to Davincio.
"Understood. Then let's go."
Both began walking down the path that descended the hill. The wind rustled the leaves, and the shadow of the great tree stretched behind them.
Ahead, a floating truck awaited them. Its inverted wheels emitted a soft magnetic glow in waves, making the vehicle levitate a few centimeters above the ground. Its metallic chassis reflected the sun, and the interior was surprisingly modern, with holographic screens and dark leather seats.
Darius stopped for a moment, staring at it in awe.
In his previous world, such technology only existed in fiction.
"Incredible…" he whispered.
He climbed into the vehicle alongside Davincio. The truck began to move with a soft hum, slowly rising before advancing toward the horizon.
From the window, Darius watched the farm fade away—the fields stretching under the morning mist, the trees swaying in the wind, and high above, the Maximoud mansion waiting for him like a sleeping monster among the clouds.
The sound of his footsteps echoed dryly over the wine-red carpet that covered the long hallway of the mansion. Each painting on the walls was a fragment of family history: oil portraits of the Maximouds from generation to generation.
Solemn faces, piercing gazes, and smiles so restrained they seemed to judge from the canvas anyone who dared look at them. The shadows of the crystal lamps reflected on the golden frames, tinting the atmosphere with a reddish, spectral light.
The reddish leather of the sofas and the burgundy walls seemed to absorb every trace of sound, wrapping Darius in a heavy silence.
The air smelled of old wood, dried rose perfume, and inherited power.
"Breathe deeply and stay calm…" Darius thought silently, just as his hand rose to knock on the door at the end of the hallway.
Tok. Tok.
The sound echoed through the hollow mansion.
"With your permission, sir. I'll take my leave," said a deep voice before turning and disappearing down the corridor like a shadow.
Darius inhaled deeply. His fingers closed around the doorknob, and slowly, he pushed the door open.
"With your permission… mo—" he began to say.
The voice froze in his throat.
In front of him, the large office was illuminated by a floor lamp with a scarlet glass shade.
Behind the desk, a woman with bright red hair sat in a swivel chair, her back turned toward him. The silhouette of her figure was outlined under the light, and the faint movement of her shoulders showed that she had noticed his presence.
Charlotte Maximoud.
The matriarch of the family.
The woman slowly turned the chair, revealing her face: pale and smooth skin, wine-red lips, and bright eyes that radiated authority and allure.
Her fitted ivory-white blouse contrasted with the dark jacket that outlined her elegant and commanding figure. Even without saying a word, the simple way she raised a finger to point at him was enough to freeze his blood.
Darius swallowed hard.
His mind screamed.
"Act normal, act normal, act normal."
He took a few steps forward, stiff as if walking through a minefield.
"Good afternoon, mother," he greeted with a slight bow, trying to keep his composure. "You arrived much earlier than expected. How was your trip?"
Charlotte remained silent for a few seconds, staring at him. Her gaze was so deep that Darius felt she could read every one of his thoughts.
Then, her expression suddenly changed.
"What's happening?! No. No way, she's not like that, maybe it's…"
"My sweet boy, how I missed you, darling!" she exclaimed, leaping toward him with a sudden gleam in her eyes.
Before he could react, Darius was engulfed in a fierce, almost suffocating hug. Charlotte shook him several times, laughing between whispers of joy.
"Mom… could you please let go of me… I'm getting… dizzy," he mumbled weakly, watching the walls spin.
It was just as it seemed. Believe it or not, Charlotte Maximoud was a very affectionate and empathetic woman—at least when it came to dealing with her family. But with outsiders, not so much. That was why Darius, in the novel, always put all his trust in her—after all, she was his mother.
Finally, the woman released him, laughing softly.
Darius sighed in relief and dropped into the chair in front of the desk. Charlotte, elegant and relaxed, returned to her seat with a maternal smile.
"Well," she began, crossing one leg over the other, "you must be wondering why I came back earlier than planned.
The truth is, some urgent matters came up with your father… so there was a sudden change in my schedule."
Darius felt a chill run down his spine.
"Matters with my father? That wasn't in the novel. This shouldn't be happening…"
His expression, however, did not betray his confusion.
"I understand, mother. Quite something, huh?" he said with a faint smile. "But you still haven't explained the reason for my summons."
Charlotte tilted her head slightly, then reached for a small object on the desk: a metallic chip the size of a fingernail, glowing faintly blue.
"Your father asked me to give you this," she said, placing it carefully in front of him. "He said only you should have it… and that you should use it when you enter Zenith Academy."
Darius took it between his fingers. The chip was cold—almost alive.
"This chip… I think I know what it is."
"Now that I've given you what's yours," Charlotte continued warmly, "tell me, what have you been up to this week? Have you been eating well? Sleeping enough?"
Darius sighed.
"Mom, I already told you… I'm not a kid anymore. You don't have to ask me that every time."
She chuckled softly.
"And what's wrong with that? I'm your mother—it's only natural that I worry about you."
He stood, smoothing his jacket.
"I know, mom. Well, not much has happened. I've just been… working and studying."
Charlotte looked at him with pride.
"Always studying. I'm not surprised you got into Zenith Academy with such a high score. Second place, no less."
"Yes, but it's not enough," Darius replied as he headed for the door. "I have to keep pushing myself."
"I'll be going now, mother. I still need to study."
He closed the door softly behind him.
Charlotte remained still for a few seconds, staring into the void, thoughtful.
"What am I going to do with you?" she murmured. "You could at least stop being so serious…"
On the other side, Darius walked quickly down the hallway. His previously tense face relaxed.
"Lucky me for acting so well," he whispered, letting out a nervous laugh. "I really am an excellent actor."
His room was in the east wing of the mansion—spacious and modern, with large windows and advanced technological furnishings. The ceiling lights changed according to his mood, reflecting bluish tones that gave a sense of digital calm.
He sat at his desk, turned on the computer, and looked at the chip hanging from his neck.
"Now I understand what just happened," he said in a low voice. "This chip is proof of my theory."
For a moment, he recalled everything he had observed since waking up in that world.
The slight changes in conversations, the different expressions, the human reactions he didn't remember from the novel.
"This isn't a plot alteration," he thought, "it's a change in perspective."
The story he knew had been narrated from the protagonist's point of view—essentially in first person. Everything that happened outside her environment simply didn't exist on the pages. But he, Darius, was living his own route.
It was the same story, but on another axis of fate.
"I was a bit negligent not realizing it sooner," he whispered. "I'm Darius, not the protagonist."
"Now, my decisions will determine my own story."
He inserted the chip. A sharp hum filled the air.
GLIP... GLIP... GLIP.
Holographic files began to project before him, forming diagrams, maps, names, and dates that seemed drawn from the deepest secrets.
Darius smiled calmly, satisfied.
"Thank you, father… this information is worth gold."
---
The next morning, Solnareth Station buzzed with activity.
Tall buildings with glass structures floated above energy rails, and drones carried luggage and glowing advertisements. The automated system's voice echoed through the speakers:
["Welcome to Solnareth Central Station. Next destination: Rheos, City of Guilds."]
The train appeared as a flash of light, stopping with a soft hum.
Darius adjusted his black jacket and boarded without looking back.
"It's time to go," he murmured, taking a seat by the window.
The train lifted off, releasing beams of golden light before disappearing into the clouds.
Darius opened a holographic newspaper. A headline glowed before him:
["Jackson Seraphina has done it again! The head of the Seraphina family defeats an A+ class demon that threatened to destroy an entire city."]
Darius rested his chin on his hand, smiling calmly.
"The protagonist's father… that means the Zenith Academy arc has just begun."
Then, a notification echoed in his mind like a digital reverberation.
[Omniscient Narrator System — New mission suggestion available!]
The reflection of the screen lit up his face.