Gray.
That was the color of my world.
Not black, not white — just an endless, dull gray.
The sky was gray when I left for college.
The buildings were gray when I walked past them.
Even my reflection in the cracked mirror by my bed looked like it had given up trying to be anything else.
My name… well, it doesn't matter now. Back then, I was just another forgettable face in a crowded city — someone who drifted through life like a ghost. My days blurred together: wake up, attend classes I didn't care about, eat cheap food, read webnovels until my eyes burned, then sleep.
Stories — that's what kept me alive.
I used to dive into them every night. Worlds where heroes fought for justice, where villains plotted from the shadows, where people had purpose — fire — drive. And me? I sat in the corner of my room, reading about lives I'd never live.
One story, in particular, stuck with me.
"The Chronicles of Aetherfall."
A sprawling fantasy world of swords and sorcery, where mana shaped reality itself. I still remembered the characters — the proud hero, the cunning villains, the sprawling empires and ruined kingdoms. But more than anyone, I remembered him — Lucian Greyfall.
Not the hero. Not even the main villain. Just the villain's right-hand man — the sidekick doomed to die in the shadows of his master's fall. He wasn't evil by choice, just… loyal to the wrong person. A tragic character, one who never got a second chance.
I used to wonder why he fascinated me so much. Maybe because, deep down, I saw myself in him — someone who followed the flow, never steering his own life.
Funny, isn't it?
You spend your days reading about someone else's story because your own isn't worth living.
That evening was no different.
Rain poured outside, tapping against my window in a steady rhythm. My laptop screen glowed faintly in the darkness as I scrolled through the final chapter of Aetherfall. The comments were filled with fans debating the ending — some angry, some crying, some demanding a sequel.
I just sat there, staring at the screen.
Lucian Greyfall — dead, betrayed, forgotten.
The story ended, the page froze, and my screen dimmed.
"…So that's it," I muttered. "That's how it ends."
My voice sounded hollow in the silence.
Somewhere outside, thunder rumbled, low and distant.
I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my temples. My eyes were heavy from exhaustion — or maybe from the weight of another day that didn't matter. I thought about my life — about the half-finished degree, the job applications I'd never sent, the friends I'd stopped talking to.
What was the point of any of it?
The world didn't care whether I lived or disappeared.
Maybe that's why I envied characters like Lucian. They had purpose — even if it led to their doom.
"Must be nice," I whispered to no one, "to live in a world that actually means something."
Lightning flashed. For a moment, my room was filled with white light.
And then — everything went dark.
The hum of my laptop stopped.
The rain outside froze mid-fall.
My breath hitched.
The air felt thick — too thick. Like the world itself had stopped breathing. I tried to move, but my limbs wouldn't respond.
My vision blurred. I felt weightless — suspended in nothingness.
"What… what's happening?" I gasped, voice trembling.
The chair beneath me dissolved into mist. The floor faded next, then the walls, the window — all swallowed by a shimmering light that pulsed like liquid gold.
My heart raced.
This wasn't a dream. This hurt. My chest burned, my head throbbed, and I felt like I was being pulled apart — stretched between two worlds.
And then—
A whisper.
Soft, echoing, neither male nor female.
"You wanted a life that meant something…"
My eyes widened. "Who's there?"
No answer. Only the golden light consuming everything.
"Then live it."
The world shattered.
Pain flared through me — white-hot, unbearable. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. The last thing I felt was falling — endlessly falling — through a sky that glowed with mana's light.
And then, nothing.
Just darkness.
And silence.
.
.
.
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Author's Note-
Hello everyone!
I'm so excited to share my new novel with you! I've been wanting to write a transmigration story for a long time—specifically, one where the main character finds themselves as an extra, a villain, or a sidekick. I finally settled on the Villain's Sidekick, or in this case, the Villain's Shadow option. The prologue is already up, and here is Chapter 1!
I truly hope you enjoy it. If you do, please consider showing your support through comments, collections, and power stones (once the veto period is over).
I'm genuinely open to all feedback, good or bad, so please feel free to leave a review! Criticism helps me improve, and I want to make the best story possible.
Thank you for reading!
]