Pain.
That was the first sensation Anthonio Crimsonhart felt upon opening his eyes. Not physical pain, but the deep, throbbing ache of public humiliation. The echoes of mocking laughter still rang in his ears, the venomous whispers of assembled nobles, and above all, his father's glacial stare.
"Broken Veins. Rank F. Unfit for cultivation."
The Grand Evaluator's words had resonated like a death sentence in the Great Hall of the Awakening Ceremony. Anthonio had stood frozen before the Evaluation Crystal, that millennial jewel that never lied, as its faint grayish glow confirmed what everyone feared: the fifth son of the prestigious Crimsonhart family was trash.
But something was wrong.
Anthonio sat up abruptly in his bed, breath short, heart pounding. His room—no, this room—was familiar to him in a way that transcended simple memory. The crimson curtains, the carved ebony furniture, the view of the Crimsonhart manor gardens through the window...
I know this place.
No. It was more than that.
I created this place.
Memories flooded in like a tidal wave. Two existences collided in his mind: that of Anthonio Crimsonhart, arrogant noble without talent, and that of... himself. The author. The one who had imagined this world, written every line of this story, created every character.
"No... this is impossible..."
His voice trembled. Anthonio brought his hands to his face, observing his pale skin, his long aristocratic fingers. It was real. He was no longer at his computer, frantically typing chapters of his web novel. He was in the novel.
More precisely, he had become Anthonio Crimsonhart. The arrogant villain. The talentless noble. The one destined to die in chapter 35 at the hands of Kael Stormborn, the protagonist with three divine essences.
"Shit... SHIT!"
Anthonio leaped up, pacing around his room. His author's mind quickly analyzed the situation. If he remembered his own timeline correctly, the Awakening Ceremony took place at age 16. The beginning of the main plot, with entrance to the Royal Aethermoor Academy, didn't start until age 18.
That means I have two years. Two years before meeting Kael Stormborn. Two years before dying like an idiot.
A bitter laugh escaped him. What cruel irony. He had created Anthonio Crimsonhart to be a disposable villain, a stepping stone meant to demonstrate the protagonist's power. A character so stupid and arrogant that no reader would mourn his death.
And now, he was that character.
"Young master?"
A soft, worried voice made him jump. Anthonio turned toward the door that had just opened. A woman in her thirties stood on the threshold, dressed in the black uniform of Crimsonhart family servants. Her raven-black hair was tied in a strict bun, and her stormy gray eyes fixed on him with obvious concern.
Selene.
The name came instantly. Selene Shadowmere. Anthonio's personal maid, the one who had remained loyal even after today's humiliation. In his novel, he had created her as a loyal but insignificant secondary character. A background detail to slightly humanize Anthonio before his death.
But now that he saw her in flesh and blood, a crucial detail returned to his memory. A detail he had mentioned in passing in a footnote, something few readers would have noticed.
Selene Shadowmere. Rank S. Shadow Class. Transcendence 5-Star.
A Transcendence-level cultivator. In this world, that was a peak few reached. She was stronger than 99% of the kingdom's nobles, and yet she served as a simple domestic in the Crimsonhart family. Anthonio vaguely remembered writing that she owed the family a debt, but he had never developed that point.
"Selene..." he murmured, truly looking at her for the first time.
She approached, her face betraying growing concern. "Young master, are you alright? You seem... different."
Different. Of course he was different. An entire consciousness had just merged with that of the body he inhabited. But he couldn't tell her that. Not yet. Perhaps never.
"I'm fine," he lied, forcing himself to adopt a calm tone. "The ceremony was... taxing."
Selene's face darkened. She lowered her eyes, her fists clenching imperceptibly. "The Duke has convened a family council meeting. They have... made a decision regarding you."
Anthonio didn't need to ask what decision. He already knew. It was in his novel, after all. The Crimsonhart family, proud of their elite cultivator heritage, could not tolerate the presence of a member with Broken Veins. Especially not during the important social events approaching.
"Let me guess," Anthonio said with a bitter smile. "I'm exiled."
Selene's head snapped up, surprised by his detached tone. "Young master... They're sending you to the Eternal Mist Pavilion. In the northern mountains."
The Eternal Mist Pavilion.
The name resonated in Anthonio's mind with the force of divine revelation. It was the Crimsonhart family's rest house, an isolated manor in the Crimson Mountains, where they sent embarrassing family members. A gilded exile, far from high society's indiscreet gazes.
But above all, above all, it was where the first artifact was located.
In his novel, Anthonio had written that his elder cousin, Damien Crimsonhart, would discover by chance a powerful artifact in the mountains behind the Pavilion. The Heart of the Crimson Storm, an ancient crystal containing the pure essence of Primordial Red Lightning. Damien would use it to increase his rank from S to SS, becoming one of his generation's geniuses.
But Damien wouldn't find it for six months, during an inspection visit to the Pavilion.
Anthonio knew its exact location. After all, he had placed it there.
A slow, dangerous smile stretched his lips. Selene stepped back, surprised by her young master's sudden expression. This wasn't the Anthonio she knew. He was always arrogant, certainly, but never with that calculating look, that predatory gleam in his eyes.
"When do we leave?" Anthonio asked, his voice regaining an assurance it hadn't had since his awakening.
"The day after tomorrow, young master. The Duke has ordered that you leave the main manor as soon as possible. He... he has also cut your monthly allowance. Only the bare necessities for the Pavilion's maintenance will be provided."
Cut the funds. Of course. The family wanted him to disappear completely. To become a ghost, a footnote in the glorious history of the Crimsonharts.
But Anthonio was still smiling. Because he remembered another detail. A detail he had added in his novel for pure authorial pleasure, a narrative irony that no one would have ever discovered since Anthonio-the-character died long before.
In the cellars of the Eternal Mist Pavilion, hidden behind a secret wall, lay a forgotten fortune. Chests filled with gold, jewels, precious gems—the secret treasure of a Crimsonhart ancestor who had lived there two centuries ago. A fortune sufficient to finance a private army.
Anthonio had placed it there as an easter egg, an amusing detail to enrich his world's lore. He had never imagined he would be the one to discover it.
"Selene," he said suddenly, turning to his servant. "You're coming with me, aren't you?"
She looked at him, surprised by the question. "Of course, young master. I swore loyalty to you. No matter where you go, I will follow."
Loyalty. That word resonated differently now. In his novel, Anthonio had never explored why Selene was so loyal to the family's black sheep. It was just a convenient character trait for the narrative. But now, looking at this woman who had the power to decimate armies but chose to serve a talentless noble...
There had to be a reason. A reason he would discover in due time.
"Good," Anthonio said, moving toward the window. The sun was setting over the Crimsonhart estate, bathing the immaculate gardens in golden light. Somewhere in this manor, his brothers and sisters were probably celebrating their superiority. His father was probably drinking to forget the shame of his fifth son.
They didn't know. None of them knew.
Anthonio Crimsonhart had died during that Awakening Ceremony. The arrogant, talentless noble who should have died in chapter 35 no longer existed.
In his place stood someone far more dangerous. Someone who knew every secret of this world, every hidden treasure, every weakness of every character. Someone who had created Kael Stormborn, the hero with three divine essences, and who knew exactly how to destroy him.
"Young master?" Selene asked, worried by his long silence.
Anthonio turned to her, and this time his smile was that of a predator who had just caught a scent.
"Prepare our things, Selene. We're leaving for the Eternal Mist Pavilion."
He turned his gaze north, where the Crimson Mountains rose like sleeping titans.
"It's time to begin our ascension."
Two days later.
The Crimsonhart family carriage advanced slowly along the mountain path. It was a modest vehicle—not the sumptuous coach that a high-ranking noble would normally deserve, but a simple transport wagon pulled by two ordinary horses. A final insult from the family.
Anthonio didn't care at all.
Sitting inside, he watched the landscape pass by through the small window. The Crimson Mountains lived up to their name. Their peaks were tinted a deep red, as if the stone itself was soaked in ancient blood. Legends said that a scarlet dragon had perished here millennia ago, and that its essence had colored the mountains for eternity.
Anthonio knew it was true. After all, he had written that legend. More importantly, he knew that fragments of that dragon's essence remained in certain deep caverns. Fragments he could collect later to strengthen his Red Lightning.
But first, the Heart of the Crimson Storm.
"We're arriving, young master," Selene announced from the driver's seat.
The Eternal Mist Pavilion appeared through the fog that gave the place its name. It was a manor with elegant but clearly neglected architecture. The roof tiles were covered with moss, the gardens overgrown with weeds. No one had come here in years, except for the minimal servants charged with basic maintenance.
Perfect. Complete isolation.
The carriage stopped before the main entrance. An old man in livery waited, bent by age and arthritis. The Pavilion's butler, probably the place's only permanent servant.
"Young master Anthonio," he croaked, bowing with difficulty. "Welcome to the Eternal Mist Pavilion. I am Aldric, at your service."
Anthonio descended from the carriage gracefully. He had spent the past two days getting used to his new body, coordinating his movements. Anthonio's body was young and healthy, even without cultivation. A good starting point.
"Aldric," he said with a polite nod. "Are there other servants here?"
"Only myself and a cook, young master. The family reduced the staff years ago."
Even better.
"Very well. Selene and I will settle in. You may return to your tasks."
The old man bowed and withdrew, clearly relieved that the young master wasn't as difficult as expected.
Once alone with Selene, Anthonio observed the Pavilion with fresh eyes. Somewhere in this building hid a fortune. And behind it, in the misty mountains, lay the power that would change everything.
"Selene," he said softly. "From now on, no one must enter or leave the Pavilion without my authorization. Establish a surveillance perimeter. If anyone from the Crimsonhart family comes here, I want to know in advance."
She looked at him, surprised. "Young master... are you planning something?"
Anthonio turned to her, and in his eyes burned a determination she had never seen before.
"I'm planning to survive, Selene. And to survive in this world, I must become strong. Stronger than anyone can imagine."
He raised his eyes to the mountains, to the place where slept the artifact that would awaken the most terrifying power in this world.
Primordial Red Lightning.
An EX-Rank power. A power that existed only in the most ancient legends. A power that Anthonio had created to be the ultimate weapon of a final boss who would only appear in the last chapters of his novel.
And now, that power would be his.
"Rest tonight, Selene. Tomorrow, we depart on an expedition into the mountains. There's something I must retrieve."
"Something, young master?"
Anthonio smiled, that predatory smile becoming his new trademark.
"My destiny."
END OF CHAPTER 1