This was the face of Arya Chen, the tragic villain of Alchemist Sovereign.
The moment the recognition crystallized, a torrent of information exploded in my mind. It was a psychic tidal wave, a lifetime of experiences, emotions, and knowledge crashing into the shores of my own consciousness. I gritted my teeth, my hands balling into fists as my mind buckled under the sheer volume of the deluge.
I saw a childhood of immense privilege and even greater pressure within the esteemed Chen Family of Clearwater City. I felt the searing pain of tempering a mortal body with spiritual energy, the exultation of awakening my spiritual senses for the first time, and the heavy weight of being hailed as a once-in-a-generation prodigy. I relived the arduous process of mastering the family's Heaven Grade cultivation technique, the Vermillion Sunheart Scripture, feeling the phantom sensation of a "Sunheart Cauldron" igniting within my Dantian.
I felt the innate power of this body, the Scorching Sun Divine Body, a Heaven Grade physique that made me a natural ruler of flame. I felt the ancient power singing in my veins, the Vermillion Bird Bloodline, a Heaven Grade inheritance that whispered the secrets of fire mastery directly into my soul.
Then came other memories, softer ones. I saw a girl with intelligent eyes and a calming presence. Meira Su. The eldest daughter of the allied Su Family. We had grown up together. I remembered sparring with her in the Chen Family's training grounds, her water-based arts a perfect and frustrating counter to my explosive fire. I remembered sitting with her by the Jade River, sharing silences that were more comfortable than any conversation. She was the only one who didn't just see the "genius of the Chen Family," but saw the boy struggling under the crushing weight of expectation. She was a true friend.
The memories of the original Arya Chen settled, integrating with my own. But they were followed by a more terrifying flood of knowledge: the entire plot of the novel Alchemist Sovereign, replaying in my mind as an immutable fate.
I saw the arrival of Jin Hao, the downtrodden transmigrator from the fallen Jin family, his eyes burning with the resentment of a protagonist waiting for his moment.
I saw his fateful, chance encounter with Su Lian, Meira's younger sister, a beautiful and manipulative girl I barely knew in this timeline. I saw his "love at first sight," and the venomous jealousy he would feel for the man she would inevitably try to attach herself to: me.
I saw the awakening of the ancient alchemist's soul in Jin Hao's ring. I watched the plot unfold as his power began its meteoric rise, fueled by ancient pill recipes and a protagonist's unreasonable luck. He would find ancient ruins by tripping over a rock, stumble upon legendary herbs while running from a beast, and overcome every opponent with a last-minute breakthrough.
I saw Su Lian, the master opportunist, recognizing Jin Hao's rising star. I watched her weave her web, playing the part of an innocent maiden to ensnare both myself and Jin Hao, stoking the latter's jealousy and framing me as an arrogant tyrant who stood in the way of their "true love."
I saw the climax of the first major arc. The Clearwater City tournament. Jin Hao, now a powerhouse, would publicly challenge me. The original Arya Chen, confident in his own power and utterly unaware that he was fighting against destiny itself, would accept. The fight would be brutal. Jin Hao would use techniques no one had ever seen, his power far exceeding what his realm should allow.
The end was swift and cruel. Jin Hao would shatter my Golden Core, crippling me in front of the entire city.
But it wouldn't end there. The novel's cold prose described what followed. Fueled by his victory and Su Lian's crocodile tears, Jin Hao would launch a ruthless campaign against my family. He would use his alchemy skills to ruin our business, forge alliances with our rivals, and systematically dismantle the ancient Chen Family. The final pages of that arc described Jin Hao storming my family's estate, killing my father, and executing my crippled self.
As I died in the story, I saw Su Lian standing beside Jin Hao, her face a mask of cold triumph.
I even recalled the tragic epilogue for Meira. After my death, the quiet friend I had known my whole life would erupt with a terrifying power, revealing herself to be a hidden genius of the highest order. She would hunt Jin Hao relentlessly, nearly succeeding in killing him, only to be betrayed at the last moment by her own sister, Su Lian, who would stab her in the back to protect her new man. Meira would die, her loyalty and her strength never properly acknowledged.
The memories and the plot finished their assault, leaving me standing in the quiet room, my body trembling, a cold sweat beading on my forehead. The sandalwood scent now seemed suffocating.
I was Arya Chen.
I was in the body of the tragic villain.
And all of it—the betrayal, the crippling, the destruction of my family, my own death—was scheduled to happen.
I stumbled over to a calendar hanging near the desk. The characters were foreign, yet the memories in my head allowed me to read them perfectly.
Era of Ascension, Year 7,888. Month of Awakening, Day 23.
My blood ran cold. I remembered the exact date from the novel's opening line.
Jin Hao and Su Lian were scheduled to arrive in Clearwater City on the 30th day of the Month of Awakening.
I had one week.
One week until the protagonist of the book arrived and the gears of fate began to turn, grinding me and my family into dust.
For a moment, unadulterated terror seized me. How could I fight against destiny itself? Jin Hao had plot armor. He was the chosen one, the hero of this story. I was just the villain, a pre-written casualty.