"This tea tastes funny.." [ ] stated as he took a sip from a cup of tea. He sat on his throne, gazing at the crowd of demons kneeling before him. He was a demon king, after all!
But he wasn't always the demon king. Going back.
"Gasp!" [ ] woke up in his bedroom gasping for air, he felt dizzy and flipped on his bed and after a second he tried to find his phone as he looked around.
"Uh.. where is my phon—T-this...". His eyes widened, the wooden desk that used to be right next to his bed was now gone.
[ ] turned up and sat on his bed, suddenly realizing he was in an unfamiliar room. Various possibilities rushed through his mind. The room was giving off eerie vibes, it was oddly decorated in a European style but darker.
The Crismon and black coloured furnitures and walls made the dark room a suffocating experience.
"Was I.. kidnapped? But even if, this room..."
He got up from the bed and started to look around the room, he soon realised that all that decorations were real and this was not a set up.
He looked around a little more before his eyes fell on the window facing his bed.
He rushed towards the window and opened it, his expression dropped in an instant.
He saw a huge black dragon, Flying towards the black sky with a crimson moon. It's silk-like wings pushing the air like a storm as it reached higher into the sky.
"Haaa.... Is this hell?" [ ] exhaled heavily, even after ignoring the terrific dragon. The place on the ground was scary enough. Trees, flowers, grass, and even the ground was grey and black. At first glance, they looked withered from the distance, yet strange energy covering them was indescribable.
He immediately closed the window and looked around for another moment as he stumbled upon a mirror, the size of his palm, lying on the crimson table. He immediately picked it up and looked at his reflection.
A pair of half-lidded, amber eyes stared back at him, their glow dim yet deep, like embers refusing to die out. His dark brown hair was a complete mess, sticking out in odd directions as if it had never known the touch of a comb.
His sharp features should have looked intimidating, but the faint stubble on his chin and the barely visible dark circles under his eyes gave him an almost perpetually exhausted expression.
The robe draped over his shoulders was loose and slightly oversized, its deep blue fabric flowing like it could slip off at any moment. A loosely tied sash barely kept it together, and beneath it, his lean yet strangely relaxed frame exuded an effortless strength.
[ ] was shocked but not much this time. He found out what was going on. He was in another world.
"Is this transmigration? If so shouldn't I be in a novel i recognize? Uh... Do I have a system..?"
He was now calmer as he thought about the cheats and abilities that transmigrators usually get.
"..Status...! Status window.!"
As he said those words he was expecting a game-like window screen to pop up but after some time he was met with just disappointment.
"..."
"I guess i don't have one." He sighed, pulling his loose robe back up and tightening it.
[....me..]
[Can you.. hear me?]
A voice echoed in his head, sending a shiver down his spine. The voice was oddly familiar yet not at the same time. It was similar to his own voice, however the accent, the way speaking, the pitch and loudness. It was all too different.
As soon as [ ] heard the voice, he immediately looked around, trying to find the culprit behind it. But the room was empty, still cloaked in its ghostly aura.
"Who are you?" [ ] asked after a moment, his voice steady but curious. The silence that followed was deafening. His heart thumped wildly, the possibilities were never-ending. Ghost? A powerfull entity? Or was he just schizophrenic?
[I am you. But cooler.]
[ ] Face, which was once filled with anxiety dropped to an expressionless one. The simple introduction for such a nerve-wrecking experience was disappointing.
"Is your name Ethan?" [ E ] questioned again, his tone turning serious. What he didn't realize was that his own name was no longer what it used to be.
[You're quite clever. Aren't you?]
The pressure in the room intensified without warning. [ E ]'s breath caught in his throat as his lungs struggled for air. His body felt heavier — far heavier — and his knees threatened to buckle. The floor beneath him cracked under the strain.
Gravity manipulation? he thought, fighting to stay upright. Yeah… not just the oxygen levels dropping — my weight's increased too. Judging by the damage to the floor, it's well over a ton. But then… why hasn't my body shattered yet?
"S-So… I am right, aren't I?" [ Et ] forced the words out, his legs trembling under the weight. Still, he kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling — as if the voice's owner were floating just above him.
[Well, I suppose you really are a future Demon King after all. But this is surprising. You haven't even received the King's power yet. So how are you able to withstand my gravity magic?]
Despite the agony, [ Et ] smiled. The confirmation of his deduction brought a strange satisfaction.
"…So… c-can you remove this spell now?"
The pressure disappeared instantly — and so did [ Eth ]'s strength. He collapsed onto his back with a heavy thud. Pain erupted through his body. His muscles tore, his bones cracked, and blood poured from his mouth, nose, ears — even his eyes. Every inch of him screamed in agony.
"Why?" The thought repeated endlessly until his mind went blank.
As his eyes slid shut and his breath slowed to a stop, the voice spoke one last time.
[I guess, this one failed too. Well, Since you're about to die, I suppose I'll give you one final gift. I am NOT Ethan. Brat.]