Darkness.

Then—

Memories.

They surged into me all at once, flooding my mind like a broken dam. A whirlwind of images, sensations, and emotions that weren't mine—but now, somehow,were.

I sawhim.

Damien Elford.

From childhood to now. Every moment, every experience, every pathetic excuse of a decision he had ever made.

And the more I saw, the moredisgustedI became.

Born into privilege.Absoluteprivilege. A life where everything was handed to him on a silver platter—money, status, power.

And yet—

What did hedowith it?

Nothing.

Every opportunity, every resource, everysinglechance to make something of himself? Hesquanderedit.

Teachers hired to give him the best education? He ignored them, too lazy to study.

Trainers brought in to refine his body? He made excuses, calling physical effort "pointless."

Tutors in politics, economics, business? He sat through their lessons with asmirk,knowing deep down he would never actuallyuseany of it.

Because why would he?

Whytrywhen his family name alone was enough to carry him through life?

He was a narcissist—but not even the obvious kind.

Not the ones whoownedtheir arrogance, who flaunted their status openly.

No.

He was the worst kind.

Acovert narcissist.

The type who masked their delusions withself-pity.

The type who sat around doingnothingwith their lives, yet expectedsympathywhen things didn't magically go their way.

The type who would whine about being "misunderstood" instead of actuallychanging.

He told himself he wasbetterthan others, but deep down?

He was aloser.

Apathetic, self-inflicted failurewho resented anyone whoactuallyworked for what they had.

And instead of improving, instead offixinghimself, he would just sit there, stewing in bitterness,blaming everyone else for his incompetence.

'Tch.'

These were the kinds of people that disgusted me the most.

The ones who refused to take accountability. The ones who wastedeverythingand still expected the world topitythem.

Hechoseto be a failure.

Hechoseto rot away in his own mediocrity.

And now I was stuck in his body?

I felt somethingburninside me.

Ihatedpeople like him.

And Irefusedto be like him.

The memories kept coming, wave after wave of this loser's miserable existence—

And all I could think was:

'I willneverbe this pathetic piece of shit.'

Just as another wave of memories threatened to drown me, a voice cut through the void.

Smooth. Soft. But undeniablyauthoritative.

"Oh... now that I've looked through your life, you reallyarea special specimen, aren't you?"

I froze.

That voice—

Iknewthat voice.

Because how thehellcould I forget?

The woman who had appeared in that void like she owned the place. The one who hadmockedRighteous_One without even trying. The one who hadsavedme from whatever bullshit he had planned.

I turned my head sharply.

"Selene?"

Silence.

Then—

A sharp chuckle.

"Who said you were allowed to address me by name?"

I felt a chill crawl up my spine.

Her voice wasn't harsh, but there was something in it—somethingdangerous.

A presence that demandedrespect.

For a moment, I stayed silent, letting her words settle.

Then, I scoffed.

"The hell?" I muttered, rolling my shoulders as I shook off that instinctual chill. "And what exactly am I supposed to call you, huh?"

No response.

I narrowed my eyes. "You're the one who showed up in my head, talking like you know everything. If you don't want me to say your name, then what? Should I call you 'Your Majesty'? 'Oh, Great One'? Tch. Give me a break."

I wasn't going to back down.

Who thefuckwas I supposed to be here?

I had already lost my original body, been thrown into someloser'sexistence, and now I had to walk on eggshells just because some mysterious woman didn't like the way I addressed her?

Yeah,no thanks.

Then—

The entire spaceshifted.

The darkness around memoved.

No,turned.

Like reality itself was being twisted into something new.

I barely had time to process the sensation before my feetlandedon solid ground—

And suddenly, I wassomewhere else entirely.

A vast chamber stretched before me, grand and regal, yet impossibly surreal. The air felt thick, charged with an energy I couldn't name. The floor beneath me was smooth obsidian, polished to a mirror-like shine, reflecting the warm, golden glow of floating lights that hovered in the air like fireflies.

But what struck me first—

Was thescent.

A rich, intoxicating fragrance filled the space.

Something sweet. Something dark. Like the perfect mix of aged wine, delicate spices, and somethingdangerously addictive.

And then—

My eyes landed onher.

Selene.

Lounging effortlessly on a throne, one leg crossed over the other, her posture lazy yet undeniably regal.

She was exactly as I remembered—elegant, poised, the veryembodimentof confidence. The deep slit of her dress revealed those endlessly long legs, and the soft, ambient glow of the chamber cast a halo-like sheen over her impossibly smooth skin.

Her golden eyes met mine, gleaming with somethingplayful—yet predatory.

And then, she smiled.

"Much better," she murmured. "Now, why don't we have a littlechat?"

I met her gaze, unmoving.

Selene leaned forward slightly, resting her elbow on the armrest of her throne, her chin propped lazily against her palm. The way she looked at me—it wasn't just curiosity.

It wasamusement.

"You reallyarea special specimen," she mused, her lips curling slightly. "The fact that you were able to piss him off enough to make him doall this... well, let's just say, that doesn't happen often."

I arched a brow. "Are you talking about Righteous_One?"

She chuckled. "I suppose that's the name you know him by."

Tch. So shedidknow him.

I crossed my arms, tilting my head slightly. "And what's your relationship with him?"

Selene's golden eyes gleamed with something unreadable.

"Why should I answer you?" she asked, her voice laced with playful mockery.

I clicked my tongue. "It's not like you'lldieif you do."

Her lips twitched at that. "True," she admitted, a hint of laughter in her tone. "But where's thefunin just revealing everything?"

She sat back, her posture relaxed, completely in control.

"Why don't we make this more interesting?" she continued. "Try toguessmy relationship with him. If you guess correctly enough..."

Her crimson lips curled into a smirk.

"I'll give you areward."

The moment I heard that, I smirked.

'Heh. Now we're talking.'

Everything was already going in the direction I wanted. She was interested. Engaged. Teasing, sure, but that meant I hadroomto push.

And if there was one thing I enjoyed, it wasturning the tables.

"Alright," I said, shrugging lazily. "Don't mind me if I try."

Selene's golden eyes gleamed with intrigue.

"Go ahead," she murmured, resting her cheek against her knuckles. "Let's see if that sharp tongue of yours is good for more than just pissing people off."

Tch.

I licked my lips slightly, letting my thoughts turn.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com