Chapter Text
Kevin lived a simple life.
He lives with his sister, Cyrene, in a small and humble apartment located somewhere in Aedes Elysiae, a relatively small city amongst Amphoreus as a whole.
Despite living in such a small city, Kevin has made a name for himself. He was once a small-town artist, carving out a living by painting grand commissions for wealthy clients from the bigger cities while juggling smaller fandom-fueled requests from the internet.
It was a risky move on Kevin’s part, there were certainly ups and downs during his time as a struggling artist. If it weren’t for Cyrene’s constant support for him while also being his biggest sponsor for all of his art supplies, Kevin might have dropped all his artistic dreams a long time ago and pursued something else to help support his family.
But thankfully, all of his endeavours came bearing fruit as Kevin managed to become one of, if not the most successful, artists from all of Amphoreus.
All under a pseudonym as Phainon.
Outside of his artist job, Kevin proudly calls himself a good brother. With his sister’s oftentimes busy schedule, he’s taken most of the household chores in his role as a dedicated stay-at-home sibling. Well, everything except cooking. Cyrene had banned him from ever entering the kitchen after the last incident that may or may not have involved smokes coming out from their shared kitchen.
To the outside world, he is Phainon of Aedes Elysiae—a renowned artist whose brushstrokes are said to breathe life into every canvas he has touched, turning a mere painting into something otherworldly.
But at home? He is simply just Kevin. A doting little brother enjoying living his life to the fullest with his sister.
Kevin lived a simple life, and he was very content with it.
So imagine his surprise when Kevin one day finds himself waking up in a body that most definitely wasn’t his.
From his observation, the body he’s now in was undoubtedly shorter, scrawnier, and unsettling delicate. His hands, now round and pudgy, almost adorable looking too. Caressing his new face, it was indeed chubbier, albeit not by a lot, thanks to how skinny this body is. Did the original owner of this body even take care of himself properly?!
His surroundings were also, to nobody’s surprise, very foreign to him. The walls were translucent, an unbroken expanse of pure crystalline texture beaming across the room. So flawlessly smooth that one’s reflection could be displayed perfectly without imperfections, maybe the last part was a bit excessive, but can you really blame him? This place was like it came straight out of some kind of fantasy story or something!
…
Wait a second.
It can’t be, right?
Surely, he must be dreaming.
He nudged his new face, the sharp sting that soon followed confirmed it—this wasn’t a dream. Definitely not.
No no no, it cannot be.
He carefully slid down from what Kevin assumes to be a klinai, walked towards the nearest wall, trying his hardest not to trip over how slippery the floor is and accidentally knock over the nearby tables, scratch the last part, he may have knocked over a table with a tray full of fruit that are now lying down on the ground, that’s not the important part, he walked towards to the wall and—
He finally saw himself, or rather, this new self of his.
A young boy, who looks to be not older than ten. Soft, snowy white locks with two strands standing out that are somehow very much akin to his original body’s hair. Bright sky blue eyes with a tinge of innocence, donning his new face, reminiscent of how he once looked during his youth. He is currently wearing a simple, white, elegant long robe, covering most of his body, while barefoot.
Actually, this new body of his is basically a one-on-one replica of how he looked back when he was a kid, except for the dressing part. Cyrene had once mentioned he was a fashion disaster known to mankind. But to Kevin’s defence, he thinks bright yellow and dark purple are a good match cause the colours contrast with one another, speaking from his years of practicing colour theory, of course.
Kevin stood there in front of the wall in awe, not from amazement, not from excitement, but from pure horror.
Why is he in this strange and unfamiliar new place, stuck in the body of a child no less? And not just any child… but a child that looked exactly like him?!
Kevin, without exaggeration, almost fainted on the spot.
It wasn’t long before someone called out to Kevin, which snapped him back to this new reality. “Hello!”
The sudden greeting scared Kevin out of his trance, facing the direction of the sound, what greeted him was a… pink rabbit? Not just an ordinary pink rabbit, but a walking, or to be more precise, floating, talking pink rabbit, wearing a cutesy white dress.
The pink rabbit flew closer to Kevin with an excited gleam in its eyes. Kevin, on the other hand, instinctively tried to back away, only to forget how slick the floor was beneath him and slip. With a startled yelp, he went tumbling down. Now his back is on the floor, groaning in pain as his body is now that of a child, very delicate, and cannot sustain even the slightest fall.
Why was the floor so slippery in the first place anyway? This remains one of the many mysteries that are left unanswered.
The pink rabbit scooted over to his face, hiding its giggles in the process.
Kevin looked at the pink rabbit with an annoyed expression. He asked the floating creature, managing to squeak out a sentence, “Who are you?” Even his voice sounded like how he used to sound as a child. This is getting more and more uncanny.
The pink rabbit did not reply, instead, it held out its own little small bunny paw towards Kevin, seemingly wanting to help Kevin back up.
With no other choice, Kevin sighed. He took the pink rabbit’s paw and used it to steady himself as he climbed awkwardly back to his feet.
After the embarrassing first meeting, more on Kevin’s part anyway, the pink rabbit finally introduced itself. “My name is Memoire Emanation Module, but you can just call me Mem!”
Kevin looked at the pink rabbit, dumbfounded. He stared at it like he had somehow encountered some kind of strange mythical being, “Memoire… what and what now?”
“Mem already told you, just call Mem, Mem!” The pink rabbit named ‘Mem’ repeated. “Mem will be your personal assistant,” Mem explained, “guiding you through every step of your journey to survive in the world of—”
“Wait—hold on just a second.” Kevin cut in, still trying to wrap his head around to process what the actual heck had just happened. One moment, he’d found himself inside someone else’s body, and not just someone completely random, but someone who, bizarrely, looked like a younger version of himself. And the next, this strange pink rabbit creature calling itself ‘Mem’ was suddenly announcing itself as his personal assistant, to what exactly?
It was as if Mem could read Kevin’s mind, it immediately knew what to say, “Mem sees that you are still confused,” Mem said, “but not to worry, Mem is here!” Mem proudly proclaims. Unfortunately, that does not reassure Kevin even the slightest.
“You are currently possessing the body of a character in a novel,” Mem explained like it’s the most normal thing in the world, “Your goal is to survive as the character in this world!”
“Wait—so, how… no, why did I end up here in the first place?” Kevin finally asked, and Mem answered without missing a beat
“'Cause you died, silly!”
…
Huh?
What do you mean he died? As a matter of fact, how did he even die in the first place?
“I… died?” Kevin gasped, stunned even. He was certain he hadn’t done anything to warrant himself getting killed. Heck, he barely even goes outside! The only few times he went out were the occasional art exhibitions, which required him to show up for publicity's sake. So what could’ve possibly caused his death?
Okay, sure, maybe Kevin might have had a habit of overworking himself back in his own world. But he has sworn to at least keep his nutrients department intact. More or less, his body was probably still in shape for the most part.
Mem watched as Kevin spiraled into denial as if it were a normal occurrence that had happened many, many times. With one flip of its paw, it pulled up a sci-fi screen and began to read aloud, slowly and clearly: “Phainon, an ordinary office worker from Janusopolis, Amphoreus. Cause of death: car crash at midnight, courtesy of being drunk.”
…
Kevin wasn’t an office worker, nor was he from Janusopolis of Amphoreus, and his real name isn’t even Phainon for Aeon’s sake.
“Uh,” Kevin started, “My real name isn’t Phainon… Phainon is actually just my pseudonym… It’s Kevin. Kevin, born and raised in Aedes Elysiae of Amphoreus.”
A heavy silence hung between them before Mem slowly turned to Kevin, now with a look of utter terror. “... Your name isn’t Phainon?”
Kevin stared back at Mem with a deadpan look on his face and answered truthfully, “Nope.”
“… you sure?” Mem asked once again, double-checking if he truly isn’t Phainon from Janusopolis of Amphoreus.
“Yes, I’m very sure.” Kevin doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Of course, he’s sure. Who, if not himself, would know, well, himself the best?
“… Mem messed up.” Mem groaned. Hastily, it began typing out a rapid sequence of what looked like encrypted codes, then flicked the screen upwards, anxiously waiting for a response.
It wasn’t long before another screen appeared. Mem quickly scanned through the contents intently, eyes darting over every line of code before swiping the screen away with a defeated sigh.
“Mem sincerely apologizes for the mess Mem’s carelessness has dragged you into,” it said quickly. “I tried appealing to my higher-ups, but… it seems they’ve decided Mem needs to reap what Mem has sown,” it added, voice tinged with bashfulness.
So, even creatures like Mem have a system hierarchy like in the human world. How amusing.
Wait, that’s not even the main issue here, he is currently stuck in what, a novel character’s body, in this novel world. All because of a mistake made by whatever shrewd system was running things in the so-called upper world.
Kevin silently thanked whoever was up there, not.
“Hey, Mem can hear your thoughts very clearly!” Mem flailed its two tiny paws in the air while kicking its two stubby little bunny feet.
Wow, so Kevin can’t even monologue in peace now without someone, or something, always reading his mind.
“Okay, so… how do I get back to my original body?” Kevin finally decided to ask the important question, “… and back to my world, of course.”
Mem put on its serious thinking face, with paws under its chin and all, as serious as a pink bunny creature can get, at least. It wasn’t long before Mem had an idea.
“There is a way…” Mem said, eyes lighting up. “If we complete all the questlines originally meant for the real Phainon—the one who was actually supposed to be in this body. Then, logically speaking, you should be able to return to your original body and world!” it explained, beaming in excitement.
As cheerful and delightful as Mem’s expressions are, Kevin remained unconvinced. But if anything, his desire of wanting to go back home weighs heavier than his suspicion. Whatever method it may be, he has to take it. After all, his sister will probably be worried sick about him. What would she think, seeing a lifeless and unresponsive body of Kevin lying there, soullessly. It sends Kevin a shiver the more he thinks about it.
“Don’t worry, time runs differently between your world and this world,” Mem quickly interrupted, “Your sister wouldn’t notice your sleeping, assumed dead body!”
That. Okay. Sure. Whatever the hell Mem had just said.
“How… assuring.” Yep, Kevin is still not convinced, but there’s no better option, is there? So he might as well just follow whatever Mem just suggested.
Mem gently patted Kevin’s back, attempting to comfort Kevin, “Look, Mem is very sorry, Mem will try their best to help Kevin with this situation!”
“Okay, so how do we get started, and what do I need to do?” Kevin asked Mem, which Mem responded by bringing back the sci-fi screen up onto the air, but this time it’s facing Kevin, and instead of strings of cryptic codes, it’s now intelligible words that Kevin can understand.
[#WELCOME USER: PHAINON#]
I AM THE SYSTEM, YOUR TOOL FOR ALL YOUR TRANSMIGRATION NEEDS.
HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
“Welcome, this is the system!” Mem announced with a flourish. “It’ll show you everything you need to survive this world—questlines, progress, rewards, you name it!”
“All you have to do is think the word System at the back of your head, and it’ll appear whenever you need it. Go on, give it a try!” Mem said, closing the interface and motioning Kevin to test it out.
Kevin focused, mentally saying the word System, and just like that, the familiar sleek sci-fi interface materialized before him.
[#WELCOME USER: PHAINON#]
I AM THE SYSTEM, YOUR TOOL FOR ALL YOUR TRANSMIGRATION NEEDS.
HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
Mem clapped its paws together, clearly impressed by Kevin’s quick grasp of the system. “Only you and I can see the system,” Mem assured him, “So you don’t need to worry about other characters noticing it.”
Neat, so this is similar to those weird fantasy novels that Cyrene has in her collection of books. Stories about humans with strange powers and mysterious interfaces guiding their every move.
“Alright, now you've got the basics down, let’s move on with the tutorial!” With a quick clap of its paws, the interface is now filled with new lines of text.
[#TUTORIAL#]
QUEST: SHAKE Mem’S PAW
TIME LIMIT: NONE
REWARD: 5 GOLD
PROGRESS: INCOMPLETE
The quest seemed simple enough, Kevin thought. But then he noticed the two words, time limit, something that looked like it had headache written all over it.
Mem extended out its paw, waiting expectantly.
Without any hesitation, Kevin reached out and shook it. A soft ding followed, signalling the completion of his tutorial mission.
[#TUTORIAL#]
QUEST: SHAKE Mem’S PAW
TIME LIMIT: NONE
REWARD: 5 GOLD
PROGRESS: COMPLETE
>CLAIM REWARD<
*NOTE: YOU HAVE 48 HOURS TO CLAIM YOUR REWARD*
…
What.
Not only will there soon be a time limit for his quests, but there’s also a time limit for accepting rewards?
What kind of scummy cheating system is this?!
“Due to past users abusing the feature of relaying their rewards for future uses, our higher-ups have made the hard decision of implementing a time limit to the reward system,” Mem explained, while slowly averting its gaze from Kevin’s sharp glare. “We appreciate your understanding in this regard.”
“Anyways, woohoo, you have completed your first quest! Congratulations, you truly are a fast learner!” Mem quickly changed the subject, “Now hurry and claim your reward before it expires!”
Kevin let out a sigh of resignation and claimed the five coins from his quest.
[#INVENTORY#]
COINS: 5
ITEMS: NONE
“What do I do with the coins?” Kevin curiously asked, Mem's eyes glistened even more, “Oh, we’re getting into the good part!”
With another clap, the interface expanded, stretching downward like a digital menu straight out of a restaurant, rows of options now neatly placed before him.
[#SHOP#]
WELCOME TO THE SHOP!
*STOCK REFRESHES EVERY 24 HOURS*
Mana Potion - 5 Coins
> Regenerate 10 Mana points
Energy Drink - 10 Coins
> Temporarily raises speed
Regeneration Stew - 15 Coins
> Slowly restores health over time, the taste is debatable
Chill Pill - 20 Coins
> Grants high ice resistance, but is vulnerable to fire attacks for a set time
Body Cloak - 50 Coins
> Grants invisibility, effects last until the wearer removes the cloak, one-time use per purchase
Mem continued to guide Kevin, “Go ahead and try buying the Mana Potion by using your newly earned coins!”
Mana… what now? And what are all these absurd items in the listing?
Well, whatever, Kevin needs to get this over with anyway.
Kevin hovered his hand over the interface and tapped on the Mana Potion. In an instant, the item was added to his inventory, and the selection for the item on the screen changed to read: SOLD.
[#INVENTORY#]
COINS: 0
ITEMS: Mana Potion
“Great, now try using the Mana Potion by tapping it!” Mem instructed.
Kevin tapped on the potion. A small glass vial filled with blue liquid materialized in front of him. He picked it up, hesitating briefly before popping the cap and downing the liquid in one gulp.
The taste was… odd. Not exactly bad, but also not exactly pleasant either. Before Kevin could dwell on it, a sudden surge of energy rushed through him. A tingling sensation spread across his body, leaving Kevin unsure whether it felt exhilarating… or mildly unsettling, maybe somewhere in between the two.
Mem looked at Kevin and giggled, “Don’t worry, silly. That’s just your body reacting to the sudden rush of mana entering your body!” Mem said cheerfully. With another clap of its paw, the interface shifted again, replacing the screen with yet another wall of text.
[#STATS#]
HP: 100/100
MANA: 10/100
STATUS CONDITION: NONE
“These are your stats!” Mem announced proudly, Kevin just stared at the interface, bewildered at what he was currently staring at.
“What happens if my health drops to zero?” Kevin asked, still looking concerned.
“Simple, you will die! Both in this world and your world!” Mem answered innocently.
…
What is this? Some kind of RPG game? And apparently, Kevin also needs to take care of this poor excuse of a body? A body that weirdly resembled a younger version of himself, no less?!
And if he’s not careful, he could die? Seriously?! He was at a complete disadvantage here! What kind of messed-up excuse of a system was this supposed to be?
What did he even do to deserve all of this? Did he accidentally anger some Aeons out there to warrant him getting this kind of treatment? Actually, treatment sounds way too nice, this is more akin to torture!
“And that’s everything you need to know about the system!” Mem quickly concludes, leaving a poor Kevin trying his absolute hardest to process all the information that had just been dumped on him.
Rewinding everything, Kevin tried to piece together what he knew so far.
First of all, he was stuck in the body of a child that, while eerily similar to his own, definitely wasn’t his.
Second, he seemed to be trapped in some kind of fantasy world, judging by the ancient architecture around him and the fact that there were apparently mana potions and stuff like that existing in this world.
And lastly, perhaps most importantly, his only ticket back to his real world was to complete quests assigned by this ‘scummy cheating’ system… all while trying not to die along the way.
While Kevin was deep in thought, Mem swiped the interface away, causing Kevin to avert his focus back to Mem. “Now, let’s return back to our original introduction,” it said with theatrical flair.
Placing both paws firmly on its hips, it spoke, “My name is Memoire Emanation Module, but you can just call me Mem!”
“Mem will be your personal assistant,” Mem repeated once again, “guiding you through every step of your journey to survive in the world of this novel, titled…”
“The Crown Prince Throned in Blood.”