Chapter 1
Act 1 – Prelude
Why was that man here?
No matter how much I wished to ignore it, the sight of the sacred knight buried under the temple rubble was impossible to dismiss. His platinum-blond hair, once brilliant, was now soaked in blood. His pale face bore the marks of injuries, yet his identity remained unmistakable. Was he deceased?
As I reached out to him, the undead surrounding me stirred and responded to my commands. Swiftly, they cleared away the debris covering him, revealing the dire state of his body. Most ordinary individuals would have met their end by now, but his chest continued its feeble rise and fall.
“So this is where his demise was meant to transpire,” I contemplated aloud.
The undead around me buzzed with excitement in response to my words. Their shoulders heaved, expressing their delight at the prospect of this formidable figure becoming one of their undead comrades. In stark contrast to their elation, an involuntary sigh escaped my lips. This man was none other than the possessor of the Sacred Sword and the heroine’s first love. Moreover, his early demise in A Bird Caught in a Snare Cannot Flee served as the catalyst for her awakening.
Determined to avenge her first love’s death, the heroine would awaken her latent powers, ultimately becoming the savior who vanquished the demonic races and saved the world. Such was the destiny of the world in which I now found myself. Upon realizing I had transformed into one of the very demons slated for annihilation by the heroine, I had chosen to flee.
“Why did you have to appear before me now? If you were to die, it should have been sooner,” I grumbled before clicking my tongue in frustration.
One of the heroine’s unique abilities allowed her to relive a person’s final moments. If this man were to breathe his last in my presence, she might conclude that I was responsible for his demise.
No one could have foreseen this unfortunate turn of events. After narrowly escaping the tower, I had thought I could finally live in peace. If only I had known what lay ahead, I would not have left my abode that morning.
“Take him back with us,” I ordered with a heavy sigh, gesturing for the undead to retrieve him.
It was too late for regrets; nothing would change. Preserving his life now took precedence over all else. The last thing I needed was to meet my end at the hands of the heroine.
Act 2 – Arpeggio
In the beginning, there was darkness. Gradually, I became aware of my rebirth as an infant, retaining memories from my previous life. Yet, I had yet to grasp that I had entered the world of a novel I had once read.
Upon opening my eyes for the first time and surveying my surroundings, darkness extended in every direction. I found myself in a desolate, lightless place, except for occasional moonbeams that managed to pierce the clouds. As my senses adjusted to the dark, my vision sharpened, revealing that I was alone in the room.
A familiar object caught my attention—a mirror. Instinctively, I crawled toward it. While it did strike me as odd that I moved so adeptly right after birth, my body continued onward with determination. As anticipated, my reflection in the mirror revealed an infant. Like any newborn, I possessed a disproportionately large head, a small body, and endearingly tiny hands and feet. Yet, my hair, flowing long, and my uniquely shaped eyes deviated from the norm. Edging closer to inspect my reflection, I realized my hair cascaded to cover my entire body. Although it appeared black at first glance, moonlight illuminated its deep, inky blue hue.
A flicker in the mirror drew my attention. Normally, a newborn, untouched by the world’s harshness, had the softest skin. But it seemed that was not true in my case. In fact, it almost seemed as if…
Were those scales?
Running my fingers over the small protrusions on my neck, I observed a few scales shedding. Strangely, they did not vanish.
An unsettling sensation crept over me, but I brushed it aside. Instead, I focused on the last distinctive trait—a pair of vibrant chartreuse eyes. Their clear, untarnished hue resembled an expansive, open field. I liked them. Additionally, their vertically elongated pupils lent them a unique quality. When my pupils dilated, the green of my eyes nearly vanished, and when they contracted, they became slender as threads. It was both unsettling and mystical. As they moved, it was as if I could hear a faint hiss. They resembled a snake’s eyes.
Suddenly, my pupils contracted, the scales on my body trembled, and every hair stood on end. Instinctual fear surged through me. Hunched and vigilant, I scanned my surroundings. The door to the room swung open, and someone entered.
“Are you awake?”
Approaching me, the man was draped in a long black robe. His height left his ankles exposed.
His presence halted me, prompting contemplation on whether this being before me could indeed be classified as human. His ankles bore only bone, void of flesh. Despite his peculiar appearance, I did not resist as his gloved hand reached for my chin, pulling it toward him. His touch was rough, inappropriate for handling an infant. But given the extraordinary circumstances thus far, I paid it little heed. He touched my eyes, opening them forcefully and stretching my eyelids with his fingers. Though I wanted to resist, I found myself helpless. My pupils contracted swiftly as my vision refocused.
“Sean,” the robed man called out.
Before his words were complete, a masked figure appeared by his side.
To my relief, Sean seemed human, with flesh adorning his bones. Regrettably, I had no opportunity to gather further information.
Tightening his grip on my chin, the robed man turned me forcibly toward Sean, instructing, “Look at him.”
Without questioning, I met Sean’s gaze.
In an instant, a sensation akin to electric shock surged through me, convulsing my body with tremors, accompanied by an intense cold. Concurrently, a searing agony invaded my eyes, as if they were being wrenched from their sockets. Though I instinctively covered my eyes, the burning persisted relentlessly.
While I grappled to understand the situation, the robed man chuckled, satisfied, and unceremoniously tossed me aside. As I crouched, pressing my palms to my throbbing eyes, he remained indifferent to my pain.
When I finally raised my aching head, I discovered the figure that was once human now solidified into stone. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, yet the sight endured. Sean, the man, had been transformed into stone.
What had just transpired? I had terminated a life as mine was scarcely beginning. Sadly, I had no time to recover from this shocking revelation. The mastermind behind it all, still reveling in delight, gripped my arm and compelled me to stand before him.
“What a splendid creation. A masterpiece, indeed,” he declared, ruffling my hair affectionately. “Now, let’s bestow a name upon you.”
Bending until our eyes were level, he removed his glove, a skeletal hand reaching to touch my cheek. Save for sporadic flesh remnants, his hand was entirely bone. A putrid scent, characteristic of a decaying corpse, wafted from him.
“Karina—that shall be your name, my child.”
The man, my creator and father, lowered his hood, revealing what remained of his face. Half his visage was composed solely of the remnants of his skull.
“Karina. Karina Apocalita. Carve that name into your soul and become an integral part of this realm.”
His command to remember the name Apocalita was superfluous, for I was already well-acquainted with it. Apocalita, also known as the “Grave of the Gods,” was the birthplace of a specific chimera race, as well as the abode of the novel’s final antagonist—the story I had read before my untimely demise.
Uncertainty paralyzed me. Confronted with the weight of my destiny, I erupted into laughter, the sound incongruously maniacal for the infant’s body I now inhabited.
***
The one who brought me into existence and bestowed my name was a lich—an individual who relinquished their humanity in exchange for undeath through dark magic.
“What if I, an entity forsaken by the Great God, became a deity in my own right and ruled the world?”
This was the premise behind his transformation.
Fueled by the aspiration to attain godhood and reign as supreme ruler after eliminating the Great God from the world, he began assaulting the Three Families, those favored by said deity. His aim was to seize the divine artifacts they possessed, known as the Halidoms, which would grant him immense power. A straightforward plan, though execution proved arduous.
“Why won’t these people just die?” he had lamented.
The members of the favored families proved strong—perhaps even mightier than him. He had felt despair, only to swiftly overcome it. With unwavering determination, he devised an alternative strategy.
“Protect me until your final breath,” he commanded upon our creation.
Born of ancient demons and humans, we were exceptionally powerful beings. Eradicating those favored by the gods was effortless for us. Moreover, we were designed solely to safeguard our creator. His desires constituted our raison d’être, and we executed his will without hesitation. Unbridled, we drove the world to the brink of destruction.
This was the antagonist’s backstory from the novel I had perused in my past life—A Bird Caught in a Snare Cannot Flee. As anticipated, the narrative concluded with the inevitable downfall of the forces of evil. Apocalita did push the world to the brink of ruin, but no further. The ultimate goal remained elusive. The malevolent forces ultimately succumbed to the heroine—a beloved individual of the Great God. And Karina, too, fell early in the tale.
Evidently, I was ensnared in a cruel and unfortunate twist of fate. In my prior life, I met an untimely end, succumbing to a fatal tumble while fleeing from my father’s cruelty. Despite dying young, I did not experience sorrow in my final moments. I was simply relieved to escape my wretched existence. Who could have foreseen an even grimmer destiny awaiting me in my second life? Oh, the irony! This was not a realm where dreams and aspirations thrived. My sole solace lay in possessing some measure of power in this existence.
Naturally, now that I—a reincarnated soul—had taken on the identity of Karina, I was not inclined to meet an easy demise. Aware that Apocalita’s downfall was inevitable, my resolve to escape solidified. Apocalita’s fate was already sealed without any intervention from me. My departure should not pose any complications. I could conceal myself and serenely observe their demise from a distance. Given that this was the optimal strategy at hand, I swiftly commenced devising my escape plan.
My initial task was to augment my strength. This was paramount for my successful exit. To attain this objective, I would have to embrace my true monstrous nature, the very essence for which I was fashioned. Power was attainable solely through adhering to my father’s directives, much like I was doing at that very moment.
With a gradual unveiling of my eyes, my vertically slit pupils traversed the assembly before me. The aura of their terror was almost tangible.
“P-please, reconsider!”
“Monstrous entity!”
“Escape!”
My hair ascended and undulated outward like serpents engaged in an ethereal dance. Then, the visage of a snow-white serpent emerged from over my shoulder, baring its venomous fangs. With a hiss, a sudden tempest of sand surged forth with a resonant whoosh, ensnaring the fleeing human figures and engulfing their shrieks. When the tempestuous gales eventually subsided, naught remained but petrified human forms. These silhouettes would endure, forever crystallized mid-motion.
My father’s experiments encompassed the fusion of archaic demons with human subjects, and I was no exception. The snow-white serpent coiled around my neck was a projection of my being—a grotesque embodiment born from the unholy fusion of Medusa’s essence with humanity.
***
As another sandstorm whirled past, I blinked in an effort to alleviate the stinging in my eyes, a familiar discomfort arising whenever I harnessed my power. Narrowing my gaze, I extended my hand and awaited as the serpent slithered from its place around my neck, traversing the length of my arm. The opalescent scales that adorned its sinuous form glinted in the light as it traversed. Once securely wrapped around my wrist, the serpent elevated the rattle at its tail, its obsidian eyes meeting mine in a silent exchange.