He once again awoke in an unfamiliar room, lifting his hand he saw the familiar white ring on his finger which was embedded with three red jewels. They soon began flashing a crimson light that was only visible to him as they sent text into his head which he quickly read through ‘how many times have I done this already?’ he questioned himself tiredly then put the now familiar hand back down beside him, he hadn’t even realised it was shaking from the effort.

The world he was in was the typical fantasy world with magic and mythical beings around every corner ‘great’ he grumbled as he carried on reading despite the dissatisfaction coursing through his body, he was currently in the body of Willow Smith who just so happens to be the protagonists younger brother. He turns to Dark Arts magic after he is beaten until he can’t move by the female leads goons, even his caring older brother reprimanded him for lying when he blamed the beating on Lily. Willow then proceeds to blacken by first killing their father and later trying to take Lily’s life, he is then struck with Lily’s Holy Water magic and his body disappears along with his magic tome making everyone presume he had died. As his body disappears, Lily turns back to stab his brother Shawn and claims the glory of destroying the evil walking the lands, she then proceeds to marry the crown prince and has a son but everyone at the battle that day knows that she’s really a siren from the west islands. Contrary to expectations Shaw doesn’t die and is saved by a mysterious man who teaches him the same Dark Arts magic as his younger brother, seeing what the magic originally did to his family he refuses to learn it. The man gives him his younger brothers missing magic tome which contained his last words to his brother, thinking it will be his younger brother cursing him out he prepares his heart and proceeds to read [believe me brother and live on] the words harden his resolve and he learns magic with the man for several years. One day the mysterious man and the magic tome disappear leaving him alone, taking this as a sign he destroys the Capitol and kills the royal family including Lily and her son. He disappears too leaving the throne to his most trusted cousin and is never heard from again.

Willow knew the world he was in was nothing like a story, that it was so unpredictable that he couldn’t always trust the ‘plot’ given to him by the ring on his finger but no matter how hard he tries he can’t seem to call the people around his host body by anything other than the labels he’s used to seeing. That person is strong and protected by the world’s consciousness so is the current protagonist, that person is always getting in the way and relies on his own abilities but ends up dead in the end so is the villain and so on. Even the plot is only a summary of the important events happening around his host body, it is unpredictable but protected by the world’s consciousness so is equally as dangerous.

He sighed after looking through the host’s memories; currently Lily’s minions had beaten him to a near death experience and he was unable to move around too much. Staying in bed wasn’t what he wanted to do but as he moved he winced at the pain shooting up his sides, his ribs were broken and he needed to heal them before his first task. Using his past world’s knowledge he summoned light magic to heal his broken bones but left the minor injuries alone so as not to arouse suspicion and also for his next plan ‘this time ... I will escape your control’ he clenched his fists and vowed in his heart that the God controlling him will eventually get what is owed, it was at that moment the ring flashed issuing him his first task [tell Shawn about Lily’s minions] the task was simple and had no time limit making him rejoice in his heart, Zaphion’s magic had succeeded in weakening the rings effects meaning his actions were less restricted and he could plan his changes feely. He only had to change the world’s original course of events and die a villain’s death but he would happily die this one last time if it meant he could escape, if he could return to his original world and learn about who he used to be.

Looking around the room he was in surprised him somewhat, he knew what the room looked like from the originals memories but seeing it in person made him feel more disgusted than he should have. The room was small and somewhat dirty with an old wooden bed placed underneath the only window on the wall opposite the door, as you entered there was a small wardrobe to the right and a bucket for washing to the left. There were no curtains but the thick layers of dirt and grime kept out most of the sunlight, getting up slowly he walked the five or so steps to the wardrobe and opened the old wooden door to see a simple black robe, a change of clothes and a pair of worn out boots. Looking back to the bed he'd just been on he saw that the mattress was just an old sack stuffed with dirty straw and the blanket was so old it was faded and riddled with holes, there was no pillow and the headboard was smeared with dried blood where the previous Willow had used his fingernails to scratch his name into the wood. He expected that he’d be influenced by the host’s original feelings but it seemed without the ring to control everything he was getting more than he wanted, just looking around the decrepit room made him want to cry and his original demonic personality was overtaken with pity and childishness.

As reluctant as he was he retrieved the shoes and robe and quickly wore them how the original used to then headed to the left to wash his blood smeared face, he needed to complete the task so that he wouldn't be controlled by the magic in the ring. He remembers his first world clearly as he once refused to forcibly take the protagonists woman which led to the magic in the ring activating, with no control over his own actions he raped the woman and was eventually killed by the protagonist. From the moment he woke up in the black space many lifetimes ago with no memories of himself or his past he instinctively knew certain things such as not messing with anything that belonged to the protagonists, he knew but still had to do what the tasks told him too or be forced out of his own body and punished when he returned to his space later on. Saying that by now he was numb to it all wouldn't be too far off but he didn't want to go against the protagonist, neither did he want to follow him around like a lost little puppy. He just wanted to live the way he wants to and find his true self, learn his own name and live in his original world.

With no time limit placed on the task he had plenty of time to spare so begun searching the room for a mirror, after not much time he found one tucked away under his bed and surprisingly it was very clean. He studied his new reflection to realise he had the same waist length jet black hair as always and dull purple eyes that were devoid of any emotions, deciding to get into character he made the once dull eyes show cold and sinister emotions just like the original Willow. At the head of the bed lay Willow’s only valuable possession, a small black rose pin used to hold his robe together sat there so he picked it up and secured his robe with it despite it not needing to be secured.

His long awaited escape was finally set into motion with the help of an old friend and he wanted to show his brother how despicable some women could be, show him how he was enchanted by a siren disguised as a human. Lily was enchanting to say the least even without her hypnotic magic, her golden hair was sometimes pink when the midday sun touched it and cascaded down her back in waves, forest green eyes that revealed her sinister intentions was often masked with a fake smile as she ensnared her latest victim with her Holy Water magic. His brother truly deserved to be the protagonist as he was no less stunning than Lily, he stood at 180cm tall with wide shoulders and battle hardened muscles in all the right places, he was the epitome of a handsome male warrior with his short slicked back black hair and eyes a blue so clear it was like looking at a summer sky. Too bad his personality was too righteous otherwise he would be his type; he would have to treat the arrogant bastard just like an older brother to the very end. Thinking about it as he walked he finally decided on what to do to change the world’s course of events ‘I’ll become the old Willow, the one who adored his older brother’ realising he now had more freedom and he didn’t have to act like the original cold Willow he smiled making the air around him ice cold thanks to his souls extreme power, the only problem left to solve was the fact that Shawn would have to kill Lily himself but he was sure he could solve that when the time came.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Thankfully at this moment in time Willow hadn’t begun practicing Dark Arts magic yet, the task issued also didn’t restrict him with a specific time limit so if he wanted to change anything now would be the time. Good thing he knew a little Light magic so he could undo Lily’s hypnosis but then again he only had enough reserves for one person, it should be enough for Shawn though. Currently it was possible for him to practice Light magic but after he begins practicing Dark Arts magic it would be impossible as the two opposites would clash, destroy his foundations and then ultimately kill him so he wouldn’t take the chance. Using Willow’s memories he headed towards the library where he knew no one would be, he made sure his wounds were showing as he walked down the many elegant corridors of the Smith family mansion.

On his way down the last corridor he saw a stunning man with an aquiline nose, angular cheekbones carved down towards a basalt jaw and thick spartan shoulders that spoke of impossible strength. As they got closer he noticed the man’s elegant eyebrows, his commanding onyx eyes had sparks of midnight blue within and were framed with thick black eyelashes. The man’s eyes connected with his and glimmered with interest as long raven black hair fell over his left shoulder; even he had to admit this man was drool worthy as he looked into the eyes that commanded obedience and submission. It was at this moment he realised who this man was, Alexander Smith also known as the original Willow’s father.

With his first ‘love’ overtaken by the hate he and the original felt his mood turned rotten, his cold indifferent expression stuck to his face so his father couldn’t see his sudden change in mood. Then it hit him ‘Lily that bitch, she hypnotised him too ... now I have more work to do’ a new idea formed in his head to quickly eliminate the ever growing workload, he was a lazy person by nature so he didn’t want any more work than what was necessary ‘I could always stop his death’ he smiled in his heart but didn’t let his cold indifference slip despite his now good mood, he quickly cast the magic to undo the hypnotism as he thought so. It would take some time to take effect but it was impossible to not succeed, he didn’t have any time or patience for hesitation. His father carried on walking passed him and he carried on towards the library, onlookers saw that neither even glanced at the other but in reality there was a split second where their eyes connected with each other. That split second was all it took for the two to analyse their opponent, each formulating a plan against the other. Alex dead set on capturing Willow who caught his eye immediately and Willow dead set on freeing his father despite the overwhelming hate swirling within him for he was now Willow Smith.

As he was walking he saw his brother practicing alone in the garden to his right ‘I’ll take a small detour’ he thought then headed out of the nearest door on his right where Shawn was swinging his sword around “Shawn I want to talk,” he coldly stated as he approached “oh! You’re awake,” he sounded surprised but not sympathetic and certainly not too happy “the ones who attacked me ... they were ... they were sent by Lily,” he intentionally hesitated more than once “I’m sure of it,” “what are you on about Willow, Lily’s a sweet girl that wouldn’t harm anyone,” Shawn declared angrily as he glared at his younger brother for insulting the one he loved again “I’m telling the truth,” Willow put on a vulnerable expression and made tears well up in his eyes despite wanting to just punch the man before him “you’re being absurd, get out of my sight filthy liar,” Shawn roughly pushed the smaller Willow and even though the strength wasn’t enough to nock him over he allowed himself to fall to the ground pitifully, he looked up with tear filled eyes and a hurt expression but on the inside he was cursing him out ‘stupid Shawn, can’t even undo a siren’s hypnotism’ he let the tears in his eyes fall along with the fresh blood from the reopened wounds “why don’t you believe me?” he cried “get lost TRASH!” Shawn shouted loudly and kicked the still injured Willow who in turn whimpered then wiped his tears and stood up “fine I’ll force you to see,” he let the usual cold indifference wash over his tear stained face and quickly walked back inside towards the library.

‘Poor kid, even his own brother hurt him so much no wonder he blackened beyond saving’ he sighed as he wiped his eyes again, the ring on his finger issued a soundless beep into his head notifying him of the tasks completion and began flashing with a new one only moments later [make your way to the library, 5 minutes] then another flash quickly followed [find the Dark Arts magic tome by using your blood on the magic circle in the library] although the first task had a time limit he was already at his destination so didn’t worry about it and so he took his time, the second task didn’t have a time limit meaning he can learn some other techniques from this world before getting the magic tome. There was only one problem, he wouldn’t be able to leave the library until the task was completed or he would suffer the consequences. Even though the consequences weren’t specified he knew all too well about this unspoken rule the evil God enforced upon him, the weakening of the magic might not have influenced this function and he didn’t plan on testing it out.

Entering the library he heard the familiar beep again, this time ignoring it as he headed towards a bookshelf which housed many weapon art books. Picking up a pure white booklet he sat cross legged on the floor and opened it up to start reading, after less than an hour he had memorised the forms in the booklet and was ready to start practicing.

Three days later:

He opened his eyes after resting and sighed ‘it’s really too bad I don’t have much time left, I need to escape this world’ standing up as he internally groaned he proceeded towards the back of the library where a large golden magic circle was drawn onto the floor, as if awakened by his presence the circle began to glow brightly and soon whispering could be heard trying to entice him but Willow continued to stand there not fazed in the slightest “why do you not respond to my call young one?” it whispered into his ear so only those close by could hear “I am not as young as this body, do you remember me God of Magic?” Willow asked back with an emotionless face “well if it isn’t my old friend Adrian Grove,” the God of Magic laughed still in a whisper “my name is Willow Smith now, if it wasn’t for your help I’d be stuck in this torture forever,” he grimaced at the thought of living under his control for any longer than he already had “are you making your move then?” a man appeared where the magic circle once stood shocking Willow even though his facial expression didn’t change. The man had a deep voice, defined cheekbones and a concrete jaw but his oddly glowing golden eye contrasted his deep black hair. An eye patch covered his right eye but this only served to make his features more handsome, his clothing style was that of an 18th century English aristocrat but the way he held himself was that of a warrior “take me with you when you escape his control,” the man smirked with confidence “yes I’m making my move this time ... you’re just as rude as always Zaphion ... why do I need to take you with me?” Willow knew he owed the man this much at least but he was reluctant to take a God with him; he didn’t want to be found so soon.