Ciel felt like he was floating in the air, away from everyone and everything. His body was light, and his mind was clear; nothing but blank space around him. Then a sudden thought struck his mind. Who was Ciel? Or rather, who was he?

“Fey!” A sharp voice rung in Ciel’s ear, a slight tug on his shoulder.

Brushing it away, he turned his body over, the voice calling him growing quieter and quieter. Comfort, bliss, what other expression was there to express his condition right now, other than perfect? He had everything he had ever needed. Warmth, softness, and silence.

“FEY!” The voice rung in his ears again, much louder than before. The tug on his shoulder grew more rampant, his body practically being shaken. He shook the hand off, his mouth barely opening.

“Just 5 more minutes.” He was able to mumble out before his entire body slumped, darkness enveloping him once more. Ciel felt an ominous feeling on his back, his senses telling to wake up, or else. Though, in his current condition, Ciel couldn’t care any less about his instincts, his body telling him he was feeling good right now.

“Oh well, what I am supposed to do?” The shaking stopped and the same voice as earlier spoke in an eerie tone. Ciel’s brain kept screaming at him to wake up, but the person wouldn’t listen. Shrugging, his instincts made the decision to give up, letting their body do whatever it wanted.

Bzzt!

“Ow!” Ciel yelped. A sudden jolt of electricity jumped from Ciel’s shoulder to the rest of his body, and pain came with it. It wasn’t so painful as to hurt him, but more than enough to get him wide awake. As his eyes fluttered open, the light from the outside world singeing them, he got a good look at his surrounding as a thought struck his mind. Huh, where am I?

A large room with white walls and various engravings made in black. Large curtains hung from the wall, and a faint light peeked through the ceiling and windows. A single chandelier hung from the ceiling, made with various metals and what looked to be gems. This wasn’t where he went to sleep.

Where was the futon splayed out on the floor? The one he was too lazy to clean up. Or his complete collection of various comic series? His precious figures! Not his precious figures!

As the sensation of touch returned to the rest of his body, Ciel realised he felt a bit odd. He felt much better than usual. His posture was perfect, close to how it used to be. His body also didn’t feel like it had consumed 3 bowls of ultra-spicy noodles before a 20-hour gaming session. Turning his eyes down, he then discovered the pure-white linen clothes he was wearing.

Nostalgic. This wasn’t his body, though, not his body in the past. Even under those linen clothes, he could see a set of light, but well-developed muscles. Yeah, he was sure he never had something like that in the past.

His mind confused and busy, Ciel didn’t realise the person next to him, currently staring at his odd behaviour.

She was a young-looking woman, gorgeous facial features, short bronze hair, and a lapis blue robe covering her entire body. If Ciel was to describe her, he would say that she looked like one of those NPCs you would usually find acting like a mentor figure to the heroes. A mage maybe? Or even a warlock?

She looked at him with a worried and guilty look. Like someone whose prank had gone a little too off track.

Ciel thought about asking the woman where he was, and more importantly, who he was. Before he could do so, he felt his heart thumping wildly.

Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

It felt like it was about to jump out of his chest, an intense heat striking his entire body. As he was about to process it, his brain stopped working, another sensation taking over all his senses.

Pain. That was the sensation that came next. A heart-wrenching, gut-pulping pain that shook his entire body. His bones were being melted, and his body frozen. Thousands of needles slowly made their way into the centre of his body,as they pierced, every so slightly, into each and every one of his organs. He couldn’t move, or do anything for that matter, his body succumbing to the continuous pain.

“Arghhh!” He couldn’t help but scream, his body convulsing with every second that passed. He had no other way to express what he was experiencing, except for a scream that even heaven could hear. Although a tiny part of him, somewhere up there, calmed him down. This wasn’t even close to the worse pain he had ever faced. Sure, it hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to that.

“Fey!” the woman next to him yelled in concern, holding his body down. Ciel took a deep breath and tried his best to tune out the pain. With that, his breathing steadied, and his body began to calm down. The pain was far from over, though now, his mind felt at more at ease.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

At that moment, as if waiting for this exact event, a stream of memories came rushing through his brain. Events he both recognised, and at the same time, didn’t. Memories from when he was a little boy. Running around in back alleys and stealing food. The time his mother taught him to use magic. The time he cast his first spell. His days learning from his private tutor. Everything.

All of that happened in less than 16 seconds, and in those seconds, he had relived through 16 years of life. 16 years of someone’s life. No, 16 years of his life, 16 years that he had forgotten, somehow.

Feyrith Aridelle. Ciel, or rather Feyrith, didn’t know how to feel about this event. His earlier confusion when he woke up was now gone, but also replaced with an even large curiosity. The same question still stood. Who was he? Ciel? Feyrith? Or maybe both? Ciel had become Feyrith, and at the same time, Feyrith had become Ciel. All the memories belonging to the two melded together, becoming a single coherent narrative. These puzzle pieces of different sets that miraculously fit together, creating a new, whole image.

His pain then vanished, going away like it was never there.

“My apologies, mother, both for not waking up to your call, and for losing control over my mana.” Feyrith made up an excuse as he apologised, all the while reassuring the woman. “Do not fret though as I now have everything under control.” He got up and turned to his side, to the woman who had woken him up. His mother.

Concern was still there on her face, though after seeing Feyrith speak normally, she lightened up. “Is that so…” She spoke. “Well aside from the first thing, don’t forget to inform me when you can’t control your mana. We wouldn’t want another incident happening, would we?”

“Of course, mother, my apologies once more.” Feyrith replied.

His mother raised her palms a faint light emanating from them. Then a warmth blanketed over Feyrith’s body, the light washing over him. After a bit, his mother lowered her palms and nodded, her expression turning light.

“Mhm, you’re all good now.” She said with a grin. “I can’t believe you would forget about our appointment today.”

“I wouldn’t wake you up for something as meaningless as a meeting with the royal family, but today is a bit special.” There was a mischievous glint in his mother’s eyes as she spoke. Her expression had changed completely from when Feyrith was spasming, but he honestly preferred this more than her being worried. Though, he couldn’t help but worry at the implications of that glint.

“I’ll be going then, Fey.” His mother spoke. “Be ready in an hour and meet me downstairs.”

With that, she left, leaving Feyrith alone in his room. Before doing anything he collapsed on his bed, exhausted with all that had happened in a single morning. He took in a deep breath before muttering. “Feyrith Aridelle, huh?”

The name was odd to say, but it rolled right off his tongue. He couldn’t help but feel a little weird knowing that it was his name, but at the same time it felt correct somehow?

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

His heart started beating again, threatening to jump out of his chest, but it wasn’t to weird this time. He knew exactly why he felt this. Excitement, adrenaline, exhilaration. Pandora’s Tower, his favourite game in the whole world, and now he was inside of it, as an NPC no less.

Feyrith Aridelle, it was the name of one of many famous Major NPCs in Pandora’s Tower. In game he had been the tower’s greatest magician, the head mage Silverveil magic court. .

Was it practice? Talent? Yeah, the latter. Feyrith’s innate traits were busted in terms of magic. Most of his innate traits had something to do with and improved his magic. It would take a user a lot of work if they wanted to catch up with someone who was literally born into the world meant to be the greatest magician.

It was sort-of fitting for him to be in this body, as his favourite class had always been magician. His knowledge and this body’s busted traits. He wondered what kind of chaos he could cause?

Enough of that. Feyrith put an abrupt stop on his thoughts as he recalled his mother’s words. He needed to get dressed first. Now, where was that wardrobe?

He stood up off his bed, his feet touching the soft-carpeted floor. He looked around the room for a moment, some of his memories missing. Odd, but ok. He saw a door tucked away in a corner of the room, and a piece of information was unlocked in his brain as it recalled that a wardrobe was there.

Creak

He pushed the door of the wardrobe open and walked inside, taking in the sheer luxury of the room. He had seen nice wardrobes before, but this was on another level. Solely due to the the number of clothes it contained, this was above and beyond any wardrobe he had ever had. Maybe I should have spent more?

He walked deeper in the room and saw something taking up the span of an entire wall. A large mirror, large enough for multiple people to look at their reflections at once.

“I’m not a narcissist, but…” Feyrith muttered as he looked into the mirror. “Why am I so handsome?”

He admired his reflection in the mirror. Short blond hair, and well-rounded face, clear of any blemishes, as smooth as a newborn baby. Although he had just got out of bed, his hair was somehow in perfect condition, lustrous even. For a 16-year-old, Feyrith was quite tall standing at 178 cm. His hands looked delicate, yet at the same time accented with callouses.

His most defining feature was his eyes, one of the reasons Feyrith was such a popular NPC in-game. Beautiful and golden eyes, almost mystical looking with their deep gilded hue. Woah.

He was shocked due to the sheer beauty of the body he was inhabiting. Sure, in-game, Feyrith Aridelle was already a good-looking character, but the screen did not do his looks any justice. Shaking his head to snap himself out of his trance, he considered something for a moment, before hesitantly raising his arms and sharply pinching both his cheeks.

“Ow!”

A jolt of pain struck his cheeks. What was he expecting to happen? Rubbing them, Feyrith let out a heavy sigh. “This is not a dream.”

Taking in a deep breath, Feyrith walked over to a row of formal clothing. Looking through them, he selected an undershirt, a suit, and a pair of pants. Taking off his shirt, Feyrith carefully changed into his formal clothing before leaving his wardrobe.

Fully prepared, he cheerily talked to himself.

“Let’s put all these confusing thoughts aside. For now, let’s finish today’s business, wouldn’t want to disappoint mother.”