Dust exploded into the air, choking Julius's lungs and stinging his eyes.
A passage yawned open before him, darkness so absolute it seemed solid, swallowing the pale light and stretching endlessly into nothing.
That's when the voice came.
Not heard. Felt.
It threaded through bone and marrow, bypassing his ears entirely, making his teeth ache, his skull vibrate.
"This time, humanity has lost its ability to die. Your brain will never stop functioning. You will always remain conscious."
Julius froze, then straightened slowly, the voice still coiling through his thoughts like a parasite that had found its home, lingering in every corner of his mind.
"What even was that voice…" he murmured under his breath, his throat tight as he stepped into the narrow, dust-choked passage revealed by the walls, which had pivoted with a deep, grinding sound that sent a shiver down his spine.
As he advanced, he scanned the walls etched with crude scenes, every line telling stories of pain, fear, and worship.
"Who is it that they are worshipping… or is it fear?" he whispered in a pale, trembling voice as he studied the carvings where people knelt before a towering faceless shape, their bodies twisted in submission or desperation.
Others were running with arms outstretched to flee, their faces contorted in terror, while some writhed on the ground in agony
He looked forward, and to his surprise, a pale, eerie light spilled ahead, illuminating the dust particles dancing in the air.
"Well… Getting the isn't that tough to get after all," Julius declared, a grin etched across his features, though it felt forced, as if his lips were trying to keep his fear at bay.
He followed the light, each step crunching softly against the dusty floor, echoing strangely in the confined passage.
The glow widened as the passage began to open, revealing shadows that danced along the walls in strange, contorted patterns.
He turned the corner and froze.
In a hollow, vast space that looked like someone had tried to carve the sand into a pentagon but failed, two bodies hung from the ceiling, twisted around each other, slowly spinning, their movements almost ritualistic.
With each turn, blood streamed down from them in five perfect arcs, each drop finding its way to a jagged frame in one of the hollow's five corners.
The metallic scent of it filled his nose, making his stomach churn.
He spotted a man by the central fire, wrapped in a long coil of cloth that swayed gently with his movements.
The man caught the viscous liquid that seeped out whenever the jagged structures overflowed with blood, collecting it carefully in a bowl before hurling it into the flames with a hiss as the fire consumed it, sending sparks into the air.
"Where the hell did that bullhead bring me into?" Julius growled under his breath, recalling the moment when he had felt an invisible force shove him while he examined the slab.
His foot slipped on the blood running down into narrow channels in the floor, the liquid sticky and cold against his boots.
Then, he heard footsteps behind him, soft but measured, moving closer.
They came, half a dozen figures, almost naked, moving loosely, circling him.
They jumped, sometimes hitting themselves or colliding, making the whole scene seem even more surreal.
Julius couldn't utter a word as they carried out their wild, animalistic acts, making strange, guttural noises that echoed off the walls.
However, they didn't seem to do any harm. Not yet.
Past their shifting shapes, the man who had been murmuring something turned.
His face was completely obscured by shadow and cloth, making it impossible to tell if he was staring at Julius or past him, as if he were aware of something Julius could not comprehend.
"A thousand years after the people had stopped dying…" the man spoke aloud in a dreadful, haunting, yet distant voice, the sound reverberating in the hollow chamber.
"An invincible insectoid creature emerged from the sea… it consumed people, adding their faces to its body… Those faces, the witnesses say, could only scream in horror and beg for help."
He halted, silence filling the air like a living thing, before hastily moving toward a book kept across the fire.
"Look, I'm really sorry for all the loss you had to suffer, and I despise that insectoid to the core from what you've told me. So could you please ask these bonemeats to step aside, and yeah, give me that book too?"
However, none of them reacted to his taunt, their movements fluid yet unnervingly detached from his presence.
"The viscavore must be brought back with us again before those above bring their wraith upon us undeads," the man snapped in anger; yet his fury was not directed at Julius, not even a little.
As he prepared to hurl that book into the fire, Julius's instincts screamed at him to stop it.
It wasn't just any book.
It was Path to Invulnerable, the last remaining copy in this entire twisted world.
A light novel that had once taken the real world by storm. Almost everyone—boys, girls, adults, the old—had read it, captivated by its intricate world-building, complex plot, and masterful structure.
And here stood Julius, supposedly its biggest fan, yet ironically he had never even read the first volume.
Fantasy had never held any appeal for him.
He had always meant to read it, of course. Everyone he knew, from friends to family, had talked about it endlessly, but he never got around to it.
And now, thanks to the cruel joke called fate, he was trapped inside some pecuilar mess.
"I do not have an idea of what you're trying to achieve, nor do I have any interest in it, which is obviously a lie, but you and these bastards are getting on my nerves, so kindly give me that book," he growled, slipping past the gap, his heart hammering in his chest.
The figures who had been encircling him attempted to follow, but
The man who reacted first slipped off the ground, flailing, and Julius quickly grabbed the spear hanging at his waist, its metal cold and heavy in his grip.
Ducking down to dodge an attack aimed at him, he launched the spear with a sharp snap.
It cut through the air, catching the book before it could drop into the fire, the wind from its motion rustling the pages.
The book spun with the shaft, carried toward the far wall. Mid-flight, many pages curled inward, lines deepened, and skin seemed to form where paper once was.
A woman's face blinked into existence, its mouth frozen open in silence, the skin pale and lifelike, yet unnerving.
It struck the wall.
The face screamed in a jagged, piercing voice, filling the chamber with an echo that made his bones rattle.
From the corners of the book, black-silver spines erupted, jerking upward, twisting and curling like serpents.
They swelled, split, and twisted until they bloomed into faces, grotesque and lucid, pressed together as if fighting for space.
Cheeks merged with foreheads, mouths growing from eyes, features twisting over one another like molten clay.
Julius stood there watching in horror, and so did the others, their silent shapes frozen in the dim light.
Then the woman's face tore itself from the emblem, drifting slowly across the wall, brushing against the others, sinking into one, sliding out of another.
Each time it passed, the surrounding mouths twitched as if trying to taste her, devour her.
The face climbed higher.
It met the ceiling, where a face the size of a doorway stared straight at him, its jaw hinged, teeth almost like stone.
The smaller face slid silently into the mouth, but the jaw stayed open, as if trying to say something.
Then, the horror closed in slowly, yet steadily, until it covered the entirety of everything within it.
Along with the cultist, Aziel, and his life.
'Fuck, I better live the next one better.'
●●●
Thump..
Julius jolted awake from his slumber only to find himself on the ground.
Yes, he fell from the bed.
Wait...
'Why was i on the bed?'
'No, why am i even here?'
'Wasn't i in the black emptiness counting for eternity.'
He couldn't figure out anything until a familiar figure entered his room.
His hair was light blue in color, while his eyes were a shade of cyan and navy.
With an outstanding height of more than six feet and high cheekbones, he could easily make a model pale in comparison.
Julius's eyes widened in disbelief as a barrage of memory fragments clouded his mind.
He clutched his head in intense pain.
The person right in front of him was none other than him.
The protagonist of Path to Invulnerable.
The very novel that fucked him up, and probably killed him too.
Zephyr Frost.
'But why is he here?'
'Wait... does he even exist?'
All sorts of thoughts raced through Julius's mind as he scanned the figure in front of him.
Zephyr pursed his lips and said,
"Aziel, what are you doing? Prepare yourself immediately."
Then he flashed a warm smile and left the room.
Jul—Aziel pondered for a moment.
'Why was he calling me Aziel?'
'Wait... I have to see through the mirror.'
He quickly stood up and bolted toward the bathroom, which he probably knew where it was...
Instincts.
Spotting the mirror, he walked toward it and positioned himself in front of it.
"Aac—"
A scream nearly escaped his mouth as his eyes widened again in disbelief.
The figure in front of him.
It wasn't him but...
He didn't know who he was.
He had a smooth, youthful face with high cheekbones and a well-defined jawline.
Overall, his appearance was really unique, thanks to the dramatic combination of his pure white hair and gray eyes.
Aziel had already figured out that he had been transmigrated into the novel he was about to read.
But he couldn't figure out who he was.
And, he was too befuddled to surf through his memories.
It wasn't like he didn't know even an inch of the novel.
At the very least, he knew all the major characters and information on some major events and details.
That only lead to one conclusion.
Extra.
'I am transmigrated as an extra.'
A sudden chill ran down his spine at the thought of it.
First, to reincarnate in a novel he didn't like—and not to add, as an extra...
Whose existence didn't matter.
Ding.
.
---
.
A notification popped up on his smartphone, so he quickly retrieved it from his left pocket.
Congratulations! It is with great pleasure that we inform you of your acceptance into Arcanum Academy of Verdant, Aventoria. You have been given this opportunity in recognition of your scholarship achievement in your entrance exam.
We have enclosed a starter package for you so that you can familiarize yourself with the campus, opportunities, and facilities we offer.
We look forward to having you at our academy this year.
Your current ranking and timings of the academy are mentioned below:
Name: Aziel Frost
Rank: 2489th / 2500
Year: 1st
Timings:
1st year: 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM
2nd year: 6:00 AM to 6:30 PM
3rd year: 6:00 AM to 7:30 PM
4th year: None
5th year: None
Classes and other details will be displayed on the wristband given to you by the academy.
~ We wish you a good day.
---
Connecting the dots together, he figured out that Zephyr must be his sibling.
'But Zephyr didn't have a sibling in the novel as far as I remember.'
He pondered and then quickly glanced at the time displayed at the top left corner of his smartphone.
6:40 AM.
Letting out a sigh, Aziel questioned himself.
'Why must I go to the academy? I have other matters to tend-'
'Wait...right now, i can't do anything eitherway . I think I should just go. Who knows i might just find the reason for my death.'
Making his mind up to go to the academy, he quickly went to his room and retrieved his uniform from the wardrobe.
It was nothing special.
A plain white shirt with the insignia of the academy on the left side of his chest—to be precise, where the heart is located.
And pitch-black trousers with a black blazer atop the shirt.
Not to mention a blue necktie that reached past his abdomen.
Nodding in satisfaction, Aziel went out of his apartment only to find Zephyr waiting for him.
He quickly descended the stairs and stood just beside him.
"Aziel, where is your hoverboard?"
'Hoverboard... Oh right, they used it to travel to the academy.'
Aziel pondered for a while, then pursed his lips.
"Oh r-right, h-hoverboard, I forgot where I kept it."
A white lie.
Cold sweat trickled down Aziel's face.
"Sigh… fine. I have a spare. Here, take it."
Zephyr quickly retrieved a white hoverboard with black outlining, intricate designs from his space ring, and threw it toward Aziel.
Aziel was caught off guard, but he barely managed to catch it mid-air with a sluggish movement.
Upon seeing this, Zephyr leaned close to Aziel's face. Frowning, he pursed his lips.
"You… seem different today."
Beads of cold sweat began trickling down Aziel's face.
"Different? In what way do I appear different?" Aziel asked, forcing a smile.
Zephyr scanned his face once again and withdrew.
"Never mind," he said.
As Zephyr moved and placed his hoverboard just some feet above the surface, Aziel followed and did the same.
But a sudden thought struck Aziel's mind, his face went beyond pale for a brief moment.
---
Read the unlocked chaps, before judging.