The last thing Elias remembered was the screech of tires and headlights flooding his vision like a supernova.
Then nothing.
Then this.
He gasped, lurching upright in what his disoriented brain registered as a moving car. His heart hammered against his ribs. Fragmented memories crashed over him in waves. Walking home from the lab. The intersection. The truck running the red light.
I died.
The thought hit him with surprising clarity. No panic. Just... observation.
He wasn't in a hospital. Wasn't in some cosmic waiting room. He was in the backseat of a sleek black car with leather seats, dressed in clothes he'd never owned. Dark gray button-down, black jeans, a watch that probably cost more than his old monthly rent.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Middle-aged guy, crisp suit, completely unbothered. "Feeling alright back there, Mr. Vale? We're about ten minutes from Nevermore Academy."
Vale?
The name hit him like a freight train, followed immediately by a cascade of information downloading directly into his skull. Not his memories, but suddenly they were.
Elias Vale. Seventeen. Orphaned at fifteen when his parents died in a car accident. Emancipated minor. Trust fund worth several million dollars. Eight schools in two years, not expelled, just... restless. Brilliant. Alone by choice.
His hands pressed against his temples. "Okay. Okay, so reincarnation is apparently real. Cool. That's fine. Everything's fine."
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
The glowing blue text materialized in his field of vision, floating like a holographic display.
Elias blinked. Then blinked again.
"Are you kidding me right now?"
[Welcome, Host]
[Inventor System Online]
He stared at the interface. This was insane. This was absolutely insane. People didn't just wake up in different bodies with video game systems in their heads.
Except apparently he just did.
[Scanning Host Capabilities...]
[Scan Complete]
[Host Profile: Elias Vale]
Age: 17
Intelligence: A+ (Engineering Background Retained)
Physical Condition: B (Above Average)
Special Abilities: None (Human)
Financial Assets: $8,750,000 (Accessible)
[Starter Package Available]
A new window expanded.
[Starter Package Contents:]
Knowledge Integration: Tony Stark Technical Database (Mechanical Engineering, Robotics, AI Architecture, Miniaturization Techniques) Seed Capital: $10,000,000 (Transferred to Secure Account) Blueprint Library: Arc Reactor Fundamentals, Repulsor Technology Basics, Holographic Interface Standards, Advanced Materials Database
[Accept Starter Package?]
[YES] / [NO]
Elias stared at it for a long moment.
Then he started laughing.
It was quiet at first, then harder. The driver glanced back again, probably wondering if his passenger was having a breakdown.
"Okay," Elias said, wiping his eyes. "Okay, you know what? Sure. Why not. I died, got isekai'd into someone else's body, and now I have a system offering me Tony Stark's brain. At this point, what's the worst that could happen?"
He pressed YES.
The effect was instantaneous.
Knowledge flooded his mind. Not painful, not overwhelming, just... there. Suddenly he understood metallurgical compositions he'd never studied. Harmonic frequencies for repulsor technology. Quantum algorithms for AI development. It slotted into place alongside his existing engineering knowledge like puzzle pieces clicking together.
"Holy shit," he breathed.
[Integration Complete]
[Knowledge Assimilated: Tony Stark Technical Database]
[Funds Transferred: $10,000,000]
[Total Available Capital: $18,750,000]
[Blueprint Library: Accessible]
[Inventor System Initialized Successfully]
[Good luck, Host]
The interface faded to the edge of his vision, barely visible unless he focused on it.
Elias sat back, his mind racing. He had eighteen million dollars. He had engineering knowledge that would make MIT professors weep. He had blueprints for technology decades ahead of anything currently available.
And he had absolutely no idea where he was.
Wait. Nevermore Academy.
The name triggered something. Not from Vale's memories, but from before. From his original life.
His eyes widened.
"Oh no."
Nevermore Academy. Outcasts. Gothic boarding school.
Wednesday Addams.
"Oh no. No no no."
He was in the Wednesday TV show.
The car slowed. Elias looked out the window for the first time since waking up.
Iron gates loomed ahead, intricate and gothic, leading to a tree-lined drive. Beyond them, perched on a hill like something out of a nightmare, stood Nevermore Academy.
It was exactly like he remembered. Gothic spires. Stone architecture weathered by centuries. Towers scraping the gray autumn sky.
And somewhere in there was Wednesday Addams, a murderous Hyde, a resurrected pilgrim, and enough chaos to fill eight episodes.
"This is either going to be really interesting or really terrible," Elias muttered.
The car pulled through the gates. Another vehicle was just ahead of them. A long black vintage car that looked like it belonged in a funeral procession.
The Addams family car.
"Oh, this is happening right now."
The cars pulled up to the main entrance together. Elias watched as the Addams family emerged.
First out was a tall man with a pencil-thin mustache and pinstripe suit. Gomez Addams, moving with theatrical flair.
Then a woman in a form-fitting black dress, long dark hair perfectly straight. Morticia Addams. She was even more striking in person.
And then the back door opened.
Wednesday Addams stepped out.
Elias found himself staring. She was exactly as he remembered. Long dark braids, pale skin, expression flat as concrete, dressed entirely in black and white. But seeing her in person hit different. There was an intensity to her that the screen hadn't captured.
She looked absolutely miserable.
Behind her, a shorter kid tumbled out. Pugsley, looking rumpled and anxious.
"Mr. Vale?" The driver's voice pulled his attention. "We've arrived. Shall I get your luggage?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
Elias opened his door and stepped out.
His new body moved differently. Smoother. More coordinated. Vale had kept in shape, apparently.
His luggage wasn't much. Two suitcases and a large duffel bag, all black. According to Vale's memories, inside were clothes, a laptop, and several pieces of technical equipment he'd refused to leave behind.
Elias grabbed the duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder.
As he turned toward the entrance, his eyes met Wednesday's.
It lasted maybe a second. She was looking past her parents at the other new arrival. Her gaze was sharp, analytical. Like she was x-raying him, cataloging everything, deciding if he was worth remembering.
Then she looked away, expression never changing, and followed her parents up the stone steps.
"Well," Elias said under his breath. "That was intense."
He followed at a distance, taking in the campus. Students were everywhere, most watching the Addams family with obvious interest. He caught snippets of conversation.
"That's her? The piranha girl?"
"I heard she ate someone at her last school..."
"She's terrifying..."
Elias shook his head, grinning slightly. Day one and Wednesday already had a reputation.
The entrance hall was impressive. Vaulted ceilings, dark wood paneling, mounted animal heads, portraits that probably predated the Civil War.
A tall woman in a cream-colored suit stood near the main staircase. Platinum blonde hair, rigid posture, professional smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Principal Larissa Weems.
She was speaking with the Addams family, her voice carrying across the space. "Morticia. Gomez. How... lovely to see you again."
"Larissa!" Gomez boomed. "You haven't aged a day!"
"Gomez," Morticia's voice was smooth as silk and sharp as a blade. "Darling."
Gomez immediately stopped, though he kept beaming.
Weems's attention shifted to Wednesday. "And you must be Wednesday. Welcome to Nevermore."
Wednesday's expression didn't change. "Thrilled to be here."
The temperature seemed to drop.
Elias hung back, watching. This was the scene from the show. Weems would take them to her office, go over Wednesday's file, assign her to room with Enid.
"Mr. Vale?"
He turned to find a young woman approaching. Bright eyes, friendly smile, staff badge that read Ms. Thornhill - Dorm Supervisor & Botanical Sciences.
Marilyn Thornhill. AKA Laurel Gates. AKA the secret villain of the entire season.
Elias kept his expression neutral. "That's me."
"Welcome to Nevermore! I'm Ms. Thornhill. Principal Weems is occupied, but she asked me to show you to your room and get you settled."
"Sounds good. Thanks."
As Ms. Thornhill led him down a different corridor, Elias glanced back. Wednesday was being ushered toward Weems's office, her parents flanking her.
He caught one more glimpse of her face. That cold, analytical expression.
Then she was gone.
"So you're transferring mid-semester," Ms. Thornhill said as they walked. "That must be challenging. What brings you to Nevermore?"
"Parents died two years ago. Been moving around since. Someone recommended this place."
Her expression softened. "I'm so sorry for your loss. But Nevermore is special. You'll find your place here."
"Hope so."
They climbed two flights of stairs. "You'll be in Ophelia Hall, the boys' dormitory. Your roommate is Xavier Thorpe. Lovely young man. Very artistic."
Xavier. Of course. The jealous ex-boyfriend with psychic painting abilities.
This was going to be interesting.
They stopped at a door marked "23B."
"Here we are." Ms. Thornhill handed him a key. "Xavier should be in class. Dinner's at six in the dining hall. If you need anything, my office is on the first floor."
"Thanks, Ms. Thornhill."
She left with a wave.
Elias unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The room was split in two. The left side was clearly Xavier's. Paintings everywhere, an easel by the window, art supplies scattered across a desk. Organized chaos with artistic flair.
The right side was bare. Empty bed, empty desk, empty wardrobe.
His side.
Elias dropped his duffel bag on the bed and sat down.
He pulled out his phone and checked his bank accounts.
[Financial Status: $18,750,000]
[Funds Verified and Accessible]
He let out a long breath.
It was real. All of it.
He'd died. Been reincarnated. Given a system with Tony Stark's knowledge and nearly twenty million dollars.
And he was in the Wednesday TV show, where people were about to start dying.
Elias leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
"Okay," he said to the empty room. "So what now?"
The system interface flickered at the edge of his vision.
[Quest Available: Welcome to Nevermore]
Objectives:
Establish workshop location (0/1) Meet 3 key characters (0/3) Create your first invention (0/1)
Reward: Blueprint Pack (Advanced), $100,000, Level 2
Time Limit: 7 Days
Elias read it twice.
A workshop. That was priority one. He needed a space to build, somewhere private where he could work without questions.
Meeting people would happen naturally. This was a boarding school. Avoiding people would be harder than meeting them.
And creating an invention? With the knowledge in his head and the resources at his disposal?
That would be the fun part.
He stood and walked to the window. Outside, he could see students moving between buildings. The campus was massive. Gothic architecture everywhere. Multiple buildings, a tower in the distance, what looked like a conservatory with glass walls.
His eyes lingered on the conservatory.
That could work.
A knock at the door made him turn.
He opened it to find a girl about his age with blonde and pink-streaked hair, rainbow nails, and possibly the most colorful outfit he'd ever seen. She was practically vibrating with energy.
Enid Sinclair.
"Oh! Hi! Sorry, wrong room!" She beamed at him anyway. "Wait, are you new? You're new! I'm Enid!"
Elias couldn't help but smile. "Elias. Just got here."
"That's so exciting! Two new students in one day! Have you met Wednesday yet? She's my new roommate and she's super intense but also kind of cool in a scary way and I'm rambling, sorry, I do that!" She took a breath. "Anyway, welcome to Nevermore!"
"Thanks."
"I have to go meet with Principal Weems but I'll see you around!" She was already backing away, still bouncing. "Bye!"
And she was gone, disappearing down the corridor in a blur of color.
Elias stood there for a moment, then laughed.
"This place is going to be wild."
He closed the door and returned to his window. Outside, he could see the conservatory in the distance.
Tomorrow, he'd explore. Find his workshop space. Start planning his first projects.
But tonight, he'd settle in. Figure out his new life. Get his bearings.
He had seven days to complete the quest.
And honestly? He was kind of excited to get started.