Arian woke up slowly from his sleep, his eyes staring at the room that still felt familiar and strange at the same time. He sat on his bed feeling a mysterious heaviness in his chest, that same feeling that had accompanied him since the moment he woke up in this body. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and memories rushed inside him without permission—memories of the moment he absorbed the soul of this body completely, and how its memories had surged into his mind like a flood.
He muttered to himself with quiet worry: "I must make sure… I can't rely only on what I see."
The thought that had haunted him since yesterday still clung to his mind, a thought tied to the secret of what happened and the way he ended up here. With a faint inner resolve, he told himself: "I will verify it myself today… I won't leave things to chance."
He rose from the bed and stood to steady himself, examining his surroundings with a quick, wary gaze. Before he could take another step or think of anything else, a soft knock broke the silence at the door.
The maid's voice came with respectful steadiness:
"Sir Arian… breakfast has been prepared."
Arian took a slow breath to steady his thoughts, then answered with a calm, confident voice:
"Very well… I'm coming."
And with those words, his new day began, carrying his determination to uncover the truth he felt was closer than he imagined.
After finishing his breakfast in silence, Arian rose from the table and pushed away the thoughts of the previous night. No one in the manor shared the meal with him that morning—his father was busy with early meetings, while the servants moved through the halls lightly, accompanied by quiet.
He stepped out of the large manor doors, where the sun still shone brightly over the island, casting long shadows on the white stone. Just a few steps away, the royal carriage waited for him, surrounded by four well-trained guards whose strict discipline was clear from their stance. As soon as they saw him, they hurried over and greeted him with a calm bow mixed with a hint of fear, and one of them opened the carriage door for him.
Arian climbed inside and sat while the horses began to move steadily. With the gentle sway of the carriage, he started recalling the information that had filled his mind after merging with the new body. This was not his world, but he now knew it… almost in complete detail
The first thing that leapt into his mind was the war nearly a thousand years ago…
The war that everyone now called "The War of the Celestial Fall."
A brutal war between demons and angels, not on Earth, but in the kingdom of the floating sky-islands that had hung between the two continents like a crown of light and mist.
The angels had ruled those islands peacefully for thousands of years, considering them centers of power unreachable by any being.
But that changed when the nine Demon Lords of the demonic continent united under one banner for the first time in history, led by the Demon King himself.
The massive demonic army stormed the sky-islands in a war that lasted 100 years, and rumors say…
The sky burned.
Fire, light, blood, drifting souls…
A battle that shook the world, for no one had ever imagined that the demons would unite.
In the end…
The angels lost.
Their islands fell from the sky one after another like burning stars.
The land split open, and the continents trembled.
And from the ruins of the fallen sky-islands, dozens of large and small islands were formed, separating today's two great continents:
– The continent of Aemira at the center, ruled by dragons, considered the strongest creatures in the world.
In the north—
The Land of Giants, above ice that never breaks.
Massive tribes no one approaches, strong enough to flatten an entire village with a single strike.
In the east—
The Dragon Mountains, home of the greatest beings, rulers of the entire continent. No one dares disobey or question their power.
In the south—
Dwarves, demi-humans, and nymphs,
underground kingdoms, enchanted waters, endless forests.
In the west—
Elves and ancient spirits,
forests that only those who know their way can enter… others simply die.
And in the center—the heart of the continent:
Humans, living beside vampires and werewolves in constant conflict.
But what shocked Arian most in the body's memories was the harsh truth:
Humans hunted vampires and werewolves regularly.
Not because they were evil, but because human factions considered them a threat to balance.
And because vampire blood and werewolf bones sold for high prices on the black market.
— As for the demonic continent, it was only known as:
A vast land far to the north of the world, surrounded by black foggy seas that made reaching it nearly impossible for most humans. It was ruled by nine Demon Lords, each controlling a massive region with its own terrain and creatures.
But above all… stood the Demon King.
A mysterious being no human had seen for a hundred years, yet his name alone spread fear. All that was known was that he could not die easily, and his power surpassed human understanding.
Yet the conflict remained balanced because…
The islands that once hung in the sky had become fortified strongholds
and strategic positions for both continents.
Since then, war between the two sides continued:
the demons under their king, and the other continent under the dragons—
with no victor for a thousand years.
Arian whispered to himself, remembering this history with startling clarity:
"One war… changed the shape of the entire world."
"If this was the past… the future of this world will not be merciful at all."
As he contemplated the secrets that awaited him, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the carriage and the guard's voice:
"Sir, we have arrived at the slave market."
Arian lifted the curtain and saw the massive iron gate…
and rows of slaves of various races:
Vampires bound with silver chains, humiliated werewolves, dwarves, elves, and even demi-humans.
The scene was shocking…
filled with power, humiliation, and the new life he needed to understand.
"Would you like to step down, Sir Arian?"
asked the guard as he opened the carriage door.
Arian answered calmly:
"Yes… show me the largest slave merchant here."
Next scene – The Temple of Light
The bells of the Temple of Light rang softly, echoing inside the wide hall decorated with golden sun engravings on the walls. High Priestess Lira sat on her wooden seat, thinking about her daily duties and the upcoming preparations for her official engagement, unaware of the hero's recent condition or the strange events he went through.
The door opened quietly, and a young maid in the church's white attire entered.
With a bow, the maid said:
"Lady Lira… we received an urgent message from the island's governor."
Lira raised her head, curiosity forming on her face.
"The governor? And what is the reason for this invitation?"
The maid presented the message sealed with the blue sun emblem.
"He invites you for lunch at the manor today. He says there are important matters he wishes to discuss with you."
Lira closed her eyes briefly, thinking deeply, then opened the letter slowly. She knew nothing about Arian's recent fainting or strange condition—only the upcoming marriage date.
After a calm sigh, she said softly:
"Very well… I will accept the invitation. I'll go in the afternoon."
The maid bowed and left the hall, leaving Lira alone with her thoughts.
Lira thought to herself:
"Is the island's governor trying to strengthen the bond between Arian and me with this invitation?"
She had no idea that this invitation would gradually bring her closer to the hero—
and she certainly did not know that the person she would meet
was not the same person she had gotten engaged to