Reincarnation.
A concept only read in books an imagination coined by those with a fear of death. An impossibility that had never crossed his mind in the years he had lived.
He was a bit of a realist when it came to this. He didn't believe in reincarnation though it was a common trope he had heard of in passing.
He would most definitely have preferred for reality to stay as reality while fiction stayed as fiction.
There was no need for the two to overlap, but it seems his pessimistic view of reincarnation had just been proven wrong.
Death.
It came as something unexpected. Most make it out as eternal slumber, a peaceful silence but no one talks about the end, the time when you feel your life drain away.
A car screeching, noise fading away and senses leaving your body right before the car hits you then darkness.
He didn't even know his own killer, how ironic.
....
His memories about his reincarnation came to him in a few fragmented pieces two days ago unexpectedly after completing a task.
Atheline, his current name since he couldn't remember his last, couldn't understand how everything had come to be.
While he was thankful but also shocked to know he wasn't from this world it had come too late and with full side effects.
Atheline couldn't clearly remember his former name, people, or locations from the world he had been in.
Just vague buildings, a more developed civilisation, no magic of any sorts and thankfully some of his knowledge from that world. That was more than enough for him.
Atheline didn't have the time or need to reminisce about his previous life.
This new revelation had also brought a shocking surprise to Atheline. The world he was currently living in was a novel, that much he could remember.
Someone had insisted on telling him about the book, though not in full detail it was enough for it to bring him to the sudden revelation.
'Thorns of a withered flower'
A book Atheline had barely listened to while the person telling him narrated, but he could still remember the details he heard.
It was a romance novel set in a typical fantasy world called Annex, where magic and fantastical creatures existed.
It was a novel that focused on species intermarriage and the power of love.
The hero, Caius Therlner, was a low-ranking elf barely visible in the elf hierarchy.
Just like a normal protagonists he was blessed with one of the best magic aptitudes and elements. To honor him the king gave him a high Knight rank which was an honor since this was a rank reserved for high nobles.
Obviously, to make matters interesting, there was the introduction of the villainess.
The dark elf queen, Lilith Vaelithra, was a cruel and sadistic ruler who had the world in her hands. She entered into an alliance marriage with the elf kingdom for god knows what.
Her husband was one of the high elves' nobles, a foolish and talentless man. It was clear from the start that the elf kingdom didn't really put much effort into thought.
Just to show how villainous she was, her husband fell in love with the heroine, Yander Blackburn, the dark elf kingdom rising saintess.
Just like anyone could imagine her husband tried to cheat on her, the consequences had been catastrophic.
He had mysteriously died and the villainess had really turned from the worst to the worst rulers in the world.
He couldn't remember exactly what triggered her but Meh who cares?
This was where the power of love came in, the hero and the heroine had somehow magically fallen in love.
Then they saved the world from the villainess and lived happily ever after.
The end.
Atheline hadn't bothered to ask for deeper details or listen to the story. He regretted it now.
Wondering who he reincarnates as in this wide cast of characters?
The main character, no that would be a pain in the ass.
The villainess or the heroine, no thankfully he managed to keep his gender intact.
The villain, thankfully no that would be such an inconvenience.
He was nothing but one of the highborn elves, just like the villainess' husband. A near irrelevant existence in the book in his opinion.
If it was like that, it would have been the best position to be reborn in but there was one little problem.
While he was a highborn, his family was only second to the crown, advisors to the king and queen.
As for him, he also fell in that category, he was the prince's personal advisor, and that meant he was among the no names who pushed the plot forward.
He would have preferred not be part of the plot at all but it seems he had already played his part before his memories awakened.
Atheline was confident it wouldn't come to bite him back but who knows, butterfly effect was a real thing apparently in reincarnation.
He couldn't do anything but sigh in frustration and defeat.
'Fuck my life'
.....
In a large room, sunlight spilled casting a golden hue that reflected against the large bed covered with white and golden silk that seemed to be spilling over.
The room was sparsely decorated with only a few paintings that could feed a commoner for life if sold and a golden vase filled with different flowers organised in patterns that showed the florist's care.
Atheline sat in front of his dressing table as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He couldn't help but admire himself.
Without his memories he felt his otherworldly face was normal but with the memories he knew he had really been blessed by the goddess of beauty.
He had white hair that flowed like a calm waterfall down his back, purple jeweled eyes that reflected indifference and seduction at the same time, thin lips that seemed to be smiling, and to top it off a face that always turned heads.
He was after all one of the most good-looking elves in the kingdom. That was confirmed.