Chapter 6: Transmigration (3)
Through the window, he beheld a sight that defied all reason.
It wasn't a garden, it was a paradise.
Endless and serene, cloaked in an ethereal mist that drifted above a vast water pond. The surface shimmered like glass, mirroring graceful willows, blooming white flowers, and winding stone paths that flowed through the land like verses of a forgotten poem.
No noble estate could possess such grandeur.
This wasn't just a view.
It was the world he had awakened into.
As he was captivated by the beauty he heard loud noise.
As he look toward the area where the sound was coming from it was a crowd of people. Maybe around a thousand people have come.
All with happy expressions and some cheering the name " Our hero Aether Von Noctvain" "Our saviour Aether von Noctvain"
Wile saying this everyone kneel infront of the main house. The garden was filled with people gathering
As he stood there, captivated by the breathtaking beauty beyond the glass, a sudden uproar shattered the silence.
He turned toward the source of the noise. an enormous crowd had gathered at the edge of the garden. Hundreds no, perhaps a thousand people had come, their faces lit with joy and excitement. Cheers rang through the air like thunder.
"Our hero, Aether Von Noctvain!"
"Our saviour, Aether Von Noctvain!"
The voices blended into a chorus of reverence. And then, as if by silent command, they all knelt in unison before the main house. The once-tranquil garden now overflowed with life and devotion.
All of it… for him.
Naoki stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat.
Shock rippled through him as the crowd continued to chant, their eyes filled with admiration for him.
He hadn't done anything. He had only just arrived in this world, barely even grasped where he was. And yet, here they were… praising a name that now belonged to him.
Aether Von Noctvain
Who was he?
What had he done to earn this kind of devotion?
Naoki's mind raced. He didn't know the past of the body he now inhabited.
And yet, thousands knelt before him as if he were their salvation.
He could only stand there, speechless, drowning in a storm of unfamiliar glory.
* * *
It had been three days since Naoki arrived in this world, Eloria.
He now inhabited the body of Aether Von Noctvain, the eldest son of the prestigious Noctvain household. one of the seven great families of the Empire.
Aether has one elder sister and three younger brothers, triplets, all equally mischievous and loud. And then there was the youngest, a six-year-old girl named Lyra Von Noctvain.
The young girl who looked just like Milly.
One day, their father had vanished without warning. Leaving behind only questions and silence. With their sudden disappearance, Aether was forced to shoulder the family's burden. His sister had offered to take his place, but the family elders refused, insisting that a girl destined to marry into another house could not be the head of House Noctvain.
So she left.
She went to the Imperial Academy, the finest in the empire, and rose to student council president. Merit after merit, she earned everything. Not for herself but so her little brother Aether, wouldn't have to carry the weight alone.
And now, Naoki, wearing Aether's face, carrying his name, was left to play the role of heir.
A role that did not belong to him.
A legacy built by someone else.
A future that felt too heavy for shoulders not his own.
....
"So from today, I need to live as Aether and find the treasure left by my brother."
Sitting on the floor surrounded by books, Naoki's determination grew. He was resolved to uncover the treasures his older brother, Haruto, had left behind.
"How am I supposed to find the treasure? What path do I take? All I have is this strange egg," Naoki muttered, his eyes fixed on the object resting on the ground.
The egg had emerged from the circular mark on his left wrist, a mark he had named Heavenly Authority.
That mark had been given to him by his older brother, Haruto, during their final moments together in that strange, space-like realm between life and death. Somehow, even after waking up in Aether's body, the mark had remained, as if it had become a permanent part of his very soul.
"How do I even use this Heavenly Authority Brother gave me? This is so frustrating."
The more he tried to make sense of everything, the more tangled his thoughts became.
Over the past few days, Naoki had buried himself in countless books about mana, some were basic, while others were far more advanced. Among them were ancient texts passed down only to the true successor of the Noctvain bloodline. These secret writings held knowledge of rare techniques and deeper insights into mana control.
"Fortunately, this body has mana. I just need to accumulate it and make it mine."
Naoki, now inhabiting Aether's body, closed the books scattered across the floor and sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
Mana, a mystical energy that existed in all living things and flowed through the very fabric of the world. It was raw, formless, and invisible to the untrained eye, yet those who could sense it knew its presence intimately. With enough control, it could be shaped into magic, used to enhance physical power, or even forge new realities.
But mana wasn't just something one used.
It was something one had to understand.
And to command it fully... one had to make it a part of their very being.
He began practicing Noctvain Mana Breathing, a technique designed to gather mana into the abdomen.
[ Noctvain mana breathing]
As he focused, an unusual sensation spread through his body.
"It feels like ants are crawling through my veins..."
Then, suddenly, the mark on Naoki's left wrist, the gift from Haruto, began to glow softly.
In the next instant, pitch black energy burst from the Heavenly Authority, swirling like smoke around his arm before rushing inward. The dark force spiraled down to his abdomen, gathering with terrifying precision.
Naoki's body convulsed. Sweat drenched him. His veins bulged. His spine arched with a violent jolt as something inside him twisted. Every muscle screamed as if it were being shredded and reformed, again and again.
And the fire came.
Black flames erupted across his body. Silent. Cold. Unnatural.
They wrapped around him like chains, binding his limbs in agony. His breathing turned ragged. His vision blurred. He could no longer tell if his heart was beating or breaking.
In the center of his abdomen, a dark spiral had form. A slow-spinning void. A black hole that consumed not just mana, but identity. Memory. Reason.
Shhhkkk…
It spun silently, pulling in mana from every corner of his being, even the remnants left behind by Aether, the body's original owner.
Aether's aura had once glowed a bright, vibrant green. Now that green energy was drawn into the black core, mixing with the darkness. The black sphere pulsed at the center, surrounded by a swirling aura of black and green.
.
.
.
.
.
To be continued.....