Chapter 1: Prologue

Drip… drip… drip…

The sky wept.

Rain poured down like the heavens themselves wanted to bury the moment under thunder and storm.

The grand hall of House Aurélion was lit by crackling firelight and stained-glass windows, casting fractured colors on cold marble.

At the center, Gray Vireux D’Aurélion stood, drenched, bruised, and with his mouth completely shut.

Before him sat the nobles of the Aurélion line, draped in silk and smugness.

Maelis and Alina, his flawless step-sisters, lounged in their seats with sneering amusement. Behind them, at the highest seat, stood Duke Caelis D’Aurélion, his so-called father.

The man didn’t look at Gray with disappointment.

Instead, his eyes were completely filled with utter disgust.

“You were convenient once,” the Duke said flatly, his arms crossed over his chest.

“But now… we have no use for a traitor like you.”

Gray tilted his head, his lips curling up slightly.

“Traitor?” he muttered, letting out a low scoff. “That’s a cute word coming from a man who betrays his own son the moment it’s convenient.”

“You were nevermy son,” the Duke snarled.

“You were a tool. And now you’re just a broken toy, no longer needed.

“Then toss me out,” Gray said, arms spread wide

“Go on. Do it. I’m waiting.”

CLACK!

Maelis slammed her wine glass onto the marble table.

“You dare talk like that in front of Father?”

“Oh no,” Gray said, pressing a hand to his chest, voice dripping with mock concern.

“Did I hurt your precious little feelings, Maelis? Forgive me. It’s just hard to take someone seriously when the only thing she’s ever led is a parade of failed suitors.”

“You bastard! You’re a disgrace! A stain on this house—” Her face twisted.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

He laughed.

Actually laughed.

“Oh, now I’m a stain? How funny. I remember you clinging to me when we were kids, sobbing when the nobles mocked your sword technique. You begged me to protect you, remember? And I did. Like a fool.”

Maelis shot to her feet.

“You’ll regret ever being born!”

Gray’s smile faded.

“Already do.”

“You still think you can speak so casually after what you’ve done?” Alina’s eyes narrowed as she finally spoke, standing right beside her sister.

“What I’ve done?” Gray laughed under his breath.

“You mean the lie you whispered until everyone believed it? I didn’t touch the vault. I didn’t open the letter. But it doesn’t matter, does it?”

He took a step forward.

“You never wanted me here to begin with.”

Irritated, Alina rose from her seat, arms folded, her lips curling up into a fake and venomous smile.

“You’re lucky we let you wear our name this long. You were always just a leech hanging onto our father’s generosity.”

Gray smirked.

“Oh? That’s bold coming from someone who’s never won a duel without bribing her opponent.”

“You arrogant piece of shi—”

BAAM!

“THAT’S ENOUGH!”

The Duke Caelis finally interrupted them, before turning to Gray.

“This is your final moment as a D’Aurélion. Once you step out of this hall, your surname will be erased. You’ll be nothing.”

“Correction,” Gray said, stepping forward with a grin.

“I already am nothing. You made sure of that.”

The guards came forward, but Gray didn’t move.

He turned to look at all of them.

“I gave you everything. My time. My strength. My loyalty. I even made sure to act like a trash, a playboy, so we wouldn’t get targeted by the other families. And what did you give me back?”

His black eyes narrowed darkly.

“Nothing.”

The Duke waved a hand.

“Enough. Get him out of my sight.”

Maelis hissed behind her teeth, but Gray raised a hand before she could speak again.

“Oh, and one more thing,” he said, turning back with a wicked smirk. “If you’re going to curse me, Maelis, at least wait until your voice stops shaking. You look pathetic.”

“HAAAAGH! YOUR FUCKING ARROGANT PIECE OF SHIT, JUST DIE ALREADY!!!”

She screamed.

But he was already walking away.

“Remember this moment,” he said as the doors creaked open.

He turned his head, his eyes hollow.

“As you’ll surely regret it.”

And with that—

CLANG!

The doors slammed shut behind him.

“Pffft…!”

Maelis burst into laughter first.

“Hah! He’s finally gone,” she said, swirling her wine.

“Took long enough.”

Alina gave a small, satisfied sigh. “We should celebrate. Honestly. I was getting tired of pretending.”

Duke Caelis remained silent for a moment, then nodded once.

“Prepare the dining hall. Tonight, we toast to a house purified.”

The fire crackled behind them as servants rushed to obey. No one looked at the doors Gray had exited through.

That was because…

No one cared about him.

.

.

.

.

.

The rain had softened into a cold mist, but Gray was already soaked through.

His boots sank into wet soil with every step, the mud clinging like the weight of every word they’d spat at him.

His coat hung heavy on his back, blood mixing with rain from an earlier blow Maelis had given him days before. He didn’t even bother tending to it.

Drip… drip…

Water trailed down his brow, his dark hair stuck to his skin.

No one followed.

No one called his name.

Good.

His eyes stared ahead, glassy, unfocused. The woods beyond the estate loomed like a graveyard, twisted trees, jagged roots, no path, no destination.

Just forward.

“I already am nothing.”

He thought the words again, but they felt emptier now.

Now they were just… truth.

He kept walking.

The wind howled through the branches like ghosts whispering, but he didn’t flinch.

A flash lit the sky behind him.

Gray stopped.

His eyes lifted lazily to the clouds.

Another flash, but it was much closer.

CRACK—!!

BOOOOOM!!!

Pain tore through his skull like a blade of fire. His vision snapped white. His breath caught. Every nerve screamed.

The world spun, and his knees gave out.

THUD.

He collapsed, smoke rising faintly from his body, steam curling off his clothes as rain hit burnt flesh.

Fingers twitched, his eyes wide open, staring at nothing.

He had been struck by lightning.

Dead center, straight through the skull.

And yet—

“Ghhk—!”

A gasp tore out of him, his body jerked, his chest rising with a sputtering breath as steam hissed off his soaked clothes.

He lay there for a second, unmoving, until—

CRACK.

His fingers clenched into the dirt.

He pushed himself up, dragging his body from the mud like something clawing out of a grave.

“…Fucking hell…” he muttered, his voice hoarse and raw, like his throat had been scorched.

“Why the hell does my body hurt like it’s been chewed by twenty-seven dogs..?” He winced as he slowly arched his back, joints popping with stiffness.

His arms shook as he tried to stretch, every muscle screaming in protest.

“And where the fuck am I…?”

He took a look around.

But, just as he was about to take a step forward…

“AGHHHHHH—!!”

He clutched his head.

A jagged bolt of pain slammed into his skull, spreading like needles stabbing into every nerve in his brain.

He dropped to one knee, eyes wide in agony, his teeth clenched as the pressure built behind his eyes.

“Agh! F-fuck, what t-the hell—!? What are these memories?!”

A wave of memories from the original Gray flooded his mind, causing even more confusion to overwhelm him.

“Gray…? Is that my name…?”

The pain began to fade, but the memories didn’t.

They remained.

He blinked, trying to remember who he was before this, but it was like a fog covered it all. His name… his real one… was gone.

“No… no… I’m… I’m—”

His breath caught.

Nothing came.

Just Gray.

That name was now buried under everything else.

“Goddamn it…” he hissed through clenched teeth, staggering to his feet.

He stumbled over to a nearby tree and slumped under it, trying to shield himself from the rain. Steam still curled off his skin where the lightning had literally kissed him.

“A fantasy world… huh?” he muttered bitterly.

“The hell kind of cursed Isekai bullshit is this?”

He took a deep breath.

“A duke’s son… who did everything for his family just to be thrown away…” He muttered slightly, clearly feeling the packed emotions Gray had felt.

He closed his eyes for a moment… and then laughed.

In a bitterly cold way.

“…Fuck it.”

His eyes snapped open, sharper than before. He stood, his fists tightening at his sides until his knuckles cracked white.

“I’m Gray now. Whether I want it or not.”

“And I swear…” His voice lowered, trembling with restrained fury.

“I’ll make sure that those little fucks will suffer under my own hands,” He dragged his fingers across his own face, digging his nails onto his own skin.

Then he paused.

“…But first things first.”

He crouched, picking up a stick and clearing a patch of mud beneath the tree. He began sketching crude shapes: a small house, a road, a mountain range.

“First things first, I need strength… and for that, the best place to get strength is at the infamous academy in the capital…”

At the center, he drew a circle.

The Glory Academy.

“The capital’s pride. The core of strength and power in this empire. The place where monsters are made…”

His eyes darkened.

“But for that… I still need strength to be able to attend the examination and successfully enter the academy as a student… not to mention, that those two bitches will be there.”

He clicked his tongue and scratched his head in frustration.

But suddenly, he remembered something he had once overheard while he was walking around the D’Aurelion Manor.

“Did you hear the news? They found an inheritance dungeon near Vireux Canyon.”

His eyes instantly brightened.

An inheritance dungeon was something left by the gods of the world to help mortals fight the dangers ahead.

They created that to leave their mark on the mortal world, and it was also something created for their own amusement.

“…A perfect shortcut.”

He stood, flinging the stick aside.

“Wait, wasn’t that dungeon supposed to be Alina’s birthday gift?” His lips curled up into a devilish and wicked grin.

“How thoughtful of her.”

He turned toward the east.

“I’ll make sure to thank her properly.”

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