02 - Nicolas Aurelius
Aran, now reborn as Nicolas Aurelius, jerked up from his bed.
His chest heaved and his breathing was hasty like someone running for his life to escape a wild beast.
He grabbed his chest as if trying to calm his heart when he caught a glimpse of the figure in front of him.
This person was his reflection.
Nic was shocked to the bone marrow.
"What the hell…" he said slowly.
He looked different.
Red hair.
A pair of golden eyes.
More handsome than he remembered himself to be.
Who was this person? Definitely not him.
As much as he tried to deny it, it was clear that he felt like this person.
The instant he thought of moving his arm, his arm moved.
If he thought of blinking his eyes or shifting a bit on the bed, it happened simultaneously with his thoughts.
He was clearly this person, and this person was him.
They were one.
'I thought…' he muttered, feeling the skin of his face with his fingertips.
It was then that the memories of his final moments came crashing into his mind.
He remembered his last mission as Aran Emrys.
He remembered his squad members.
He recalled how his Vice Captain had spearheaded his betrayal on behalf of the clan.
He remembered all of it and in that moment, his chest burned with indescribable rage towards the Emrys Clan.
"Those bastards…" Nic uttered with profound bitterness while clutching his chest.
He had served them with everything and they failed to recognize him or even acknowledge any of his deeds.
Despite all he did for the clan, they still saw him as no better than trash. Someone who was their own blood.
Along with his final memories came a surge of new memories.
Faces flashed across his mind.
Several events played like movies inside his head.
It was just so much information that Nic was forced to carry his head in his hands to avoid passing out.
"What's going on?!" he groaned in pain.
Despite how immensely painful this surge of information was, Nic was lucky that it lasted no more than a minute.
He was panting, still holding his head as he tried to gather and process all this information into one coherent whole.
It was then that the door to the room was flung open.
"Nicolas Aurelius! Can you not see that it is a new day already?!"
This person barked at the top of their lungs, almost threatening Nic where he sat.
Hearing this, Nic stole a glance at the world beyond his large window and indeed, it was day but whether it was a new day or not, he did not exactly know that right now.
What he did know, however, was that this large man in front of him was not happy for some reason.
While the man bawled curses and orders at him, Nic searched his mind for an appropriate answer to who this man was and what could be the nature of their relationship that would warrant such a foul mood.
"Nicolas!"
Seeing that the young man seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and was not responding to a single thing he had said so far, the man stormed towards him.
It was like a large truck coming to hit a small boy.
This man was huge and rock solid, all thanks to the mass of muscles that shaped his body.
Stretching out his hand to grab the young man, Nic's instinct kicked in at that instant.
He dodged the grab and in response, he held the man's hand and curled his body on it, aiming to pull the man down to the bed.
His skill was certainly impressive and his movement fluid but in terms of raw power, the man surpassed him and Nic only managed to pull him two steps.
The man was impressed with the skill and ability that Nic just exhibited but the difference in strength was what kept him standing. He clenched his free hand into a fist and took a swing at Nic, who had vanished at that time.
He let go of the man's arm and jumped back, creating a distance between them.
Seeing this, the man laughed and patted his belly.
It would have been a shame if a student had managed to drop his master in a single move.
"Good! Good!" the man exclaimed excitedly. "Very good, Nicolas!"
Nic remained unfazed by the man's praise.
That skill was nothing to him compared to how he used to move in his past life. If anything, his current body limited him for now.
He had searched his mind and realized that fortunes had smiled on him.
Nicolas Aurelius' body did not belong to just any random member of the Aurelius Clan.
The original Nicolas Aurelius was a talented youngster of the Aurelius Clan, and son to the current head of the Aurelius sword clan — the Sword King, Bismarck Aurelius.
Anything short of great potential would have had him deleted from this world a long time ago.
'This clans and their insatiable thirst for continued power…' Nic thought in spite.
"Ahem…" the large man cleared his throat, reclaiming the boy's attention.
Nic looked at him, expectant of what he had to say.
"Best be at the training ground in an hour."
That was all.
Without any arguments or act of defiance, Nic gave him a nod of acknowledgment and the man walked away peacefully, making no attempts to cause any trouble.
Nic heaved a sigh and returned to his bed, sitting and thinking about everything that has happened until now.
"I've been reborn as the son of the Patriarch of Aurelius Clan," Nic thought. "If Bismarck became the patriarch then it means the old Devil of the Sword has probably passed."
The more he thought about it, the more he was surprised.
In the end, Nic came to one conclusion. One that was frighteningly so.
"Looks like I was reincarnated into the future."
He stepped out of the bed and walked towards the large vertical mirror in front of him, staring at his reflection.
"But then… how far into it was I reborn…?"
There was no answer to his question.
Even he did not have it right now but it was one of those things that time would tell.
Nic exhaled and turned to leave the room when something caught the corner of his eyes.
The air seemed to shift in a weird way, as though it was glitched and a buzzing sound suddenly rang in his ears.
[Hello, Host]