"...What the fuck."

I stared at her. She couldn’t have been older than twelve, maybe thirteen. Small, unassuming and, not to put too fine a point on it, very much childlike. Yet she stood there like she owned the room.

"Who the hell are you, little girl?"

She didn’t answer immediately. Just watched me with that same unsettling calm.

"I’m an animator so I know what this screen is," I said, gesturing at the glowing blue panel still floating beside me. "A system. Fine. I can accept that. But you"

Then it clicked.

"Wait."

I took a step closer, narrowing my eyes.

"You were there. When the barrier appeared you were the one laughing."

I paused, studying her face.

"But you didn’t look like this back then."

Her expression didn’t change. If anything, the corner of her mouth twitched upward.

And her eyes dark, bottomless, like staring into the abyss — gave nothing away.

"And what exactly do you mean by toy of entertainment? For who? For what? And why me? And why this body? And—"

"Stop. Stop. Stop. You foolish mortal."

Her voice cut through mine like a blade. Small, sharp, and completely unbothered.

"One question at a time."

"...huh"

I looked down at myself. I sighed.

"Okay. Who are you?"

She stood still for a moment, as if deciding how much to bother explaining.

"I am Luna, someone assigned by a higher being to make sure you don’t completely destroy yourself in the tutorial."

Higher being. Again. Who the hell are they?

Are they responsible for all of this?

"Alright. Next question, why am I here, and who exactly are these higher beings?"

She sighed. Clearly she had expected this.

"You are here because you are a toy. Think of yourself as Entertainment. The higher beings watch the story, the choices you make, the changes you bring. Survive this new world and entertain them."

"So my life is a game." I crossed my arms. "Can you send me back?"

She didn’t respond.

"So even you have limitations."

I let out a slow breath and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

"I have someone back there. What happens if I refuse? If I don’t play along?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt it.

Pain. From down there.

The blue screen flickered.

[Penalty: Acute Testicular Torsion] [Duration: 3:00]

There was an atomic bomb detonating between my legs.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING—"

[Duration remaining: 2:57]

"...Three seconds. Only three seconds passed."

The girl stood at the edge of my vision, watching. Not concerned. Not apologetic.

Entertained.

[Duration remaining: 1:04]

I forced my eyes open, blinking away tears I refused to acknowledge. The room swam back into hazy focus.

"What did I do to deserve this," I whispered.

[Duration remaining: 00:30]

The last thirty seconds were the longest of my life.

When the timer finally hit zero, I collapsed.

Not dramatically.

I just crumpled onto the floor like a sack of flour and lay there, staring at the ceiling, breathing.

[Penalty complete.]

"I trust the lesson was... instructive."

I felt anger rising in my chest. I held it back.

Because I couldn’t do a single thing to her. And we both knew it.

She straightened slightly, as if the last three minutes had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience to witness.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself, Ren."

"I am Luna. Administrator of your personal System."

Those dark eyes met mine with something that might have been amusement.

"Or should I call you Kael Ardyn now?"

Focusing every last bit of strength into my legs, I forced myself upright.

"Put me back in my body. Right now."

Luna’s smirk didn’t waver.

"Unfortunately, that’s impossible."

The words hit like a truck.

"No," I whispered, pressing my hands against my face. "No. This isn’t happening."

"Oh, but it is. Mr. Ren. Or rather... Kael."

"Why?" My voice cracked. "Why would you do this to me?"

"Because you’re entertaining." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

She said it so simply. So casually.

"Your rage when reading about fictional worlds. Your contempt for protagonists who had everything handed to them. And now, you get to live the very reality you despised. The twist? You’re not the hero. You’re the pathetic side character who exists to make the main character look better by comparison."

The silence stretched.

"I’ll kill myself."

The blue screen flickered instantly.

[Penalty: Acute Testicular Torsion Triggered by self-harm threat.] [Duration: 1:00]

"Wait — AHHHHH"

"Self-harm threatens the gods’ entertainment, Kael. You cannot violate the contract."

"What contract?" I ground out between clenched teeth. "I never signed anything. I’d never make a deal with something like you."

"And yet you did. Your soul was judged and bound. You’re here to learn, to grow..." Her head tilted slightly. "And to amuse them in the process."

[Penalty complete.]

I collapsed against the wall, breathing hard.

"Okay," I panted. "Okay. I’m listening. Just explain. Everything."

Luna clasped her hands behind her back, suddenly looking very much like a professor about to begin a lecture.

"Welcome to Sylvania, a world where sword and magic exist in equal measure. Your objective is to gain entry into Astral Academy, the empire’s premier institution for those who will one day stand against the demons and mutated beasts threatening humanity’s survival."

"But why this body," I muttered. "It’s trash."

"Perceptive!" She almost sounded delighted. "You are what is known as the Trash of the Family... someone incapable of achieving anything without assistance. Your reputation is as low as it could possibly be." She tilted her head. "In fact, allow me to show you your current status."

The blue screen materialized in full.

Name: Kael Ardyn

Title: Trash of Family, Fat Pig

Level: 1

Class: [NONE]

Strength: F

Dexterity: F

Agility: F

Endurance: F

Magic: F

Active Abilities: None

Passive Abilities: None

Traits: None

Title Effect: [Fat Pig: Stamina drains at an accelerated rate.]

I stared at it for a long moment.

Every stat. F.

Every single one.

"Four months," Luna said. "That is how long you have before the Astral Academy entrance examination. At your current level..." her eyes swept over me with something between pity and amusement, "you would be laughed out before you reached the front gate."

I listened quietly, then asked the only question that mattered.

"So do I have to follow the same plot or not?"

She looked at me with something close to disappointment.

"That depends entirely on you. The system bound to your soul is called The Heart System."

She let that sit for a moment before continuing.

"It rewards entertainment. When the higher beings are amused by your choices, your struggles, your growth, you receive Power Stones. Those stones can be used to level up, unlock abilities, and much more."

Another screen materialized beside the first.

[Power Stones (PS): 0]

"You’ll need them. Because while you may be starting as a stepping stone, you possess something the original Kael never did." Her dark eyes met mine. "Your mind. Your experience. With those, you might be able to survive this world."

She paused.

"You might even get a chance to go back."

I looked at her.

"Were did the other people transmigrate? Are they here too?"

"I can’t say much. Think whatever you like."

I rubbed my face, feeling the unfamiliar softness of my cheeks.

"Fine," I said at last. "I’ll play your game."

I looked at her directly.

"So how do I earn Power Stones?"

"Defy expectations. Make choices the original Kael never would. Grow when you are not meant to. Change outcomes that were already written." A slight smile. "Entertain us and you will be rewarded."

The screen flickered.

[FIRST TASK]

Prevent Aria Ardyn from becoming your enemy. Aria Ardyn adopted sister. S-Rank potential. In the original timeline, she despises you. She destroys you.

Change that ending.

Time Remaining: Four Months

Failure Penalty: You do not want to know.

I stared at the screen for a long moment.

Aria Ardyn.

The future Ice Empress.

The girl that Kael had tried to kill and I was supposed to stop her from hating me.

"...You’re serious."

Luna’s smile didn’t move.

"Completely."

"What about the time I spent here?"

Luna looked at me for a moment.

"If you managed to go back," she said, "you would find yourself in your room. Reading the novel. As if none of this happened."

"...Fine," I said quietly.

I looked back up at Luna.

"Then I have no reason to waste time."