Chapter 2:

Chapter 2: First Morning

The Eclipse Sovereign

Darkness.

Silence.

Then—

Warmth.

A strange warmth wrapped around his body like a soft blanket. Not a painful warmth. Not the uncomfortable heat from sleeping under the blazing sun. No—this warmth felt gentle. Comfortable. Safe.

His eyelids twitched slightly. For several seconds, he didn't move at all. His brain still felt heavy, almost numb, but everything around him was strangely peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Slowly… his eyes began to open.

Bright white light instantly flooded his vision. He squinted painfully against the glare.

"Ugh… bright…"

His blurry vision slowly focused, and a white ceiling entered his sight. It was clean. Perfect. No cracks. No water stains. No random bugs crawling around.

He blinked once. Then twice.

The softness beneath him suddenly became noticeable. His body sank deeply into the mattress every time he moved even slightly. It didn't even feel like a normal bed anymore; it felt like someone had stuffed an entire cloud inside luxury blankets.

…What is this?

Slowly, he lifted one hand. His fingers brushed against the fabric covering him, then froze.

Silk. Actual silk.

His eyes widened slightly.

No way…

He rubbed the blanket again just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Still soft. Even softer somehow. He rubbed it a third time. At this point, he almost wanted to cry.

Man… this blanket got more money than me…

A faint scent drifted through the air. Flowers. Fresh air. Expensive perfume. There was no mold smell, no dirty alley smell, and no lingering odor of damp walls and instant noodles. Nothing familiar.

Silence filled the room. No traffic noises. No people screaming outside. No cold wind sneaking through broken window panes. Only peace.

And somehow—that scared him.

His heartbeat slowly sped up.

…Where am I?

His eyes carefully wandered around the room from his perspective. Massive windows stretched across the walls while golden sunlight poured inside dramatically. A giant crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, and the polished marble floors reflected the sunlight beautifully. Everything sparkled. Even the air looked expensive.

This room looks like taxes are required just to breathe here…

Slowly, he pushed himself upward. The blanket slid off his body. The pajamas he wore felt unbelievably smooth—black silk with silver embroidery. Elegant. Comfortable. Rich. They were the exact type of clothes people in billionaire Movie wore while saying things like, "Father, the company shares have fallen by 2%."

Meanwhile, he used to celebrate finding leftover fries in fast-food bags.

His breathing slowly became uneven.

Okay… something is VERY wrong.

He stared down at his own hands. Clean. No cuts. No dirt. No scars. No signs of lifelong exhaustion. His brain slowly stopped functioning.

…Hold on.

He flipped his hands around repeatedly, then touched his face. Smooth skin. No roughness. No bruises.

His eyes widened further.

WAIT WAIT WAIT—

He immediately jumped out of bed—then nearly slipped because the marble floor was polished like a mirror.

"WOAH—!"

He regained his balance at the last second. Barely.

Bro, this floor is richer than me too?!

He looked around the room again. It was huge. Massive. Unnecessarily massive. One corner alone looked bigger than his entire previous apartment. There was literally a full couch area inside the bedroom. Who needed a living room anymore?

What kind of final-boss rich people nonsense is this…?

Then, his eyes landed on a massive mirror near the wall. His heartbeat quietly grew louder.

Step. Step. Step.

Slowly, he walked toward it. The closer he got, the stranger he felt. Then finally, he stood directly in front of the glass and froze completely.

"…Huh?"

Silence.

The person staring back at him wasn't him. A remarkably handsome sixteen-year-old boy looked back through the mirror. Neat black hair, a sharp jawline, perfect pale skin, and dark, calm eyes. No scars. No exhaustion. No trace of the person he used to be. Just pure, high-tier main-character genetics.

He stared silently. Five seconds passed. Then ten.

He slowly leaned closer. The reflection copied him flawlessly.

"…WHAT?!"

He grabbed his cheeks. The reflection grabbed its cheeks too. He pulled harder. It still copied him.

Nahhhhh… no way.

He turned sideways. The reflection turned sideways. He lifted his shirt slightly—visible abs. Actual abs. Not imaginary abs. REAL abs.

He instantly dropped the shirt back down.

YO?! SINCE WHEN DID I UNLOCK PREMIUM HUMAN DLC?!

He stared at himself in horror, then touched his own hair. Soft. Then his face. Smooth. Then his jawline—sharp enough to cut paper.

WHO IS THIS HANDSOME MENACE?!

He looked around nervously, then back at the mirror, then around again, then back again.

WHERE AM I?! WHERE'S MY ORIGINAL FACE?! WHO STOLE MY UGLY?!

Knock… Knock…

"Master Reiji?"

He instantly snapped back to reality, his posture turning sharp. Absolute silence filled the room. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, a woman's voice calmly called through the wood.

"…Breakfast is getting cold, Young Master."

His brain froze again.

Young Master?!

He looked around the room in panic, as if another person might suddenly materialize.

"W-Wait… who's Reiji?!"

No response. Silence.

"…Hello?"

Still nothing. His confusion only deepened.

Did she just completely ignore that?

He quickly walked toward the door, his heartbeat growing louder with every step. Then slowly, he grabbed the handle and pulled it open.

The moment the door swung back, his eyes widened completely.

Golden morning light flooded an enormous hallway. The marble floors reflected the sunlight beautifully like liquid gold. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and elegant paintings stretched across the endless walls. Beautiful maids walked quietly through the estate while suited bodyguards stood silently like statues.

Everything looked unreal. Peaceful. Almost heavenly.

For a moment, he genuinely felt like he had opened the gates of heaven itself.

…What is this place…?

Even the air felt expensive. He slowly looked left, then right, and finally realized the woman who had spoken earlier was already gone.

"…Huh?"

He blinked. Nobody stood near the door anymore. Only silence remained in the endless hallway.

WAIT—

He leaned forward slightly and checked again. Nothing. She had disappeared completely.

BRO, DID SHE TELEPORT?!

He stared blankly into the massive hallway, then looked back at the luxurious room behind him, then outside again. His brain slowly gave up trying to comprehend anything anymore.

Nah… I'm definitely dreaming.

He carefully stepped outside the room. The moment his feet touched the hallway floor, he immediately felt small. Very small.

The hallway stretched endlessly like something from a royal palace, long enough that the far end literally blurred into the distance. The ceiling alone was ridiculously high, supported by towering marble pillars that made the place look more like an ancient temple than a house. Intricate gold leafing traced every single corner of the crown molding, gleaming brightly under the morning light.

Massive oil paintings covered almost every inch of the walls—portraits of stern-looking historical figures clad in military uniforms and royal gowns, all of them staring down with cold, judging eyes. Heavy velvet curtains framed towering arch windows, and cascading crystal chandeliers hung every few meters, casting tiny rainbow reflections across the polished floorboards. Strange, expensive flowers blossomed from giant porcelain vases placed precisely along the walls.

The sheer scale of the architecture was completely overwhelming.

Man… this place got more budget than entire countries…

A maid walking nearby noticed him and politely bowed her head.

"Good morning, Young Master."

He awkwardly nodded back. "Y-Yeah… morning…"

Internally, the maid froze. "WAIT... WHAT?" she thought, her mind instantly reeling as her internal dialogue erupted into pure shock. "Did Master Reiji just speak to me?!"

The boy who ended up in Reiji's body was completely lost on what he was supposed to do. When he saw her shocked face, a small wave of panic hit him, but he tried his best to act natural.

WAIT! WHY DOES SHE LOOK SO SHOCKED?! DID I SAY SOMETHING WRONG?!

Inside his head, absolute chaos was erupting.

Okay okay okay… stay calm. Just act natural. Rich people probably do rich-people things. Copy them somehow.

Then he realized something important. Very important. He had absolutely no idea where he was supposed to go.

…Wait.

He looked left, then right. The mansion had what looked like seventeen different hallways. Branching off from the main royal corridor were dozens of labyrinthine pathways, all looking completely identical with the same gleaming marble floors and imposing wooden doors.

Where the hell is the dining table?!

He stood there in his silk pajamas, totally lost in a fortress that could double as a national museum, completely forgetting about the maid standing right behind him. He couldn't just stand here looking like an idiot. Panic would invite suspicion from everyone in this house, but unbothered arrogance? That was the ultimate shield. In his past life, he knew that if you walked like you owned the place, nobody would ever question you.

He straightened his spine, lifted his chin sharply to channel some serious main-character energy, and started walking forward with total, unearned confidence.

The maid watched him walk down the hall, staring at his back with a mix of confusion and absolute shock.

While he was navigating the corridor, he kept repeating the mantra in his mind.

Stay calm and confident. Because confidence

solves everything.

Usually.

Five minutes later—he was completely lost. Hopelessly lost. Utterly defeated by architecture.

WHY DOES THIS HOUSE HAVE SIDE QUESTS?!

He turned left. Another hallway. Turned right. Another hallway. Walked downstairs. Another hallway somehow.

BRO, WHO DESIGNED THIS PLACE?! SATANIC IKEA?!

At one point, he walked past the exact same porcelain vase three separate times. The vase itself started feeling judgmental. One maid looked at him with the exact expression of someone watching a confused raccoon in public.

He immediately smoothed his posture, pretending he totally knew where he was going.

Maintain aura. MAINTAIN AURA.

After what felt like two business days of walking, he finally stumbled upon the dining hall.

Huge double doors. Golden decorations. A massive table stretched across the length of the room. Several elegant people were already seated there, calmly eating breakfast.

The atmosphere instantly became heavy.

One elegant woman looked toward him first, her expression softening as she smiled gently.

"Reiji? You're awake early today."

Everyone else slowly turned toward him too.

He froze. His soul nearly disconnected from his body.

Man… I am FINISHED.

His eyes slowly moved toward the single empty seat. Clearly his seat. Probably. Hopefully. Unless this was some rich-family trap.

Should I sit there?

Nobody spoke. The silence became terrifying.

One man calmly sipped his tea while staring at him like he was evaluating his ancestry. Another looked half-asleep. Someone else looked completely annoyed just to be alive.

Meanwhile, he was mentally fighting for survival.

Who ARE these people?! Parents? Cousins? Villains?!

Sweat formed at the back of his neck.

What if I sit in the wrong chair and accidentally start a family war?!

He stood near the entrance awkwardly, looking like an NPC waiting for dialogue options to appear.

The elegant woman blinked softly, tilting her head. "Reiji? Is something wrong?"

YES. EVERYTHING IS WRONG.

He forced an awkward smile onto his face—a smile so strained it looked medically concerning.

This luxurious life is amazing…

He looked around the gigantic dining hall again. The expensive food. The rich people. The terrifying silence. The absolute pressure.

…But I DEFINITELY do not belong here.

And standing there in his silk pajamas while internally collapsing, only one final thought echoed through his mind.