Shion (1)
“To cut to the chase, you're dead.”
I never imagined those words would come out of my own mouth, but apparently, I was dead.
When I came to, I found myself in some strange black void, and standing before me was a woman who called herself an “angel.”
She told me I was dead.
I have no idea why I'd been living fine one moment and suddenly died the next. My last memory was checking the empty fridge.
“Looks like you don't remember. In that case, let me show you the final moments of the prospective possessor's life before they passed.”
The woman smiled benevolently, as if she could read my thoughts.
“Please watch this screen.”
At her gesture, a massive wall-mounted monitor materialized in the air. Static flickered across it, then a video began to play.
I wondered what she was showing me.
It resembled black box footage, and there I was, crossing the street.
From the opposite side came the screech of tires as the driver yanked the wheel—screeech!—followed by...
...BOOM!
The traffic accident that came next. I died on the spot in the footage.
My face involuntarily twisted at the gruesome scene—it didn't look staged at all.
“As you can see, the cause of death for the prospective possessor was a 'traffic accident.' The reason you have no memory is probably because your head was crushed when the car hit you, wiping it all out.”
...I get that I'm dead, but did she have to describe it in such vivid detail?
As that thought crossed my mind, the airborne display vanished.
The woman gazed at me with somber eyes.
“Truth be told, you weren't fated to die then.”
Her sudden words halted my thoughts.
A dumbstruck voice escaped my lips.
“...Pardon?”
“Your death was entirely my mistake. That's why I summoned you here.”
Not being fated to die was shocking enough, but the follow-up hit harder.
One little slip-up from an angel, and a human life just vanishes into nothing? Was that okay?
“Now, I have two options for you. First off, I'm sorry, but I can't send you to heaven.”
She raised her index finger.
“Option one: Send you straight to hell as is. Anyone who hasn't lived out their full lifespan can't undergo judgment for heaven. It's the simplest choice for me.”
In other words, evidence disposal.
“I think I lived a pretty decent life. Hell seems a bit much, don't you think...?”
“Yes. That's why I'm giving you a choice.”
Her middle finger extended next, forming a V for two.
“Option two: Send you to another world to live out your original lifespan. Once you've done that there, you can face judgment. You'll probably have to live... at least another sixty years or so.”
...Another world. Live out my lifespan there, then judgment.
Even if she sprang that on me out of nowhere, I couldn't just accept it right away.
My head spun from the absurd events piling up.
“If I understand right, you're asking me to choose between tumbling into another world or straight to hell.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Feels like the answer's already decided.”
“Yes, it is.”
She flashed a knowing smile. Clearly, this had been her plan from the start.
Makes sense why she called me a “prospective possessor.”
“If you choose to live longer, you'll go to one of the worlds under my management. You'll live there as a specific character. I'll pick the one you're most suited for and can adapt to quickly, so don't worry.”
My mind was a mess, but one thing was clear: Another world beat hell.
No one would turn down a chance to keep living and pick hell instead.
“Take some time to think.”
A brief silence fell, then the surroundings darkened further, like stage lights fading to black.
In that darkness, my life flashed before me like a movie.
If my life had a genre, it'd be a tragedy.
My Earth life—what I'd now call my past life (?)—wasn't even decent on paper.
I watched myself flicker by.
At five years old, I went to an orphanage.
Frail from childhood, I lived on meds and caught endless glares for it.
As an adult, I still battled every illness under the sun, slaving away at overwork.
Late nights, weekend shifts—I thought I'd die of exhaustion, but nope, traffic accident.
A life full of raw deals ended pointlessly.
Compared to that twisted mess, starting fresh in another world seemed better.
And no matter how hellish reality felt, it couldn't compare to actual hell.
“You've made your decision by now.”
The woman tilted her head, still smiling.
“Will you go to the other world and live out the rest of your lifespan?”
I nodded.
“I'll go.”
“Good choice.”
At my answer, light flashed from the heavens.
A white cityscape shimmered over the night sky like a mirage.
The woman said nothing, but I knew that was heaven.
As she stepped toward it, I cautiously asked what had been nagging me.
“One thing I'm curious about. What do I need to do from now on to get into heaven?”
“Pile up deeds worthy of heaven, of course. But first, live out your remaining lifespan.”
She glanced back indifferently.
“Deeds like what?”
“Things like good works or saving the world.”
“Uh, that scale feels a bit too big...”
“I just answered your question.”
She turned away as if done talking and began chanting an unintelligible incantation.
But her annoyance was her problem; I had mine.
I couldn't drop into an unknown world empty-handed.
Conveniently, I had leverage.
“You said my death was your mistake earlier.”
She glanced sharply mid-chant. Her glare sent chills down my spine.
But she was the one at fault, not me.
I had a right to compensation.
“You're not sending me to another world with nothing, right?”
Another world meant cheats or perks—that was standard isekai fare.
“What...?”
She looked incredulous, her face screaming Who does this guy think he is?
“Fine, yes. I have to, don't I?”
Luckily, she got the point.
“I'll give you something familiar and fitting, so relax. Now hush—I need to focus.”
Honestly, I wanted to push for guarantees, but as the saying goes, enough is enough.
Greed could backfire, so better quit while ahead.
If she were the lying type, she wouldn't have admitted her screw-up from the start.
“One last thing.”
Possession happened in a flash.
She snapped her fingers, and a floating sensation enveloped me.
Like walking on clouds, my vision faded into the distance.
The woman shrank to a dot.
“Whatever that place is, survive it with all you've got. Depending on how you do, heaven might still be an option.”
Her voice hammered into my head as the last thing I heard.
...!
Blackout.
A stormy night.
A mansion in some remote mountain valley.
A maid with her hair neatly tied up knocked on the door, tray in hand.
Knock knock.
No reply from behind the firmly shut door.
Used to it, the maid spoke to the door as always.
“Will you skip training again? Madam Dian Esperand has sent a message with a letter.”
A word from the family matriarch herself.
Whatever it said, ignoring it meant trouble.
The maid steadied her breath and spoke softly.
“Madam says if you don't come out after seeing this, she'll drag you out by force.”
She put some force into her voice, but still no response.
Once the center of the family's attention, how had it come to this?
Probably still reeling from defeat to Camille Esperand.
“That's the message. I'll be going now—”
As the maid sighed and turned,
“...Fine, you can go.”
A voice came from the other side— one she'd thought wouldn't come at all.
She gasped, the tray rattling with a faint metallic clink.
“Ah, y-yes! Then I'll withdraw.”
After leaving the tray with the letter at the door, the maid departed.
“Hoo—”
Beyond the closed door, a man who'd just risen from bed stood before the mirror.
Black hair, green eyes.
Flawless skin without a scar.
The face in the mirror was handsome as a movie star.
This unfamiliar face had grown familiar now.
He roughly combed back his tousled hair.
Two weeks had passed since arriving in this world.
Time to face facts.
“Am I really inside the game...?”
I'd possessed a game character.
Shion Esperand, scion of the storied noble house Esperand.
For two weeks holed up, I'd scoured my surroundings for info on this world.
Piecing it together, I realized this was the game world.
The key clue: the name “Esperand.”
In the game I used to play, Grimoire Tales, Esperand was a major house.
Grimoire Tales was an RPG blending fantasy, hunters, and gates.
Your standard story: player teams with protagonists to fight evil.
And Esperand played a big role.
They crossed worlds for business, took high-profile commissions from VIPs, raking in cash.
If that was all—just your average noble house—I'd be thrilled, game world or not, plotting a cushy life.
“Sigh.”
Thud. Under the fluorescent light, a casually thrown dart stuck into the world map.
Photos and names of regional power players marked it.
Some had X's over their names—dead.
Shuffle.
The hit list spread boldly on the table was a kill ledger.
Names under family watch filled it.
Most probably never dreamed their name was here.
Clues to the family's true nature were everywhere, glaringly obvious.
So, the Esperand house I belonged to was an assassin organization.
...One of the top villain groups in this world.
“...How am I supposed to live out my lifespan after sticking me in a villain?”
I'd tried consoling myself that at least it was a familiar world, but it was bizarre.
The Grimoire Tales I'd played was a real world managed by that angel.
In the game, I'd smashed Esperand whenever they showed up—never the other way around.
They were always solid villains.
Now I was one of them, the ones I'd crushed.
...Karma, huh? Had to be coincidence.
I opened the door and picked up the maid's letter.
A stern warning from Mother to join training.
“Training, huh...”
It wasn't just info-gathering keeping me away.
An assassin family's training boiled down to killing skills.
No place to waltz into lightly.
Plus, as a normal guy till now, I wasn't sure I could keep up.
...And one more thing.
“From the head butler.”
“Leaving it outside. For you, Young Master Shion.”
The maids coming and going were no joke either—no way I could step out.
This mansion's maids served poison daily, even in tea.
At first, I thought they were trying to kill the master, but their reactions said it was routine.
I reluctantly sipped; weirdly, no ill effects.
Probably built tolerance from childhood dosing.
“Let's see...”
Besides Mother's warning, the letter was covered in graffiti from others.
Come out, coward.
Chicken shit.
Is this the best an Esperand can do?
Pathetic.
...Stuff like that. Probably half-siblings and cousins chiming in.
“...?”
Just question marks in my head.
I didn't know their faces or names; their anger meant nothing.
This was for the old Shion who'd holed up pre-possession, not me.
Still, backstabbing like this instead of to my face suggested the original Shion wasn't a pushover.
Good or bad? Hard to say.
“...Whatever. Good is good.”
Point was, I couldn't hole up forever.
This other world over hell.
I had to live out my allotted lifespan here.
I crumpled the letter.
From my current mother, Dian Esperand.
The famously doting Dian issuing a warning.
Ultimatum, basically. Digging in could mean disownment.
The mansion's vibe screamed it.
I approached the window.
Reached for the glass.
Thunder crashed amid thunderclouds.
Rumble—BOOM!
The forested view outside.
Mansion's exact location? Not in canon.
Just “deep in some Transylvania-inspired mountain region.”
Stay cooped up, and I'd be monster chow in those woods.
To survive, training time.
My body was average adult male now, but with Shion's prior work, proper training could make me an assassin.
Back to the mirror, checked my outfit.
To live as Shion, adapt to this.
Nice clothes made even sloppy dressing look sharp.
Perfumes below, but no need now.
“Hoo.”
Outfit set, I gripped the doorknob.
Opening this door meant no turning back.
Still, I had to go.
Better than getting kicked out twiddling thumbs.
“...I can do this.”
Click.
I twisted the knob.
...The antique hallway from game screens.
Red carpet on the floor, ceiling lights gleaming welcomingly.