Chapter 1: The Ordinary Life

Myanmar, 7:30 a.m.

“Samuel Wind! You’ll be late again!”

His mom’s voice echoed through the small house.

“I’m up! I’m up!” Sam groaned, half-buried in his blanket. His hair was messy, his eyes barely open.

He sat up, yawned, and muttered, “If only life had a ‘skip school’ button…”

From the next room, his little brother shouted, “You mean a lazy button!”

Sam grinned. “Hey, genius! Don’t expose me like that.”

His sister, lying on the couch scrolling her phone, added, “He only studies when there’s food involved.”

Sam threw a pillow. “You’re not wrong.”

He was fifteen — a normal school student, full of dreams and zero motivation. He loved eating, sleeping, and watching anime until midnight. Schoolwork? Never his thing. But family? He loved them more than anything.

As he left for school, he whispered, “Maybe one day I’ll live in one of those manga worlds…”

He didn’t know — that day was coming sooner than he thought.

That evening, the sky turned strange — violet clouds swirling like ink in water. Sam stood at his window, confused.

“What the…? Is this a dream?”

Suddenly, a light burst around him. His body lifted, floating upward. The world spun, his heart raced — and then everything went dark.

When he opened his eyes again, he wasn’t in Myanmar anymore.

The air was cold. A dark castle stood in front of him. And a huge mirror shimmered in midair.

He stared at his reflection — except… it wasn’t his reflection.

A tall man with the same black hair and black eyes looked back. But his expression was sharp and dangerous.

“Who… are you?” Sam whispered.

The man smirked. “You don’t belong here.”

“I could say the same!” Sam snapped, stepping back.

Then, a voice echoed from the sky:

...----------------...

...[SYSTEM ONLINE]...

...Two souls detected. Perfect synchronization achieved....

...----------------...

Sam jumped. “What is that?!”

The voice continued,

...----------------...

^^^Exchange requests detected. Approval granted.^^^

...----------------...

The world flashed white.

When Sam opened his eyes, he was standing in a grand room filled with gold decorations. A butler bowed before him.

“Good morning, Master Daniel.”

Sam blinked. “Master… who?”

“Master Daniel Wind bourne, heir of the Wind bourne estate.”

He froze. *Daniel… that name… oh no.*

He ran to a mirror — and saw *him*. The villain from his favorite horror manga, “Nightmare.” The ruthless man who destroyed kingdoms and broke hearts.

“I’m Daniel… the villain?! Oh, this is bad. Really bad.”

Just then, the butler said, “Master, your breakfast is ready.”

“Breakfast?” Sam’s eyes sparkled. “At least villains eat well.”

......................

Daniel opened his eyes to the sound of a fan and the smell of noodles.

He sat up, blinking at the plain ceiling. “Where… am I?”

He looked down — smaller hands, school uniform, messy hair.

Then a voice shouted from outside, “Sam! You forgot your lunch again!”

“Sam?” Daniel whispered. “So… this is his world.”

He looked at the mirror in Sam’s room and saw an unfamiliar boy’s face — Samuel’s.

Daniel smirked. “Interesting. Let’s see how this world works.”

He picked up Sam’s phone, scrolled through the gallery, and muttered, “He really likes food… and sleeping.”

When his little brother ran in and said, “You’re acting weird, Sam,” Daniel smiled gently. “Maybe I’m just… different today.”

For the first time, the villain of “Nightmare” smiled like a human.

......................

Days passed.

Sam — now Daniel — tried his best to act noble. He read the manga plot again and again in his memory. “Okay, Daniel was supposed to burn the southern village next week. Nope. Not doing that. Maybe I’ll donate food instead.”

His servants whispered, “Master Daniel is… being nice?”

Meanwhile, Daniel — now Sam — went to school, learning about “earthly math” and “physics.” He hated it. But every time he saw Sam’s family laughing at dinner, something inside him softened.

“So this… is what warmth feels like,” he thought.

One night, as Sam admired the stars from Daniel’s castle balcony, the System’s voice returned.

...----------------...

Mission update: Balance must be restored. One truth remains hidden — the cause of your death, Samuel Wind.

...----------------...

Sam froze. “My… death?”

Somewhere on Earth, Daniel’s eyes widened at the same time as he looked at Sam’s old diary.

“Samuel Wind didn’t die by accident,” Daniel whispered. “Someone planned it.”

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