Memories...

Lila leaned in, her grin widening. "And me, Doctor Playboy? How'd we meet?"

Ethan smirked. "The Avant-Garde exhibit. You were pretending to be the artist's muse."

Lila burst out laughing. "And you were pretending to appreciate abstract art."

"Touché," Ethan said with a laugh.

Finally, his gaze softened as it settled on Claire. "And Claire… we met at the conference on advanced medical technologies. You were presenting your research, weren't you?"

Claire nodded, her expression softening as a small smile tugged at her lips. "And you stood up during the Q&A and completely tore apart my methodology."

"Constructive criticism," Ethan corrected with a chuckle. "And it worked, didn't it? We spent hours debating over dinner."

"You mean you spent hours trying to charm me," Claire said, though the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks betrayed her.

"And succeeded," Ethan replied, leaning back with a triumphant grin.

---

The laughter and conversation flowed effortlessly, filling the night with warmth and familiarity. But then, slowly, something began to shift.

The lights dimmed. The sounds softened. The energy of the rooftop lounge faded like a dream slipping through his fingers.

Ethan blinked, his surroundings blurring and darkening.

When his eyes opened again, the warmth was gone, replaced by the sterile chill of a room steeped in wealth and power.

Gritting his teeth against the pain of his loss, Ethan's voice was low, almost a whisper. "Is this the alternate universe I was sent to?"

His eyes swept the room, taking in the polished surfaces, the gleaming edges of advanced technology integrated seamlessly into the walls, the subtle glow of holographic interfaces hovering in the air. It was reminiscent of the advanced systems from his world, though there were differences—nuances that hinted at something more sophisticated, something alien.

Ethan studied the space momentarily, piecing together the details. It wasn't just the room. The opulence, the technology, the way everything seemed meticulously designed for comfort and control—it all pointed to a life of privilege.

And then, like a ripple in a still pond, memories began to surface in his mind. They weren't his own, but they felt close, personal, as if they had always been there, waiting for him to unlock them.

This body's memories.

Fragments of a life flashed before him—conversations, places, emotions that didn't belong to him yet felt oddly familiar. A young man from a noble lineage, a family steeped in wealth and influence. Expectations, achievements, and failures weighed heavily in these memories, as though this person had lived under a constant shadow of judgment.

Ethan frowned, trying to piece it all together. "A noble? Technology like this? It's not Earth, but… it's close."

The more he tried to organize the memories, the clearer it became. This world wasn't entirely foreign—it shared echoes of his own, twisted and reshaped by forces he didn't yet understand.

As he stood in the center of the room, the sterile air around him felt heavy, almost suffocating. He didn't know what this alternate universe had in store for him, but one thing was clear—this wasn't just a second chance.

It was a new beginning. And the pain he carried, the loss of Claire, would drive him forward. If this universe had rules, if it had a destiny already written, Ethan Cross would break them all.

*****

Ethan sat on the edge of the bed, This world, this life—it wasn't his, yet the memories felt too vivid to ignore.

He wasn't Ethan Cross anymore. Not entirely. Now, he was Ethan Drakethorne, the youngest son of one of the most powerful families in a world shaped by chaos and ambition.

His thoughts spinning as fragments of the original owner's life played in his mind. Ethan Drakethorne, the youngest son of the mighty Drakethorne family, had led a life so different from Ethan Cross's that it was hard to reconcile the two. Yet, their memories and identities were now tangled together, forcing him to make sense of his new reality.

The Drakethorne name wasn't just renowned—it was revered, it carried immense weight.

His father, Lord Gareth Drakethorne, was a legend—a conqueror of dungeons and Labyrinths who had secured not just wealth but dominance. Their ancestral home, a claimed Labyrinth turned into the grand Drakethorne Citadel, was both a fortress and a monument to Gareth's legacy. The second Labyrinth, Aurelian Depths, was even larger, housing a bustling town within its expansive chambers.

Lord Gareth Drakethorne, Ethan's father, was a legend, a man who had carved his way to the top of this world by conquering dungeons and Labyrinths. He has over 10 dungeons to his name with two Labyrinth of different ranks, which was extremely impressive, he was one of the strongest and most influential in this world...

Their family's home, Drakethorne Citadel, wasn't a mansion but a fully claimed Labyrinth, a monument to Gareth's Legacy repurposed into a sprawling estate.

Its grand halls still bore faint traces of its dangerous origins, a reminder of the power and tenacity required to claim such a place.

The second Labyrinth larger than the first and higher in rank, called Aurelian Depths, was an even greater testament to the Drakethorne family's might. It wasn't just a trophy—it was a functioning secluded city filled with people of different kinds. The Drakethorne family didn't just survive in this apocalyptic world; they dominated it.

***

Per his memories, this world, Nexa, was as harsh as it was advanced.

Dungeons are spatial dimensions filled with beasts, rumoured to be formed from the legendary Great Labyrinth, the largest and most mysterious dimension in existence. It is said to hold an endless supply of treasures and both sentient and non-sentient beasts.

Dungeons, however, are temporary. Once all the beasts within are defeated, they self-destruct, leaving behind valuable rewards and treasures for their conquerors.

Labyrinths, on the other hand, are similar in structure but vastly different in purpose and permanence. Unlike dungeons, Labyrinths are rare and do not vanish after being cleared. Instead, they remain, the Labyrinth conqueror having full control over it.