The error that shouldn't exist

Eclipse of Dominion.

A tactical RPG, praised for its insane difficulty and brutal storyline.

It was one of those games where the victory of the heroes meant the complete destruction of their enemies.

To be honest, it wasn't some masterpiece or anything like that. Not even the most insane fans, like myself—yes, I'm aware of my vices—dared to declare it.

The systems weren't much different from the ones already used and recycled in the industry; the heroes had traits, personalities, and characteristics similar to those that the masses typically identified with.

And, of course, the enemies were always the same.

Vile creatures and hostile beasts, whose only purpose was to dominate the world.

Just like the demons.

In the game, they were an obstacle. They were the main objective. An inevitable threat to be exterminated.

The Demon Kingdom was powerful, ruthless, but doomed.

More than four thousand years of tradition would turn to ashes before the powerful presences of those destined to prevent future catastrophes.

It wasn't a fair story in any way. At the point where the kingdom would fall into the ruins of what it once was, the protagonist and his companions would be soaked in a thirst for revenge.

That's why the players watched its collapse without being able to intervene.

And me?

I played that game until I knew every detail of its story. Until I knew every battle, every betrayal, every tragedy.

Then one day, I woke up inside it.

— You're not eating properly, Rudgard.

The firm yet soft voice brought me back to reality.

The woman in front of me was an icon of the game. A feared, respected, and eventually hated figure.

One of the greatest villains of Eclipse of Dominion.

And also my mother.

— I'm eating. — I replied automatically, moving the spoon around on my plate.

She observed me in silence. Her deep golden eyes seemed to pierce my soul.

In the game, those eyes were a symbol of terror for the heroes.

Now, they were simply filled with concern. The emotions she and others showed were… unexpectedly human?

Anyway, two weeks. It had been about two weeks since my consciousness awakened.

Counting all that time, eight and a half years lived without knowing who I was.

Then, by a twist of fate, came the ceremony. All the children from the Seven Great Families were gathered on that fateful day.

All of us waiting to awaken our blessings.

Me included, of course. After all, I was the only true legitimate heir of the Velnore house.

The ceremony was considered a sacred moment, a rite of passage.

I remember reading some loose information about it on the game's wiki in my previous life. It was a bit similar to the human ceremony, but with its own clear distinctions.

And it was there that it happened.

The moment my body resonated with the power lying dormant inside me, something broke.

My mind opened its eyes.

Strange and scrambled memories flooded my brain, completely penetrating my being and invading my head. The pain that followed was visceral; I couldn't contain the screams.

And then I realized where I was. I realized who I was.

I realized the disaster I was in.

— Hmm… — Duchess Velnore didn't look away as she tapped the surface of the table.

It wasn't a hostile or severe look. But it contained something worse.

The same concern as before, becoming more and more evident.

— You've changed, Rudgard.

My mother was never just any character in Eclipse of Dominion.

She was Seraphina Velnore, the Crimson Duchess, Mistress of the Thousand Stabs.

An unbeatable warrior, wielding her rapier as if dancing.

A cold strategist, whose name made generals hesitate.

And in the future, one of the greatest villains in the game, destined to perish at the hands of Euclides.

Now, this same woman looked at me as if I were a puzzle she couldn't solve.

— Since the awakening ceremony, you seem… different.

I couldn't deny it.

Before that night, I was just a child. I acted like a child, thought like a child.

After it, I woke up with the mind of a veteran player. With memories of a life that didn't belong to this world.

But how could I explain this?

— It was just the impact of the blessing, mother. — I replied, avoiding her gaze and looking at the table.

— Hm. — She didn't seem convinced. — Today, at the Hall of Balthazar's Blessings, the Regent will grant his last blessing. Maybe that will help.

The Hall of Blessings.

The final event of the Awakening.

A ceremony where the Regent himself—the temporary ruler of the Demon Kingdom—would grant his power to the heir children of the Seven Great Families.

Among them, me. Once again.

My fist tightened slightly.

In the game, this ceremony was supposed to take place years later. But here it was, unfolding two years earlier.

The time is wrong.

This shouldn't be happening now.

My head weighed down with the flood of anomalies that had been piling up in the past few days. An event ahead of schedule, characters acting out of the expected…

And me? I was the worst mistake of them all.

I let the fork rest on the plate, feeling the Duchess's sharp gaze on me.

— I'm done.

Seraphina Velnore raised an eyebrow slightly, but she didn't comment. Instead, she raised her hand in a subtle gesture.

Immediately, two servants approached the table, their footsteps almost inaudible. The hooded figures belonged to the elite servant class of the Velnore House — specters on the battlefield and shadows in everyday life.

— Prepare him for the ceremony.

The servants bowed before turning to me. I merely nodded, standing up from the chair as they escorted me out of the hall.

The reflection in the mirror stared back at me.

A young boy, handsome for his age, with a sharp face and elegant features, still childish, but already bearing traces of nobility.

My skin was a light purple, like polished amethyst under the light.

My eyes, narrow and sharp like a cat's, gleamed in a deep gold, exactly like the Duchess's.

And my hair…

— What should we do with this, Master Rudgar? — One of the servants asked, holding a lock between his gloved fingers.

It was an unusual color, even among demons. Silver, almost spectral, as if made of moonlight threads.

Seraphina had hair as black as the night. My father... well, he wasn't here to influence this equation.

— Leave it loose. — I murmured.

They obeyed without question.

With swift and precise movements, they changed my resting clothes for ceremonial robes. A long coat in shades of black and crimson, embroidered with patterns resembling glowing embers.

The Velnore House crest — a rapier crossing a black sun, surrounded by crimson flames — adorned my chest.

The family motto was engraved on the collar.

"Blood and Steel, Until the Last Breath."

The Velnore House mansion was a work of demonic architecture, eccentric and elegant at the same time.

Nothing in it conformed to the rigid standards of human architecture.

The walls were smooth and dark like obsidian, but they pulsed faintly, as if they were a living entity. The ceiling was too high, supported by twisted pillars that looked like giant bones, curving like the claws of a sleeping titan.

Chandeliers floated without any apparent support, their bluish flames burning without emitting heat.

The hallways were long and silent, and, once in a while, shadows moved at the corners of my vision.

None of this bothered me.

After all, this was my home.

Descending the main stairs, I found Seraphina already waiting in the entrance hall. Her gaze swept over my figure, assessing my appearance.

— It's acceptable.

That, coming from her, was high praise.

She might have been acting kinder than my experiences in the game… but she was still, in some ways, rigid in certain aspects.

— The carriage is ready.

The carriage glided smoothly along the obsidian road, propelled by an arcane levitation system.

The Velnore House crest adorned its side: a rapier crossing a black sun, surrounded by crimson flames.

Our motto was engraved beneath it in golden letters.

The Velnore family was a lineage of duelists and masters of the rapier.

In the game, they were known for their deadly precision and absurd speed.

In the future, they would be among the first targets of the fall of the Demon Kingdom.

I leaned back in the seat, observing my reflection in the dark glass.

Eight and a half years of life, wasted in ignorance.

Two weeks since my mind awakened.

Twelve years until the original plot would begin.

And a mistake in time that I still didn't understand.

My eyes turned to the horizon, where the Hall of Blessings was already emerging atop the hill.

I had many questions.

Maybe, today, I would begin to find some answers.