In A Void.
Within this endless darkness, a silhouette of a man can be seen — Dominic Cross.
As we draw closer, the perspective shifts to his own.
'Where am I? Why am I in this dark place? …Quite intriguing.'
He begins to float through the void, searching for any sign of difference, any possible exit. Everything around him is pitch-black, endless, suffocating.
He searches.
And searches.
And searches.
At first, he tries to count the passing years. But eventually, exhaustion claims even that effort, and he stops counting altogether.
Time loses meaning.
As he continues drifting aimlessly, he suddenly sees a faint light in the distance.
Then another glimpse of it.
'Finally… a way out of this hellhole.'
He moves toward it.
But as he draws closer, a force suddenly grips him. A pull. Something is dragging him toward the light.
He resists.
He tries to escape.
But he cannot.
Just then, two additional lights flash beside him.
One glows red.
The other shines gold.
In desperation, he reaches out, trying to grab them — anything to anchor himself against the pull. But the moment his hands touch the lights, they dissolve into him, absorbed as though his ghostly fingers had swallowed them whole.
He stares at his hands.
"Fuck."
The pulling force intensifies.
His vision blurs.
And then—
He disappears into the light.
The void returns to darkness.
But a voice echoes within it.
A furious voice.
"Who took my treasure?! Who took my fucking treasure?!"
The void trembles violently as the voice roars. Space itself seems to distort.
Then suddenly, as if struck by an unseen force, the voice rebounds.
"Whoever took my treasure will feel a burn never felt before."
A pause.
Then, muttering—
"I should leave before this pesky void destroys me."
—
The perspective shifts.
From endless darkness to a well-furnished room.
The room resembles that of a medieval noble household, adorned with gold trimmings, jewels, and intricate designs carved into polished wood. Faint glowing runes shimmer across the walls.
At the center stands a massive bed.
Upon it lies a boy, around eight years old.
Sleeping.
Suddenly, his eyes snap open.
He sits upright, breathing heavily, scanning his surroundings.
'Where am I? What happened? Wasn't I in that dark place? Why am I here?'
He looks around the refined room and chuckles lightly.
'Who on earth uses this kind of interior nowadays? did the Horsemen placed me in stasis and revived me… with how insane they are, I wouldn't even be surprised.'
His gaze shifts.
A mirror.
He freezes.
Reflected back at him is a boy with dark golden hair and silvery-dark green eyes. His cheeks are slightly round, his body small — unmistakably that of an eight-year-old child.
Recognition dawns slowly.
A novel.
A novel he read long ago when he was beginning his acting career.
There had been one character in it — not particularly important to the main arc, but unforgettable.
Golden hair.
Dark silver green eyes.
A slightly chubby young noble.
The author had described him in vivid detail.
Dominic Blackwood.
'Did I… become Dominic Blackwood? But how?'
Even in this moment, his composure remains.
He studies the reflection carefully.
'…I'm quite handsome, aren't I?'
Suddenly, memories begin to surface.
Unlike the violent headaches often described in novels, there is no intense pain. Only mild discomfort — brief and tolerable.
It feels as though something within him has been stitched together.
When the memories settled, clarity follows.
He has become Dominic Blackwood.
But not entirely.
In the original story, Dominic died at eight and was possessed by an ancient demon. That demon used his body for unspeakable acts — slaughter, enslavement, devouring hearts.
Eventually, the hero defeated him.
But this time, something changed.
Instead of possession, his soul fused with Dominic's.
Together, they counterattacked the demon.
They killed it.
Now he feels strange.
He is Dominic Cross.
He is Dominic Blackwood.
And yet… he is neither completely.
A chill runs down his spine as he recalls Dominic Blackwood's fate.
In the original story, Dominic was not central — but his tragedy was unforgettable. Many readers believed his ending was unnecessarily cruel.
The true horror, however, was not his death.
It was his connection to the hero.
The hero, Alex — a baron's son — obtained the Chaos Treasure at seven. It awakened when he turned twelve, revealing the Chaos Instructor, who promised to make him the Heir of Chaos.
One of the key components to perfecting Chaos was the Heart of Wood.
And the most potent Wood bloodline in existence — unknown to the world — belonged to Dominic Blackwood.
The Chaos Instructor discovered this on Dominic's twelfth birthday.
From that moment, his fate was sealed.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Dominic begins planning.
Seeking the treasures before the hero is impossible. If he touches even one, the Chaos Instructor may trace it back to him.
And then he would die.
His best option?
Awaken his innate ability.
In this world, everyone possesses one.
The original Dominic never awakened his until the final battle — yet even then, it pushed the hero to his limits.
If he awakens it early… trains it properly… he might stand a chance.
The hero himself is not what he fears.
He can outplay the hero.
It is the Chaos Instructor who worries him.
If that entity deems him too dangerous, it may strike early.
He considered the Demonic Heart Technique.
Then dismisses it.
The demon is dead — the technique is gone.
And even if it were not, using it would cross a moral boundary he refuses to step over.
The technique is too sinister, in the original novel Dominic had to kill anyone with his bloodline to use the technique properly.
Besides, due to his fusion with the original Dominic, he has inherited certain emotions.
However distant Dominic once was from his family, he would never slaughter them.
A knock interrupts his thoughts.
"Young Master Dominic, may I come in?"
"Come in."
A maid enters.
She pauses.
The Dominic she knows is timid, avoiding eye contact.
But now he is looking at her calmly and Indifferently.
She lowers her gaze and says, "Madam requests your presence at dinner."
He is slightly startled.
But his expression remains steady.
"I will be there."
The maid stiffens.
That was not how the young master used to speak.
She inhales sharply.
'Has it happened?'
Without another word, she rushes out.
Dominic watches her leave.
'Just as I thought. No need to pretend.'
The Blackwood family.
A peculiar lineage within the Empire of Everlight.
They are known for something called a Rude Awakening.
No Blackwood is born cruel or indifferent.
But as their awakening approaches, their personalities darken.
Cheerfulness becomes sadistic humor.
Love becomes obsessive possession.
Timidity becomes something else entirely.
Strictness.
Psychopathy.
Indifference.
The most common result is cold detachment.
So he does not bother hiding the change.
It will simply be assumed that he is nearing awakening.
And he knows how to trigger it.
His sister — one of the hero's heroines — had her bloodline fully awakened with the hero's help. Through observing that process, he learned how the initial awakening works.
First, awaken the Wood bloodline.
Then, awaken his innate ability.
As he stands to prepare for dinner—
Ding.
[Acting System binding.]
[Does the system have permission to bind?]
[Yes / No]