I Refuse the Tragic Ending

The first thing I heard after regaining consciousness was a cold, arrogant voice.

”Courting death?”

A heavy foot pressed against my chest.

”How pathetic.”

For a brief moment, my half-conscious mind came to a single conclusion.

’Great. I got reincarnated into a cultivation novel.’

Then the pain hit me.

My vision swam. Warm blood trickled down the side of my face, and every breath sent another wave of pain through my battered body.

Wait.

Pain?

’So this is not a dream?’

I tried to move. Nothing happened. My arms felt like they belonged to someone else.

”What the hell happened to this body?”

My voice came out weak and hoarse. Laughter erupted from the surrounding crowd.

”Who is this trash?”

”The weak noble.”

”He’s not even worth wasting time on.”

My eyebrows twitched.

’Seriously?’

I looked around as much as my battered body allowed.

Students in strange uniforms surrounded me. Some were laughing. Others were simply watching with the detached curiosity of people witnessing a fight that had already ended.

’What is this? High school bullying?’

Then another thought entered my mind.

’Wait.’

My expression stiffened.

People don’t actually talk like this anymore. Even if someone wanted to insult another person in 2026, they had a thousand better options than calling them ”trash” while standing around in uniforms that looked like they belonged in a fantasy anime.

Before I could make sense of anything, a violent headache struck me.

”Ah...”

I grabbed my head. Memories flooded into my mind. Not one memory but two lives. Two completely different existences.

One belonged to a man from Earth who had spent most of his life buried in video games, wasting far too many years telling himself he would become productive tomorrow.

The other belonged to a seventeen-year-old student named Kael Grayford.

The memories collided inside my mind:

The academy classrooms, noble families, hero organizations, villain factions, magic, swordsmanship, cultivation, and finally...

Astral Dominion Academy.

My eyes widened.

”...What?”

My breathing became shallow as the memories continued pouring into my head.

My name. No. My new name.

Kael Grayford.

Seventeen years old. First-year student at Astral Dominion Academy, the most prestigious institution in the world for young heroes and villains. The place where future legends were trained. The place where future monsters were created. And the place where countless students would eventually die.

I stared blankly up above. My brain struggled to process everything. I swallowed. ’There’s no way.’ My memories were too clear. The names, locations, factions, and academy. Everything matched.

My heart began beating faster and my pupils trembled.

”This is...”

I stopped. For several seconds, I could not breathe.

”This is the world of Eclipse Hearts.”

Silence.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

I almost laughed. Not because anything was funny. But because I had somehow been reincarnated inside a game I had spent years playing.

’What the actual hell is going on?’

I was just kidding when I said earlier that I had been reincarnated into a cultivation novel. Turns out, I really was reincarnated after all. Just not into a cultivation novel. Of all places, I ended up in the world of Eclipse Hearts.

What is Eclipse Hearts?

A massively popular visual novel RPG from Earth. The game combined academy life, strategy, romance, dungeon exploration, political intrigue, and large-scale conflicts between heroes and villains.

Players assumed the role of the protagonist. Depending on their choices, that protagonist could become humanity’s greatest hero, or its most terrifying villain.

There were countless endings: Including Good endings, Bad endings, Neutral endings, Hidden endings, and Secret routes. Even apocalypse endings that required an absurd chain of decisions to unlock.

But the game’s greatest attraction was its heroines. There were more than thirty romanceable characters, each with unique personalities, ambitions, backgrounds, and story routes. Some were members of the Hero Association. Others belonged to villain organizations. Some were ordinary academy students. Others were princesses, assassins, saints, witches, dragon descendants, and heirs to ancient clans.

I had played almost everything. Not just the main story, but every route, every heroine, every hidden event, every secret boss, and every achievement.

I had spent years exploring the game. At the time, it had simply been entertainment.

Now...

I was standing inside it.

’This is insane.’

I slowly closed my eyes.

Out of every possible world I could have been reincarnated into, it had to be the one game where I know exactly how many people are going to die. My expression became complicated because there was another problem.

I wasn’t the protagonist. I wasn’t a powerful villain. And I wasn’t even a minor rival.

I was just Kael Grayford.

An NPC.

A background character. A character most players probably forgot existed. And I knew exactly what happened to Kael in the original story.

My stomach sank upon remembering it.

’Oh. This is not good.’

I remembered.

The first major invasion of Astral Dominion Academy; A terrorist organization attacked the campus.

Students and teachers died. Several important characters were pushed to the brink of death.

And somewhere in the chaos, Kael Grayford died quietly. There was no dramatic final battle. No heroic sacrifice. No secret power awakening. Nor does he have touching final words? There’s none.

He simply became one of the casualties. A nameless student who died during the invasion. Most players probably never even noticed.

I stared blankly up above.

”...Seriously?”

My lips twitched.

I completed every route in this game, and somehow I reincarnated as the guy who gets deleted from the cast during the tutorial.

I wanted to laugh. I really did. Unfortunately, my ribs hurt too much.

Why couldn’t I become the protagonist? I sighed internally. Or one of the ridiculously overpowered villains? Another thought followed. ’Hell, I’d even take being a random shopkeeper.’

At least a shopkeeper had a chance of surviving.

Instead, I had inherited the body of a character whose expiration date was already written into the game’s script.

”This has to be a joke.”

Unfortunately, the pain was very convincing. Then someone grabbed me by the collar.

”Get up.”

My body was pulled upright. I looked up. A handsome young man stood before me.

Silver hair.

Golden eyes.

Academy’s elite uniform.

A confident smile.

I recognized him immediately.

Leon Valcrest.

One of the top-ranked freshmen. A genius swordsman. One of the future commanders of the Hero Association. And, depending on the route, one of the game’s romance targets.

Of course.

I almost sighed. The first named character I meet has to be Leon.

Leon looked down at me.

”I told you not to challenge me.”

My expression carried a hint of disappointment.

”You embarrassed yourself.”

He released my collar.

”Take him to the infirmary.”

Leon turned around. Immediately, his followers laughed as they followed him.

I watched their backs disappear. I didn’t feel angry. My mind was too busy.

’So this happened before the main story.’

That realization was far more important than the beating I had just received. If this was the timeline I remembered, then the game’s official storyline had not begun yet. Which meant I still had time.

The academy’s first major invasion happens in roughly three months. My eyes narrowed. Six months after that, the Moonfall Relic appears beneath the eastern ruins. One year later, the hidden villains infiltrate the Hero Council. Two years later, the Demon Emperor begins his awakening.

And five years later...

My thoughts stopped.

The world descended into chaos: Wars, political collapse, ancient monsters, hero factions turning against one another, and villains organizations rising from the shadows.

There were countless deaths.

I remembered all of it: every major event, every hidden dungeon, and every legendary artifact. Every betrayal. Every heroine’s tragic backstory. And every character whose life could be changed by a single decision.

Then another thought struck me. The heroines. My expression changed. In the game, they had been characters, lines of dialogue, portraits, sprites, statistics, routes, and choices.

But now?

They were real. They could feel pain, could become afraid, could make mistakes, and could die.

I remembered several of their routes.

Some ended happily. Others did not. There were heroines who lost their families. Heroines who became villains. Heroines who were betrayed by people they trusted. And heroines who destroyed everything around them after falling into despair.

In the game, I had always thought of those moments as tragic scenes. Now they felt different. They were no longer scenes. They were futures.

Or more accurately... Possible futures.

My fingers slowly curled into fists.

’No.’

For the first time since regaining my consciousness, my thoughts became completely clear.

’I’m not letting that happen.’

I didn’t know why I felt so strongly about it. Perhaps because I had spent years following their stories. Perhaps because I knew their personalities better than most people in this world ever would. Or perhaps because I had finally realized something far more important.

This wasn’t a game anymore. There was no save button. No loading screen. No second attempt.

If someone died here, they stayed dead. If I made the wrong choice, I couldn’t simply restart the Chapter and choose another option.

I took a slow breath.

’I have one life.’

I looked at my unfamiliar hands.

’One chance.’

That life now was being... Kael Grayford.

Astral Dominion Academy’s infirmary was quiet. A middle-aged healer finished treating my injuries before stepping away.

”Nothing serious. You’ll recover within two days.”

She gave me a stern look.

”Try avoiding unnecessary duels.”

I nodded.

”Understood.”

The healer left.

I sat alone on the bed. Then I looked toward the window. Outside, students moved through the academy courtyard.

Everyone was walking around as if their lives were still ordinary.

Only I knew better. Then I saw her. A girl with long silver hair walked beneath the blooming trees. She wore the uniform of the Hero Department. Her posture was elegant but her expression was cold. Students unconsciously moved aside as she passed.

My eyes widened.

Seraphina Eversnow.

The Ice Princess.

Number one among the freshmen. A future commander of the Northern Hero Legion. One of the strongest heroines in the entire game. And possibly the most difficult heroine to approach.

Her route had been infamous among players. Even experienced players could spend dozens of hours trying to unlock the correct sequence of events.

I stared.

Seeing her through a screen had been one thing. Seeing her actually walk through the courtyard was completely different. She wasn’t a character model anymore. She was a person. A real person.

So this is Seraphina...

I couldn’t help but stare for a few seconds before another familiar figure appeared.

This time was a girl with long pink-lavender hair. She was leaning lazily against a wall while eating candy. Her villain uniform was slightly untidy.

Several teachers nearby were glaring at her. She simply smiled at them as if their anger meant absolutely nothing.

Lilith Thorne.

The future Queen of Shadows and a villain candidate. One of the most dangerous women in the game. And one of its most popular heroines.

I stared at her too.

Then another familiar face appeared, and another. They were characters I had spent years reading about. And now they were everywhere: walking through the academy, talking with friends, arguing with teachers, laughing, complaining, and living ordinary lives.

None of them knew what awaited them and none of them knew how much suffering the future held.

I slowly clenched my fists.

I knew their stories, their secrets, and their mistakes. Most importantly, I knew the tragedies waiting for them.

”If I do nothing...”

My voice was quiet.

”...everyone will suffer.”

I looked toward the courtyard. My expression gradually hardened.

”No.”

I shook my head.

”I’m not following someone else’s script.”

I had already been given a second life. I wasn’t going to waste it.

”As for the original protagonist...”

A faint smile appeared on my face.

”I’m not even sure if he exists in this world yet.”

I leaned back against the pillow.

”But if he does, that’s fine.”

My eyes narrowed with quiet determination.

”He can follow his path and I’ll follow mine.”

This world had once been nothing more than a game. A story controlled by choices. But I was no longer a player. I was now one of the people living inside of that story. And if I possessed the knowledge to change the future, then I would use it. Not only to survive and not only to avoid my own death, but to create a future where the people I had once watched suffer on a screen could actually live the lives they deserved.

”I’ll change everything.”

My voice was barely above a whisper.

”And this time...”

I looked toward the distant courtyard.

”...I’m going to make sure we get a better ending.”

Far above Astral Dominion Academy, dark clouds slowly gathered.

The students continued their ordinary lives, unaware of what was coming. The first catastrophe was already approaching. And for the first time in the history of Eclipse Hearts, Kael Grayford was no longer following the script.