I Refused To Be Reincarnated

A shiver ran down his spine as the icy fingers of dread wrapped around his heart, their freezing embrace tightening with every breath.

"Is someone messing with me?"

His voice echoed, calm on the surface but weighted with underlying tension. After everything he had been through, he had better control over his emotions, knowing when to flare up without repercussions or face the situation with solemness. And this one required his utmost focus.

He lingered for a moment, remembering his awakening in this world and his attempt to leave Alina's house. Then, he remembered his words. They were the same. However, when he pronounced them thirteen years ago, they came from instinctual suspicions. No. Perhaps he just wanted to find a culprit to blame for his bizarre situation...

Yet, the notes were evident proofs now that he remembered them. Since the first day, they had done nothing but taunt his mistakes, as if they were written to infuriate him.

His shiver intensified. Now, he wholeheartedly believed the individual or entity behind his system intentionally pushed him towards a unique choice. A choice he didn't want...

That's why he built his puppet with such urgency. To seal the system's options... and his. After all, he repeated it enough. He wasn't a brave hero out to save widows and orphans with a benevolent heart, just a typical man who couldn't even remember his life on Earth.

Of course, he didn't want to touch Julius' body after all the experiences they had shared in the past years. But what if he changed after his memories awakened? What if the system issued him an ultimatum? The risks were too high.

Unfortunately, he was back on square one. His plan had failed, his puppet was unusable, and the future remained unpredictable, veiled in the familiar thick fog of mysteries that had accompanied him in this world.

"Shit..."

His eyes narrowed, and his lips rose in frustration as he cursed the situation's unfairness. With only a few hours left before midnight, he couldn't find any alternative solution. He knew it.

But he didn't find the strength to rage. Instead, he felt his ethereal heart bleed as his emotions descended into chaos. Clenching his chest, he bit his lips in sadness for a moment.

'I won't let you die. No matter who you are or where you come from,' he thought, remembering the boy's smiles, pains, and dedication. Scenes flashed in his mind, showing Julius at different ages, like a movie: his curiosity, politeness... and trust. 'That's right. He trusts me with his life.'

His negative emotions thinned, melting like snow under the sun, replaced by a growing resolve.

'Despite my questionable behavior and flaws, he called me big brother wholeheartedly.'

He remembered all the pranks, all the times he annoyed the boy out of boredom, and all his exaggerated reactions, leading to unnecessary conflicts. Julius had always supported him. He even tried to reason with this hard-headed ghost multiple times.

Upon reaching these thoughts, his soul trembled as multi-colored mana wafted from it before a mass of sky-blue energy devoured them like a whale. A mana storm soon engulfed his apartment, ruffling his papers and books as a raging inferno ignited in his heart. He knew what to do.

Deliberately, he raised his arm, his ethereal fist tightly clenched, towards the ominous dark clouds.

"You who have been observing my every step for thirteen years with a mocking smirk. You who sent me these snarky notes to laugh at my expenses. You who try to force me to take over my brother's body," He declared, his solemn voice amplified by mana reaching the edges of the dream place, shattering its peaceful eternal night.

"Today, I solemnly declare you my enemy. Starting today, we can't live under the same sky. Starting today, I'll do everything in my power to find and obliterate you from existence."

His luminous eyes narrowed into thin slits as he branded his resolve into his soul. He would never accept a path he didn't choose. He would never give up. His determination would never bend, even against overwhelming adversaries. And he didn't need madness to achieve this state anymore.

"I'm the master of my own destiny!"

Mana billowed, accompanying his heartfelt declaration, growing and spinning with incredible velocity.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The sphere encased in his soul responded to his emotions, too, and released more elemental energies, mixing them in the whirlpool.

Thunder boomed, fire crackled, water splashed, and wind howled. Soon, more elements joined the mad dance, creating a terrifying show of pure power.

The apartment, unable to contain the enormous mass of energy, soon shifted under its pressure.

The book-filled library evaporated into ethereal mists. The computer followed, then the desk, the mirror, the kitchen, the bed, the table and finally, the walls, ceiling and ground. Any trace of light vanished from his sight, leaving a pure manifestation of desolation behind.

The luminous glow in his eyes intensified as he watched the spectacle. He didn't regret losing an apartment he didn't even know that much in the first place. Instead, he felt a sensation of relief wash over him.

This place had never reflected his soul. It was not his soul sea. But things would soon change...

The billowing mist resulting from his apartment's vaporisation swirled around him for a moment before crashing down on the gloomy ground.

An enchanting scene followed as a bright sky-blue light appeared from the point of impact. Animated by an unbending will echoing Adam's, it expanded, chasing the darkness away to reveal an incredible landscape.

A vast, lustrous plain met his eyes, filling his nose with the sweet scent of nature. Further in the distance, a lush forest stood tall, the noise of the wind ruffling against its leaves, bringing him a sense of serenity. The trees' dense foliage cast lively shadows on the base of a monstrously tall mountain as if its rocks defied the sky, the heavens, and anything in creation to stop its ascension.

In another area, an azure-blue lake stretched as far as the eyes could see, its water brimming with life and reflecting the gentle sun's rays on its surface.

Simultaneously, the mana storm weakened, gradually returning into his soul's embrace as he recovered his bearings.

"So, this is my soul sea," he said, a bright smile stretching his lips.