The laptop screen glowed dimly in the dark room, casting light over the young man's face. He scrolled through the web novel he was reading—another fantasy about a boy who awakens magical powers, rises through the ranks, gathers a harem, and defeats villains in flashy battles.
"So predictable… but still entertaining," he muttered with a small smirk.
Thunder rumbled outside. The room flickered as the lights dimmed momentarily.
"Ugh, don't tell me the power's going out—"
Suddenly, lightning struck nearby. A violent surge of electricity traveled through the laptop and into his hand.
CRACK!
A blinding flash. Agonizing pain shot through his entire body—then, nothing but darkness.
---
...
When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in his room.
A chandelier hung from a high, marbled ceiling. Elegant curtains swayed gently in the breeze, and the faint scent of lavender hung in the air.
"Where… am I?"
Then he looked down—and froze.
"W-What the hell?!"
His voice was softer. His body—small and slender. He had…
A girl's body.
The door suddenly burst open.
"You're awake, Lady Lyra! Happy twelfth birthday!" a cheerful maid chirped.
Before he could say anything, a group of maids rushed in. They powdered his face, styled his long hair, and dressed him in a lavish gown. Everything happened so quickly, he could barely protest.
---
Main Hall – Duke Elenhardt's Estate
In a grand hall filled with golden banners and noble guests, a man and a woman stood at the center. Both radiated elegance and pride.
"Happy birthday, my daughter," the woman said, blowing out the candle on a beautiful cake with the man beside her.
He could only stand there, stunned.
Daughter?
'I… I was reincarnated? But… why as a girl?!'
After the short celebration, everyone's eyes turned to him—no, to her—in anticipation.
Suddenly, a warm light enveloped her body. Her heartbeat quickened. A strange energy surged inside her.
Two glowing notifications appeared before her eyes:
---
[Awakening Complete]
1. Element: Darkness
2. Quest: Collect 1000 Dark Mana Stones
---
She stared at the floating text, bewildered.
'Wait… this seems familiar… Where have I seen this before?'
"Lyra, darling," her mother spoke softly. "What is your element? And your mission?"
After a moment of hesitation, she answered honestly.
"…Darkness. My mission is to collect a thousand dark mana stones."
The room fell silent.
Then—
"Marvelous!" her father shouted, beaming.
"A rare element! Our family has been truly blessed!" said her uncle.
Others around the room whispered in awe, envy, and suspicion.
---
Two Weeks Later
News of her awakening reached the royal palace. As the daughter of the Duke of Elenhardt and a rare Darkness-type awakener, Lyra became the talk of the kingdom.
Then one morning, a messenger delivered a royal letter with a golden seal.
Inside was a single line:
> "A proposal of engagement from the Crown Prince."
Her hands trembled.
"Wait… rare darkness element, engagement to the prince…"
It hit her like lightning.
"This is that insane novel! Awakener Prince! The one I read two years ago when I was still a guy!"
The memories flooded back—plot twists, betrayals, the jealous villainess who stood in the hero's way…
And now…
She was Lyra von Elenhardt. The villainess fiancée fated to fall.
The moment she saw the royal seal stamped in gold, she knew—she couldn't refuse. This wasn't just a proposal. It was a command, masked in elegance.
If she dared reject it, the noble elders would accuse her family of defying the crown. The consequences could be catastrophic—not just for her, but for the entire Elenhardt household.
> "Seriously? I've only been a girl for two weeks, and now I'm getting a proposal I can't turn down?!"
She could feel the frustration bubbling up inside her. If she had the chance, she would've cursed out loud. Instead, she unleashed an entire zoo of internal swears—complete with colorful gems of profanity—to vent her bottled-up rage.
When she finally calmed down, she took a deep breath… and began to think.
Who was she now?
Lyra von Elenhardt.
The name hit like a slap. She remembered, albeit faintly—Lyra was one of the villains in the novel. In fact, in the game adaptation she once played, Lyra was the first antagonist to die in every single route.
It didn't matter if the heroine ended up with the crown prince, the dark knight, or the mysterious mage.
Lyra always died.
> "Her whole purpose was to trigger conflict and clear the way for the heroine's romantic progress."
Even in alternate routes where the heroine chose side characters, Lyra's death remained a constant.
She clenched her teeth.
This wasn't just a random fantasy setting.
This was a story. A plot.
And she was cast as the stepping stone.
Suddenly, it all started to make sense.
Yes, Lyra had awakened the Dark element—a rare and powerful affinity.
But she was lazy.
She never trained. Never studied magic.
She bullied others, acted spoiled, and relied on her parents' affection without doing anything to earn her position.
She didn't die because she was evil. She died because she was weak.
And in a world like this, weakness was a death sentence.
The author had written her to be disposable—an early villain to be crushed, so the stronger, more meaningful enemies could take the stage later.
So… the most logical thing to do now?
Change.
She had to become stronger. Smarter. Dangerous, even.
Maybe someday she could cancel the engagement—but that would have to be done carefully, without triggering a political rift between the royal family and the Dukedom.
Because this kingdom?
It was cruel.
The strongest Awakener elites were all under the Crown's control. The Duke's family, while powerful politically, lacked combat strength.
Their territory was vast and economically crucial—managed brilliantly by Lyra's father.
He was a strategist, not a warrior.
Her mother, too, was clever and refined—scholarly, not combative.
> "That's why Father was so thrilled when I awakened with the Dark element…"
"In this world, the first Awakening is only the beginning. The second is always stronger. And power… power is everything here."
After the weight of the engagement letter and the cascade of memories, she excused herself quietly.
Fortunately, the maids—despite their enthusiasm for pampering—still respected the sacred boundaries of privacy when it came to bathing. No one followed her in.
That was a relief.
She stepped into the grand marble bathroom, steam already rising from the sunken tub filled with warm, scented water. Slowly, she undressed, each layer reminding her of just how foreign this life—and this body—was.
She stood before the mirror.
What stared back wasn't a man.
It wasn't even the boy she once was.
It was a delicate twelve-year-old girl with soft, fair skin untouched by sunlight or hardship. Her limbs were slender, her features finely sculpted like those of a noble porcelain doll.
But even at that age… her body was starting to change.
Two small mounds were forming on her chest—barely there, yet unmistakable. Her hips were a touch wider than average, already hinting at the shapely figure the future Lyra was infamous for.
She sighed, deeply.
> "It's only been two weeks… and already this body is heading toward disaster."
She stepped into the bath and sank into the water, letting it embrace her like a cocoon. Her mind drifted back—not just to who she used to be—but to what she had read before her death.
The novel, and the game adaptation.
The real story didn't even start until Lyra was fifteen.
That was when she'd truly entered the spotlight—as a villainess, bold and stunning. Her body had been so exaggerated in the game that players joked she was carrying "two watermelons up top, and another two behind." The developers had clearly leaned into the fanservice trope to make her a seductive, flashy obstacle for the heroine.
But behind the curves and arrogance, Lyra had been hollow.
Spoiled. Lazy. Cruel.
Strong in magic on paper, but utterly useless in real combat.
And worst of all—she never trained.
No wonder she became the first villain to die in every route.
Even when the heroine didn't end up with the prince—Lyra still died, over and over again, sacrificed for drama.
That was the role she'd inherited now.
And her current awakening mission made her fate even more dangerous:
> [Collect 1000 Dark Mana Stones]
It sounded simple enough… if it wasn't a solo mission.
Dark Mana Stones could only be collected by slaying dark-element monsters.
And even then—they didn't always drop.
Which meant she'd need to defeat hundreds, possibly thousands, of monsters by herself, just to complete her first mission and evolve to Awakener Level 2.
> "I'm twelve. I don't even know how to cast a proper spell, let alone fight monsters!"
She leaned back in the water and stared at the gilded ceiling.
But as overwhelming as it all felt… there was no escape.
If she stayed weak, she'd meet the same end as the original Lyra—executed, humiliated, and forgotten.
She gripped the edge of the tub.
> "I won't die like that. I may be stuck in this body, but I'm not her. I refuse to be disposable."
If she had to fight, then so be it.
If she had to grow stronger than anyone else her age, she would.