THIS TRANSMIGRATION SEEMS SOMEWHAT STRANGE...?

The crisp sound that came from Emlyn turning the pages of his book echoed through the room as the male adjusted himself, leaning deeper into Riven, who had his arms circled about his waist with his chin on his soft hair.

The awkwardness Emlyn felt when they read together was no longer there. After getting the courage to ask Riven if he enjoyed reading with him, he found out Riven knew how to perfectly adjust to his pace without his reading experience being deterred. Thus he had become more comfortable reading with the male.

The book they picked had no name, just a rose flower on it, and was the only exposition inside the whole library. It was a romance between a commoner male and a warrior female. Emlyn could guess one of Riven's sisters had brought it out of curiosity because although they tried to censor it, one needn't look deep to tell that the noble warrior female was an allegory to the Battloids.

Emlyn thought the author was either backed up by someone or too brave for their good. No wonder the book had no author name.

In the book, the warrior woman was engaged to royalty but didn't want to because she loved her sword more. However, she was coerced by her family who lied to her that she would still use her sword. It turned out to be false as the prince she married was an obsessive and cruel bastard, forcing her to become nothing but a wife-turned-maid to him.

In her darkness, no one was there to help her and she thought of killing herself. However, everything changed after she managed to escape one day and met a beautiful musician whose music stole her heart away.

Unlike the exaggerated music that played all day in the palace, made to cater to the prince's narcissism, this was like a comforting embrace for her weary soul— Speaking to her solely and she ended up crying out all her grievances.

It was like the verse in Killing Me Softly which said: strumming my pain with his fingers, singing my life with his words.

Long story short, the commoner musician fell for her. She slipped away a couple of times more, was caught by the prince, but when her darling was stabbed, she snapped, took her sword and, killed both the prince and his guards, and then ran away with the commoner to a faraway land.

In the end, she lived a simple life, giving birth to the musician's children while still using her sword, even teaching her family swordsmanship, and having a simple but happy ever after.

Whoa, did the author survive this book by any chance? This was a direct critic of the royal family! Was there perhaps a relationship they had that had gotten destroyed due to the marriage thing?

“Teach, was this book not controversial?” Emlyn asked curiously.

“I can't exactly remember but I reckon with the king's cruel nature, the author might have been beheaded,” Riven responded.

“Oh, how sad.”

Why tell everyone that the Battloids and Royals contract was a fucked up one at the risk of their life? Yeah, anyone who wrote this had someone powerful backing them up or was just suicidal.

It was a very daring book but even Emlyn couldn't deny its emotional impact.

The writer had their way with words that poured into one's heart and turned them into an emotional wreck. From the overwhelming sorrow of the female in her accursed marriage, to the beautiful moments she had with the musician as they spent time together, to the final climax where she chose to abandon all, including her status, to go for a simple life with the musician. It was all very touching and the sex scenes were pretty steamy.

No wonder it was hidden deep in the library. Such a controversial book must have been banned but a certain naughty Battloid female just had to get it.

After reading the epilogue about the royal family never finding the warrior lady, Emlyn closed the book and put it away with a yawn.

“Are you feeling sleepy?” Riven asked, rubbing his cheeks and ruffling his hair.

“Yes, but before that,” Emlyn replied before turning to face Riven and, with a short kiss, said, “I love you and just hoped you knew that.”

Riven was dumbfounded for a while before an ardent smile knocking Dina right off her feet, swept his face.

Affected by the charming smile, Emlyn ended up laughing in response.

His laughter was like a brilliant sparkle of the moon on its full days. It was pale, yet its light was powerful enough to illuminate the darkest night, and as you stared at its cold light, you'd be lost in the magnificence of its beauty.

Throughout his life, he had been told he was loved, and was indeed loved, yet it had never echoed out to him as much as it did now. It resonated deep within his soul, sending powerful tremors through his heart.

Despite not knowing if his words were real, just the mention of it struck the very core of his being. This feeling… was it love? It was so very sublime.

He pulled Emlyn into a tight embrace, his long hair falling over him softly, like a coat. Emlyn wasn't sure what happened, but something about that moment seemed so right, like he was meant to be in Riven's arms, and Riven was meant to hold him.

That was his last thought before he fell asleep, only to be awakened a few hours later by Zero.

“Host, you have five minutes left in this world.”

What?!

Interest meter—100%.

***

“What?!”

“We're leaving in five minutes, prepare yourself,” Zero restated.

“What? Why are you telling me this now? So I can do what? Read my fucking elegy? Cement my regrets? Suck his dick one last time?!” Dina babbled sarcastically.

“I was hoping you would move to a remote place and blow up your corpse, as we discussed earlier.”

“.... You're serious…”

“Yes.”

Dina: 凸(⊙▂⊙ )凸

Zero:....

“Can I please get extra minutes? Five is too small.”

“Dina, do not falter. You are leaving either way,” Zero warned.

“I know.”

“Alright. Ten minutes.”

Dina sighed lightly, slowly but steadily, facing the Riven.

Emlyn gently caressed his face, removing the strand of white that fell across his face hazardously. After staring at him till god knows when, and finally reconciling her emotions, she was more than ready to leave.

It was never meant to be anyway, plus he did kill her that one time, so there was that. With a soft sigh, Emlyn slowly slid out of bed, but just as he was about to leave, an iron grip caught his right wrist, scaring the shit out of him.

On noticing Riven gripping at Emlyn harshly with a cold look Dina quickly went into full acting mode.

“Ah, Teach, what's wrong?” Emlyn questioned calmly, his golden orbs as clear as ever, making Riven realize a terrifying fact. He really could lie THAT perfectly.

“Where are you going?” He asked with a voice so cold, Emlyn could physically feel the chills it permeated.

“Teach, why are you being so…?”

“I asked where you are going,” He asked once more, his white eyes as fervent as ever, thick with an insane pressure that completely suppressed Emlyn.

“T-t-the library… I–I…” Emlyn stammered in fear, his heart racing against his chest as he struggled to maintain his composure.

The overwhelming pressure being released by Riven was so much that even Dina couldn't keep her act together.

Looking at Riven's darkened face, an unstoppable tremor besieged her.

“You're leaving, aren't you?”

“What are you talking about?!” Emlyn shouted to his shock. The fear briefly collapsed Dina's rationale, causing her to act extremely suspiciously.

Riven's aura was so terrifying that he had subconsciously screamed.

“You are leaving.”

“N-no. Wha—what are you… To the library, yes. To the library, I… Riven, you are scaring me,” Emlyn stuttered fiercely, tears running down his face as he shivered in terror.

This Riven was too terrifying. His eyes were filled with a feral madness waiting to be unleashed at any second.

Riven stared at him with expressionless eyes before asking again, “Where are you going, my love?”

It was still the same loving pet name yet held a deadly intonation to it.

“T-t-to…”

“One minute more, Dina.”

“I asked. Where. Are. You. Going?” Riven enunciated each word, his voice dropping lower with each syllable, sounding especially intimidating.

“I swear, it's just the library. You are too cautious, Teach. Where would I leave to?” Emlyn replied with a stupid smile while averting his eyes, body trembling vividly.

“My love, where are you going?” Riven asked again, this time pulling the boy towards him, causing the trembling figure to bump into his chest.

Emlyn looked up towards Riven's face in a daze and the look on his face broke.

SCARY! SCARY! SCARY! OH GOSH, HIS FACE WAS TERRIFYING.

It was still as indifferent and gorgeous as always, but the rage in them was so vivid that all words dried up Emlyn's mouth and he could only quiver in fear.

Riven's mind short-circuited and she said something she wasn't supposed to.

“I-I-I-I’m sorry, I had no choice—no! I meant that I'm not going anywhere. Riven, please, please! Please…! I'm sorry!” Emlyn blurted before bursting out crying.

It was so terrifying, and why was Zero suddenly so silent?! Wasn't the one-minute mark over?!

As if to answer the question, Riven, who merely stared at the weeping male, smiled with a sense of schadenfreude as he watched Emlyn shiver like a little fox caught in an act of deceit.

“Waiting for your ride, my love?”

Emlyn, who had been scared silly by the smile, couldn't even mutter any words to deflect this and could only stare at him with pleading eyes while gritting his teeth.

“I've used the magic spell I prepared specially for you. As long as I'm here, you're going nowhere.”

W-what? What?! How?!

So the reason Zero was nowhere to be found was because he ditched her?

Before Dina could conduct her scattered thoughts, something struck Emlyn. He felt his vision blur, and his eyes rolled backward before he blacked out.

***

Emlyn blinked lightly as he groggily stood up. He was wearing a nightwear which consisted of a white satin camisole with a lace trim along his neck. It had thin adjustable spaghetti straps and his neckline was so deep that all it needed was a light slide to go down his chest.

Pairing the camisole was a pair of short bloomers about mid-thigh length, making the sleep set a perfect comfy set.

He woke up on a bed except it wasn't Riven's bedroom or his, which he hadn't used for the past months, but in his research lab, trapped by a magical glowing cage with a chilling figure surveying him from outside while seated on a chair.

Emlyn instantly sat up, trying to crawl up to Riven, only to be pulled back by a strong force that threw him back to the bed. Invisible chains too? Dang, in the end she still ended up in the yandere route she wanted to avoid at all costs.

“Teach…” Emlyn called out softly as his eyes met Riven's icy ones causing him to stifle in fear.

There was no response.

He simply sat like a powerful emperor observing him with a stony gaze.

“I can explain…”

“Is it because I killed you before?” Riven started with a quiet voice, his face still holding a deep displeasure, but the regret in his tone was very evident.

Instead of responding, Dina calmed down. Right now, her heart was running her head, which was a recipe for disaster. She felt immense guilt for betraying Riven and was about to act on that guilt, but having paused now, she knew what she had to do.

She wasn't sure how, but Riven somehow managed to seal her to this body. Instead of giving up, she decided to believe Zero went to look for a solution instead of abandoning her. The Bureau couldn't be that treacherous, right? Well, hopefully.

Although she wasn't sure if Riven would save the world again, that was the least of her problems. The meter was complete, so she had to leave whichever way she could!

She could justify the betrayal with the second death, that was what Raven wanted. He didn't want to believe that Emlyn was under the influence of something powerful that he couldn't save him from.

Well, he had to face the truth because Dina decided to use the world's spirit to expel herself.

A switch within Emlyn had been flicked, and his usual cheerful demure had morphed into something more serious. The gaze that stared back at Raven didn't contain their usual innocence and clarity, but a profound light filled with impatience. Everything was different.

He had been completely fooled.

“Ha!” He laughed cynically, which got him a scoff from Emlyn in response.

“No hard feelings, Teach. I'm just doing my job,” Emily spoke casually, each light word, cutting deep into Riven's heart and ripping its already shattered pieces to shreds.

“It was fun, the funniest I've heard in an extremely long while, except for the sex. It was good, just too much…”

Every act of his was filled with a twisted indifference, giving his review like everything was but a game he had played in the passing. He was chattering as usual, but he didn't feel good this time. It felt bitter, incredibly bitter.

“I will never let you leave,” Riven spat angrily with gritted teeth while clenching his hand, but all he got in response was a scornful smile.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“You…!”

“Oh, hold the victim, play, Riven,” Emlyn rolled his eyes as he continued sassily. “You act like you treated Emlyn like some treasure, only for him to betray you. Sure, with your charms, he might have liked you despite the first encounter. Or despite the fact he had to suffer a hundred years with that evil thing of a heat, just to be your perfect little virgin bride.”

“But I don't blame you for that. I'm just stating reasons why he might have hated you. As for me, I don't hate you at all. My first death, meh, I was the intruder, but I also don't love you. I just like you a little bit.”

Riven stared wide-eyed at the male whose face was etched with a mocking grin and he couldn't help but mumble with a trembling voice, “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying that I'm not Emlyn. So there's that. Emlyn is dead, and I merely used his identity. Did that make you feel a bit better? At least it's not me you loved,” Emlyn shrugged.

“... It's you.”

“What?” He asked for clarification— the male had spoken so quietly he couldn't make out his words.

“I said it's you, okay? It's you that I love,” He responded more clearly this time, his voice fading out towards the end.

Emlyn flinched as the male raised his eyes. His face was still as blank as a doll. But this time, tears rolled down his eyes.

His lips parted as a broken voice cackled, “Are you happy now? If you are, please will you stay with me?”

Dina's heart shattered into a million pieces. She had been trying to leave a terrible impression before her departure, disregarding Riven's feelings because, at the back of her mind, she thought that he could handle it.

But it seemed Zero was right. A hundred percent truly was love. This man was in love with Emlyn. No, not Emlyn, but her.

Emlyn’s proud composure collapsed as his eyes revealed a deep sadness that couldn't be faked. This was real—not the other exaggerated expressions. He was heartbroken.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered, placing his right hand on top of the cage, “I'm sorry, Riven. I'm sorry. So, so sorry. I'm sorry.”

He kept on muttering as if in a trance until a large hand interlocked with his. His weary eyes met a pair of cloudy ones, and he couldn't help but let out a depreciating laughter.

“Then stay with me,” Riven responded, clenching tightly on the male's hand, “I love you for you. You can tell me everything about you and I'll listen. We have all the time in the world, and even if your time runs out… no, I will never let your time run out with me.”

Emlyn chuckled softly, his beautiful eyes filled with a warm light, “Such a beautiful future. Unfortunately, you have to spend it with someone else.”

Emlyn abruptly pulled out his hand from Riven, startling him, and instantly, a blaring sound filled his mind as his sixth sense warned him about impending doom.

“EMLYN BATTALOID!” He roared at the weary male inside.

This cage was made specially to hold them back, but somehow he didn't have the slightest reassurance.

“Oh Riven…” Emlyn spoke, a bright beam of smile appearing on his face, eliminating all traces of sadness within them as he spoke gently, “For Emlyn, please save the world. It's the least I could do for him in exchange for taking his identity.”

“Emlyn…” Riven called out with a panicked gaze, which Emlyn thoroughly ignored as he continued.

“I really like being your partner, as well as the surname. You had me integrated into your family instantly! That's such a Riven move…”

“Emlyn, let's stop this now!”

“Oh yeah, my name. I should tell you. My name is…”

Rivan instantly destroyed the cage in one fell swoop before rushing to cover the male's mouth but was a step too late.

“...Dina. You can—”

The male was cut off by a thick surge of blood, which flowed out of his mouth and onto Rivan's clothes as he stumbled into his arms.

Rivan stared at the hazy-eyed male with red eyes as he whispered desperately, holding him in a tight hold within his arms.

Emlyn smiled calmly, he raised his shivering hand to caress Riven's face one last time before mumbling, “Not a bad sight to leave with…. So pretty…”

His hand slumped and his lashes fluttered close—he had taken his last breath.

Watching the slumped body in his arms, a look of despair appeared on Riven's face as his magic burst out, summoning all kinds of books, flapping and turning every single page while silent tears rolled down his beautiful face—creating a surreal imagery that carved itself into Dina's mind before she finally left.

‘... I didn't think he could make that kind of face, as well…’

***

{BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Collecting Transmigrator’s soul!

Warning! Warning! OOC— 100%!

Break of character — 1000 points.

Reveal of nature — 1000 points.

Hinting of Job —1500 points.

Reveal of name — 5000 points.}

Dina’s points dropped to a negative, and her profile was marked with a large ‘UNDER REVIEW’, leaving her stunned.

She clenched her jaw fiercely, and the deep rage overpowered her, completely dominating every other emotion as she roared—MOTHERFUCKER!