The Only Player in 'Child of Stardust' - Chapter 7 - 6: The Murder of a Musician

Ethan's head throbbed violently as he opened his eyes, his vision hazy and unfocused. A dull ringing filled his ears, drowning out his thoughts.“What’s happening…?” he thought, his mind sluggish, struggling to catch up with reality. One moment, he was asleep—or at least, he thought he was—and the next, searing pain forced him awake.His vision swam, shapes blurring together in a disorienting mess. But then, muffled noises filtered through the haze—frantic, panicked sounds. Someone was trying to scream, their voice smothered, choked by something.A cold shiver ran down his spine.As his sight gradually sharpened, Ethan's breath hitched.He was on all fours, looming over someone. A girl.Her body twisted and writhed beneath him, ropes biting into her wrists and ankles. Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. Her wide brown eyes, brimming with fear and fury, glared up at him.Ethan's body locked in place, his blood running cold.“What the…?” His mind reeled, thoughts slamming into each other in chaotic disarray. “What kind of bizarre dream is this?”Panic clawed at his chest. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps as he scrambled backward, only to realize his limbs felt sluggish, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to him.“Is this… is this some kind of twisted fantasy I never knew I had?” A sickening thought slithered through his mind, making his stomach churn.The girl's frantic squirming slowed for a moment, her gaze flickering with confusion as she took in his expression—his trembling hands, his wide, horrified eyes. But the fear returned just as quickly. She struggled harder, her body arching, her muffled screams rising in pitch.Ethan wanted to speak, to say something, anything, but before he could force out a word, a glowing blue window materialized before his eyes.His breath caught.A translucent, hovering screen?“What…?”Lines of glowing text scrolled across its surface.---[System Activated…][Host Confirmed.][Simulating Previous Data…]Ethan awakens in a mysterious world, shackled by a curse that clouds his judgment and drives him toward choices he never wished to make. Burdened by guilt and responsibility, he must navigate the fallout of his actions while unraveling the truth behind the curse—and his place in this enigmatic new reality.

Five of the world's wealthiest tycoons descended upon a poverty-stricken district simultaneously, astonishingly just to visit a 20-year-old young man. This young man was their master fifty years ago. Initially, these magnates only acquired some rudimentary knowledge from William Johnson, but that was enough to make them leaders in their respective fields. However, they were stunned by William's ageless visage when they saw him again, as they were unaware that William Johnson had lived for a billion years. He not only established different religions all over the world, but even Alexander the Great was once his student. Yet, after dispersing the tycoons fifty years ago, he chose a long slumber. But now, William Johnson has awakened...

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A villainess known by all as a wicked woman who has done all sorts of evil deeds—Ducal Lady Violet.
She regained her memories of her previous life after she fell into a lake and almost died.
The very moment she woke up, she immediately visited her father, Duke Everett, and asked one thing.

“Please confine me to the annex.”

And so, she imprisoned herself there.
Now that Violet was secluded away from the world’s criticism and reproach,
She immersed herself in her previous life’s memories and started painting them.

“What the hell are you up to this time?”

Everyone was suspicious of just what she might be scheming.
However, the misunderstandings surrounding her gradually got resolved one at a time…

Setting in the fictional world of Gaia, where special individuals can awaken certain powers within their soul. They are called Arcana Masters.

Some awaken beasts, some awaken weapons, while some awaken the power of plants.

Some people train to become stronger so that they have the power to protect loved ones, some wish to use it for revenge, some wish to live longer, while some want to be free and use their power however they wish.

Yet, there exists a clan, where the descendants only exist to grant death to others so that life and death remain balanced.

Follow the journey of Azrael Garcia, the heir of the cursed clan of Death, as he forms friendships, facing betrayals, meeting love, and cutting down the enemies in the process.