I descended the stairs slowly and with as much caution as I could manage.
The floorboards felt solid under my weight, though the entire house felt like a surreal stage set.
The knowledge that I was technically in a stranger’s home—even if the person whose body I am know these people—weighed heavily on my mind.
"Ah, you’ve finally come down."
As soon as my feet touched the bottom step, the lady I had encountered earlier greeted me. She was positioned on the left side of the house, in a space that functioned as both a kitchen and a dining area. She was already seated, a plate of food before her, seemingly in the middle of her own quiet morning routine.
"Come sit down and eat."
She gestured toward an empty chair with a warm, inviting wave of her hand.
"Thank you."
I offered a small, respectful bow of my head, feeling a surge of genuine gratitude.
"..."
When I got to the table... Aside from the woman, there was a girl roughly my own age sitting opposite me. She shared the same striking black hair and dark eyes as the kind lady. It was immediately obvious that they were related—likely sisters.
"..."
The girl glanced at me briefly, her expression unreadable. I could sense a thick layer of awkwardness radiating from her side of the table.
’Looks like we aren’t close, that’s good.’
I breathed a sigh of relief internally. Having to fake a deep, long-standing friendship would have been far more difficult than navigating simple indifference.
"Good morning."
I decided to break the ice with a polite, neutral greeting.
"Morning."
She replied, her tone clipped and forced. It wasn’t hostile, though. She didn’t seem to have any negative emotion against Vael, which was more than I could have hoped for.
I sat down at the end of the rectangular table, keeping to myself as the two of them occupied the sides.
"Eat as much as you can, I know you’re tired from the long journey."
The woman spoke gently, pushing a clean, empty plate toward me. I took it, nodding my head again as a silent sign of appreciation. She was really kind, and her hospitality made me feel a bit guilty for keeping my true identity a secret.
"..."
I scanned the spread on the table. It was a standard, hearty breakfast: a stack of five sunny-side-up eggs, a bowl of steaming fried rice, freshly toasted bread, and a plate of golden-brown sausages. It looked incredibly appetizing, and my body seemed to agree as a low rumble echoed from my stomach.
"If you want coffee, I can make you one."
She offered, noticing my gaze lingering on the table.
"Ah, I’m fine. Thank you."
I politely declined, reaching for a portion of the fried rice and a pair of eggs. She was far too generous, and I didn’t want to overstep or become a burden.
I focused on my plate, took some eggs and rice, and started eating.
*****
The remainder of the breakfast passed in a series of comfortable, albeit slightly strained, silences.
The kind lady asked me a few casual questions about how I was feeling or how the travel had been, but they were surface-level inquiries. The girl finished her meal with quiet efficiency and, after excusing herself, stood up to retreat back to her room.
Once I was done eating, I offered to help with the dishes. I felt like I should do something at laest, but the kind lady firmly insisted that I needed to rest after my long trip. She waved my offer away with a soft smile and started clearing the table herself.
I thanked her again, feeling genuinely humbled by her kindness, and made my way back to the bedroom where I had first woken up.
... ... ...
"Hmm..."
Now, as I lay on the bed, my mind finally settling into a state of deep reflection. It was time to get serious.
Vael Frostguard.
In the game, his character profile highlighted three primary awakened abilities: Buffs, Debuffs, and Ice-based elemental powers.
"Can I use them now?"
I sat up, staring intently at my own palm. I held my breath, focusing my intent on the center of my hand.
FWSSSP!
With a single, effortless thought, a swirling ball of frost and ice manifested and began to float just above my palm. It felt as natural as moving my own fingers or taking a breath of air. The cold emanating from the ice didn’t even sting my skin.
"..."
I remained perfectly still, a slow, genuine smile spreading across my face. A rush of adrenaline made my pulse race. It was, in a word, cool.
’I really got powers now.’
I experimented further, mentally commanding the ball of ice to shift its shape. It elongated into a needle, then flattened into a disk, responding to my whims with fluid precision. Encouraged, I tested the other two others of Vael’s arsenal: the Buffing and Debuffing abilities.
I could feel a faint, rhythmic pulse of energy emanating from my chest—one that felt like it could sharpen reflexes or sap stamina. While the effects were subtle and weak at this initial stage, the connection was undeniable.
Vael’s powers were exactly as I remembered them from the game.
In the original story, Vael was a fantastic party member for the early game. His ability to tilt the odds of a battle by weakening enemies and strengthening his allies made him an essential companion for dungeon diving and early exploration.
However, the reality of the game’s design was harsh. As the mid-to-late stages arrived, the power ceiling shifted upward. Characters with more specialized, overpowered abilities would inevitably appear, and Vael—whose growth was balanced but modest—would naturally be phased out of the party.
In the grand narrative of the game, his role was specifically tailored to be the protagonist’s stepping stone. He existed to help the players grow stronger during those crucial first steps. His significance beyond that was minimal; he was written as the prototypical, supportive best friend.
"Ah..."
That reminded me. Beyond the "best friend" label, there was a detailed lore section in Vael’s character page that provided his backstory.
"What was it again..."
I closed my eyes, digging through my memories of the hours I had spent reading every bit of flavor text and dialogue in the game just to immerse myself.
*****
It all came back to me.
Vael was born into the Frostguard family, a prestigious, modern-day noble house in this world. But tragedy had struck during a high-stakes gate-clearing mission. Both of his parents had been killed in the ensuing chaos.
As an only child, Vael had been left completely stranded.
Following the disaster, the vultures had circled. Corrupt elders within the family had seized the opportunity to siphon off the remaining resources, leaving the Frostguard legacy in ruins.
Left with nothing but a name and a burning sense of injustice, Vael had fled to avoid being assassinated by those same elders. He had sought out [The Star Academy] not just for the education, but as a sanctuary. He had applied for a scholarship and, against all odds, managed to get in.
His goal was simple and resolute: he was going to claw his way up from the bottom, get stronger, and eventually rebuild his family’s name.
"..."
I sat in the silence of the room, processing the weight of that history.
"For someone with such a heavy backstory, he sure acts a bit goofy and happy in the game."
I mumbled to myself, recalling the countless cutscenes where Vael would laugh off danger or provide comic relief with his energetic, carefree attitude.
"Fuuuhh..."
I let out a long, heavy sigh, trying to clear the heaviness from my chest.
Anyway, I turned my focus back to my current situation.
I had already identified the other two people in this house; Ahri and Cindy.
They’re sisters.
Ahri was the kind lady who had welcomed me to breakfast, and Cindy was the girl who had shared the table. I knew this because I had skimmed through the text messages on Vael’s phone earlier. Ahri had been in constant contact with Vael during his long journey, and she had mentioned Cindy several times.
They belonged to the Blackthorne family. Their mother had been a close friend of Vael’s mother.
And, tragically, the cycle of loss repeated itself; their parents had died in the same gate-clearing disaster as Vael’s. Like him, they had been left alone.
Their family wasn’t of noble rank; they functioned more like a knightly house or a long-standing vassal family sworn to the Frostguards.
Vael had reached out to them in a moment of desperation, knowing they lived within proximity to [The Star Academy].
Ahri then understood his plight because they were in the exact same position. They had taken him in, offering him a roof over his head when he had nowhere else to turn.
That was the reason why Vael, or I, was here.
"..."
I rubbed my tired eyes, feeling the sheer volume of information threaten to overwhelm me.
"Two months, huh."
According to the official notification from the academy, school would begin in two months.
And when school started... so does the game’s story.
"I need to get ready."
For now, I decided to spend my limited time in preparing myself.