JACKAL AMONG SNAKES - Chapter 16: Firebrand and the Cat

“Any who don the title of 'king' or anything of the sort in my presence is nothing more than an ignorant fool. This is my land and I shall be reclaiming it soon. I am Cacophony, the Vampire Empress!”As those words left her lips, every cell in my body reacted. It was unreal—no, it was otherworldly. Her beauty, her power, and her overwhelming arrogance. It might've been then that I realized that my normal life had ended.How did it come to this?Ah, it was curiosity. Yes, a deathly curiosity brought me to that graveyard that day.It was there that I stumbled upon her coffin. I had absolutely no clue what I was doing then, and even now I have no idea what possessed me to touch it—that single moment changed the course of history for the entire world. I found myself delving into a completely unknown world.Should I regret it? Maybe. But the truth is, I don't.Exploring the world’s hidden secrets, forging unexpected bonds, and living alongside the revived empress—it’s exciting.“Even if it's wrong, I think I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.”

Arthur Blackwynd didn’t expect to survive the strange and terrifying event that happened at sea. Even less did he expect to wake up in the DC Universe a world he’d only ever read about in comics.Armed with the Shadow Monarch System,the ability that grants him control over shadows and an undead army, Arthur is both awed by his new reality. As a lifelong comic geek, he knows the heroes and villains like the back of his hand Haunted by questions of why he’s here, Arthur struggles to find his purpose. Will he embrace the darker side of his newfound powers and become a villain, or will his sense of justice lead him down a different, unpredictable path?“why the likes of Raven seems to be watching my every move?” In a world full of gods, monsters, and legends, Arthur must decide who he will become and what role he’ll play in shaping the fate of the DC Universe.

He was very happy to be reborn, but why was he sixteen again, he can’t bear to look back at that time.

Why does he return to being sixteen years old, yet still meet Doomsday?

It’s alright to encounter the end of the world, so why did he have to fall in love with someone?

Even if he falls in love with another person, why did it have to be a man?

Falling in love with a man is also alright, so why did it need to be a secret one-sided love?

Even a secret and unrequited love is alright, so why is that man his….

- Description from Novelupdates

Everything was going so well. It was the perfect path toward greatness.