Seven days.
That's all I had left.
How do I know that?
Because in the original novel, Thorns of the Black Crown, Noah Drakopoulos dies at the end of Chapter 5. Quietly. Off-page. Barely worth a mention.
The kind of death no reader cries over. The kind of death I used to skim past.
But this time… It's mine.
No — his. Noah's. No, me since I'm Noah now.
Because here's the truth: Noah Drakopoulos is dead. His soul, whatever made him him, is gone.
And me?
I'm Marcus Martin. Twenty-three. Ramen philosopher. Failed writer. Fanboy of a grimdark light novel that should've just been escapism. Now it's a prison.
I didn't just wake up in Noah's body like some cozy transmigration story. I died — really, truly died — and opened my eyes in his dying flesh. His heart was slowing. His lungs were collapsing. And I took over at the last moment, gasping like a newborn.
Noah's last thoughts aren't even clear. A whisper. A sense of peace. A name I didn't recognize. Then nothing. Just an empty shell.
So no, this isn't some soul fusion or magical possession. I'm not sharing space with him.
I am the only one left.
That morning, I sat in my dorm room staring at the sliver of sunlight slicing through my window. The academy bell hadn't rung yet. The campus was still quiet.
But in my head, alarms were blaring.
—Seven days.
In seven days, I was supposed to die. Illness. Poison. Curse. No one knew for sure — not even the wiki nerds. Noah just disappeared from the story, and no one barely noticed.
So if I wanted to live… I'd need a plan.
Step 1: Understand the Body
I stood, slowly. My body — Noah's body — was fragile. Thin wrists. Shaky legs. A magical core that felt like it had been shattered and glued back together. No wonder he was always bedridden.
But something was changing.
I wasn't coughing up blood anymore.
The dizziness had lessened. And at night, I could feel… something moving beneath my skin. Like a spark trying to reignite.
Maybe it was the ring Lioragave me. Maybe my soul was just different.
Either way, I was getting stronger.
Step 2: Map the Danger
I tore out a blank page from my notebook and started writing:
"Death in 7 days."
Classes that week: Strategy, Magical Theory, Dueling (avoid sparring).
Known threats: Silas Dregan (violent, lightning magic).Arkanos (manipulating events behind the scenes).
Unknowns: Elira Thorne (blindfolded professor — Seer? Mind reader?). Queen Seraphine (dreams of the future?). Ava-line? Princess? Still a non-threat… for now.
I circled one name twice:
Ren O'Shae.
Silent. Dangerous. Cursed. No magic signature.
The novel never said much about him. But the fandom whispered theories: that he was a demon hunter. That he once fought Arkanos and lived.
Maybe… just maybe… he could help.
Step 3: Don't Draw Attention
I needed to survive, not shine.
So in class, I raised my hand only once.
When Professor Halwin asked about battlefield placement, I quoted a line from the novel word-for-word — something Noah should've never known. He squinted at me like I'd grown a second head.
Oops.
Step 4: Find the Point of Divergence
Noah's death in the novel was vague. But the timing wasn't. One week after school begins, he collapses. Found alone. Cause unknown.
Was it an attack?
An accident?
Or did someone make sure Noah never had a chance to grow?
I needed answers.
So I wrote a single word across my notebook in thick ink:
–"WHY?"
At lunch, I sat across from Bennett Gorran — cheerful, talkative, and friendly.
He tilted his head. "You okay, Noah? You look like you're solving a murder case."
I smiled tightly.
"I think I might be the victim."
He blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Just tired."
But I wasn't tired.
I was terrified.
Because this world wasn't fiction anymore.
It was teeth and lies and blood and fate. And I was a side character clinging to the margins of a story that didn't care if I lived or died.
But if there's one thing Marcus Martin knows how to do… it's read between the lines.
And this time?
I'm going to rewrite my ending.
End of Chapter 5