The final exam bell echoed through the lecture hall.

For a moment, the room fell silent.

Then chairs scraped against the floor, papers rustled, and relieved sighs filled the air.

"It's finally over!"

"I swear that last question was impossible."

"Who's coming out to eat?"

Laughter surrounded him as students poured out of the classroom in groups.

He slipped his pen into his bag and stretched his stiff shoulders.

"...Finally."

A smile, small but genuine, appeared on his face.

Months of assignments, presentations, and sleepless nights had finally come to an end.

Unlike his classmates, he didn't have plans to celebrate.

There was only one place he wanted to go.

The bookstore.

Today was the release date of the second volume of his favorite novel—the one he'd been waiting months to read.

If he was lucky, there would still be copies left.

Adjusting the strap of his backpack, he left the university and made his way toward the bookstore a few blocks away.

The familiar chime above the entrance greeted him as he stepped inside.

The scent of freshly printed books instantly put him at ease.

His eyes wandered across the shelves until—

"There you are."

A brand-new stack of novels sat neatly on display.

His eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, he picked up a copy, gently running his fingers over the glossy cover.

"I finally got you."

He smiled to himself before heading to the cashier.

Book safely tucked inside a paper bag, he stopped by a nearby convenience store and bought a vanilla ice cream.

It wasn't anything special.

But after surviving finals, he decided he deserved a small reward.

The afternoon sun wasn't too harsh as he walked home, enjoying the quiet streets with his novel in one hand and melting ice cream in the other.

For the first time in weeks...

Life felt peaceful.

He hummed softly as he walked, occasionally glancing at the novel tucked safely inside the paper bag.

Just one more street, and he'd be home.

A lazy afternoon.

Nothing unusual.

Nothing worth remembering.

Or so he thought.

As he passed a narrow alley, the sound of a child laughing caught his attention.

A little boy, no older than five or six, was chasing a bright red ball while his mother spoke on the phone a few steps behind.

The ball bounced once.

Twice.

Then rolled out of the alley and toward the road.

The child's eyes lit up.

"My ball!"

Without waiting for his mother, the boy ran after it.

Everything seemed to slow.

A horn blared.

His head snapped toward the sound.

A car was speeding down the road.

The mother finally looked up.

Her face drained of color.

"NO!"

The boy froze in the middle of the street, clutching the ball against his chest.

There wasn't enough time.

Not for the driver to stop.

Not for anyone nearby to react

His ice cream slipped from his hand, landing on the pavement with a dull splat.

His shopping bag followed.

Before his mind could catch up...

His body was already moving.

The world became a blur of shouting voices.

"Call an ambulance!"

"The child is safe..."

"Someone saved him..."

Elias lay on the cold pavement, staring at the unfamiliar sky above him.

His body felt heavy.

Pain spread through him, but strangely, his mind was calm.

The child's crying reached his ears.

Good.

That meant he was alive.

His fingers loosened.

The paper bag beside him fell open, revealing the corner of the novel he had waited months for.

A small, helpless smile appeared on his face.

"At least..."

His voice was barely a whisper.

"I got it."

The voices around him slowly faded.

"What's his name?" someone asked.

A stranger picked up the student ID that had fallen from his bag.

"Elias."

They looked at the picture.

"His name is Elias."

The name disappeared into the noise of the crowd.

And that was the last thing the world knew about him.

Until he opened his eyes again.

Darkness.

That was the first thing Elias felt.

Not pain.

Not fear.

Only silence.

A deep, endless silence that made him wonder if this was what death truly felt like.

No sound.

No warmth.

No sense of time.

Then—

A voice reached him.

"Young Master..."

The voice was gentle, yet filled with worry.

"Please open your eyes."

Elias frowned slightly.

Young Master?

The words sounded unfamiliar.

His mind searched for an answer.

Who was that?

Where was he?

Then suddenly—

A memory.

A road.

A child.

A speeding car.

The sound of people shouting.

The cold feeling of the ground beneath him.

His breathing stopped.

He remembered.

He had died.

So why...

Why was someone calling his name like he still belonged somewhere?

Slowly, his eyes opened.

The first thing he saw was a ceiling decorated with unfamiliar patterns.

Dark wood.

Elegant carvings.

A crystal light glowing softly above him.

Beautiful.

But strange.

This wasn't a hospital.

Before he could understand anything, a voice called out.

"Young Master!"

A woman hurried toward him.

She looked older, elegant, and composed, but the relief in her eyes was impossible to hide.

"You are awake..."

Elias stared at her.

He didn't know this woman.

Yet something about her presence made him strangely uncomfortable.

Not because she frightened him.

Because a part of him felt calm.

Like his body recognized something his mind couldn't.

"Who are you...?"

His voice was weak.

The woman's expression froze for a moment.

"Elias..."

She whispered his name.

Before she could say more, another person entered.

A man.

Tall.

Powerful.

His presence filled the room without effort.

But the moment his eyes landed on Elias, his expression softened.

"My son."

Elias froze.

Son?

A strange feeling passed through him.

Something he couldn't explain.

Before he could respond, the man immediately stepped closer.

Then stopped.

Like he remembered something.

The woman beside him also stopped.

Elias noticed it.

They wanted to approach him.

But they held themselves back.

"Don't come too close," the woman said quietly.

Not because she didn't want to.

Because she was worried.

Elias looked at them in confusion.

---

The doctor arrived soon after.

After examining him carefully, the room became quiet.

The doctor looked at the results before speaking.

"His awakening has begun."

The family immediately focused on him.

"Awakening?"

The doctor nodded.

"Young Master Elias is nineteen. His body has reached the stage where his bloodline begins to fully mature."

Elias listened silently.

Bloodline?

Awakening?

The words sounded like something from a fantasy story.

The doctor continued.

"Given the Ardent family's lineage, this reaction was expected sooner or later."

The room became more serious.

"His first Dominant Omega awakening has started."

Elias looked at them.

Omega.

He still didn't fully understand what that meant.

But everyone else seemed to know.

"His pheromones are stronger than ordinary Omegas," the doctor explained.

"Because he is a Dominant Omega, his awakening is more intense."

The man's expression immediately changed.

"Will he be alright?"

"Yes."

The doctor answered.

"But his senses will be heightened. Emotional changes are also normal during this period."

He glanced toward the family.

"And because both of his parents possess strong pheromone compatibility, and his brother is also an Enigma, staying too close for long periods may overwhelm him."

The family became quiet.

They understood.

They weren't leaving because they didn't care.

They were leaving because they cared too much.

"We will follow your instructions," the man said.

The doctor nodded.

"Three days. Once his awakening stabilizes, normal contact can resume."

---

Later that evening, Elias was alone.

The room was large.

Too large.

Everything around him belonged to someone else.

Or perhaps...

Someone he had forgotten.

He walked toward the mirror.

And stopped.

The person looking back at him was familiar.

But different.

It was still his face.

His eyes.

His features.

But softer.

More refined.

His skin appeared almost flawless, with a natural brightness he had never seen on himself before.

His appearance carried a strange elegance.

A beauty that didn't feel fragile, but instead unusual and captivating.

His body was also different.

Not unfamiliar.

Just changed.

There was a softness to his figure that made him look unlike the person he remembered being.

For a moment, he simply stared.

"Is this really me?"

The reflection gave no answer.

Only a quiet reminder that something impossible had happened.

---

Elias sat beside the window.

He tried to organize his thoughts.

He had died.

Then he woke up here.

There was a family who called him their son.

A doctor who spoke about things that sounded impossible.

And a world where people had traits he had only ever read about in fiction.

A ridiculous thought crossed his mind.

Could it really be...

A transmigration?

He almost laughed.

A situation like this only happened in novels.

Yet here he was.

Living through one.

But something bothered him.

The way they looked at him.

The way they worried.

The way they said his name.

It didn't feel like they were looking at a stranger.

It felt like they were waiting for someone they loved to return.

Elias lowered his gaze.

"I don't understand..."

A small ache appeared in his chest.

Not pain.

Something else.

Something he couldn't name.

Outside the room, his family waited patiently.

Elias lowered his gaze.

"I don't understand..."

The feeling in his chest remained.

Not pain.

Something unfamiliar.

Before he could figure it out, there was a soft knock on the door.

The doctor entered, followed by a servant who carried a tray of medicine.

"Your family has been informed," the doctor said gently. "They had to leave temporarily."

Elias looked up.

"Leave?"

The servant lowered her head.

"Master Ardent and Madam Ardent have an urgent business matter overseas. The company cannot wait. Young Master Lucian also had to return to handle his own responsibilities."

Elias was quiet.

So they had left.

Strangely, he didn't feel abandoned.

Instead, he felt a faint sense of disappointment he couldn't explain.

The doctor noticed his expression.

"They wanted to stay longer, but your condition is stable. We will be here throughout your recovery."

Elias nodded slowly.

A family he didn't remember.

A home he didn't recognize.

And yet...

For some reason, he felt like he had just watched people who cared about him walk away.

He looked out the window at the unfamiliar world beyond.

"What kind of place is this...?"