Long corridors, padded red carpets, giant arched windows, candles flickering with white flames, high vaulted ceilings, countless chandeliers made of gold, and droves of students with wide eyes and open mouths currently surveyed every inch of the academy’s walls.

I was no different, having to make an effort to keep my jaw from dropping in awe, since seeing something I vaguely remembered reading about all those years ago in the flesh was a bizarre experience.

Lavish was a word I could associate with the place, but extravagant or exotic fit more snugly in my consciousness, my own hands slightly trembling in my pockets while I sauntered down a hallway leading toward the dorm I would be staying at.

The Male dormitories were at the east tower, females dorms at the west tower, classes held at the north tower, events took place at the south tower where the entrance to the academy lay, and finally all staff rooms, storage, and teacher offices were at the central tower.

The layout was simple to remember, but even then, there were countless hallways, open courtyard, cafeterias, silent spaces, mini-gardens, study rooms, and many more for the students to use.

Currently, I was doing my best to match descriptions from parts of the story, but with the novel only using observations like ‘expensive walls of wood, cloud like carpets of crimson, and gilded gold this or that’; it was near impossible to pinpoint exact locations.

Binning the previous idea, I took a moment in my journey to take it all in, the scent of cinnamon a pleasant reprieve from all the chaos that had befallen me this morning.

To think, all of it happened in the span of a few hours, and now my life was going down a route I had no idea would lead.

A place where A Cursed Blessing, a novel I read a week before the day I died and was reborn into, would take place in.

A long exhale escaped my lips, and I glanced at the paper in my hand for a few moments. After a quick talk with one of the staff members earlier, I had gotten my dorm number and my schedule for my classes.

Problem was, along with those previously mentioned things, I was also handed a letter.

To no one’s surprise, it was from the Headmaster, and the contents inside left me confused.

I was given the leeway to fill in the blank of my students profile for what my Gift was. It means that, from what I could concur, only the Headmaster and Miss Violet knew I had a Cursed Blessing.

I could put anything I wanted down, keeping the fact I had [Black Field] a secret. My Gift was a little over powered, and also a bit scary for some. I could see the logic in them giving me the option to keep it a secret.

The ability to be able to bring those ‘Chosen by God’ down from their pedestals would cause chaos to no end, and with this power I was primed for some face slapping if I so choose. On the other hand, people might flock to me begging for my help and other annoying ideas. I really did not mind aiding people, but I did indeed mind being used for nothing more than glorified medication.

I wanted to be a kinder person, someone who genuinely seeks to do good, but it was naive to think I could help everyone.

I looked down at the letter, the description where it said ‘Gift’ with a blank and waiting patiently to be filled in by me.

My grip tightened on paper, causing the corners to crinkle from my hold, and I chewed the inside of my cheek.

‘What to put?’

The decision was too big, the consequences could be drastic, or they could be nothing and I was overthinking things like usual. Perhaps, I should take a few more hours to think it over, but the smug grin on Miss Violet’s face came back to me.

I wanted to mess with her, so I had an inkling of an idea in mind, a Blessing to be precise.

Although, it was something for later, right now I swapped out the letter for a map of the campus grounds, I made doubly sure to triple check where I needed to go before continuing on.

Finally, ten minutes later, I reached the male dormitory.

It was a spacious atrium-like common room. A few stalls mimicking an internet cafe, sofas and bean bags scattered about, tables here and there, an assortment of different things like table tennis, and tall shelves filled with books.

Of course, in Golden Crown Academy fashion, a big ass chandelier illuminated the place from its spot in the midst of a vaulted ceiling.

Wooden arched doors eight feet tall lined the rounded walls of the common room, and with a glance up one could see there were multiple balconies reminiscent of an apartment complex.

I sifted through my things to find my dorm number.

117.

The number struck me as familiar somehow, and not anything about a seven foot helmet wearing hero, but something significant with the story of a Cursed Blessing. I did not have my encrypted notebook with the outline of the story, as I would need to go back home sometime today and get my things.

I also needed to tell my parents about my change of school, and I was sure my Father would be excited while Mother would simply grunt and move on.

There was also my older sister Cider, since she definitely heard my name spoken after the orientation speech by Miss Violet, but after checking my CrystalCell she hasn't texted me yet to inquire why.

She may have gotten dragged by the Student Council to work as she was the head of the Disciplinary committee. I would need to tell her eventually, and I was sure to be scolded in some way or another.

Dropping my roaming thoughts, I made my way to the second floor via a spiraling staircase, eyes looking at the glowing blue numbers above each room to see where I would be staying.

Other male students were also doing the same, but I ignored them and just gave the silent  ‘guy nod’ when occasionally meeting eyes with some.

Finally, after making a half circle, I found the number 117 glowing a bright blue and welcoming me to an unknown future.

I should be more adverse to the idea, but attending such an extravagant academy, mixed in with the fact all the people around me were dollar store superhumans, somewhat excited me.

Then, I heard an exhale of someone seemingly going through the same anticipation I was, and curiosity got the best of me as I turned to look.

A mistake on my part, because I really needed to understand fate was a real thing and how annoying it was.

I watched as a shorter boy around 5’6 turned slowly, short brown hair bouncing slightly as his blue eyes met mine. He smiled wide enough to put a certain teenager who wanted to be the pirate king to shame. He radiated an aura of a guy who gets along with everyone, and would also never get mad no matter how much you wronged him.

“Hey, it seems we are neighbors.”

I wanted to just jump off the railing behind me and hope my death would be instant, but we were only twenty or so feet up.

“My name is Leon, but my friends call me Leo.” He cheekily said through his perfect white teeth.

I grunted, fished my keys out of my pocket, put them in the keyhole and entered my dorm. As the door slammed shut behind me, I heard the faint “Alright then.”, but opted not to care.

I facepalmed, clenched and unclenched my jaw, then took a moment to cement that fact that the protagonist of the novel was only a dorm room away from me.

The happy go lucky, dense, too nice it hurts the soul, and slightly airhead MC Leon Lionsgreat. A man, no teenager, who would not know love even if a truck load of it hit him going eighty. He was the reason for a lot of suffering, but at the same time he was not.

It was too complex of a situation to paint it as black and white, but something inside my head wanted me to walk out my dorm, grab his collar, and shake some sense into him. So many gorgeous girls were gunning for your love with honest intentions and you can’t even see it?

I grumbled, thinking that if there was a last thing I did, it would be to set him straight.

Although, the previous statement meant I had to be friends with him, or at the very least acquaintances.

Who takes advice from a stranger?

Another item on my growing list of things I needed to do or fix. I was definitely going to play second fiddle, but I would do it on my own terms, and it started with the Friendship Club.

No matter how stupid the name was.

A long exhale left those thoughts fade, interest going to the empty 800 square foot dorm room which finally did not have gold plastered to every conceivable place. It was quant, lacking any taste with nothing more than a bed, a dresser, a door leading to a bathroom, and a closet with sliding doors open. 

A slightly large window let one know they were fairly high up, the stone bridge he passed over on his way visible through it.

A breathtaking view, and any hardships I would come to face seemed worth it if I was able to see such a sight everyday. No brick wall of a nearby apartment complex, no dirty alley with trash strewn about, no run down streets with potholes, and no stench of smoke and piss.

This world, Kyriake, was so refreshing.

I was truly thankful, no matter how much I hated to admit it, for whoever let me witness such a world. Although, if I ever met them, I would make sure to complain a fair bit.

My eyes continued to scan, and I saw that Golden Crown Academy uniforms were neatly piled on the cleanly made bed, along with some free school material and a new leather bag with silver linings and buckles.

It fit my taste, so I gladly would take it, not one to waste something free. I nodded and did  another thorough survey of my new living space, then, with nothing else to do I got out my Crystal Cell and dialed my Mother’s number.

It rang twice, to my annoyance, but eventually I heard the familiar cold tone of my Mother.

“What do you want, brat?”

I held back my chuckle, knowing my mom was a Tsundere through and through. She loved her three children dearly, but she would never make it obvious, but it was with how she pampered us with money, trips to amusement parks when we were younger, plenty of toys, and many other things.

“Hey mom, this might sound a bit sudden and out of nowhere, but I am attending Golden Crown Academy now. Surprise.”

Silence came in response, for almost a whole minute I held the phone to my ear waiting, wondering what she would say.

“Good, you need it, maybe Cider can convince you to stop being all by yourself. You really are an idiot, get some friends.”

I could just feel the love, or was it my feeling being hurt? Too hard to tell.

“Yeah, I am trying to be more open, just… “ I shrugged despite her not being able to see me. “Hard to break habits.”

“Yes, it's much easier to break a bone.” Wonderful comparison mother…. “But, I am glad you finally are trying, I was tired of watching you not making meaningful connections. When you get older, even if it is just a phone call every few months, it can mean so much. Life moves fast, and before you know it you will be a wrinkly bag of shit.”

I laughed, knowing well about the few parts at the beginning of her lesson. I was relatively young when I died, so I was sure some things had escaped my experience, but still. I was only twenty two when I had a truck run me over, but damn did I learn beforehand what taxes did to a person, the moments you honestly wanted to just quit everything and travel the world, or the times spent scrolling through social media seeing how successful people who had no right to be were, contemplating if anything you were doing was right.

However, I wanted to make memories, just like the protagonist of A Cursed Blessing did. I wanted to be the old man who said ‘back in my day’, or have a call with a friend where you said that special phrase ‘remember when’.

I smiled, something that I rarely did genuinely, a good feeling actually.

“Thanks mom, I love you.”

I heard a tongue click, “Whatever.”

She hung up, but I knew later she would text me she loved me too, or send a surprise gift to lift my mood.

God, Tsunderes were hard to deal with, but they still were quite amusing in the end.

I pocketed my Crystal Cell, took one more glance around my room, then grabbed the paper that had my student profile. Taking a pen from the provided school supplies, I wrote what I wanted my Gift to be.

When I could truly trust someone, I would let them know what it really is, unlike Leon the protagonist who cared little and told everyone.

[Lady Luck’s Love], a Cursed Blessing which made it where Leon gives people he cares for good luck. He also, naturally, was lucky himself.

He won every coin flip, every rock paper scissors game, and would get ‘lucky’ when things would go wrong and come out relatively unscathed.

Every. Single. Time.

His Gift should be called [Plot Armor] instead, but now that the world was real, maybe he might finally get a healthy dose of what every other character got for once.

Probably not, but one could hope, specifically me.

I glanced down at my student profile, my almost emotionless face unsmiling in the picture provided for it. Golden eyes dull despite their color, and mouth dropped into a whisper of a frown.

I shrugged, and since I filled out my Gift spot, I headed out of my dorm.

With a small kick of my heel the door shut, but not but a second later the door next to me also shut, and I turned quickly to get as far away as possible before someone could use their protagonist's aura to rope me in.

“Hey, I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Leon appeared next to me, face closer than comfortable as he glanced at me. “Is there anything I did to upset you, if so let me know and we can talk about it ya’?”

Kill me, how could anyone just be this nice by default? I never knew the sun would have any competition, but here I was walking with the new record holder.

“Sorry, just a little tired.” I would shoot for being neutral, and sit comfortably on the fence to observe both sides before making a choice.

“Ah!” Leon nodded, his signature smile appearing on his face as he patted my shoulder, “That I can understand, Though for me it is because of my seven sisters, they can be a little too overbearing.”

I glanced at the hand on my shoulder, sending him a very bombastic side eye and deciding it was not worth the effort to tell him he was being the same way.

“Where ya headed?” He asked.

“Central tower, need to drop off something to one of the teachers.”

Leon nodded along to my words as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, no hidden malice detected in any of his actions. He then suddenly snapped his fingers, and I swore a lightbulb appeared above his head.

“I’m going there too.” He produced a letter from only God knows where. “The Headmaster wants to meet me for some reason.”

Oh yeah, this happened in the novel. He would go to the central tower, enter the dark and empty Headmaster’s office only to find another letter on a desk There, the letter would ask if he wanted to use his Cursed Blessing to help people. Predictably, he would circle yes, the letter would go up in flames, and the mystery of the Headmaster would be officially introduced.

Next, the novel would fast forward to Leon going to bed, having a nightmare, and then waking up to start the first day of school.

It was a little weird, to see the in-between scenes of the novel that were not described outright. In a sense, only the juicer bits were told, since A Cursed Blessing was a slice of life romance light novel.

Not every action or interaction they made was described, which meant a lot of new territory I had no idea how to navigate.

“Not much of a talker?” Leon asked, eyes not on me as he scanned the male dormitory’s common room with squinted eyes. “You would get along with Laura really well, she only reads books and doesn't talk to anyone.”

Right, he had seven sisters, six older and one younger.

Next year, just like my sister, Laura will attend the academy.

“I don’t have much to say I guess, never been one for small talk.” I said as we went down the spiral staircase and onto the ground floor.

“Fair enough. However, as your newly made friend you can talk to me about anything. We are dorm neighbors afterall.”

A friend?

That sounded… horrible.

“You aren’t my friend, you don't even know my name?” I countered and looked at him to see his usual shit eating grin falter just an inch.

“Oh my gosh, you are right!” My ears, please don’t scream I am literally two feet away from you. “Can I have it, of course if I am being too pushy just tell me and uh… I don’t really know? Hug it out?”

I contemplated for a few moments, thinking deeply about how I wanted to interact with the man who caused so much pain unintentionally. He was a good guy, just misguided and missing a few stat points in WIS or INT. 

If I brushed him off, it may cause him to be more interested in me. So, as civil as I could, I gave him my professional work smile and nodded.

“Cade. My name is Cade.”

For some reason, silence hung over us after I spoke, our footsteps thudding on the carpet as we walked. Most students had already had their honeymoon phase with the academy’s architecture and grandier, so there were no screams and squeals of amazement to break up the heavy silence.

The hallways were mostly quiet, and I assumed that Leon was okay with it, well until I looked over and saw him hit a fist against his open palm like he just made a decision that would cause me headaches to no end.

“Your smile.” He turned to me. “It was fake, and as your new buddy, I think my first mission is to make you genuinely smile.”

I raised a brow at the declaration, “Why? You barely know me?”

He smiled, I was already exhausted seeing it so much, and he patted my shoulder again.

“As your friend, It’s my duty to help you. Are you in Class C?”

Thankfully, I could find some reprieve in my answer, “Class B.”

He seemed to deflate from my answer, like I had just killed his puppy and made a kebab out of it and then proceeded to eat it in front of him. His arms crossed, he titled his head, and then seemingly sunk himself into his thoughts.

I matched the idea, swirling thoughts in my mind at what was to come and what had happened so far.

Honestly, it wasn’t that bad, I looked forward to the future for once in my life.

I got this.