Cursed heir-Fool

The winds howled and battered against the house, rain pouring down relentlessly as I cried out throughout the night. My frail body weakened, cheeks sunken, and stomach growling loudly.

Gurrrr-----gurrr--

Down the dimly lit hallway, tired maids with dark bags under their eyes cursed me for keeping them awake.

"Why are we stuck with him? Just looking at him gives me chills. He cried all night and didn't stop until morning."

"This baby is cursed. No wonder the patriarch won't see him, even though he's his son," a maid whispered, her voice trembling with superstition.

"Even the young miss avoids him. At such a tender age, she understands such complexities. Can't blame them, considering he's responsible for the demise of the lady of the house."

"Shh, if word gets out that she died giving birth to him, the people outside will despise him," cautioned another maid, glancing around nervously.

"Hmph, who cares? Look at his blood-red eyes and white hair, as if he resembles a devil's incarnation. Throughout the Nightshade family's history, there has never been a child with white hair. He is a devil's incarnation," added a third, fueling the superstitious gossip.

At that moment, the butler entered the room, his stern presence quieting the murmurs. "All of you, stop slacking off and take care of the young master's needs, or else you will witness the patriarch's wrath," he admonished them. Internally, he sighed, looking at me in the cradle. With a measured expression, he turned away, knowing the challenges that lay ahead for the child born under such ominous circumstances.

Oblivious to the judgmental whispers, I lay in the cradle, tiny fists clenched, as if holding onto the fragility of my existence.

My delicate heartbeat echoed the resilience of a spirit yet to be broken. While maids continued their hushed conversation, a soft breeze rustled the curtains, casting a faint shadow over the cradle. The air in the room seemed to hold its breath, uncertain of the fate woven into the fabric of my newborn life.

Though I couldn't comprehend the language, I felt as if I knew it bit by bit from the information I carried. Until now, I realized that in this world too, I couldn't protect my mother, feeling utterly powerless.

Simultaneously, the resemblance of this person was uncanny—a striking similarity with my mother. The words she spoke at the end made my heart quiver with emotions of despair and love.

And if this shock wasn't enough for me, what made my world tremble was the mention of the Nightshade family.

'No, that can't be true, have I been reincarnated as 'Orion Nightshade,' the laughingstock of the Nightshade family famously called the 'fool' of the Nightshades.' I shivered at the thought.

"Orion... I am Orion Nightshade; there's no way this can be a coincidence. Am I dreaming? NO, that can't be. Then why was I reincarnated into the novel 'PANDORA,' and more importantly, why did Orion's mom have such an uncanny resemblance to my mom?"

After pondering for a while, I realized, 'Is there a relation between me and Orion? Or more specifically, why was it that I reincarnated in a fantasy world? Am I a pawn in someone's grand schemes like in those Iseki novels or Am I a free bird blessed by some ancient gods? "

"Bullshit, even if I were summoned by some ancient god, I should've been able to meet him when I first came to this world."

And just as I was in a trans "Argh... My head hurts" 

From the roof, a huge black spatial crack out of which a gigantic dark eyeball emerged, and time itself stopped. A muffled and coursing voice was transmitted,

'Rain, if you are able to hear me, then that means the world in my timeline has ended. I don't have much time to explain about me because the fate's shackles are hunting for me. Remember one thing: the future has changed. Don't believe the novel, not even ***** It is a trap Rain. Trust none, lest the world shall meet its ultimate doom. I hope you can succeed at least this time ar...'

Before he could complete his statement, a large number of chains came and chained the huge eyeball, and space distorted, and my vision blurred away.

'Was it me from the future timeline? But my intuition tells me it's not me. Then who could this person be who knows my name, more specifically, my soul's name? Did what he say actually true, or is this a huge conspiracy, and am a pawn dancing at his will.'

'Interesting development we have here. So the world ends, but that wasn't a surprise to me. But the concern is that just what did he mean when he said that the world will meet its ultimate doom? In the novel, Peter and his group sacrificed their lives to protect the rest of the world.'

'Don't tell me Peter manipulated the world behind the world and led it to its doom. He had the power to do it, but he lacks the motive; he would rather prefer to live with his harem on an island.'

'The only other thing that currently comes to my mind is: what if the last boss isn't actually the last boss? Maybe there may be multiple last bosses or maybe a hidden boss or maybe Peter is a puppet under some other strong hidden person.'

''Oops, guess from a romantic novel it turned into a mystery novel. Might as well add some of my R 18 fighting scenes to make it perfect.''

'But if I were to save the world, I could've been reincarnated as anyone, but why Orion Nightshade in specific? There doesn't seem to be any similarity in our personalities or our background... Wait.'

But one thing overlapped in both of our lives—the death of our mothers, leading to a miserable future.

'Its like the two events are controlled by fate and going against it might have adverse consequences, the only way I can think to counter it would be to accumulate every source of power that I can obtain to strengthen, As a saying said by a famous budding author<just stay>(self-promotion).

"Become so strong, that gods become irrelevant in your presence, that's when you'll can break fate's shackles."

"But what did we do to even deserve such a fate, to be pawns of the world? No! I won't let fate control me and ruin my life again. Instead, I'm going to be the puppeteer who makes the whole plot of 'PANDORA' dance for me like a marionette."

"Bu... bu... bu.... bubububu," I laughed aloud with a determined glint in my eyes, translating it as, "I will conquer the world."

"You were right. This baby is a devil. Look at his smile, devil!" the maids continued to gossip among themselves.

As I drifted into slumber, the weight of my cursed existence pressed upon me. Dreams danced in the shadows, carrying the echoes of betrayal and a burning desire for power that would shape my journey in the waking world. Each heartbeat echoed the uncertainty of a destiny intertwined with dark secrets and ancient vendettas.