The red warm liquid was splattered on the road. A heart-shaped box filled with cookies was crushed down by the tire of the truck that ran over.

A cute azure ribbon wafting on the pavement was stymied by a pool of blood of a person who was hit by the truck just a minute ago.

It was a hit-and-run. The people on the street started crowding around the injured man.

Some kind person called the ambulance and it arrived there with its loud sirens along with the police.

A police officer saw the student ID card beside the injured person and read it.

"Deimos Astaroth, second year in business management, Ravaryn University."

As soon as the crowd heard the information there were loud gasps and pitiful looks directed towards the student as they felt bad that such a cruel thing happened to a young man like him who had a bright future ahead.

Paramedics carried him on a stretcher into the ambulance. One of them got the hold of the student's phone which had a broken display due to the impact.

"The student's phone is broken, call the University to inform his guardian about his situation. He doesn't have much time," a person instructed.

"Still we have to try our best to keep him conscious till we reach the hospital, he is just a kid."

A concerned voice of another paramedic was heard. The others nodded and started giving emergency first aid to him.

>>>Uh... Mother Amaya will cry rivers if she hears the news of my death... right?

>>>Will anyone attend my funeral besides Mother Amaya?

Amidst all that, Deimos Astaroth sighed as he smiled, and closed his eyes getting tired of everything for an eternal sleep.

He had no will to live even though the people surrounding him now were hustling and bustling to keep him alive.

He deeply inhaled and exhaled for one last time as his soul departed from his body and dissipated after having a last glance at the cadaver that he lived in all this time.

The Paramedics looked at each other downhearted as they sensed he was dead.

He smiled and bowed at them for their hopeless hard work in his final moments.

Even though death knocked on his door so abruptly he didn't regret dying as he had lost all his hope to live.

The only thing he lamented was he couldn't see his Mother Amaya, the guardian of the orphanage for one last time.

Nevertheless, he was content that at least he confessed his pitiable love and did his part to progress the story of the novel...

... - That was what he thought until he was stopped on the way to the heavenly office to proceed with the reincarnations of his life and got a heavy flick on his forehead by a person who looked like his doppelganger.

"What the fuck are you so satisfied about, for you to be smiling like a fool when you didn't even live the life for yourself, huh?"

Deimos Astaroth rubbed the sting on his forehead and looked at his replica scolding him out of nowhere.

"Who... are you? Are you... me? Or someone who looks like me?"

He sighed, "Is that necessary now? Fuck it, let me tell you, I am you from past life who read the novel and got reincarnated into it."

"You are... my past self? How is that possible?"

"Let me break it down to you so that your peanut brain can grasp the situation. I am the moral conscience of your soul and I am now furious at the choices you made to ruin your life."

"My moral conscience...?"

"Yes, that's right. That cunning God seized our memories before reincarnating us into the novel. And you fucking idiot without knowing it accepted the fate given by God and choose to be an Extra in the life of others rather than rebelling and going against your fate to become the protagonist of your life."

The duplicate of him fumed.

"Thanks to my cunning brain, at the last moment I sensed something wrong and left a part of my soul in here just in case something happens and see I was right, ugh!"

"What would have happened if I wasn't here to stop you? You would have left to proceed through reincarnations like an obedient puppet just like that God wanted, dammit!"

Deimos Astaroth was rendered speechless after hearing him.

"So, you are telling me I can be the main lead of my life but due to the fate I didn't go against I have become the extra in someone else's story?"

"Bullseye! And you crazy fucker didn't even realize that and gave up all the hope and died so miserably and now what? You are satisfied being an extra in another's story? You Corn Nuts!"

"Alright, stop cursing me. But what can I do? It's not like I wanted all this to happen to us. I wanted to live a happy life too... I wanted to love someone, and have a family but what can we do now? So, I just accepted my fate."

"That's just why I am angry at you, Dagnabbit! Don't accept the fate. We still have one more life to live. So, tell me are you up for it? To swim against the God-woven web and live for your... our sake...?"

Deimos looked down for a moment and recalled all the moments of his life from when he became aware of his senses to his last breath.

He felt empty and full of regrets. He thought he gave up all his hope but now that he thought about it, he never lived for himself.

To summarise, his life was either being chased away by people he hoped to become family with or chasing the person whom he thought would become his family in the future if he succeeded in his confession.

He was running all his life without any rest pursuing something worthless. It was just a wild goose chase.

If he had just put some effort into seeking something he had an interest in rather than following his crush and studying something that was not his forte, maybe his life wouldn't be so miserable.

He took a deep breath before exhaling and looked up with new-gained determination.

"If I... we have another life to live the way we want then why not? I am up for it. Let's go against our destiny as an extra in another's story and become the protagonist of our lives."

The other half of him smiled, proudly.

"I know you will choose this. This time I will be with you in this," He pushed Deimos and screamed,

"REMEMBER THIS AND NEVER FORGET!"

Deimos was falling down in an endless space as he heard his moral conscience's scream,

"You are the main character of your life and no one else. Do everything you want and work hard to find what brings you happiness, got it?"

Deimos nodded placing his hand on his chest with a smile,

"Yes, I will be the main character of my life. I won't be an extra anymore."

✧∘*WHOOSH~ ೃ ⋆｡˚.

He jolted and opened his eyes and saw his Mother Amaya holding his hand with tears in her eyes.

>>>Am I alive...? But...

He looked around and was shocked,

>>>Why am I not in the hospital but in the orphanage I used to live in and this room is my room when I was six years old...

Mother Amaya brushed his hair and cupped his face.

"Deimos, do you know how worried I was?"

She showered him with kisses of worry.

>>>Is it just me... or is Mother Amaya looking young?

Deimos Astaroth was in utter confusion until he noticed his small hands and saw his reflection in the mirror in front of him.

>>>Am I reborned, or did I time travel?...

He paused for good one minute before his brain started processing again.

>>>I thought I had to continue my life when he said I have another chance to live. I never thought I had to live my life from the start again...

Mother Amaya hugged him.

"Don't scare me like this again, Deimos. I thought I had lost you. Why did you jump into the lake behind to bring me a lotus? I never asked for one."

That was when Deimos understood exactly the timeline of his life.

>>>It was when those crazy idiots said that Mother Amaya asked for a lotus flower and when I bent to pluck it they pushed me and ran away... I almost drowned to death at that time.

>>>If not for Mother Amaya who heard my screams for help from her office and ran to rescue me... I would have said goodbye to the world that day.

Deimos hugged her back.

"I am sorry for worrying you, Mother Amaya. I will never do anything like this again, I promise."

Mother Amaya embraced him warmly with tears in her eyes.

"You promised, Deimos. Don't do things that give me heart attacks. I want you to grow up healthy and lead a happy life, okay?"

"Yes, Mother Amaya. I will do just as you say."

Deimos smiled as he snuggled in her warmth.

>>>This is my second chance. Even though this is a novel that surrounds around the main leads, I will go against it and become the protagonist of my life, no matter what...

Deimos Astaroth made an oath to himself that day.

His resolve persisted and he became a fine young man in six-teens.

All these years he taught the bullies in the orphanage a lesson.

Stopped his adaptation cycle before it started convincing Mother Amaya that he didn't need a family and that he just wanted to focus on his career.

Mother Amaya was reluctant at first but seeing his strong resolution, she conceded.

He joined the school, although he was not good at studies in his past life he worked hard so that knowledge helped him in becoming a top student in his this life.

It was a cheat skill that he obtained through the persistence of his past life to get into the same university as Evren.

In the end, the morals, 'Knowledge is never wasted' and 'Hard work never goes in vain' became true.

Not only that, his interest in athletics and arts which was his forte that he ignored completely in his past life to chase after his crush made him popular not only in the school but in the whole Ravaryn with the nickname 'Renaissance Demon With Golden Hands.'

As he was top in academics, he was excellent in all arts such as singing, dancing, painting, and many more.

He was also wanted by the P.E. teachers as he was outstanding in martial arts and sports.

He was then recommended as a national-level soccer player and was easily admitted into the Riceyeras International School in Ravaryn with a scholarship.

His popularity reached its peak there as he became the captain of the soccer team and led many games to win.

All the entertainment companies lined up in front of his school to scout him as their trainee idol due to his mesmerizing looks and awe-inspiring talents.

The dean of Riceyeras international school even appointed a security team just for Deimos to protect him from all those companies and to let him focus on his studies and soccer.

That was when Deimos realized that in his past life, he was a swan trying to prove his worth to a wrong flock of ducks thinking that he was an ugly duckling.

He completed high school and finally entered the National University of Ravaryn where he met his lifelong crush Evren.

Deimos thought he had forgotten his feelings for him but seeing him again ignited his love for him in his heart.

But as he knew Evren would eventually end up loving Farris according to the novel's storyline, he didn't want to be heartbroken once more so he decided to ignore the elder.

"Oyy!!"

Deimos was in a deep thought when he saw Evren passing by in the corridor when he heard his senior in the soccer team and also his only friend, Nawel Mavros who was three years older than him, shouting.

"Brother Nawel,"

Deimos smiled which didn't reach his eyes.

"You just stepped inside the University and you are already having trouble? What's with that sour face? What happened, tell me."

Nawel asked as he ruffled the younger's hair with a gummy smile on his face.

Deimos's heart calmed down after seeing his smile.

"I was thinking... to break up a couple that are destined to be soulmates for my love. What do you think, Brother Nawel? Should I do it or not?"

Nawel paused for a moment at that question. His left eyebrow raised,

"A couple destined to be soulmates, huh?"

Deimos nodded with a serious expression on his face expecting some good advice from his brother when,

"Are they..." Nawel paused.

Deimos was looking forward to what his brother was going to say next,

"...perhaps werewolves or something?" Nawel questioned.

Deimos wanted to bang his head on the pillar next to him for assuming that Nawel would answer him normally.

"Bro~~~!"

Deimos whined as Nawel started laughing holding his stomach.

"Then what? Destined to be soulmates, my foot! If they're not some werewolves in a fanfiction tied by fictional sacred red threads, there is no couple in this world like that."

He added, "And Deimos, for heaven's sake, stop reading all those fictional novels in your spare time, you are becoming such a delulu!"

"Brother Nawel~~ ...it's not that, ugh!" Deimos sulked.

"If it's not that then tell me who is the person that you love so much that you want to break this 'couple destined to be soulmates', my little demon,"

Nawel asked, mimicking Deimos's previous serious expression when he asked him the question.

Deimos pouted, "I am not telling you, go away."

Nawel chuckled, "Aw, is my little demon upset? Bother is sorry, okay? Now tell me who is that lucky person who stole your invaluable heart?"

"He is a third year at this University," Deimos replied, shyly.

"Third year, huh? That would be my junior then. Which department?" Nawel questioned, curiously.

"Business administration and management."

"Uh... huh. Do you perhaps know his section?"

"Class 3-B."

Nawel twirled his tongue inside his mouth and poked his cheek,

"I know everyone in that class. So, what's his name?" His voice was a little anxious.

"Um... he is popular. I think you know him too 'cause he is too pretty," Deimos answered.

Nawel's forehead formed creases as a drop of sweat dripped down his temple. His nervousness increased as he heard the Younger's words.

>>>Popular for his pretty looks... Is Deimos tooo...

Nawel gulped his sailva,

"Farris Chrysander?"

"Evren Osian."

Both of them said different names at the same time. And as soon as Nawel heard the younger,

"It is not Farris Chrysander but Evren Osian. I heard it correct, right little demon?"

Deimos blinked his eyes continuously and nodded his head.

"Yes, Evren Osian... he is the one I have feelings for but why did you think it was Farris Chrysander and brother Nawel are you okay? You are sweating."

He took out his hanky and started wiping Nawel's sweat.

"I am fine now. I thought I would get a heart attack, little demon," Nawel heaved.

"What do you mean, Brother Nawel? Is your heart in pain or something? Do we need to visit the nurse's office?" Deimos was concerned.

"No, no! I am totally fine now. Actually, let's go somewhere else and talk. I think we grabbed everyone's attention by talking in the middle of the corridor."

Nawel suggested and dragged Deimos along with him out of the University to a cafe nearby.
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Continued...