The Phantom’s Gambit

A/N- The kingdom and world itself have a medieval setting. However, the new character uses languages from the modern age, medieval times, and ancient periods. I promise it will all make sense later on.

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Octavius expected a rough re-entry into the land of the living. He anticipated waking up on cold, desecrated ground, swarmed by insects having a field day on his face. Instead, he found himself standing tall, his eyes wide open. And if that wasn't weird enough, he was humming a ridiculously cheerful tune while tapping one foot rhythmically on the ground.

"I feel good! Dan dan dan dan dan, da!" Octavius found himself singing, his lips parting of their own accord. He rose onto his toes, twirling around with an unfamiliar flair. His body seemed to be moving on autopilot, performing a series of dance moves that felt utterly foreign.

"So good! Dan dan!" He spun to his left, grabbing his groin with one hand while extending the other mid-air, his foot cocked to the side. But as he launched into another pose, Octavius' patience snapped. He forced himself to stop, his body protesting the sudden halt.

[What just happened?] a voice inquired, and Octavius found himself frowning. He spun around frantically, trying to detect the owner, but there was no one in sight.

[What the hell is happening? Why am I moving when I don't want to?] the voice demanded again, and this time around, Octavius didn't turn. He was starting to realize the voice was in his head.

Just then he recalls what the Fates had told him.

 'A great evil now lurks within your body. A Darkness that threatens to consume you whole'

Octavius had been warned that a dark entity would be lurking within him, but he had thought he'd have to deal with the person, in person. Not an internal occupant. 

"Whoever you are," he bellowed, spinning around in anticipation of a physical confrontation. "You're occupying my body, and I need you to leave. Now."

[I beg your finest pardon], the voice retorted, its tone transformed from cheerful to caustic. [You were—are dead. This body is mine now. So, I suggest you...piss off].

'Not the kind of evil I expected to deal with, but evil nonetheless,' Octavius thought to himself, sizing up the entity within.

[Evil?] The voice scoffed out a question. [First of all, evil, devil, Mephistopheles, Fiend, demon—they're not the groundbreaking insults you think they are. They're actually compliments. And secondly, did the Fates mention me to you?]

Since the entity mentioned the Fates, Octavius assumed it was aware of his past dealings with them. He decided to be candid. "After they tried to push me into a new world and I refused? Yeah."

[Humour me for a bit. You mean, they sounded a warning to you—told you I was...evil?]

 Octavius' body involuntarily rose into a sarcastic air quote, a gesture that felt out of character for him. He realized it must be the entity's influence.

[And you chose to come back, neglecting their offers?]

"Exactly," Octavius replied curtly.

[You poorly written NPC]

Octavius didn't know what the entity meant by "Poorly written NPC" but he felt no need to indulge it further.

"I came back for a purpose, and I won't let you or anyone disrupt it."

[What? to do revenge?] the voice sneered, as if reading Octavius' thoughts.

Octavius' eyes narrowed, wondering how the entity had guessed his intentions. But he pushed the question aside, not wanting to know the answer.

[You know what, give me the list of people you want to kill, I'll handle it myself. End of story. You can go back to being dead now]

"No!" Octavius refused emphatically. "If I needed help, I would have asked the Fates to assist me when they offered to reincarnate me. I'll take care of whoever I need to on my own. It's only right that I do so for my family."

[That's a very honourable sentiment. Oscar-worthy, actually], the voice retorted with sarcasm. 

Octavius frowned, unsure what the voice meant by "Oscar-worthy."

The voice continued, [But it might reassure you to know that I've lived for several decades—] he paused and added. 

[Decadeses even, and I'm well-versed in the art of revenge. While you, on the other hand, have lived for eighteen years and have a grand total of...], the voice paused, pretending to check an invisible note on Octavius' palm, [zero murders under your belt. Wow.]

"I'll tell you for free, the Fates pulled out all the stops to get me to change my mind. And they couldn't. Don't expect you to—"

[You didn't show up when your body was deserted, with crows pecking at the worms in your flesh. And yet, after I've upgraded this shell, you suddenly waltz in here, expecting to take over? How do you plan to exact revenge, huh? You don't have any magic in your soul. This is a suicide mission on your part. And I won't let that happen again, because I need this body]

"What do you need my body for? What are you, aside from the great evil you're supposed to be? A body snatcher?"

[You talk like you're someone of great esteem yourself, NPC], the voice retorted in a bored tone. 

"I am someone with great esteem," Octavius replied proudly. "I'm the son of a powerful mage. And don't call me that. I have a name – it's Octavius."

A stunned silence followed, before the voice spoke up again.

[You don't have to be shy with me, I don't judge... openly. So, feel free to rephrase your words and use the past tense properly. And... Did you just say your name is Octavius?]

Octavius remained silent, knowing the entity had heard him clearly.

[You let your parents name you that?]

Octavius finally responded, but not to answer the entity's question. "Get out of my body," he ordered.

As if it had been exorcised by holy water, It suddenly emerged from his body. Octavius stumbled backward, stunned and shocked by the creature's appearance.

The entity stood before him, its body a mesmerizing blend of humanoid and reptilian features. Red scales covered its skin, and its elf-like ears twitched with an otherworldly intensity. But what caught Octavius' attention was the entity's face – a perfect replica of the Fates' visage.

The entity's face bore a stunned expression, as if surprised by Octavius' ability to expel him from his body.

"What are you?" Octavius raised a question.

[You can see me?] the entity responded, sounding surprised.

"Am I not supposed to?" Octavius countered. "What are you?" he asked again, his eyes fixed intently on the entity.

The entity's expression turned ominous, its voice taking on a darker tone. [At inception, I am called the Loophole. At dissolution, people call me Void.]