Cid opened his eyes to endless white.
There was no floor beneath his feet. No ceiling above. No walls anywhere. Just white space stretching forever in every direction. It should have been terrifying, but Cid felt nothing. No pain. No hunger. No fear. Not even surprise.
After twenty-eight years of killing people for money and running from consequences, emptiness felt normal. Almost comfortable.
He looked down at his hands. They looked real. But he knew the truth without needing to ask.
He was dead.
A woman appeared in front of him.
She wasn't there just a moment ago, and then she was. There was no footsteps or warning about her approaching. She was just suddenly present.
She looked young, maybe early twenties, with long dark hair and eyes that gleamed with something between amusement and cruelty. She leaned forward slightly, hands clasped behind her back, studying him like someone examining an insect. Her clothes were thin and revealing, clinging to her body in ways that left almost nothing to the imagination. It was deliberate and shameless. As if modesty had never existed in this place.
"Oh my," she said, her voice light and casual. "Such a weak soul."
Cid said nothing. He had learned long ago that silence was safer than questions. Words got you killed. Silence kept you breathing.
Or it used to, anyway.
She circled him slowly, her bare feet making no sound against the non-existent floor. Her eyes moved over him—not his body, but something deeper. Something he couldn't see but could feel being examined.
"Let's see..." She tilted her head. "An orphan from age six. Parents died in a car crash. No other family wanted you. Foster homes until you aged out at eighteen."
Cid's jaw tightened, but he stayed quiet.
"Then the underground," she continued, as if reading from a file only she could see. "An assassin for hire. Efficient ,Cold, with no attachments. No friends and no regrets." She paused in front of him, smiling. "You killed forty-three people in ten years. Not bad for someone with no training."
She leaned closer.
"But you were empty, weren't you? Reality was just survival. There was no meaning or purpose. So you escaped."
Her finger traced a line through the air, and images appeared. Floating screens showing games. Visual novels. Eroge games with colorful characters and simple progression systems.
"You loved these," she said softly. "Worlds where power was honest. Where relationships had clear rules. Where progress was measured in numbers and stats. Where outcomes could be controlled if you made the right choices."
Cid's hands clenched. She was right. Every word she said was exactly as he felt.
"In the real world, you had nothing," the goddess said. "But in those games, you could have everything. Strength. Status. Women who actually wanted you." She smiled wider. "Control."
She stopped directly in front of him and raised one finger.
"I like that."
Before Cid could react, she tapped his forehead.
[Ding!]
[Taming System Activated]
[Host Registered: Cid]
[Initializing...]
Cid gasped as information flooded his mind.
"There we go," the goddess said, pulling her hand back. "You'll be reborn into another world. A fantasy world with magic, monsters, and kingdoms."
She walked around him again, hands behind her back.
"You won't be reborn as a hero. You won't be the chosen one or someone important. Just another random throw away character."
Her lips curved upward into a wicked smile.
"But I'll give you a system that rewards control. Taming, domination and submission." She laughed softly. "The things you wanted in those games but never had in real life."
The white space began to crack. Lines of black spread across the emptiness like shattered glass.
"One more thing," the goddess said, her voice echoing as the world broke apart. "This isn't a kind world. It's not fair. Strength matters. Power matters. If you're weak, you'll suffer."
The cracks widened. Darkness poured through.
"But with your system..." Her smile was the last thing he saw. "You won't stay weak for long."
The white space shattered completely.
Cid fell into darkness.
And then—
Light.
The bed beneath him was wide and soft, far too luxurious. The air smelled faintly of incense and polished wood. For a moment, memories overlapped in his head.
This body was different.
It felt younger and more better than his body had ever been.
A presence moved beside the bed.
Cid turned his head.
A maid stood there, head lowered, hands folded neatly in front of her apron. She was clearly an adult, she had a practiced posture, with her expression calm but tense. She avoided his eyes, waiting.
"Good morning, young master," she said softly.
A faint interface flickered at the edge of his vision.
[Servant — Status Available]
Loyalty: Stable
Obedience: High
Awareness: Limited
The maid stepped closer with a hint of red on her face.
"I have come to attend to your needs," she said. "As instructed."