Transmigrated as the Cuck.... WTF!!!

In the heart of the Alaris continent, nestled deep within the aristocratic domain bearing the same name, the Alaris estate stood tall and dignified.

Inside its lavish yet eerily quiet lounge, a group of young adults sat scattered on the velvet-cushioned sofas.

"Did you find any clues?" Zyon's voice broke the silence, sharp and direct as he glanced around the hall, his elbows resting on his knees, hands loosely clasped together.

A collective murmur of defeat followed.

"No," they all said, almost in unison. Tired, synchronized by failure.

Leon leaned back with a huff, the weight of disappointment dragging his shoulders. "It's not like we didn't find anything. There were some classified documents—info dumps about other continents, their military capacity, power structure, even affinity distributions among their populace. But… anything even remotely linked to history?" He scoffed. "Completely scrubbed clean."

Kaelira crossed her arms tightly, her gaze locked onto the patterned carpet beneath her feet. "It's the same as the library. Every shelf was meticulously sorted, pristine… but empty. History is a blank page. And that man we found trapped?" Her jaw clenched. "He still won't speak. No matter what we try."

Celeste groaned and threw her head back. "That man's a whole damn puzzle box. Honestly, I didn't believe your bullshit at first—I thought you were exaggerating, or just paranoid. But after watching Miss Celia's reaction…" She grimaced, "…yeah. That guy's someone. And someone dangerous."

Freya turned to the others, her expression uncertain. "Should we… ask Miss Celia for help?"

"Nope." Lilith was quick to reject the suggestion, her tone laced with disdain. "Not a chance. Her behavior's been too erratic lately and emotional. If anything, she's suspicious."

Zyon let out a tired sigh, rubbing his temples like he was trying to squeeze the headache out of his skull. "Honestly, every adult's acting off. Every single one of them knows something. They're all hiding pieces of it. But why?" His brows furrowed. "What could've happened in the past that made them decide to erase it so completely?"

There was a moment of silence—each of them caught in their own theories—until Celeste finally spoke again. Slowly and hesitantly. "Guys… what if we're wrong? What if we're not supposed to know the past? What if there's a reason it's sealed off? What if it's better that way?" She bit her lower lip, hesitant even as she said it. "Maybe it's not about hiding from us, but protecting us."

Her words lingered in the room like smoke. No one immediately responded.

Then, without warning, a faint shimmer flickered into existence in the center of the room. An oval-shaped portal pulsed to life—bluish, crystalline, its surface rippling like disturbed water.

From within it stepped Art. Beside him walked Evelyn, her expression unreadable.

Art's arrival was soundless, but his presence weighed on the room like a sudden drop in temperature.

"I don't think so," Art said before anyone could question him. His voice was steady. "Adults can't be trusted. They scheme with every breath. Their smiles don't reach their eyes, their motives layered. And once they surpass Rank ★★★★★★?" His gaze swept over them, calm yet piercing. "They all change. Something in them snaps. Emotions become tools. Compassion becomes currency. They aren't people anymore."

The others tensed at his words, but none denied it.

"Art…" Celeste whispered, her voice almost fragile.

He met her eyes, and she instinctively shrank back under the weight of his stare.

"I said it before. They're not protecting anything. They're hiding it. The two are not the same." His voice didn't rise, but it carried the cold edge of certainty. "Don't confuse intent with consequence."

Amelia spoke next, barely above a whisper—but her words echoed in the unnaturally still air. "Did you… find anything about Cassius?"

Art turned his gaze to her. There was a pause.

"No," he said, flatly. "No traces of him. And no sign of the monster Kaelira mentioned. Either it never existed… or it's gone. Somewhere else."

Kaelira's eyes dimmed, whatever hope she'd held vanished. Her lips trembled before she pressed them into a tight line, swallowing hard.

Then Art turned toward Zyon. "What about you? Anything?"

Zyon shook his head. As he shook his head Art noticed something, his eyes shimmered faintly. Moist. Red at the edges. He hadn't cried in front of them, but the signs were there. His voice remained steady, but his heart was fraying.

With a sigh, Art closed his eyes. The space around him distorted subtly—as if the air had been folded inward. He faded, not disappearing entirely but shifting to a form that blended with the world around him. Corporeal and incorporeal. Within the castle.

His presence flickered as he searched. He swept across every room, hall, and corridor. Reading the spaces like a language.

And then, something clicked.

The entire castle was enveloped by a barrier. A barrier which didn't protect… but caged.

This was a cage.

His brow furrowed. Thoughts raced.

'By any chance… is this castle… in a mirror?'

The moment the thought clicked in Art's head, he shattered the barrier without even hesitating.

Was it reckless?

Yeah, absolutely.

But he didn't give a damn.

He was confident—no, certain—that if things went south, he could escape in a heartbeat and drag his friends out with him. That belief, arrogant as it was, gave him the push to act.

The instant the barrier dropped, the atmosphere changed.

The floor trembled. A dull rumble echoed through the halls, growing louder, deeper, more violent with each passing second. Even Art, now back in his corporal form, tensed as something unseen began to stir.

His arms shot forward in reflex, mana coating his hands. "Don't move. Stay alert and close to me."

The tone in his voice left no room for argument. It wasn't a suggestion—it was an order.

Celeste's head snapped around, her eyes flickering with unease. "What the hell is going on now?! Is it a rift? Should we run?"

Art snapped. "Shut up!" His glare was sharp, but not unkind. "Don't panic. Just stay together. Stick close, and nothing will happen. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded—even Celeste, albeit with a scoff. Art caught that but let it slide.

A smile—thin and almost cocky—spread on his lips. "Good. Then prepare yourselves."

As if the world had been listening, the moment he said that, everything went wrong.

Reality twisted.

The entire castle turned upside down.

Literally.

The floor flipped and became the ceiling. The ceiling, with its towering chandeliers and intricate carvings, twisted and shifted downward to become the new floor.

Gravity warped for a few nauseating seconds before adjusting, leaving them all standing—barely balanced—on what used to be the roof of the hall.

Only the barrier Art created kept them from being crushed or disoriented by the sudden transformation.

For several minutes, they said nothing. The castle groaned and twisted around them until finally, everything settled into an eerie stillness.

Only then did anyone dare to breathe.

Celeste exhaled hard, hands on her hips. "What was that supposed to accomplish? The castle flipped. Big deal. Now we're walking on—" Her voice caught as she stared at the floor beneath them. "Are those… chandeliers?"

They were. Shattered crystal and glass.

"Broken chandeliers," she muttered. "Wonderful. What now? Huh? What's the point of this?!"

Art, already annoyed, waved a hand dismissively. "Will you shut up for once? Calm down. We need to search the place before you start whining. Did any of you idiots ever bother to search the damn ceiling before?"

Celeste rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't fall out. "Do whatever the hell you want. I'm not moving an inch from here."

Art's jaw tightened, a vein visibly throbbing on his temple. He turned to Zyon, leaning in with a low hiss. "Why is she so fucking constipated lately? I swear to the gods, I'm gonna smack her. What's her problem?"

Zyon gave a helpless shrug. "No idea. She's been like this for a while now. I'm annoyed too, but… I think everyone's just in a bad mood. Maybe this is how she handles grief."

Art groaned, rubbing his face. "If that's her grieving, I'm gonna lose it. Just keep her the hell away from me."

Zyon's face twitched, somewhere between amusement and resignation. "Let her sulk here, then."

Art rolled his eyes and didn't respond. Instead, he closed his own, took a breath, and once more entered his corporal form—his mana-infused, near-ethereal state that let him phase slightly into the flow of space.

His senses spread like ripples across the twisted castle, scanning for distortions or anomalies that hadn't been visible before.

And this time, he found something.

There—near what used to be the castle's ceiling, now beneath their feet.

A room. One that had been locked before the flip… but now, with the inversion, it was accessible.

Unsealed.

His eyes opened, sharper now. "It's below us," he said under his breath.

Without warning, he slammed his foot down.

The ground cracked with a violent shatter. A jagged web of fractures spread out like broken glass beneath him, and then—

The floor gave way.

Darkness swallowed them all.

There was no time to react. One moment, they were upright; the next, they were falling.

They landed hard, one after another, in an unfamiliar room shrouded in total blackness. The air here felt heavy and bitterly cold.

Celeste cursed as she scrambled to her feet. "I can't channel mana. What the actual fuck?!"

Her voice, full of panic, echoed harshly against the unseen walls.

Art, Evelyn, and the others immediately tried to do the same—attempting to pull their mana forth, reaching for the familiar thrum of power that lived within them.

But nothing answered.

Their mana—gone. Like it had been muted.

Just silence.

Terrifying, soul-deep silence.

It was as if someone had reached into their cores and flicked a switch off.

And then…

They felt it.

A presence.

A pressure.

Something was watching them.

Their skin erupted in goosebumps.

Their breath caught.

Their souls trembled, as if a thousand invisible eyes had opened and turned their way.