NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Ok, What is This World?
A blond-haired teen stood in front of the bathroom mirror, running his fingers through his golden locks. His sharp, blue eyes stared at his reflection, confused. He looked like someone out of a heroic fantasy, his features so finely sculpted that it almost seemed like they'd been designed by a god. His hair, impossibly perfect, shimmered in the light like the finest silk. He couldn't help but sigh deeply.
[Insert Image of King Arthur Form Fate Prototype]
"Okay, what the hell is happening?" Arthur muttered under his breath, his voice carrying a mixture of disbelief and confusion. He stared at himself, noticing the resemblance to a figure he knew all too well. "I look like Arthur from Fate Prototype. How did I get into this? Oh, right."
A wave of realization washed over him as fragments of his past life began to return. The memories of his previous existence—one where he was just a regular guy—started to flood in.
Flashback
Arthur was just an ordinary guy, living a life full of mediocrity. Nothing special ever happened to him. His days consisted of working a boring office job, going home to an even more mundane apartment, and repeating the same routine every single day. It was boring, predictable, and completely devoid of anything remotely exciting or epic. The one thing that stood out in his dull life was his love for mythology and fantasy stories—especially the legends of King Arthur. He'd spend countless nights reading about knights, magic swords, and quests for honor. Little did he know that his love for stories like Fate would be his ticket to something far beyond his wildest imagination.
Then it happened. One moment, he was crossing the street on a regular Tuesday, and the next—bam. His life ended in a flash. The accident was nothing special—just a momentary lapse in attention by a distracted driver. But that was it. The end of his life as he knew it.
When Arthur opened his eyes again, he wasn't in his apartment or on the street where he died. No, he was standing in front of a brilliant light, with a figure looming before him. A god, or something close to it, stood in the ethereal glow.
The god smiled gently, as if welcoming him into some higher understanding. "Ah, Arthur. You've died. But I have a proposition for you."
Arthur, still in shock, could barely comprehend the situation. "What... what's happening? Where am I?"
The god chuckled softly. "I'm the one who will guide your soul. You've been chosen to be reborn in a new world. A world of Shrek. The question is, will you accept your destiny? Will you be the King Arthur who saves this world, just as the stories you've loved so much?"
Arthur blinked, his mind racing. "Wait… Shrek? You've got to be kidding me…"
The god waved a hand dismissively. "You may find the world odd, but trust me—it's the perfect place for someone like you. After all, the King Arthur legend is well-known. It's your time to shine."
Before Arthur could even process everything, he was engulfed in a blinding light, feeling his body change, transform, and be reborn.
---
Back in the present, Arthur blinked again, looking at his reflection. He ran a hand through his golden hair and groaned. "So I'm really in the Shrek world, huh? And I look like I just walked out of an anime. This is too much to take in at once."
He thought about it. He remembered the god's words and sighed, as the absurdity of the situation began to sink in. "Okay, so I'm actually supposed to be King Arthur, huh? In this world, with Shrek and talking donkeys and all that nonsense. Great. Just great."
Arthur turned from the mirror and paced the room, trying to make sense of it all. He could feel the weight of the legendary title on his shoulders. He wasn't sure what this world would throw at him, but he couldn't deny that it had a bizarre charm to it. But even with the epic looks of Fate's King Arthur, he had no clue what to do next.
"So what now?" he muttered to himself, staring at the door to the outside world. "Do I just... walk out there and start leading an army of ogres and talking animals?"
He stopped pacing and rubbed his temples. "Alright, Arthur. One thing at a time. First, figure out where the hell you are. Then, maybe we'll figure out how to be king."
With a resigned sigh, Arthur turned toward the door. Whatever this new life had in store for him, he'd face it head-on, even if it meant navigating the ridiculous world of Shrek with a sword in hand and no clue where to start.
And thus, Arthur Pendragon's adventure in the world of Shrek began.
Arthur opened the window and peered outside, squinting as he tried to get a better look at the world beyond. His eyes narrowed as he took in the lush green fields and rolling hills, the sky painted in hues of orange and purple, but it all felt… off. The landscape had a certain polished, cinematic quality to it, something that didn't quite fit with the Shrek world he remembered from his past life.
"This is the Shrek world?" Arthur muttered under his breath, still trying to make sense of the situation. "Then why does it look so much like Ufotable anime productions?"
He ran a hand through his golden hair again, confused. The entire environment around him seemed almost too perfect—every detail had a sharpness and clarity to it that felt unnatural. The colors were vibrant, the textures finely detailed, and the sky... well, the sky looked like something out of an epic anime battle scene, not a muddy swamp where ogres and donkeys roamed.
Arthur squinted again. "This doesn't look like the Shrek I remember. Where's the mess? The dirt? The rough edges?"
It felt like he had been transported into some high-budget anime version of the Shrek world, something produced with care and precision. It wasn't that it was unpleasant; it was just... too clean, too beautiful, almost too polished for a place like this.
He rubbed his forehead. "Am I really stuck in a world where everything looks like it was made by some professional animation studio? Like Ufotable? Was this god really serious?"
As Arthur looked around, it was hard to ignore how everything seemed to gleam and shine in a way that made the world feel almost surreal. The trees were overly detailed, their leaves rustling in the wind with such realism it looked like they might move at any second. The ground beneath his feet seemed impossibly smooth, as if someone had spent hours refining the soil. The distant hills, bathed in the glowing light of the setting sun, looked like the backdrop of a high-fantasy anime series.
Arthur leaned out the window, letting the fresh air brush his face, and sighed.
"Well, guess I'm stuck here, huh? In a world that's way too high-quality for its own good. Maybe I should just roll with it for now."
He turned away from the window, brushing off the lingering feeling of awe and confusion. "Alright, Arthur. Time to stop overthinking this. You've got to get your bearings and figure out what kind of king you're going to be in this strange, anime-esque world."
With that, he took a deep breath, prepared to face whatever absurdity the world of Shrek—or whatever version of it he was in—had in store for him.
The next morning came, as Arthur got ready for his first class, as he looked at the mirror in his room
Arthur stood still for a moment, gazing down at his attire—a perfectly fitted school uniform, complete with a crisp white shirt, neatly pressed blazer, and dark trousers. His eyes traced the edges of the fabric as he let out another exhale, still trying to wrap his head around the bizarre world he had been thrust into.
"For everyone else, this is just normal," he said to himself with a shrug. "But I'm the only one who can see the difference. Classic. A reborn person problem, I guess."
He looked at his reflection again, his golden hair glowing even brighter in the light. "Still looks like I walked out of an anime though. How is this world so... perfect? Is this the way everything looks for people who've been reborn, or am I just that special?"
Arthur's thoughts were interrupted as his gaze shifted to the calendar hanging on the wall of his dorm room. He saw the date clearly, and a moment of realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He blinked, leaning closer to examine the date, and then stared at the year printed on the page.
It was before the events of Shrek 1 had even started. In fact, it was before the entire chaos of the Shrek saga had even begun. Arthur had been reborn into a timeline that was essentially a blank slate—a world where none of the iconic events of the franchise had taken place yet. The Shrek films, the wild adventures, the quests with Donkey, the arrival of Princess Fiona—none of it had happened yet.
"This is... before everything." Arthur rubbed his temples, taking it in. "Before Shrek even shows up. Before Donkey. Before everything. I mean, it's practically a free pass to do whatever I want."
A small grin appeared on Arthur's face as he thought about it. He wasn't particularly interested in jumping into the main plot anytime soon. The Shrek saga was far too chaotic for him to just dive right in, and he didn't want to get tangled up in the drama of it all.
"Guess I can just... ignore all that for now," Arthur muttered, looking around at his simple dorm room. "At least until Shrek comes to pick me up. I'm not touching any of that stuff yet. Not until I'm used to this world, this... Worcestershire Academy."
His gaze flicked to the calendar again. The year was his first in the academy, which meant that nothing had started yet. No heroic quests, no weird ogres, no dragons—just the beginning of an ordinary school year, at least by this world's standards. He could take his time. He could learn the ins and outs of the world without worrying about saving the day or getting dragged into the insane events of the future.
"For now, I'll just stay here. Get used to things," he said, rolling his shoulders. "No need to get involved with the Shrek plot until I'm ready. Just need to survive my first year in school... and figure out how to be King Arthur without anyone realizing who I really am."
With that decision made, Arthur adjusted his uniform, ready to step out and face this strange new life that had been given to him. If fate was going to make him King Arthur, well, he'd play it by his own rules—for now, at least. He wasn't about to let a story dictate his life.
He walked out the door, ready for whatever adventures—or mundane days—lay ahead at Worcestershire Academy. The world was his oyster... at least until Shrek showed up.
Arthur stepped out of his dorm room, the crisp morning air greeting him as he walked down the hallway. It felt surreal to be here, surrounded by the hum of students going about their day. He looked around, his eyes scanning the classrooms, the students in uniforms similar to his own, and the general atmosphere of the academy. It was like any other school, at least on the surface.
But the vibe was different. There was an underlying sense of familiarity mixed with the newness of it all. It was like a half-remembered dream, a blend of the world he'd just left and the one he was now in.
"Okay, first day," Arthur muttered to himself, trying to focus. "Let's get through this. No plot, no ogres, no dragons. Just… regular school stuff."
He followed the signs to his classroom and took a seat at the back of the room, where a few other students were already settling in. They looked perfectly normal—none of them had the oddball charm of the Shrek cast. No green skin, no talking animals, no over-the-top personalities. Just regular teens, all going about their day as if nothing strange was happening.
Arthur was about to settle into his seat when a voice behind him caught his attention.
"Hey, you're new here, right?"
Arthur turned around to see a lanky young man with messy brown hair and a friendly smile. His uniform was slightly wrinkled, but he looked relaxed, completely at ease.
"Yeah, I'm Arthur," he said, offering a polite smile. "Just transferred in."
The guy's eyes lit up. "Nice to meet you, Arthur! I'm Ben. You're in the right class, I think. First year, right?"
Arthur nodded. "Yeah. First year. I guess I'm still getting used to things around here."
Ben laughed lightly. "Don't worry. It's not as bad as people make it out to be. You'll get the hang of it. If you need help, just ask."
Arthur gave a small nod, then turned back toward the front of the class, where the teacher had just entered, an older man with glasses and a no-nonsense expression. Arthur had a feeling that this class would be just like any other school class—boring, but necessary.
As the lesson began, Arthur's mind wandered. The room around him was too normal, too mundane. But there was something else—a feeling that the world he was in wasn't quite as ordinary as it seemed. He could feel the weight of his past life as King Arthur, now locked inside the body of this teenage version of himself, but he had to fight the impulse to act like the legendary king he once was.
For now, he was just a student. Just Arthur. He didn't have to be a hero or a ruler yet. He could take his time.
But why does this feel like an anime, though?
Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that the world was too pristine. It was almost as if the entire environment was constructed for a story, a narrative that he was supposed to follow. He had to resist the urge to start analyzing every detail, every interaction. There would be time for that later—after he got used to being a student in Worcestershire Academy. After he figured out how this world worked.
As the day went on, Arthur tried his best to blend in. His thoughts were scattered, flitting between the strange world he now inhabited and the memories of the world he left behind. He couldn't help but think about the fact that he was still in the past. The Shrek world hadn't fully unfolded yet. The events of the first movie, where Shrek met Fiona, and the chaos that would come after—none of it had happened yet. He was in a prime position to avoid the craziness of the main plot for now.
But sooner or later, things would catch up to him. The timeline was still going to move forward, and Shrek was going to show up, probably looking just as he remembered—an ogre, loud and brash, and completely out of place in a world that was slowly shaping up to be anything but ordinary.
For now, I'll just stick to the background. I don't need to get involved yet. Not until I know exactly how this world works.
After a long day of classes and getting familiar with the academy, Arthur found himself back in his dorm room. He let out a sigh of relief, his body aching from the day's activities. The school day was over, but his mind was still running a million miles a minute. The world was too perfect. The students were too normal. The whole place felt like a backdrop for some grand story, and Arthur was just a piece of the puzzle—at least, for now.
But there was one thing that still gnawed at him, a feeling that refused to leave.
Shrek.
The big green ogre. The talking donkey. The whole lot of it. He was inevitably going to cross paths with them. That was a certainty. And when that happened, what would he do? Would he reveal who he was—King Arthur, the legendary ruler—or would he play along with the world's odd quirks?
"I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there," Arthur muttered to himself, collapsing onto his bed.
But deep down, a small part of him felt the weight of destiny pressing against him. It was only a matter of time before the plot found him. And when it did, he had to be ready.
To be continued
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