The Eminence in Shadow: Parhelion

He had one life. Spent the whole thing being everyone's favourite reflection; praised for a name he didn't earn, loved for a version of himself he never chose. He wanted nothing more than to disappear into the background and just exist, for once, without a role attached.

Then he died. And woke up somewhere else entirely.

Reborn as Solaris Taiyo, heir to a Viscount's house, and cousin to Cid Kagenou himself. New world, new title, same problem: everyone has already decided who he's supposed to be.

He has a power that gives him just enough knowledge to survive and just enough room to be catastrophically wrong. He has a family built on charm, sharp instincts, and a reputation for deals that always favour one side. And somewhere along the way, despite every effort to avoid it, he finds himself tangled up with Shadow Garden, the most dangerous secret organisation in the world, whether he asked for it or not.

The Cult of Diablos is real. Shadow is real. And Solaris Taiyo is standing right in the middle of it all, insisting, loudly and sincerely, that none of it is his problem. He didn't escape one gilded cage just to walk into another.

But the universe, as it turns out, doesn't particularly care what he wants.