A beam of blinding white light became visible. Soon, images started appearing. If it weren't for the soul-crushing, mind-numbing headache, Silas would have assumed he was dead and that this was heaven.
It was because of the headache that Silas realized he was still alive, though in a part-dead state. Some might say he was unconscious; however, being able to register information wasn't exactly what one would call unconscious.
Soon, moving pictures appeared, evolving from the previous static images to a slideshow, and now to fully animated figures. Things were becoming clearer with every passing second as the pain began to settle.
Then a face appeared. It was a familiar face. Silas had met this person not so long ago. It was the girl dressed in monochrome from before.
The girl came closer and hugged him. The scene shattered like glass, and a new one appeared.
This time, there were several faces; unfamiliar figures talking to each other. They looked like giants viewed from a lower angle. The scene shattered again.
Many scenes played one after another, each more detailed than the last. Every new scene showed a significant increase in quality. It was as if a video had started at low resolution and was gradually working its way up to ultra HD.
It was only now that Silas realized what was happening. These were memories—memories that belonged to the previous owner of the body. They were being registered all at once, which had nearly caused him to die. As the memories registered one by one, the pain slowly faded.
...
A scene appeared: a big white church with a broad arched entrance. The view moved inside. The hall was large and empty, except for a few hanging decorations on the walls—symbols composed of circles, triangles, and squares overlapping each other in asymmetrical ways. There was no pattern to this asymmetry; it was truly random.
In the center of the hall was a group of children, hardly four or five years old. A little figure came running towards him. She had a black eye patch over her left eye and her hair tied in a bun.
"Caleric, where did you go? Everyone was worried," the girl said, wearing a worried expression.
...
Another scene appeared: the big church hall was filled with children running around. A woman dressed in a white gown appeared, her face was hidden under her veil. She crouched near him and the girl. This time, the girl wasn't wearing the eye patch.
"Mrs. and Mr. Gnalet are here to meet you both. You must behave," the woman said in a tone that was commanding yet calm. Her voice was soothing but carried a hint of ill intent.
"Yes! We're going to get adopted, Caleric," the girl let out a happy squeal.
...
Another scene appeared: a big mansion came into view. It had a huge garden in front, with rows of flowers of different colors planted close together. A tall man with black hair wore a long blue coat over a white shirt and white pants, carrying the girl from before in his arms.
The girl's hair was braided this time, and she wore a beautiful red dress adorned with white embroidery. She clung to the man while looking ahead with wide eyes.
"This is your new home!"
...
Several scenes unfolded one by one as Silas kept watching. Each scene felt like a sequel to the previous one. The more he watched, the more he realized that this person, Caleric, was very different from him.
He also realized that the girl from before—the one with the eye patch—was the same girl, and she was Caleric's sister, two years younger than him.
...
A new scene appeared: a small room with a modest study table. He sat on a wooden chair, surrounded by open books. In front of him was a piece of paper, yellowed from poor storage, on which he wrote:
"Hypothetically, being able to wield all seven manacules would let the user negate the mana field temporarily."
He then closed the book in front of him. On its cover, the title read "Manalogy."
...
A new scene appeared: a grand hall filled with thousands of people seated in anticipation. He stood on a stage before the crowd, with a man in a black coat standing beside him.
"This is Mr. Caleric Gnalet. This young genius is a prodigy in the field of manalogy. His latest discoveries have greatly advanced our understanding of manacules. He is the pride of Quax—the pride of Virelia!"
The hall erupted into applause. In the very front row sat Mr. Gnalet and Caleric's sister.
...
Many more scenes continued to appear, each revealing something new. Silas watched them with growing curiosity. There were certain terms he didn't understand at first, but everything unfolded in chronological order, gradually explaining all there was to know about the man whose body he now inhabited.
After what felt like an eternity, the scenes finally stopped appearing. The brain-numbing pain had also vanished. The blinding beam of light that had greeted him at the very beginning now reappeared—though this time, it wasn't as intense.
Silas's eyes slowly opened, only to be met by yet another flash of blinding light. As it faded and his vision began to return, he was jumpscared by the sight of a plague doctor mask staring directly at him.
He screamed in fright, jolting backward on the bed he was lying on, only to bump his head against the wall behind him and collapse back onto the mattress with a thud.
"My bad," a deep voice spoke from inside the mask. The man slowly removed it, revealing a pair of gray eyes and a head with white hair.
"Did I scare you?" the old man asked with a teasing smile.
He was the private doctor hired by Mr. Gnalet, and the place where Silas now found himself was the infirmary of the Gnalet mansion.
"Yes, you-" Silas began to answer the old man but instinctively found himself speaking in English.
I was this close to being tagged insane.
Fortunately, the memories he had just inherited had already familiarized him with the language of this world. The native tongue was Zarak, but another language, Forman, was taught in schools and used more widely among the elite.
Since Caleric and his sister, Cally, were orphans, they hadn't attended school. However, both had been taught Forman after being adopted into the Gnalet household.
He quickly composed a response in his mind, translated it into Forman, and spoke.
"Yes, you scared me. Please don't ever wear that mask again."
The old man chuckled. "Well, this mask doesn't really serve a purpose. Other than making me look serious."
Make you look serious? That mask doesn't make you look anything; it hides your entire face, Silas joked inwardly before asking, "Where is my sister?"
"She was here just a moment ago. In fact, she stayed the entire night. Madam Silv only dragged her out a few minutes ago. We confirmed that you were unconscious due to overexertion."
"Master Aron and Madam Silv are probably in the dining hall right now. Cally should be there too. You should go meet them. They were very worried," the old man said kindly.
Silas paused for a moment before replying, "I'll go later. I still feel a bit of pain in my head thanks to a certain someone. Let me rest for a while."
He had made a quick excuse to buy himself some time; he needed a moment alone to process everything. The old man nodded in understanding and quietly left the infirmary.
The room had white walls and two single beds placed in opposite corners. Between them, set into the wall, was a window that faced the mansion's front garden. The floor was tiled with smooth, bluish-white marble. On one side stood a large cabinet stocked with various medicines and medical utensils, while the other side held the only door to the room. Overall, the infirmary felt quite spacious; more so than Silas's room back on Earth.
Silas lay on the bed to the right, closed his eyes, and began to recall everything that had happened.
So it seems I have transmigrated to this world. How did this happen? Did I die in my world? No... furthermore, what happened to the owner of this body? He certainly isn't dead because when I gained consciousness here, I was on a rooftop admiring the sky. How can someone die while admiring the sky?
In any case, I have to find a way to get back to Earth.
This person is named Caleric Gnalet. His sister, Cally Gnalet, and they were adopted by the Gnalet household when he was seven and his sister was five. Aron Gnalet and Silv Gnalet are their legal guardians.
I keep saying "him" and "his"... I have to understand that it is "I" and "my" from now on. I am Caleric Gnalet from now.
It seems like I am a prodigy in "Manalogy". From the memories, I can say that it is the study of manipulation of manacules. Manacules are like particles that can be manipulated by certain people called "wielders" to perform... magic? No, magic is the wrong term. It seems like Manalogy is an actual science—one that people have studied and developed over the course of history.
There are seven manacules, each representing a colour and each having a different purpose. Furthermore, some people can manipulate multiple manacules simultaneously? This allows them to make stronger spells. According to the memories, many such people have "met their end" in search of stronger spells.
Manalogy has three branches. All of which have been divided on the basis of when they emerged. Oldest being the spell-based and the latest being the manalogical tech.
There is so much I don't quite understand. Maybe I should go through my notes on Manalogy once I get time. Yes, the book titled "Manalogy"!