In a quiet town called Wonder, nestled deep in the countryside, the sky shimmered with a kind of stillness rarely found in the modern world. No screech of car horns. No smog. Just the soft rustle of wind through grass, the gentle flicker of fireflies, and a moon golden casting its glow over the earth.
A boy sat slouched in a wooden chair, asleep in the backyard of a modest farmhouse.
Then, slowly… he stirred.
His eyes fluttered open, brows furrowing in confusion. He blinked up at the stars, then slowly sat upright.
"Wait… wasn't I… dead?"
His thoughts came in a rush memories of blinding pain, electricity, the scream, the darkness
"I was electrocuted. I remember it clearly… That was the end, wasn't it?"
But this place backyard felt nothing like the cramped apartment he had known. The air here was impossibly fresh, crisp with the scent of pine and damp earth. The sky above him was a blanket of stars, unspoiled by light pollution. It was beautiful.
He looked down at his hands… and froze.
They were small. Too small.
Thin fingers. Soft skin. Barely any scars, not even the usual ones he remembered from childhood. He touched his face, then his arms, heart pounding harder.
"W-what the hell? Why do I look like a ten-year-old?"
Panic clawed at him for a second, but then—a flood of memories not his own surged through his mind.
A boy named Kaelen Arden.
Son of Luciano Arden, a brave knight in the town of Wonder.
And Elira Arden, his mother—a magician, calm, sweet and graceful, yet strict with her magical studies.
The images came too fast to resist. Birthday cakes. Sword training. A gentle lullaby sung under candlelight. A warm embrace.
And then silence…
David—no, Kaelen grabbed the sides of the chair, breathing heavily. His mind reeled, trying to process the impossible.
"I… I reincarnated?"
The thought echoed in his skull, ridiculous and yet undeniable. Just like the stories he'd read a thousand times.
All those long nights scrolling through isekai webnovels, imagining what it would be like to be reborn in another world—he had mocked it, envied it, even dreamed of it.
But this… This was real.
"So I died… and now I'm Kaelen Arden?"
Before he could spiral deeper into the madness of it all, a voice called from inside the house:
"Kaelen! Dinner's ready—come quickly!"
His head snapped toward the open door. The voice was soft and warm, threaded with love.
His mother's voice.
Or… Kaelen's mother's voice.
He stood up shakily, brushing dirt from his trousers. Stay calm, he told himself. You're a child now. Just act natural. Don't give them a reason to suspect anything's wrong.
He stepped into the house.
It was simple, rustic. Wooden beams held up the ceiling, and the walls were sparsely decorated with old paintings and herbs hanging from twine. The air smelled faintly of spices and baked bread.
In the small dining room, a man in his early thirties with rugged features sat at the table, sipping a mug of ale. His posture was that of a soldier—straight, disciplined, but his eyes softened when he looked up.
Across from him sat a young woman in her mid-twenties, her pink-silver hair tied back with a ribbon. She had kind, emerald eyes and wore a simple floral pattern apron. Her face lit up the moment she saw him.
"There you are, my little baby," she said sweetly. "Come sit! I made your favorite Butter-Poached Lobster Rolls with Spicy Sauce!"
David—or rather, Kaelen froze in place, stunned by the warmth radiating from the table. The food looked amazing. The people looked genuinely… happy.
"Is this what a real family feels like?"
His chest tightened.
He couldn't remember the last time someone had looked at him like that in his previous life. Not with annoyance. Not with pity. But with love.
He pulled out the chair slowly and sat down.
"Thanks… Mom," he said quietly.
She smiled brighter, clearly pleased. "Eat up before it gets cold."
Kaelen reached for a roll, the buttery scent making his stomach growl. As he took the first bite, his thoughts swirled with questions.
"Why was I brought here?"
"Is this a second chance? A divine joke?"
"What is this world… really?"
One thing was certain his story hadn't ended in that bathroom…
Elira watched her son quietly from across the table, her expression softening with concern. Kaelen sat in a daze, chewing slowly, eyes clouded with thoughts far away from the dining room.
"Kaelen, baby," she said gently, tilting her head. "Why are you spacing out? Is something bothering you?"
Her voice was sweet and warm, filled with the kind of worry only a mother could carry.
Luciano Arden said nothing. He continued eating in silence, methodical as ever, eyes fixed on his plate. He wasn't a man of many words, especially during dinner. But in that silence, a quiet thought passed through him:
"She loves him more than she ever loved me."
Not with bitterness just quiet resignation. He'd long accepted it. Sometimes, he even pitied himself. But then he'd look at his son… and feel a strange mix of envy and pride.
Kaelen slowly turned to look at his mother. Her beautiful face, framed by soft hair and glowing with maternal warmth, gave him pause. There was something so… innocent about her in this world.
"Mom," he said, choosing his words carefully, "can you tell me more about this world?"
Elira blinked, surprised by the sudden curiosity, then gave him a smile.
"Of course, sweetheart," she said as she reached for pan-fried mushroom patty on the table. "You're asking such grown-up questions today."
Luciano's fork paused briefly. Kaelen leaned in, trying to appear calm.
"Our world," Elira began, "Is called Abandora."
The moment the name left her lips, Kaelen's heart skipped a beat.
"It's said that long, long ago, gods lived among us—true divine beings. They ruled, blessed, and shaped the lands. But then, for some unknown reason… they vanished."
Her tone lowered, just slightly.
"They abandoned the world. Left humanity behind. And so, people began calling this land Abandora—The Abandoned World."
Kaelen listened in silence, the blood draining from his face.
"We've survived without them, of course," Elira continued. "Magic was their gift to us through the elements. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, shadow, light… most people are born with an affinity."
She took a sip from her drink, then smiled at him. "There are talent ranks too, of course. And not everyone can awaken their elemental power."
Kaelen's hands were trembling slightly under the table.
It wasn't just familiar. It was exact.
Every word. Every term. He knew all of this.
"Once you turn eighteen," Luciano Arden added, "you'll likely go to train at the Crimson Vale Institute if you have the aptitude and talent."
Kaelen froze.
The name hit him like a thunderclap.
"Crimson Vale Institute..."
His breathing slowed. His thoughts spiraled.
"No. No, it can't be!"
"This world… these names… This is the novel I read. The one that ended at Chapter 125!"
"When Gods Abandoned Us."
Kaelen's lips parted, but no words came out. The realization sank into his chest like a stone.
"I didn't just reincarnate… I reincarnated inside that novel."
His favorite story.
The one that never ended.