I woke up, not understanding where I was. A large room with a panoramic window bathed me in soft light, and I lay on the bed, trying to gather my thoughts. Am I… really alive? — a thought raced through my mind.
I ran my hand through my hair. Long? Had it always been this long? Trying to sit up brought a strange sensation: my whole body felt different. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what had changed, but something about it… felt off.
Struggling to get up, I approached the mirror and saw… little Kaiden? No… wait. That feeling… I quickly shoved my hand into my pants and discovered that the familiar "there" was gone. I shouted, "It's gone!"
At that moment, a girl, seemingly my age, burst into the room, screaming:— What happened?!
We both froze, staring at each other. My hand was still in my pants. She stepped closer, her eyes full of concern:— Jihye, are you okay? How do you feel?
I quickly pretended everything was fine, blushing slightly as I replied:— I'm fine…
But suddenly, memories flooded back: how I was reincarnated, how I had lived the last nine years. This girl—she was my mom. And I had a little brother whom I loved dearly.
I fell into her arms, nearly breaking down with happiness—the overwhelming feeling that now I had a family and all my memories back. I had never cried before, and now I almost sobbed like a little girl…
Ah, right. In my past life, I had never had a family. I had lived alone, working myself to exhaustion, going to university with one goal—to earn money. Sometimes I allowed myself anime or novels, but I had no family.
And now it all made sense: my mom—Yujeong Kan from Eleceed. My little brother—Jiwoo So. And I… Jihye So.So, I've been reincarnated in the world of Eleceed? — raced through my mind. Damn, I'll think about that later.
I looked at her and said:— I'm fine now, Mom. Sorry for making you worry!
Yujeong let me go from her hug and smiled softly, asking about how I felt:— You fainted suddenly today. The doctors said you overworked yourself. Rest a bit; dinner will be ready in an hour.
She left, and I stayed standing in front of the mirror, appraising myself.Wow… I'm really attractive… or now attractive? — the thought lingered between laughter and shock. No, I don't want to think about this.
Sitting on the bed, I reflected:So, I'm in the world of Eleceed. All my memories have returned. Yujeong decided to adopt me at Somi's request… So I'm Kaiden's sister. That's why I look like him…
For some reason, I remembered how they had spoken after my birth. Now I had a family. Mom already knew about Jiwoo's awakened abilities. She hadn't yet joined that research center to save the test subjects.
What a nightmare is happening… I can't let Mom step into this world! But what can I do?
And Jiwoo immediately came to mind.If I try to make sure he doesn't enter the world of the awakened… what then? How should I act?
There were too many thoughts, and anxiety clenched my chest, but one thing was certain: my life was no longer just my own.
The first thought that struck me was clear: I needed power. If I wanted to protect myself and my family from those hungry for power, I had to become strong. Since I'm now Kaiden's sister, then…
I sat on the floor and tried to concentrate, to feel something, anything. Within a few seconds, I felt it—my core. I was already awakened.
Soon, I tried to channel the energy from my core directly into my hand, and in that moment, lightning shot out! Uncontrolled and inexperienced, I struck myself with it. With a sharp cry, I fell to the floor.
Yujeong and Jiwoo ran into the room and saw me sitting on the floor: my hair standing on end from the electricity, and smoke rising from the wall in front of me. Fortunately, nothing caught fire. Yujeong looked at me in horror, while my little brother smiled sweetly and approached, smoothing my hair while giggling quietly.
Yujeong asked Jiwoo to step out and sit at the table, then sat beside me, watching me closely and asking:— What happened?
I didn't know what to do: on one hand, I wanted to tell her everything; on the other, I didn't want her to try to find out everything about Jiwoo and me right away. She stared sadly at the floor, and I realized I needed to say something to keep her here.
When she finally looked at me and asked, "What happened?" I decided to tell her everything—but I had to figure out later how to make sure she didn't leave in the future.
I showed her the lightning, and she quietly said:— Please, Jihye, don't show this to anyone, okay?— Of course, I won't, — I replied, letting out a relieved sigh.
Deciding to postpone the full explanation for later, she smiled thoughtfully and asked how I was feeling. We went downstairs for dinner, and I realized: so much is still unknown ahead, and I know so little…