"…Huh?"
I glance around, taking in my surroundings.
The first thing that catches my eye is a single bed, the kind you'd find in any discount furniture store. Scattered around are building blocks, picture books—things you'd call toys for kids.
"Where the hell am I?"
It's like I snapped awake from a deep sleep, jolted by some inexplicable instinct.
And… something's off.
Everything around me feels weirdly big. Sure, toys like building blocks are supposed to be chunky, but the bed? It looms over me, way larger than it should be. When something's as tall as your face, you'd call it huge, right?
I'm still piecing things together, half-wondering if it's my eyes playing tricks. I reach up to rub them—or try to—when something else catches my attention.
"…What? This… what?"
A soft, chubby hand enters my field of vision. It's not the hand of an adult—not my hand, at least, not as I remember it.
"A kid's hand?"
No matter how I look at it, it's the hand of a toddler.
"Hah… haha… Should I be saying something like, 'Well, that's an unfamiliar ceiling'?" I mutter, half-joking.
The moment the words leave my mouth, memories flood back. A cascade of moments, vivid and disjointed. Last night's takeout bento dinner. A week ago, tripping while playing alone in the park. The building blocks my parents bought me a year ago. Parents who are always too busy to come home.
And then…
"Ow!"
A sharp pang hits me. Oh, right. It's coming back now. I remember.
I died. An accident, maybe? And then… reincarnated by some so-called god.
"Ugh, seriously? This is the worst."
My head throbs as I recall the details of my reincarnation. Okay, okay, calm down. Be cool. First things first: let's check the abilities I was granted.
"Ability one: controlling a slime version of Fate/Zero's Moon Spirit Marrow as an extension of my senses."
As I focus, a blob of mercury-like liquid splashes onto the floor from nowhere. I will it to move, like flexing a muscle, and it obeys, slithering smoothly across the room.
"Alright, that checks out. Ability two: spatial storage. That's a pass too."
The slime appeared out of thin air thanks to my spatial storage ability—a pretty standard power, nothing to worry about there.
"Ability three: giving the slime digestion and absorption capabilities, letting it steal enemy abilities."
I direct the slime to engulf a stray building block on the floor. It dissolves the toy effortlessly, absorbing it.
"Check. Ability four: maxed-out stat growth potential. Can't confirm that one yet, so I'll skip it. Ability five: regaining my memories at age three. Today's my third birthday, so that's a pass too."
I let out a heavy sigh.
"The real problem's with six and seven."
Ability six: magical talent. Ability seven: status-checking ability.
"Let's see my stats."
I focus inward, and a status screen flickers to life in my mind.
Name: Axel Almer
Level: 1
PP: 0
Melee: 110
Ranged: 128
Skill: 120
Defende: 117
Evasion: 145
Accuracy: 167
SP: 150
Ace Bonus: Unknown
Growth Type: All-Purpose / Special
Air: A
Land: A
Sea: B
Space: A
Spirit Commands: ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Skills:
EXP Up SP Boost (SP Up, SP Recovery, Focus) ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
I know, I know—you want to scream about how absurd this is. Trust me, I get it. But let's start with the name.
Axel Almer.
Sure, the name alone could maybe be a coincidence, something I could brush off. But the status screen? It's straight out of Super Robot Wars. No denying it now.
I'm Axel Almer, destined to be a big shot in Shadow-Mirror.
"Damn it. I thought I'd be reincarnated into some fantasy world with magic and dragons. Not… Super Robot Wars. God, you're such a jerk."
I slump, dejected, but eventually pull myself together and take another look at my stats.
"The EXP Up skill probably ties to my maxed-out growth potential. And this SP Boost… is that my magical talent substitute?"
In Super Robot Wars, characters usually have five or six skills, right? But my status shows ten slots. Is this some extra reincarnation perk?
"Whatever. If it's in my favor, I won't complain."
Then I notice something else. My SP is 150? That's insane! Combined with SP Boost, it's got to be tied to my magical talent. Fine, no complaints there either.
I dismiss the slime back to its pocket dimension and start thinking about the future.
"Okay, I'm Axel. Got it. Next question: is this the Alpha world or the OGs world?"
In Alpha, Axel can potentially join the Londo Bell team, which gives him a shot at surviving. In OGs, Lamia automatically joins the Hiryu Custom and Hagane, but the death flags are everywhere. Ideally, I'd want the Alpha world—better odds of making it out alive.
No, wait. Let's stop pretending. My memories from before I "returned" mention my parents talking about the Inspectors. That seals it.
"This is the OGs world."
And since I'm Axel, this is the world where Shadow-Mirror forms. A world where politicians and bureaucrats are so corrupt you can practically smell the rot.
So, my options boil down to two: live quietly in this decaying, government-ruled world, avoiding Shadow-Mirror entirely, or join Shadow-Mirror and cross over to the other world.
…Wait a sec. What about pulling a Helios—er, Gilliam—and jumping to the other world early?
"Nah, that's a no-go."
To join Gilliam's dimension-hopping experiment, I'd need serious knowledge and a high-ranking position, like lead researcher. My brain's not cut out for that. I could study my ass off and maybe make it work, but that'd mean no time to train my body in a world full of death flags.
From what I know of the original story, Shadow-Mirror's dynamic was clear: Lemon and Vindel were the brains, Axel was the brawn. Expecting Axel—me—to be a researcher is a stretch. Gilliam? He's a cheat code hopping between worlds. Lemon's a techie who can fight but leans hard into engineering. Vindel? He's a mastermind with brains, leadership, political savvy, and combat skills. The guy's basically Gilliam's equal in the cheat department.
"Focus, Axel. What's the plan?"
I shake my head and refocus.
"Let's start with my advantages."
Easy. I've got reincarnation cheat abilities and a rough idea of the future—key players, major events, who's who in this world. I know which pilots and commanders will shine. And since Shadow-Mirror loses to Kyosuke in this world and jumps to the other one, the timelines shouldn't be too different. There's some tech disparity with Einst, but still.
"So, I could recruit talented people before they're famous… and then what?"
If I play my cards right, I could take down Shadow-Mirror myself. But that leaves me stuck in this corrupt world, with a bonus Kyosuke possessed by Einst.
"Screw that. The safest bet is going with Shadow-Mirror to the other world."
Once there, I could ditch them, let the Hiryu Custom and Hagane mop up Shadow-Mirror, and call it a win. Recruiting talent might complicate things, but in a world where history's unpredictable, having strong allies can't hurt.
"Alright, plan's set. Join Shadow-Mirror, go to the other world, then betray them to secure my safety."
Saying it out loud, I realize something.
"…How do I even join Shadow-Mirror? Enlist in the Federation Army and become a PT pilot, maybe?"
That's probably the way to go. Probably. Hopefully. Maybe.
"First things first."
I glance around. It's gotten dark—dusk must've crept up while I was lost in thought. With a wry smile, I flick on the room's light switch.
"Still, a birthday with both parents gone? And I'm only three?"
From Axel's memories, my parents are total workaholics, only coming home to grab a change of clothes. You'd think a three-year-old would need a babysitter, but apparently, Axel was the "well-behaved" kid who got left alone with a key. In a world advanced enough to build PTs and AMs, I guess safety measures are solid.
It's my birthday, so dinner's a slightly fancier takeout bento. After eating, bathing, brushing my teeth, and the usual routine, it's past 8 p.m. I flop onto the bed.
"Wait… as Axel, am I supposed to talk like, 'That's how it is, huh?' or something?"
Nah, nobody here knows that Axel. No need to stress about it.
With that trivial thought drifting through my mind, I let sleep take over.