Around me were slightly decayed furniture, a shelf with a few books, and a window with cracked glass.
"What is happening?"
I tried to relax my body, but I was having trouble even breathing. Every breath was heavy, and I felt nauseous.
I swung my legs to the side, trying to find my shoes, but when I looked down, there was nothing. I stood up and walked toward the small mirror nearby — so small it could fit in my hands.
Looking closer, I could clearly see a young boy with black hair and blue eyes, but something truly scared me and made me take a few steps back.
My eyes
My pupils were like those of a cat — vertical, like a predator's. I placed my left hand over my face, still a bit frightened. My face was round and looked like that of a boy who had just entered adolescence.
"What the hell…"
Thin, pale, black hair, blue eyes — and those pupils. Something was very wrong.
"When are you coming down? Did you lose your appetite?"
"Huh?"
I heard a female voice coming from downstairs. I didn't recognize it. As far as I remembered, I had been lying in my bed before falling asleep.
Looking down, I saw only a torn piece of cloth covering me. I looked around and opened the wardrobe. There were a few sets of clothes. I grabbed the first ones I saw and quickly got dressed.
I looked again into the small mirror and saw myself wearing gray shorts and a dark blue shirt. I walked to the door and opened it — there was a hallway.
"Everything is made of wood."
I felt a bit dizzy but kept walking through the narrow corridor that had other doors. Soon, I found a staircase and went down.
As I reached the lower floor, a woman slightly taller than me, with short black hair and the same eyes as mine, stared at me.
"Why are you staring? Aren't you going to sit?"
I slowly walked to one of the chairs. The meal was ready — bread and cheese on the table. At that moment, I really felt hungry.
I didn't understand what had happened. My mind was blank. I had no memories of the person in front of me, of this house, or of the face I had seen in the mirror. It was as if…
Did I transmigrate? Did I die in my sleep?
"What's wrong with you? You're so quiet. You're usually so talkative."
That woman kept talking, and my eyes followed her lips. My body moved on its own. I started eating the bread and cheese in front of me until I felt full.
My head was still dizzy. I stood up, leaning on the table, and looked around. The house was small, with few pieces of furniture, but somehow cozy. I felt truly safe there.
I walked to the door that seemed to be the exit, and when I opened it, I saw a field and the horizon. The sun was at its peak. This place was beautiful and peaceful.
Where am I?
Hills stretched along the horizon, a vast wheat field swaying in the wind. I continued walking slowly outside, looked down, and noticed I was barefoot. The ground was reddish.
"But where am I? What the hell is this!?"
As soon as I shouted, the woman inside yelled back:
"Stop swearing already! Didn't I teach you any manners?"
She kept nagging. I looked around again — it was truly a beautiful but unfamiliar place. I decided to go back inside.
"This may sound strange, but… where exactly are we? I woke up feeling dizzy."
"What's wrong with you today? You're acting weird. We're at home, on Tundra Island, near the continent of Vernumbra. Did you hit your head or something?"
The woman walked up to me and placed her left hand on my forehead.
"You don't seem to have a fever."
I couldn't remember her name, and I was too embarrassed to ask.
She'll think I'm crazy. But if we're close, I should know her name.
"This might sound odd, but… what's your name?"
"You really hit your head hard! You forgot your own mother? Crystal! Remember now? It's Crystal!"
She spoke so loudly that my head started to ache.
"I can take you to the doctor. Maybe we should get you checked…"
I quickly refused.
"No, it's fine! I just remembered everything, hehe."
If I make her suspicious, she might find out something's wrong. I can't risk it. She might even try to exorcise me or something.
If she found out I wasn't her son, it could mean my death — again.
I stayed quiet and went back to my room.
"She said Vernumbra… That's the name of the southern continent from that book — The Last Adventurer Beyond the Horizon. How could I possibly be inside a book? That's insane! If I'm really in that story, then…"
I grabbed the mirror again and saw the same boy as before.
"It can't be… From what I read, they should be extinct. I'm inside the body of a Shisui!"
But what era is this? From what I remember, the story took place two hundred years after the fall of the Empire. So, this must be an age of peace.
I didn't even get to finish the book. All I know is that the villainess will meet a terrible fate.
My thoughts were chaotic.
Who brought me here? Why am I here? What's the purpose of this?
I don't even have the memories of this body's original owner.
"If this world is the one I read about, then I'll need to become much stronger. Maybe with this body…"
I looked at my arms and legs. They didn't seem weak or strong, just average.
But I felt something strange inside my chest — something that wasn't my heartbeat.
"Light or darkness… what kind of mana do I have?"