Tak Tak Tak
Inside the large circus tent, Laurens demonstrated animal taming and performed acts that amazed the audience. Venomous snakes coiled around her arms while birds flew in sync with the direction of her knife throws.
The applause and cheers from the audience grew louder as the final knife landed in its last target on the circular board, and the birds perched on the edge of the board.
Once the show ended and the audience exited, Laurens sensed something strange about her condition. She wasn't a Beyonder, but it felt like she had some kind of special power she wasn't aware of.
Her vision was far better than an ordinary person's, her body felt light, and her knife throws never missed their mark.
Most importantly, the animals weren't tame, they were afraid of her, as if she had some kind of killing aura.
A killer… An assassin…
Laurens quickly shook her head as she walked toward the cage where the snakes were kept. She returned them inside and fed them the prepared dead mice.
While watching them eat, Laurens couldn't help but examine the bite mark from one of the venomous snakes, the one responsible for the original body owner's death, leading her to take its place.
Her blue-grey eyes stared at the back of her hand where the snake bite was still red, but no longer venomous. She pondered for a long time until she felt a hand tap her shoulder.
"Why are you still here? Let's go to the dining tent," the sharp voice of her older sister called out.
Laurens turned and stared into her sister Annette's dark grey eyes. Without her strange makeup, Annette's face looked strikingly beautiful. Laurens was momentarily captivated before snapping back to reality.
"Sis, I think I got bitten by a snake," she suddenly said, testing whether Annette knew something.
It wasn't that she was playing dumb. With Annette's close supervision, there was no way her sister wouldn't have noticed.
As expected, Annette checked the back of her hand and said, "I know. I was the one who drew out the poison. You have no idea how scared I was, thinking you were already dead."
No, your sister did die. I'm not your sister… I'm just a lost soul inhabiting this body… Forgive me…
Laurens couldn't reveal her deepest secret. She would likely be taken to the church for purification if she admitted to something as strange as a soul inhabiting another body.
There was also another problem. Laurens didn't inherit the full memory of the original body. Some parts were fragmented, like how she didn't know how the original owner got bitten by a snake that wasn't supposed to bite.
"Is something bothering you? Why have you been so quiet since the snake bite? Do you…" Annette suddenly stopped talking as if she realized something, and her expression turned complicated.
Laurens was confused by the sudden change. For a moment, she had a strange vision of her sister's face, it felt as though she had seen her as a man before.
No, what was that? Is it part of the fragmented memory I can't recall?
A shiver ran down her spine. No, she didn't want to think about the terrifying possibilities.
After a moment of silence, Annette grabbed her arm and dragged her out toward the dining tent.
"You need to eat more, look at how thin you are. Uncle and Aunt have prepared a feast to celebrate your amazing performance. After we wrap up our last show in this town, we'll head to Backlund. You and I will live together, just like we promised," Annette chattered all the way to the dining tent.
Her soft, gentle voice calmed Laurens a little from her terrifying assumptions. However, the suspicion hadn't vanished, it had only grown stronger.
The most suspicious thing was her inability to remember anything about their parents.
She only knew that she lived with Annette, worked in the circus troupe, and traveled from city to city, even to other countries.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the aroma of delicious food filled the air. It was the smell of roasted meat and sweet buttery bread. Her stomach growled in protest.
Alright, I'll think about this after eating…
Laurens quickly joined the feast in the tent.
---
That night, in the sleeping tent she shared with Annette, Laurens started analyzing her situation again after meeting with Klein earlier in the day.
"Sis, do you remember the man I once gave a reading to?"
Annette, busy fixing her makeup in a face-sized mirror, glanced briefly before replying, "Of course. You acted foolishly. You can't give out readings carelessly."
Laurens nodded in agreement. She had acted on impulse, but somehow the result matched the original story.
Is this fate? What is my fate?
"I was just curious, that's why I tried it. You can't keep scolding me like that," she pouted.
On the other hand, due to the mixed memories from the original body, Laurens now felt affection toward her sister.
Annette finished her makeup and gave her a sharp look. She pinned up her long black hair into a bun. Her allure grew, and a sweet fragrance wafted from her.
"You don't understand how dangerous this world is. I've worked hard to protect you, so be a good girl and listen. Now go to sleep. I have to go out." Annette stood up, patting Laurens on the head before heading out of the tent.
A wave of irritation filled Laurens. She was affected by the original body's memories of what her sister's "night job" entailed.
"Are you going to meet those old men again?!" she hissed, glaring at Annette, who stopped in her tracks.
"… Yes, it's for 'pleasure.' We were born like this, and there's no other way," Annette replied softly before quickly leaving without waiting for her sister's stunned response.
Her words struck Laurens deeply. If she were the original owner of this body, she wouldn't understand what Annette meant. But as a transmigrator, she suspected everything related to mysticism.
Pleasure… Born like this… That's impossible…
"No, no. I will be a Beast Tamer! Or become a Savant. I… I can't become a Witch!" Laurens shivered, imagining herself as the cause of disaster.
Especially since she was originally a woman, it meant she absolutely couldn't become a Witch in the Demoness Pathway.
If I was born with half a Sequence, does that mean… I will be hunted by the Demoness Sect?!
Her thoughts became chaotic. Her chest tightened as she tried to reject the terrifying possibility.
Yet she knew it was unavoidable. The only one who could answer her confusion was Annette.
---
The next morning…
"Sis, do I have supernatural powers?"
The first thing she asked at breakfast made Annette choke.
"What?!" Annette stared at her in shock.
"How did you… I mean, what made you think that?"
Laurens, with dark circles under her eyes and a pale face, explained, "I tried jumping from a high place, and my body felt really light. I wasn't hurt at all. Is that a supernatural power?"
Yes, she had risked it last night with her reckless act of climbing a tall building and jumping down. She was terrified at first, but a strange confidence made her realize her body felt light.
The fact that she even managed to climb the building was proof enough that she wasn't normal.
The fork in Annette's hand dropped as she heard her sister's account.
She muttered something strange.
"So, the seal has broken… It was inevitable…"
"Sis?" Laurens was even more confused by her muttering.
Annette took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly before looking back at her naive sister.
"Listen, from now on, you'll enter a different world. A world full of danger, madness, and catastrophe. We were born with supernatural powers called 'Beyonder.' Normally, it wouldn't matter if you were born a man, but you're a woman. Even our parents couldn't protect us, so I had to take you and care for you."
Annette paused to take a sip of water. "Then, I… well, I had no choice but to continue down this path to avoid becoming a monster who lost control."
At that moment, Laurens' rejection of the terrifying possibility faced a harsh reality. Her expression grew paler and stiffer.
That meant her older sister was originally a man.
It meant she must be at least Sequence 7, the Witch, or higher in the Demoness Pathway.
The horrifying fact was that Laurens had no choice but to stay in her current position without advancing in the Sequence.
However, as Annette said, her existence was being hunted, and she was protected by her sister.
If she remained weak and relied on Annette's protection, she wouldn't survive.
No… I didn't come to this world to become a Demoness… This must be a dream! Right, I'll slap myself to wake up from this nightmare!
Slap!
"What are you doing?!" Annette scolded, grabbing her hand that had just slapped her own cheek.
Laurens felt the pain, and it was clear, this wasn't a dream. She still couldn't believe she was in the world of the novel, and now she had to face an even more shocking reality.
Is this her fate?!
She was just too obsessed with the novel, but she had never expected to live in it.
Was there any way back? My world and Klein's world are completely different.
"Oh," Laurens remembered that fact and calmed down slightly.
Surely, there was still a way for her to return to her world, somehow, under some condition. Maybe she had to fulfill a specific mission or reach a certain point in the story. She just needed to stay alive until she found out what that was.
"Laurens?" Annette's voice brought her back to reality.
"Sorry, I was just... thinking. What do you mean by 'seal'? Why now?" Laurens asked, trying to remain calm and steer the conversation to gather more information.
Annette sighed and looked at her seriously. "Our family has a long history with Beyonder abilities, and some of us were sealed at birth to prevent us from going mad or losing control. You... you were one of the lucky ones."
Laurens's heart raced. "Lucky?"
Annette nodded. "The seal kept you from becoming a monster or a tool for other factions. But it seems that your abilities have started to awaken on their own. That means the seal is wearing off, and you'll need to learn to control your powers."
Laurens swallowed hard. This was becoming more and more terrifying. The thought of being hunted or losing control of herself was horrifying, but she couldn't show her fear.
"What do I have to do now?" she asked, trying to sound brave.
Annette's gaze softened slightly, and she reached out to take Laurens's hand. "You need to start learning about our world, about Beyonders. You'll need to advance safely, or else..."
Laurens's stomach churned at the unspoken threat. "Or else I'll lose control and become a monster," she finished for her sister.
Annette gave a small, grim nod. "But don't worry. I'll be here to guide you. I promised I'd protect you, and I will."
For a moment, Laurens felt a deep warmth in her chest. Despite the terrifying reality of her situation, there was something comforting in knowing that Annette was by her side.
But as she looked into her sister's eyes, the fragmented memories of the original body returned. There was something more to Annette's story, something she wasn't telling.
....
Later that night, Laurens lay in her bed, wide awake. Her thoughts raced with everything she had learned.
The world she was in now was far more dangerous than she had ever imagined, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something worse was still coming.
Her thoughts turned to Klein who must have felt the same way when he learned about the Beyonder. She could no longer think of him as a character. This was the real world for her from now on.
Maybe they could work together to find a way back. But until she knew for sure, she had to be careful.
As the shadows of the night grew longer, Laurens made a vow to herself. She would learn everything she could about this world, protect herself and Annette, and, above all, find a way back home.