Kael was woken by a loud noise outside his room. A heavy thud followed by shouting—probably the kids in his housing complex playing. He sighed softly, rubbing his still drowsy face before getting out of bed.
"What time is it?" he mumbled, walking to the kitchen.
He opened the refrigerator, took out eggs and a few other ingredients for breakfast. With practiced movements, he turned on the stove and started frying the eggs. But suddenly—
KREEENG!
The sky, which had been clear, turned dark instantly, as if a solar eclipse had occurred in a split second. A strong wind shattered the silence, and before Kael could react, the kitchen door swung open violently on its own, followed by a dazzling white light that sucked him in.
---
Kael staggered, his eyes slowly adjusting to the boundless white room surrounding him. No walls, no clear floor—just a white void.
"Where am I?" he asked, his voice echoing strangely.
Suddenly, a blue holographic panel appeared before him, followed by a robotic voice:
[WELCOME, KAEL. YOU HAVE AWAKENED IN THE INTER-DIMENSION.]
"What? Inter-dimension?"
[YOUR PHYSICAL BODY IN YOUR ORIGINAL WORLD IS UNCONSCIOUS. YOU HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY A DIMENSIONAL WAVE.]
Kael tried to remember: the light, a strange pull, then this white space.
[TO RETURN, YOU MUST COMPLETE A MISSION IN A PARALLEL WORLD.]
"A mission? What mission?"
[YOU WILL BE PLACED INTO A WORLD WHERE ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU EXISTS AS A FEMALE. YOUR MISSION: TO MAKE THAT VERSION MEET AND FALL IN LOVE WITH THE MAN SHE LIKES.]
Kael was silent for a moment. "What are the consequences if I fail?"
[IF YOU FAIL, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETURN. IF YOU SUCCEED, YOU WILL WAKE UP BACK IN YOUR ORIGINAL WORLD.]
With little choice, Kael let out a sigh. "Fine, I accept."
[MISSION INITIATED.]
The light flared brilliantly again, and Kael felt his body plunging into darkness.
---
Kael woke up on a soft bed. This room wasn't his—the walls were pastel, a shelf was full of dolls, and a mirror stood opposite him. As he sat up, the bedroom door opened.
A woman with silver hair reaching her shoulders and ruby red eyes entered the room, startled to see him.
"Who are you?!" the woman asked in a loud voice.
Kael panicked. "I... I'm sorry, I'm lost. I thought this was my house."
What a stupid excuse, he thought.
However, the woman only blinked a few times before her face brightened again. "Oh, so you're lost? Don't worry, I can show you the way out."
Kael was astonished—this woman trusted him so easily. He observed her face more carefully, and the longer he looked, the more he realized: this woman had facial features almost similar to his, just more beautiful, soft, and feminine.
"What's your name?" Kael asked slowly.
"I'm Kiana! And you?"
"Kael."
"Wow, our names are almost similar!" Kiana replied with a wide smile. "Do you want to have breakfast first? I just made pancakes!"
Kael could only stare in silence.
Not only were their faces almost alike—their names were almost the same too.And... she was a bit of an airhead.
While Kiana chattered away about her neighbor whose cat had given birth, Kael took a deep breath.
This was more complicated than he had thought.
---
End of Chapter 1