It had been two weeks since Adrian arrived in this world. Or perhaps two weeks since "Adrian" had collapsed with a terrible headache and witnessed fragments of a life from another world.
Adrian himself did not know which explanation was correct.
The distinction troubled him at first, but over the past two weeks, he had slowly learned something important about the strange condition that plagued him. The headaches. He had begun to notice a pattern.
The discovery itself had been useful, but the memory of how he discovered it made Adrian shiver involuntarily. Those two weeks had been anything but peaceful. He had found that whenever he questioned his own identity, the headaches would return immediately.
Questions like Who is the real Adrian? or which life belongs to me?
The moment such thoughts appeared in his mind, a violent pain would split his skull apart. It didn't matter which conclusion he leaned toward. If he believed he was the Adrian from Earth, the pain came. If he believed he was Adrian Silversail of this world, the pain still came. It was as if the very act of questioning his existence triggered some hidden mechanism inside his mind. After several painful attempts, Adrian had learned the hard way to stop digging too deeply into the matter.
Though he was far from happy about his sudden transmigration, he had no choice but to accept the reality in front of him.
Life had dealt him a hand of cards he never asked for.
All he could do now was play them.
Even thinking too deeply about the situation carried the risk of triggering another unbearable headache.
So Adrian had reluctantly learned to suppress his curiosity.
During these two weeks, however, he had also discovered something unexpected. His major personality or soul seemed to be from another world. It seems his older age and health dominated over the weak Adrian in this life.
The discoveries were not just despairing but also something unexpected. His memory had improved significantly, and not only that, but his mental endurance seemed stronger than before. Thoughts that once tired him quickly now felt easier to process. He discovered this while he was looking for possible answers in the Baron's library.
Adrian had spent several nights quietly thinking about the possible reason behind this change.
Eventually, he formed a rough hypothesis.
According to the memories he had inherited, the original Adrian Silversail had always possessed a fragile body. Since childhood, he had been physically weak and prone to illness. Two weeks ago, the boy had been standing on a balcony overlooking the training grounds.
Below, Ashton had been practicing swordsmanship under the guidance of his instructor, Knight Blake. The young Adrian had been watching the training session with quiet admiration when he suddenly felt dizzy, his vision darkened and he fell forward.The fall had caused the head injury.
Meanwhile, in another world, Adrian had been struck by an SUV while crossing the street.
Two accidents, two lives and two deaths. Somehow, those two events had become intertwined.
And the headaches? Adrian had a theory about that as well; he did not believe the original Adrian Silversail had completely disappeared."Dead completely?" Adrian muttered to himself once, letting out a faint, humorless laugh.
"That would be too convenient." Instead, he believed something far stranger had happened. When his consciousness entered this body, the original Adrian's soul—or whatever remained of it—had not vanished entirely. It had simply been weakened. And now the two of them were sharing the same vessel.
It was like an organ transplant. When a foreign organ entered the body, the immune system would attack it, recognizing it as something alien. Rejection. That was what doctors called it.
In this case, however, the body was not rejecting an organ. It was rejecting a soul. Whenever Adrian questioned his identity or tried to determine which self was real, the fragile balance between the two consciousnesses seemed to destabilize.The result was the violent headaches he had experienced.
That was the best explanation he could come up with. Of course, it was still nothing more than a theory. Even so, understanding the situation did not make him feel any better.Adrian sighed deeply.
Other people who transmigrated in novels always seemed to receive incredible advantages. Some gained mysterious systems that guided them, and others discovered ancient souls inside rings who became their mentors. Some even inherited the memories and knowledge of powerful figures from the past.
Compared to them, Adrian felt like the unluckiest transmigrator imaginable. He hadn't even managed to transmigrate properly. Instead of gaining advantages, he ended up sharing his mind with another version of himself. A situation that could quite literally split his head open if he wasn't careful.
Adrian rubbed his temples with a tired expression. Even if his theory was correct, it didn't bring him any closer to solving the problem. After all, during his time in medical school, he had studied the human body in great detail. Bones, organs, blood, nerves, but souls?
That subject had never appeared in any medical textbook. Yet now, after personally experiencing something that defied all logic, Adrian could no longer deny the possibility that such things truly existed. He let out another quiet sigh.
"At least if I ever return to my old world… I might win a Nobel Prize for discovering the existence of souls."
He paused for a moment before shaking his head.
"Though somehow… I doubt that's happening anytime soon."
Now another problem appeared in Adrian's mind. Even if he accepted his fate and stopped questioning his identity, what would happen if the situation inside his mind worsened in the future? For now, he had learned how to somewhat control the headaches. Avoiding certain thoughts kept the pain away most of the time.
But that was not a real solution. At best, it was only a temporary measure.A fragile balance.
Adrian frowned slightly as he thought about it. What if the situation deteriorates later?
What if one day the headaches become unbearable again? He rubbed his forehead absentmindedly.
"If I inherit the title of Baron one day and manage the territory," he muttered quietly to himself, "life might actually be comfortable." "I don't even have to inherit the title, I can just be Baron's Brother"
According to his memories, the Silversail territory was fairly prosperous. Though it had not much fertile land, it had a prosperous port and loyal retainers. The goods transported from other territories and resources from the sea were fairly profitable.
If everything went smoothly, Adrian could live a relatively peaceful life, but the problem inside his mind was like a ticking time bomb and offered no sense of safety.
No matter how comfortable his future life might become, the threat of that internal conflict between the two identities still remained, for which he could do nothing.
Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair, lost in thought.
Just then a sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Brother, are you there?" a familiar voice called from outside. It was Ashton.
Adrian straightened slightly. "Yes," he replied.
The door opened, and Ashton stepped into the room. The two brothers looked strikingly similar at first glance. Their facial features were almost identical. But the difference between them became obvious the moment one looked closer. Ashton stood taller, with broad shoulders and a strong build. His movements were confident and energetic. Adrian, on the other hand, appeared noticeably thinner and more fragile that even sitting upright seemed to take some effort.
"How are you feeling today?" Ashton asked as he walked closer.
"I'm fine," Adrian replied calmly. He looked at his younger twin brother for a moment. Despite sharing the same face, their lives had taken completely different paths. Ashton had been born healthy and strong. Because of that, their father had arranged for a knight in the household, Knight Blake, to personally train him in swordsmanship.
Over the years, Ashton had shown considerable talent. At his age, he had already reached the level of a preparatory knight, strong enough to fight against three to five ordinary soldiers on his own. It was an impressive achievement but it also made the contrast between the two brothers painfully obvious.
Adrian, in comparison, struggled with even the simplest physical activities. If he walked too quickly or exerted himself slightly, he would soon find himself short of breath. It was the kind of body that could hardly be expected to wield a sword.
"Father asked me to call you," Ashton said. "He wants to see you."
Then Ashton's expression brightened slightly, as if remembering something.
"Oh, right. After that, we should go to the stables," he added. "A new horse arrived this morning. It's very calm. You should try riding it too."
Adrian couldn't help but smile faintly. He could already imagine how that would end.
"I think I'll pass for now," Adrian said with a small laugh. "I'd rather not faint in front of everyone again." Ashton paused for a moment before nodding.
"Alright," he said, though he looked slightly disappointed.
"Let's go then," Adrian said as he slowly stood up.
Together, the two brothers walked out of the room.