I woke up before the clock hit 4:30am, probably still in the habit of my previous life, but it was still a relatively good habit to have. I got up, ignoring my room, which looked like a hurricane had been through it with the random clothes scattered across the floor, and walked into my bathroom. It was massive, almost as big as my entire old apartment. The walls were a nice eggshell blue and white, with white marble gilding the floor. In one corner was a huge shower, and right in the middle of the floor was a tub that looked almost like a small pool. Finally, I turned towards the sink. It was marble, with a large back-lit mirror sitting behind it showing me my new body. Something I hadn't actually gotten to see.
I stared at an almost unfamiliar face in the mirror; it felt truly surreal in that moment. Sure, I had seen what I looked like in a photo once, but I was seven in it, so I still didn't really know what I looked like. The mirror showed a person of about 5'5"(165cm) with a lithe but well-built body. The petite form embodied the word androgynous in both body and face. His hair didn't help with the confusion; it was a little messy from the sleep, but it was long, fluffy and white, reaching down to his collarbone. His face was small and rounded, giving him a cute, doll-like visage with his almost porcelain skin. He had rounded eyes with pure white irises ringed in black, reflecting and refracting the surrounding light, drawing everything deeper into his gaze. His visage lacked any colour until you got to his lips. Lips that were bowed and curved, plump and soft, red as blood, split in an almost unnoticeable but mischievous smile. Then, finally, my eyes flickered over to my ears, and I noticed something off. The tips were pointed, unlike a human but unlike an elf or a dwarf. I now looked like a faerie from those tales of old; truly ethereal in all but corporeality.
I eventually turned from the mirror, leaving it lonely without a reflection in sight, although I could still feel its location. It was like I could feel where my reflection wished to be, where it desired to be seen. I ignored that small nagging sensation and fully undressed before I hopped into the shower. I felt the lukewarm water rush over my skin and fall onto the floor before making its way down into the drain, and I thought. Thoughts of my past, thoughts of my future rushed through, but I pushed them to the side. I had to think about my present and what I could do now to grow stronger. Ideas flowed through my head throughout my shower and even after I got out of it and had fully dressed. I eventually decided on three immediate goals.
'I have to fully understand how to activate and use my second combat art.' I had used it before, albeit barely, so I couldn't really wrap my head around how it worked. It seemed like it was some form of shadow step or teleportation, but the activation conditions weren't obvious. 'Then I have to learn magic.' This was pretty self-explanatory, but it entailed learning about the magic schools from the four affinities that I had access to. However, the Mirror affinity was tough. None of the main cast actually had access to this affinity, so there wasn't much on it in the book; it sort of existed in this strange state of existing but never being touched upon. So, I'd have to learn more about it in the academy's library.
'Finally, I have to gain a steady source of information.' This was absolutely integral to surviving and eventually escaping this story. There were a couple of notable information guilds that popped up later on in the story, so I'd have to take advantage of my limited future knowledge to get a hold of one. Luckily, money wasn't an issue since I was the child of one of the four big families. I honestly don't know what I'd do if I had to try out stocks, as in the story the stock market never came up, and in my old world I was an English major, so statistics and accounting weren't my area of expertise. Anyway, those are my three goals for the first half of this year at the very least. At least we got those sorted.
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After fully deciding on my immediate goals for now, I walked into the dining room, like a repeat of yesterday, and sat down with my father. It looked like my mother and sister weren't up yet, which made sense as it was only 5:00am, so I nodded towards him before I sat down and ate our breakfast, which consisted of what I assumed to be last night's leftovers. It was roti chanai, and honestly, Asian food seems to always be better the day after. The food was absolutely delicious, and it was all I could focus on until my father spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence between us.
"So, kiddo, are you packed and ready to go?" He asked. To which I just nodded in response as my mouth was full. He smiled at my frantic nodding and continued.
"Gods above, I remember when I went to Eos Academy. It was so long ago now… You know, I met your mother there. She was the first person to beat me in a fight." Oh, dear gods, not this story again. I rolled my eyes in response to the story that I had heard hundreds of times by now, but honestly, it was nice to see that even after all these years my dad's heart had never wavered. He adored all of us, but he loved my mum the most, which was understandable. She lit up even the darkest of rooms; her smile alone was almost as bright as the sun. My mum was honestly the most radiant woman I had ever met, and I don't think I had ever seen her angry. In all honesty, I was going to miss my family. While I had only known them for a couple of days, I still had all of Loki's memories and emotions, so to me they were just my second pair of parents.
After my dad had his regaling of the old days cut off my a sharp look from my mother, who had just walked in, I felt a small hand place itself on my shoulder. I looked next to me and saw my sister, whose eyes were bloodshot. She had been crying. She looked at me with her eyes begging me not to leave, not to go to school. All I could really do was ruffle her hair.
"It'll be okay, Rach. I'll be back before you know it. Take care of the family for me while I'm gone, okay? You're in charge." She smiled slightly at me, as if to reassure me, but I could see the tears threatening to spill over. My mum came over and gave me a hug before wishing me good morning and then gently leading my sister to the kitchen to get breakfast. Then, all of a sudden, it was time for me to leave. I had grabbed my suitcase from my room and had made my way to the front door. I saw both my father and mother standing there at the open door looking at me with both pride and a slight bit of worry.
It had to be painful for them both. They were letting their first child go into the world on their own for the first time in their life so I could understand the worry that they held for me.
"Alright, Starlight, go blow away the competition for us." My mum said while pulling me into a hug with my dad. "Oh, and say hi to Jinn for us. Tell him he always has a home here if he ever needs it." I just nodded, feeling a spark of nerves and anticipation shoot through me from hearing my parents say the hero's name. I was going to see him soon. The man I built this world for, the hero of my novel, and my best friend, the brother I never had. I could hardly wait to see him. So, after my parents released me, I walked through the door and made it to the car waiting for me. I looked back to see my dad hugging the sobbing form of my mother. He looked back at me and just smiled, mouthing the words 'good luck'. I turned away and got in the car, looking forward to all that this world held for me.