Lei's fingertips brushed the edge of the bench beneath him. Salvaged wood, immaculate in its imperfection, felt both familiar and profoundly foreign.
He didn't react. His expression held nothing—not calm, not panic, just a blank, unsettling stillness.
His gaze dropped. His legs didn't move. Not dead, but absent, as if his body only remembered them in theory.
Then his eyes shifted to his right hand. Slowly, he curled each finger, one after the other, like pulling a string on a marionette. He was testing whether the puppet still remembered how to obey.
"Calm down, calm down," he muttered to himself, but the words were a foreign language. His panic, a surging tide, forced his teeth to gouge his lower lip. Blood bloomed, hot and coppery, flooding his mouth. His heart hammered a frenzied rhythm against his ribs, a frantic drum reaching its impossible peak. His body trembled violently, a raw, physical manifestation of the primal fight-or-flight response, adrenaline scorching his veins.
His surroundings dissolved into a blur. His face remained eerily blank, reflecting nothing of the internal storm. Countless memories surged, a relentless, disorienting flood, as if Lei himself stood within each vivid recollection. Only after this deluge did his heart rate slowly recede, settling into a rhythm still slightly elevated, a lingering echo of the terror.
He was a physician. He understood the mechanics of panic, the insidious creep of fear. And so, with a practiced detachment, he began to observe. The room was clean, old, stylized, a whisper of a bygone era. A bit too old-fashioned, perhaps. Only a table, a solitary chair, and a bookshelf occupied the space. The rest was stark, empty. Sunlight, pouring through an ancient window, illuminated the bookshelf, casting the dust motes into sharp relief, and lending the sparse room an unexpected, almost pristine texture.
He forced his legs to obey, the muscles protesting, and moved towards the bookshelf. The wooden floorboards offered their usual symphony of crackles beneath his weight, a sound Lei barely registered. His hand reached out, brushing the old wood of the shelves. As a memory surfaced, unbidden yet utterly vivid, he recognized the timber: kauri. A strange pang hit him—in his world, kauri was revered as the oldest wood, its felling a crime.
He pivoted, moving towards the door to confirm one last, gnawing suspicion, crossing into what felt like a living room. The entire floor was wood. Another memory confirmed it, solidifying the alien familiarity. He then turned towards the bathroom, drawn by the promise of a mirror. It was called Cassa Lumino, a name he found oddly amusing even now.
Stepping into the bathroom, he immediately fixed his gaze on his reflection. It was not his face. The last thread of doubt unraveled. This was it: the undeniable confirmation of his transmigration. For a fleeting second, he wondered if this was merely Dissociative Identity Disorder, but he swiftly shrugged off the thought. He knew the symptoms too well; true DID would have left him with no prior knowledge, no sense of his own identity at all. This was something far more profound.
Lei darted through the living room, each frantic stride making the floorboards wail underfoot. A sweet, melodic voice, laced with concern, trailed him from the next room.
"Brother , what happened?"
Moments later, she stepped into the living room, a silhouette against the dim light. Her faded burgundy tunic, a size too generous, hung loosely, sleeves carelessly rolled. The already messy bun atop her head now defied gravity, an unruly halo of escaping strands.
Lei's muscles tensed, a sudden, rigid knot. He stopped dead, turning to face the questioner. The complaining crackles of the wooden floorboards dissolved, swallowed by an abrupt, heavy silence.
"It's nothing, Serenya, I was just in a hurry."Lei managed, his voice attempting a casual lightness it utterly lacked. He spoke the words, knew their context, even felt the faint echo of familial warmth from the borrowed memories. Yet, they felt foreign on his tongue, an imposter playing a part, even if the script was etched deep within his borrowed mind.
"Hey, brother," Serenya said, her voice laced with the easy affection only a younger sister could muster, even through her usual playful banter. "I know you're excited and anxious, but it'll be alright—after all, you are my big brother."
Lei immediately checked the memories, a frantic scramble through the borrowed mind. The realization hit him with the force of a physical blow.
"I am stupid," he muttered, the words sharp with self-reproach. "How could I not have checked the original owner's entire memory? Tomorrow's a job interview... for project manager."
"Thanks," Lei said, the word emerging with an affection that felt both genuine and unsettlingly borrowed, his body and the foreign memories orchestrating the response.
"Here's 10 scratch," she said, pressing a worn metallic coin into his palm. "Bring some meat, fish, and my favorite juice for me, and wine for you and brother. It'll be a refreshment for us all." Her plea was delivered with such disarming adorableness, it rendered refusal impossible.
"Alright," Lei chuckled, a genuine warmth spreading through him even as the words felt new on his tongue. "How could I say no to this little cunning girl?" He teased her, acknowledging her charm, yet it was steeped in an affection that felt undeniably his own.
"Brother will be home now, after a week." Lei's voice softened with admiration and care. "Clever of you to think about his refreshment too," he added, a playful affection lacing his tone as he looked at Serenya.
"I am going then," Lei said, and moved towards the door. The familiar creak of the wood was a low whisper. He slipped into his sandals, opened the door, and stepped out. He cast a quick glance at their apartment, noting its comforting, lived-in quality, before drifting down the street.
"How did I even get into this, and why am I so calm about all this?" he muttered to himself, the internal monologue a stark contrast to his outward composure. "I want to go back to my original world. I have to find a way. I'm not a fan of this isekai or transmigration stuff anyway, like, dude, who likes these? They're so immature."
As he drifted deeper into the bazaar, one by one, the oil lamps flickered to life, their warm glow drawing in the evening's customers. Their illuminating hum was a low thrum against the glowing dusk, casting long, shifting shadows that danced with every passing figure.
"Mr. Vaelith, how are you?" an old yet soft voice greeted him from a distant stall. It was Lady Hel. Lei quickly sifted through the memories: Lady Hel, the kindest soul, who looked after their entire family. Their family were her loyal, regular customers.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Hel, how about you?" he replied, matching her soft tone. His tall figure became visible as he approached her stall, weaving through the bustling crowd lost in their own mindful existence.
"I'm doing great. What about Serenya and Byleistr?" she asked, her voice laced with genuine care.
"They're doing great," Lei confirmed. "Could I get 1 uncia of meat, fish, and one bottle of wine, as well as one bottle of grape juice?"
An uncia must be around 2 kg, since Serenya didn't tell me the exact amount. I'm hoping this will be enough. Thank god I have the original owner's memories; it's so helpful, he thought to himself.
Mrs. Hel placed all the requested products before him on an old wooden counter. "It will be 7 scratch, but since it must be a special day for you, Serenya, and Byleistr, it's only 5 scratch for you," she said, her tone teasing, a warm smile crinkling the corners of her eyes.
"Thanks, Mrs. Hel," Lei said, bidding her a quick farewell as time pressed on. He noticed a strange man, half-hidden in the dimming light, attempting to pick another's pocket.
Lei reached out, his fingertips brushing the stranger's shoulder. "Hey sir, what you're doing isn't appropriate."
The man spun around, his expression utterly dumbfounded. "You... you can see me?" he stammered, his voice laced with disbelief.
"Anyone can," Lei replied, a stern edge to his voice, annoyance prickling at him. "You shouldn't be doing these kinds of things."
Suddenly, the man vanished. He simply wasn't there, as if he'd never existed. Lei stood in total shock, the bazaar's low hum now a distant thrum. Passersby glanced at him, their expressions ranging from curiosity to outright alarm, as if he'd been talking to thin air.
"Sorry," he mumbled, offering a quick apology to no one in particular, feeling the need to explain the disturbance. "Must have been my hallucinations. All this stress from being in a new world." He muttered to himself, shaking his head, and shrugged it off, resuming his walk toward the apartment. The sun had fully set, painting the sky in deep indigo. After a short while, he reached the familiar door.
He opened the door, stepping into the warmth of the apartment. Two familiar figures stood before him. A man, no older than twenty-six, immediately enveloped him in a hug.
"Welcome back, brother," Lei greeted Byleistr, his voice filled with genuine affection.
"What took you so long, big brother Lei? Big brother Byleistr and I have been waiting for ages!" Serenya said, her tone scolding, yet brimming with an undeniable bond.
"Sorry, hehe," Lei chuckled, handing her the bag of groceries. "Here are all the products."
"How much did you get?" Serenya asked, eyeing the contents.
"One uncia of meat and fish, with one bottle of your favorite juice and wine for us," Lei replied casually.
"Perfect! I thought since I didn't tell you how much to get, you'd mess that up," she teased, a playful glint in her eye.
"And the cooking work goes to our cute little sister!" both Lei and Byleistr cheered in unison.
A relieved sigh escaped Beiliestr's lips, a soft, almost imperceptible sound in the quiet room. "It's better this way," he murmured, settling deeper onto the worn floorboards.
"Yeah," Lei echoed, the word a whisper that barely reached his own ears. His heart, however, hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the unsettling truth. He wasn't Lei, not truly. Not the brother Beiliestr knew, but a trespasser wearing stolen skin, holding borrowed memories.
Guilt, a creeping vine, tightened its grip, suffocating him. He'd worn a mask of calm, an unbothered facade, but beneath it throbbed a raw humanity, a yearning for his own world, his own beloved.
Focus, Lei, he commanded himself, the silent words a desperate anchor. Survival. Go home. He pressed his thumb into his palm, a white-knuckled grip that paled his skin, seeking a tangible tether to a reality that felt miles away.
Lei looked toward Serenya, who was intently focused on her cooking. "Hey, I'll watch today. Big brother's resting anyway," he offered, his voice even.
"Alright," she replied without looking up.
The ice melting of the refrigerator filled the kitchen, a stark contrast to the quiet rustle Serenya made as she pulled two eggs from a canvas bag. Her gaze landed on a lone pot, its sleek, modern lines a curious outlier among the aged cookware. A faint smile touched her lips. She filled it with water, added the eggs, and slid it into the oven. The soft click of the door closing echoed in the silence.
A comfortable calm settled over Serenya. Time seemed to stretch and then snap back. She retrieved the perfectly boiled eggs, their shells cool beneath her fingers. With practiced precision, she chopped them into small, uniform pieces, setting them aside on a wooden board.
"Hey, you brought the chopped chicken meat, right?" Her voice, though soft, held a demanding edge as she turned to the bags scattered across the table.
Lei's answer was a hesitant, "Probably."
Serenya's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, 'probably'?" The words were a gentle chiding, a familiar tone that hinted at her loving but firm nature when her brothers erred.
"Why don't you check? If it's not chopped, then I will," Lei offered, a hint of suggestion in his voice.
Serenya said nothing more. She reached into one of the bags, pulling out a package wrapped in strange, unfamiliar material. Lei watched her, a fleeting thought crossing his mind: I didn't notice it before, but seeing Serenya's expression, it must be pretty common.
"It's chopped," Serenya announced, placing the meat into a casserole dish. A glint of olive oil caught the light as she drizzled it over the chicken, then slid the dish into the oven, which remained ajar, still radiating the residual warmth from the boiled eggs.
As the chicken began to sizzle, she added the leeks, their green stalks a vibrant splash against the browning meat. The scent of savory warmth began to fill the kitchen. Soon, the pine nuts, coriander seeds, and winter savory joined the medley, each ingredient a promise of deeper flavors. She stirred with a deliberate hand, ensuring every piece of chicken was coated, allowing the rich aromas to meld and deepen over a few quiet minutes.
Lei's eyes widened as Serenya reached for a bottle of red wine. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?" he protested, his voice a sudden burst of alarm. Serenya merely shrugged, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips. "Just watch."
The dark crimson liquid poured into the dish, a rich, earthy scent rising with the steam. Serenya let it simmer, the gentle gurgle a rhythm for the next twenty minutes until the wine had reduced, its essence concentrated. Finally, the chopped eggs were folded in, their creamy texture a counterpoint to the savory meat. A few more minutes, and the dish was done.
Lei swallowed hard, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach. "I guess today's food will be my worst," he muttered to himself, the words barely a whisper.
The entire process was utterly beyond Lei. In his original world, he'd learned nothing about cooking, not because he couldn't, but because he was simply too lazy. "Is it ready?" Lei asked, a genuine note of amazement in his voice.
Serenya remained quiet through all this. "Should I tell big brother to come?" Lei asked, looking towards the living room where Byleistr rested.
"Yes, let's eat now, I'm hungry anyway, as well as my two big brothers who don't know cooking despite their age," she retorted with sarcasm, though her voice still held an undeniable current of affection.
Lei understood. "Alright." He moved toward Byleistr. "Come, let's eat, I bet you're hungry," Lei said in a cheering tone. Despite his internal uncertainty, he faked himself well.
Let's go, Byleistr thought to himself.
Both brothers settled at the dining table, crafted from fine wood. Serenya served the food, its rich aroma filling the house, bringing the whole space alive. She served herself, then retrieved the wine and her grape juice. Lei poured the wine for Byleistr and himself, while Serenya poured her own juice into a glass.
"Cheers," Serenya said with a warm smile.
"Cheers," both brothers responded, mirroring her warmth and affection. Even Lei, confused by his own identity, felt a genuine affection for her as a little sister.
After a while, they finished their meal. Following a light conversation, they all retired to their rooms, exhausted. Serenya and Byleistr fell asleep quickly, leaving Lei alone in his room, the day's bizarre events replaying in his mind.
"Oh, shit," he muttered to himself. "I never knew memory could make someone act casually who isn't actually himself, or is it just me?" His eyes were sore. He leaned his back against the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping across the clean room. He then retrieved his sleeping mat from the living room, adjusted it carefully, and succumbed to extreme fatigue, falling asleep as quickly as he could.
Suddenly, a sharp object pressed against Lei's throat. He lay clueless in the deep silence of the night. The intruder, cloaked in a lengthy coat, was a dark silhouette. Lei woke with a jolt, a primal sense of threat jolting him from sleep.
A gun rested cold against his skin, its metallic chill seeping through his skin. The intruder stood unmoving, one arm casually tucked into a coat pocket, his face a chillingly blank mask. "Listen," the voice was low, flat. "Answer all of my questions correctly, or you shall be killed."
"And don't try to scream," he added, a mocking lilt entering his tone. "No one will hear you."
To be continued…