I panicked internally as an uncomfortable heat spread throughout my body. It was like there was something within me I couldn't control, and it was running amok.
But then the warmth eased slowly like a tide rolling in.
It had started in my chest, radiating outward. My muscles, sore and stiff just moments ago, began to loosen. The stabbing throb in my side dulled. Even the tension squeezing my temples started to fade.
I blinked, eyes wide. 'Okay… so maybe this isn't poison?'
Paranoia spiked anyway. Maybe it was a slow-acting poison. The warm, gentle kind that lulls you into comfort before shutting down your organs. Sounds like a nightmare.
But the sensation kept getting better. Like someone massaging me from the inside out, smoothing over every ache and pain I had been enduring in this new, cursed body.
'What's in this shit?'
Zeyra, still standing before me like a statue carved from ice, finally broke the silence.
"It contains herbs with natural healing properties," she said, calm and measured, like she'd been reading my mind. "Even if you're not an Ascendant, it was synthesised by an Arcanist specialised in recovery techniques. It will ease your pain and speed your healing."
'It's… actually working.' I relaxed my grip on the cup, surprised to feel a flicker of hope.
I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair, letting the warmth wash over me. Slowly, it faded, leaving behind a lightness in my limbs - like some invisible weight had lifted off my bones.
Not a miracle, but definitely a step up from agony.
When I opened my eyes, they locked on the teapot like it was the most interesting thing in the world. I didn't even bother hiding my curiosity.
It was my first taste of the supernatural, after all, and I couldn't hide my fascination.
Zeyra caught my gaze and spoke before I could ask.
"The effect diminishes rapidly if consumed again too soon, young master. I will brew another batch and bring it later today."
I blinked, then gave a small nod. Slightly disappointed but not about to throw a tantrum.
Which, apparently, surprised her.
'No argument? No dramatic sigh? No whining?' I could almost hear her thoughts, though her expression remained unreadable.
Her instincts screamed that something was off, and in response, so did mine.
My interactions with people in my old body had been limited, but that was by choice. I always prided myself on how well I could read people.
Be it body language, the look in someone's eye, or some unexplainable sixth sense, even on someone who wasn't expressive like Zeyra, I could feel any change in their emotions.
To match, I had quite the sharp mind if I do say so myself. Or at least some of the time. That's not to say that I don't make stupid decisions sometimes, just a disclaimer, haha.
Since I didn't recognise what she was giving me to drink and was acting very unusually, I was sure she was starting to have suspicions.
But by the time I realised she was probing me with her words, it was too late...
"Young Master," she said, voice steady but unreadable, "you've been summoned to join your brother in welcoming the Empress's daughter upon her arrival."
I let out a lazy grunt, keeping up the spoiled noble act.
"Hmph. Is that so?"
My lack of reaction made her narrow her eyes just a fraction.
'The Empress's daughter,' I thought, staring at the ceiling and trying to piece things together. 'Okay, so there's an Empress, and her daughter is visiting. Which means I'm… what? A noble? A prince? Minor royalty? And I've got a brother too.'
'I wonder what this world's like. It seems to be technologically behind, but it has magic, so it makes sense. Humans are creatures who act based on necessity. Who needs engineering and medicine when you have magic?'
'Ascendants, Arcanists, Mana, Aura,' I noted down all the supernatural terms that I had come across so far.
'There's so much I still don't know...'
It was hard not to feel slightly overwhelmed, but I didn't let the anxiety overwhelm me. If anything, I felt something I hadn't in a while.
Excitement!
But there was something else, a weird pang in my chest at the mention of the Empress's daughter. Not physical pain - something deeper. Like the dull ache of a heartbreak I didn't remember.
Except…
'That wasn't me,' I realised. 'That sadness… doesn't belong to me.'
And honestly? I didn't care.
That apathy was all Zeyra seemed to need to confirm her suspicion.
"You're not Ashen," she said suddenly.
Her voice was cold. Flat. Final.
There was no convincing her otherwise; she had seen right through me the same way I had her.
The whole room suddenly shifted.
It wasn't magic - at least, not the flashy kind I could see - but the air thickened. Her presence loomed like a blade hanging over me. I froze, caught in her stare. Breathing got just a little harder, like someone had a grip around my neck.
Zeyra didn't move. Didn't need to.
I swallowed slowly.
If she wanted me dead, I'd be gone before I could blink.
Sure, she might not be the strongest person around, but right now? It was like a grown man holding a terrified kid hostage.
'Think. Think fast.'
She hadn't acted yet, which meant she still wanted something. And the only thing I could offer was an explanation.
So I gave her one.
And it was the truth - just a little twisted - the best kind of truth.
"I am Ashen," I said, voice low and slow. "But I… I don't remember anything. I woke up today and everything was blank. I don't remember who I was, what I was like… not even you."
Zeyra didn't respond immediately. Her gaze didn't soften, but the pressure eased just a little. She studied me like she was trying to peel the truth from my bones.
Finally, she straightened.
"Memory loss?" she thought aloud. "Not impossible…"
'After all, it's not like some random soul from an alternate world - where there just happened to be a similar Ashen - swooped in and took over the body after death. Now that would be ridiculous.' I suppressed a laugh.
Still, she seemed to need more confirmation. Her free hand grabbed my wrist, and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, calm had returned to her face like nothing had happened.
"…Very well," she said quietly, voice neutral again. "I will monitor your condition closely."
I let out a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.
'Okay, I'm in the clear for now.'
With the tension gone, I leaned forward slightly.
And then, with a sly glint in my eye, I asked the one question I'd been dying to ask since the system pinged in my head.
One that was out of place and totally shameless...