Meret willed herself to sit up, but her body refused. She tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't obey either.
"I'm sorry, Aries. I'm so sorry." The woman's sobs fell over her in a relentless tide. Meret tried to feel irritation at the comical way the tears splashed onto her but instead, she felt… pity.
And…
Wait, are those tears on my own cheeks? Why the hell am I crying? And why can't I bloody move? She wondered to herself.
As if reading her thoughts, the woman spoke again. "Julio will come soon. He'll heal you."
Why do I need healing, though? Meret wondered. Was it from the fall?
"My poor child…" The woman sobbed anew, and Meret hated how much pity she still felt for this stranger. She had never been an emotional person. Everyone knew that except this woman.
Just then, someone else stepped beside her, standing over her. The woman turned to look at him with pleading eyes.
"Julio… Julio, please save my child."
Something clicked in Meret's mind. This woman had just referred to Meret as her child. Just when she thought things couldn't possibly get any weirder.
The man, Julio, positioned his index and middle fingers over her eyes, and a yellow light suddenly illuminated at the tips as he inspected her.
Meret's eyes widened. Julio must have misread her expression as discomfort, because he murmured soothingly that it would soon be over.
But Meret wasn't shocked by the supposed discomfort. She was astounded because she had just seen him use magic.
"How did this happen, Irene?" Julio asked the crying woman after withdrawing his hand.
"I told her about Orlo's death," Irene replied, tears still streaking her face. "She ran off, refusing to believe it. When I found her again, she was lying beneath the tree… where she and her father used to meet. She must have fallen."
At that, a flood of memories crashed through Meret's mind all at once. She groaned at the intensity, and Julio immediately moved to her side, using magic to soothe what he assumed was physical pain. But it wasn't pain that she was feeling.
When the chaotic memories finally settled, Meret was able to piece it all together and she realized this woman was her mother, and Orlo Archer—now tragically late—was her father.
And she—Aries—had indeed fallen from a tree. Just like she had… for the same reason: the constellations.
And now, she was living in the body of the daughter of the Fallen Warrior from her favorite novel.
The book had never revealed that Orlo had a child, let alone a wife. When she had wished the story wouldn't end… she had meant for Orlo not to die. But apparently, she hadn't been specific enough. Now she was stuck inside the story itself.
Suddenly Meret felt something clawing its way up her throat. She bent over instinctively, and the contents of her stomach spilled onto the floor of the unfamiliar room.
Irene jumped up immediately. "Wait, wait! I'll get something!" she cried, dashing off.
Julio knelt behind Meret, rubbing gentle circles on her back. "It's alright… just breathe."
When it finally passed, Meret lifted her head, weak and shaking. Her eyes caught the mirror on the wall opposite her.
She froze.
The reflection staring back at her wasn't Meret. It was… stunning. Not exaggerated or cartoonish, just beautiful in a way that made her stomach twist again—this time with disbelief rather than nausea. The face in the mirror moved as she moved, every subtle twitch and blink perfectly mimicked. Her hands went to her cheeks.
Oh. My. God. She really was in Aries' body. She really… was in the novel.
Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. Does this mean I can use magic? In the novel, women hadn't wielded it. It had always been men on the battlefield, men controlling the tides of power. But… since she was in the novel, maybe that could change.
Irene returned, carrying a bowl and some clothes. She crouched to clean the mess, murmuring apologies and crying as she worked.
She felt the need to reach out to comfort the woman… her mother… but she stopped herself. Instead, she turned to Julio.
"Teach me how to use magic."
Julio blinked at her, surprise clear on his face. Irene froze mid-cleaning, her expression shifting slowly from sorrow to anger.
"What did I tell you about talking about magic?" she snapped.
Meret frowned at the woman not remembering her ever speaking about magic, but just then the memories of Irene warning the real Aries severally to not use magic surfaced in her mind. And she always nodded to whatever her mother told her.
"You don't have magic. As it should be, Aries," Julio added and Meret turned to look at him.
Another memory hit her. One of Julio always bringing a particular snack, paired with the homemade tea her mother had made. She had watched Irene prepare it countless times. Back then, the real Aries had never questioned it. She didn't understand herbs or magic, didn't know that the tea and the snack were designed to suppress her latent powers until they were fully dormant.
Now, with her knowledge of herbs and magical theory, the pieces fell together.
Unknown to Irene and Julio, the real Aries had long despised the taste. She had been secretly discarding the tea and snacks for years, barely remembering why they had been given in the first place.
So that means… I can use magic now.
Meret decided to test her theory. She focused, pointing her hands and willing energy into them as she had read Orlo do. Nothing happened.
"What do you think you are doing?" Julio asked, appalled.
Meret ignored him and tried again, channeling from her core. This time, luminous lines shimmered forth. Her eyes widened she didn't have just one spiritual vein but two.
In everything she had read, everyone only had one spiritual vein. Just as people were granted one heart and soul, one vein—but here she was, with two, each reflecting her father's and mother's clans.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Julio's voice carried shock and disbelief. His gaze lingered on the two glowing veins. He knew.
She turned to Irene, who was already on her feet, rushing to close the windows and doors in a panic. Returning to Meret, she looked furious.
"You foolish child! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Why did you stop drinking the tea?"
Meret bit back a scoff. "So you admit to concealing my magic without my permission."
Irene froze, taken aback.
"Watch your tone, Aries," Julio chastised sharply.
Meret felt the immense urge to tell him to go fuck himself but she decided that would raise suspicion. She wasn't sure how they would react if they realized their daughter no longer occupied her own body
"Aries," her mother spoke up, her voice softer but heavy with fear. "I know your father's death hurt you. It pained me too. I can't lose you as well. You know what happens when a female is found with spiritual veins… not just one, but two. Meret, they would execute you in front of everyone—and exile me too for failing to kill you from the moment you were born."
What? Meret thought. She had never seen this in the manga. There was no mention anywhere that females weren't supposed to have spiritual veins.
"That's why your father kept you a secret," Irene continued, tears glinting in her eyes, "and why he accepted the false charges against him. If they had investigated, they would have discovered you and me—and everything would have been over."
Meret's shoulders slumped. So there was more to the story after all, she thought to herself.
Luckily, Meret knew a few ways to handle situations like this from the numerous fantasy novels she has read. The problem was… Irene and Julio would never agree. So she decided to rely on her mundane powers instead: reverse psychology.
"I didn't know that," she started trying to look dejected.
Irene came to sit beside her, pulling Meret close so she could rest her head on her shoulders. "It's okay, my baby," Irene whispered, her voice soft and soothing. Meret could only hope that Julio would be there too, to calm Irene once she said what she was about to.
"If I did, I wouldn't have applied to join the tournament to get into the Academy."