When my vision had returned, I was lying face down in a world that was nothing but white. No sky, no ground, no end-just and endless, silent void.
Yet somehow I was sitting.
Beneath me, the surface reflected my image like a perfect mirror. I stared at it for a long time... Then laughter escaped me.
I looked terrible.
Not injured. Not tired. Just... Empty. Like a person who had misplaced something important and never found it again. Even the iris in my eyes was fading, dissolving like morning mist.
"Huh..."
The sound felt distant.
I laid down, raising my hand slowly and stared at it, as if it belonged to someone else. And then without warning, memories began to surface.
My mother's arm around me. Warm food on the table. Laughter not loud, not forced. Just real.
For a moment, something painful twisted inside my chest.
Longing.
Then came the regrets, one after another, like quiet waves.
"If I ever get another chance..." I whispered.
My voice sounded fragile, like it would break if I spoke to loudly.
"Maybe... I'll make sure to make everyone happy. A life with no regrets but filled with love..."
A voice broke through the silence.
It didn't come from anywhere... Yet it was everywhere.
I lifted myself, startled, my eyes searching the endless white-and then I saw it.
A metallic orb floated in the distance, glowing softly. It's light wasn't blinding. It was... Inviting.
Without thinking, I began walking towards it.
The moments the words faded, my body followed.
Gone
No pain. No resistance. Just... Absence.
Before I could grasp the thought...
A force pulled at me, compressing, shaping, forcing me into form.
It felt wrong... And yet natural at the same time.
Just enough to feel something beneath my feet again.
I looked down.
Smaller hands. Slimmer fingers and my body felt lighter... Fragile. Strands of long hair slipped over my shoulders brushing against my back.
"Wait...what!"
My lips moved.
No sound came out.
"...?!"
I tried again. Nothing.
A strong panic rose in my chest. But even that felt distant, like it did not belong to me.
Obedience - success
Mastery - success
Intent - success
Instinct - success
Pain nullification - enhanced
Wisdom - enhanced
Strength - enhanced
Glutton - success
Wrath - success
Limitless requiem - success.
The silence lifted.
I inhaled sharply, my voice finally returning.
"... Skills?" I muttered, my brows furrowing. "What is this... Some kind of a game?"
"What. Luciel... Nova?" I repeated, the name unfamiliar on my tongue.
"Master...? Hold on - "
<10...9...8...>
"A countdown?! You've got to be kidding - "
<7...6...5...>
"Hey, wait - !"
<4...3...2...>
"Alright! Fine!"
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my long hair.
"... You're really forcing this, huh."
I paused.
"You don't have one?"
Silence.
"... Then I'll give you one."
"Ineal."
A short pause.
I glanced around the endless white, then turned back at the floating orb.
"So... What are you exactly?" I asked. "And don't take it the wrong way."
"A part of me, huh... "
For some reason, that didn't feel strange.
It felt right.
A faint smile touched my lips.
"Then... Let's get along, Ineal."
After that everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself sitting under a tree.
A soft breeze passed by, and a few leaves drifted down from above, landing quite on the grass. Small flowers free beside me, swaying fresh, different from anything I had before.
Without realising it, I smiled.
I stood up and walked towards the edge of a nearby cliff. When I looked ahead, I froze for a moment.
Hills stood in the distance, layering one behind another until they faded into the sky. A long river cut through the land reflecting the sunlight like a morning mirror. Forests and open plain stretched further than my eyes could follow.
It was quiet. Peaceful.
Beautiful.
"So... This is a new world. One that is far from earth." I said softly.
I walked back to the tree, leaning against the trunk.
"Mmmh... Ineal, are you there?"
"Do you know anything about this world?"
"Era of Astyron, huh... And is there any city or town that is nearby?"
"Oh that's fine." I said rubbing my chin.
"By the way... I've been wondering how I look now. Ineal can you show me my current appearance."
A transparent body appeared Infront of me.
"Wow!"
I leaned closer and stared at my reflection.
Long black hair that reached my back. Slender body. Narrow shoulders. Smooth skin. And a face... That looked more like a girl's than a boy's.
The clothes I wore... Were no ordinary choice, but something that seemed plucked from a world of quiet legends.
A sleeveless white tunic clung lightly to my frame, it's fabric soft yet deliberate, as though woven for both travel and battle. It fell in clean lines, unburdened by excess, yet carried on understated elegance. Dark fitted trouser anchored the look, held in place by layering belts of worn leather and faint gold accents, each strap crossing the other like a story half told.
A single ornament rested at my waist - a teardrop crystal, pale blue, catching what little light there was and holding it like a secret.
My arms were wrapped in long, black sleeves, etched with subtle patterns that shimmered only when they caught the right angle of light, as though they remembered magic even if I don't. Over it all, a light outer layer, trailed behind me, shifting with the wind like a whisper that refused to be caught.
I stared at the screen for a few seconds.
"... Wow, Ineal you really nailed it at the clothing."
"But why do I look like a girl?" I muttered touching my face then chest just to make sure.
"Flat. So I'm still a guy... Just with a girl's face."
"Ineal, can you change my face?"
Silence.
"... You've got to be kidding me," I sighed. "Well I guess it's better than having an ugly face."
I walked back and stretched a little getting used to my new body.
"Well then, what about my race?"
"... A dragon?" I let out a small laugh. "Now that's cool."
I turned and looked at the world again. The sun painted the sky in a warm yellow glow, and I raised my hand to block the light as I started into the distance.
"Tanaka, guess what," I said quietly. "All those anime and isekai stories are actually real... And now I'm in another world.
I looked at the horizon one more time and smiled.
"Can't wait to finally meet people." I said softly.