I've finally made it to school. The place is massive, but I guess that's expected for an academy of the nobility. The education system here isn't much different from my old world; only the subjects have changed. Most of the curriculum is theoretical, with swordsmanship being the only practical class. I paid close attention in every lesson because, frankly, I knew nothing. If I let things slide, I'd definitely fail. Finally, exam day arrived. I finished the papers with a lack of confidence, yet I was certain of one thing: I would pass. For now, that was enough. Leaving the exam hall, I felt drained. My brain felt overworked. I suppose all I can do now is wait for the results. When the scores were finally posted:
"Hmph. Not bad, I guess."
An 80. It's a decent score. Honestly, if I had started from elementary school here, I probably would have scored in the 90s. But for the others who saw my results, they couldn't believe their eyes. They even went to protest to the faculty, so the school made me retake the exam—and I scored exactly the same, to the point.
Now, I'm in my room, sitting at my desk reading until I've barely had any sleep. I let out a long sigh.
"Sigh... two years have passed already. Two incredibly boring years."
It's been two years since I ended up in Xenos's body. Tomorrow is Xenos's 15th birthday, which means I have to undergo the Awakening Ceremony. Ugh... so stressful. What will the ceremony be like? I just hope it goes smoothly. I've read every book I could find regarding the ritual. The chances of something going wrong are slim—almost non-existent—but if there's even a slight margin for error, it's better to be safe than sorry. The problem is, there's no known way to prevent an anomaly. I guess I'll just have to rely on luck. I looked around Xenos's room and sighed. Even after two years, I still haven't gotten used to the name "Xenos." In my head, "I" and "Xenos" remain separate entities. These two years, while tedious, have flown by with alarming speed. I find myself missing my old world. I'd give anything to study mathematics again, mostly because magic here lacks a proper explanation of how it actually works. People just know that it does.
I have a nagging feeling that I'm somehow cursed with bad luck. I glanced at the clock. Age 15, huh? I'm starting to feel old. I tucked my books back onto the shelf before pulling out a piece of paper. I grabbed a pen and wrote a single word: "Misfortune." I hope things don't turn out like what's written on this paper. I crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash immediately. I slowly got up and lay down on the bed.
"Mm... so sleepy."
I closed my eyes, but when I opened them again, something unbelievable happened. I was in John's room, but strangely, my body was translucent and I was floating. I raised my hands to look at them—wait, this is my old body. John was lying on the bed, staring out the window with a look of surprise. It seemed he couldn't see me. I tried waving, but he didn't react. He really can't see me.
John got out of bed, made the bed, showered, and got dressed. He sat down for breakfast with his family for a while. No one spoke; likely because there was nothing to say. After eating, he headed straight to school. When he reached the classroom, he looked around and sighed. Why is this guy sighing? He looked worried about something. When the period ended, John walked out, but his eyes caught sight of Alice. Suddenly, his face turned bright red. Wait, what?! John headed to his next class, but along the way, the hallway was buzzing with conversation.
"Why is Phukan absent? He never misses class, does he?"
"Why haven't I seen Phukan today?"
"Where did Phukan disappear to?"
There it is. It's true. I'm dead. When John reached the math classroom, he sat through the lesson as usual. Once it ended, I followed him to the cafeteria for lunch. He sat with Long and the others, but during the meal, John couldn't take his eyes off Alice. If it's that bad, just go confess already. Then, Long spoke up.
"Hey, John. You're staring at Alice so hard... do you have a crush on her or something?" He made sure to keep his voice low; if anyone else heard, he'd be teased for ages.
"No, I just have a weird feeling that something is off."
"What could be off? This is real life, not a novel."
"I guess you're right..."
John turned toward the calendar, and I looked too. Oh, today is my birthday... After lunch, he headed to class. As the final period ended, John and I suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere. Our surroundings looked like a vast sea, but we were sitting on the surface of the water. John stood up immediately. Suddenly, a woman appeared—she looked like a goddess, and she had wings. Wait, that's the goddess who sent me into Xenos's body!
"Alright, everyone, listen up," the woman announced. "Ugh... I should introduce myself first. I am a Goddess. As for my name, you don't need to know it. Now, listen carefully. All of you are about to be teleported to another world. Your goal is to save that world. Of course, I won't send you empty-handed. I will grant each of you a special power—though what you get will be random. You will also receive a blessing, which is also random. Each of you will have a guide called a Stóchos. They will be visible only to you, and their form will be whatever you truly desire them to be—and I mean truly desire. You can't just change it on a whim; it depends on your heart... Alright, enough talk."
John looked around frantically. The place was crowded with people. Suddenly, giant numbers appeared in the air. 3... 2... 1... 0... I snapped awake instantly. What the hell was that? A dream? Why did it feel so real? Sigh. I glanced at the clock—it was morning. I hurried to get out of bed, shower, and get dressed. I hurried out of the room and scrambled onto the carriage. I barely made it in time.
"Why did you oversleep today? You haven't woken up late once in the last two years," Orthia asked suspiciously. It seemed she had grown accustomed to my early rising habits.
"I don't know. Maybe I was just exhausted from yesterday," I replied. Honestly, I didn't know the reason for my oversleeping either.
"Exhausted, huh? Fine," she answered with a stoic expression. "Do you think you'll inherit Father's element or Mother's?" she asked, her face turning serious.
How the hell am I supposed to answer that? I don't even know what Xenos's mother's element was. "The Duke's," I blurted out.
"I see." She responded, but for a split second, a flash of disappointment crossed her face—so brief it was almost imperceptible.
After that, we didn't speak a word to each other for the rest of the journey. Once we reached the church, we stepped out of the carriage and headed straight inside. It's finally starting... the Awakening Ceremony. As I entered, I saw the priests waiting for us. They gave us a warm welcome and led us to the ritual site, instructing us to stand at the designated spots.
"May the Lord bestow His blessings upon them. Grant them the power to live, the power to protect themselves, and the power to protect others. May You grant them Your strength," the priest intoned. Suddenly, a blinding white light engulfed the entire ritual area.
When I regained my senses, I found myself in a place I couldn't recognize—yet it felt strangely familiar. I looked around at a vast, stretching void. Suddenly, the emptiness transformed into a sea that reflected everything above it. Stranger still, I was standing on the surface of the water. Wait, I remember this. I know exactly who's coming. Right on cue, the woman with the grey feathered wings appeared before me.
"What is it this time?" I asked her immediately.
"Eh? Aren't you even a little happy to see me? I'm a Goddess, you know. I'm incredibly hard to meet. You could at least pretend to be glad," she said, her disappointment written clearly across her face.
"Why should I be happy? If you have something to say, just say it," I told her. I was worried whether Xenos's physical body was still back at the ritual site; if my entire body had been transported here, it would be a disaster.
"Fine, fine. Just listen to my little story then. Once, there was a noble family. The head of the house had twins, but a few years after they were born, his wife passed away. As the male twin grew up, his behavior became increasingly foul, while the female twin was kind, perfect, and brilliant. But one day, the male twin changed—as if he were a completely different person. His actions, his personality, his speech, even his intelligence... yet the head of the house suspected nothing. When the time came for them to receive their power, one of the twins underwent a special process—a 'Rebirth Process'—resulting in that twin receiving a brand-new body. Can you guess who it was?"
"Orthia," I answered instantly. There was no way it could be Xenos.
"Correct! So, that's all. I just wanted to chat. It's been a pleasure seeing you."
"The feeling isn't mutual." As soon as I said that, she looked irritated and snapped me back into Xenos's body.
I quickly looked around. A strange blue sphere was floating where Orthia had been standing. So it really is her...