Chapter 5: Transmigration (2)
Years ago back on Earth
On the 5th floor of a tall, luxurious building, a warm and cheerful family once lived.
Knock knock
"Brother,im coming in"
The door opened with a creak, and laughter burst into the room.
"Huh...Big brother, you're still sleeping!" came the teasing voice of a young girl.
Milly Tsukihana, eleven years old, with black hair and deep black eyes, ran in with a bright grin. She jumped onto the bed where Naoki lay buried beneath his blanket.
"Brother, wake up," she said, tugging the covers away.
Naoki groaned, slowly sitting up. His hair was a mess, and his eyes still heavy with sleep, but the sight of his little sister made him smile.
"Alright, alright. I'm up," he mumbled.
Downstairs, the family gathered for breakfast. The table was filled with warm miso soup, grilled fish, and steaming rice. Their mother moved between the stove and the table, while their father sat with a newspaper in hand. Milly chattered happily as she ate, while Naoki and his older brother Haruto exchanged quiet jokes.
It was an ordinary morning, filled with warmth and routine.
After finishing their meal, Naoki and Haruto packed their bags and prepared to leave for school.
"Be good, Milly," Naoki said as he ruffled her hair.
"I always am," she said proudly, hugging her favorite doll.
While the boys were at school, Milly stayed home with her father and mother. The father worked from home, locked in his study with his laptop and mother on the kitchen. Milly played in her room alone, whispering to her dolls, lost in her own world of stories.
Time passed.
The day neared its end. The sun was beginning to set.
Shortly before Naoki and Haruto returned from school, their mother stepped out to buy groceries. She reminded Milly to stay inside and told her husband she would be back quickly. With that, she left, thinking it was just another ordinary day.
But fate had already shifted.
After school, Naoki and Haruto arrived at the building but something felt off.
A crowd had gathered in front of the apartment complex. People murmured. Some pointed. And in the middle of them were two familiar figures.
Naoki froze.
Their mother was on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, her hands moving in strange, childlike motions. She stroked her own hair, then pressed her palms hard against her chest. Her legs trembled. She slapped her thighs and chest again, like trying to wake from a nightmare. Her face was wet with tears and twisted in agony.
"No… no… not my daughter… not Milly… please… take me instead…" she cried, over and over.
Their father knelt beside her. His glasses had fallen. His eyes were wide, unblinking. His mouth hung open, trying to form words, but nothing came out. His hands trembled violently as he clutched Milly's broken doll, crushed and bloodstained.
Naoki and Haruto pushed forward. Then they saw her.
Milly.
Her small body lay twisted on the cold pavement.
She had fallen from the 5th floor.
Her arms were bent unnaturally. Blood had pooled around her head, staining the ground. Her face was pale, her eyes half-lidded and unfocused.
Naoki's legs gave out.
"Milly…" he whispered.
Then he screamed.
"MILLY!!!"
He collapsed beside her, his knees hitting the ground with a thud. He pulled her into his arms, rocking her, shaking her.
Her body was cold.
Behind him, Haruto stood frozen. His hands trembled, his face pale, tear filled eyes . Their mother continued to sob, her cries raw and helpless. Their father stared at nothing, completely lost.
As Naoki held Milly tighter. Everything else disappeared.
All that was left was her silence… and the sound of a world breaking.
* * *
Back in the present day
A girl who looked like Milly was clinging to Naoki, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around his legs.
"Milly..." His voice trembled, barely a whisper.
The girl looked up at him, eyes wide with worry.
"Brother, are you alright? You've been unconscious for one month."
"...!"
His eyes widened.
As the words sank in, he turned to the mirror. The reflection staring back wasn't his own,it was Aether's face.
Naoki was inside someone else's body. This wasn't Earth.
And the girl calling him 'brother'... she wasn't speaking to Naoki.
She was speaking to Aether.
After gathering his thoughts, Naoki gently picked her up and asked softly,
"Uhm… how are you?"
The young girl clung tightly to his chest, her small voice trembling with frustration.
"I hate you, brother. Why didn't you wake up even when I was crying? Stupid, stupid, stupid."
She squeezed him harder, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"It's okay. Your brother is here now. You're a strong girl, right?"
Though Naoki didn't understand why, perhaps because her face so closely resembled his sister Milly .tears welled up in his own eyes. It was as if he had found his little sister again.
As the situation become emotional a voice come form outside the room. A voice rang out from beyond the door .
"Young master"
A girl in a maid's outfit burst inside. Her short dark brown hair clung slightly to her tear-streaked cheeks, and she couldn't have been more than twenty. The moment her eyes met Naoki's, her breath caught.
She ran to him, falling to her knees before he could speak.
"Young master, are you alright? Are you... are you feeling well?"
Tears brimmed in her eyes, spilling freely as she grasped his hand with trembling fingers.
"Thank the heavens… The physician said you had slipped into a coma. That you might never wake up. But you're awake. You're really awake..."
Naoki blinked, his thoughts spinning.
So the body he'd come into… had been in a coma for a month?
Before he could gather a proper response, the girl's voice cracked with emotion.
"You saved us all, young master. That day, your courage changed everything. You're our hero. everyone in the estate has been praying, every single day, for your recovery."
"Uhhm. Yes." Naoki didn't knew what to say so he just agreed with her.
A smile broke across her tear-wet face. She clutched his hand one final time, then quickly stood.
"I must inform the others! They'll be overjoyed!" she said breathlessly before darting out the door, her footsteps fading with urgency and relief.
Naoki stand there, stunned, still cradling the girl in his arms, the one who looked just like Milly
"Brother... the window," she whispered softly, her small fingers tugging at his sleeve.
He rose and carried her to the window. As the curtains drew apart, the view beyond stole his breath.
What lay before him couldn't be called a garden. it was a paradise.
Vast, serene, and impossibly beautiful. Gentle mist danced above a massive water pond, its surface reflecting willow trees, blooming white flowers, and stone walkways weaving like poetry through the land.
It was too grand for a mere noble's estate.
It was the world he had awakened into.