7 Ờ̶̙̻̣̳̀̓̈́͌̅̃̐͌͒̑̂ͅp̴̡̢̢͍̩̘̯̗̅͑͂͂̒̇͛̚̕̚͜͜ḩ̷̛̖̖͎͍̠͔̟̝͓́̅̿́̈́̑̔̎͘͜͝e̸̢̡͓̠͋̊̾̑̄͝ĺ̴̤̖̼̲̬̖̹̬̠͌͐̎̍̈̓̅͂̇̚͜͠ͅͅị̸̢͖͓͔̩̺̀̄́̑̑̃̕͜á̶͓̩̪̥̓͆'̴̭͌̂͝ś̷̢̥͙̥̩̺̰̦̓͜͜ ̵̘̂̒̌̅̚Blessing
Blurry.
Everything looks blurry, vivid, and distant.
"Come with me and let's flee. We can just run from all of this. I don't have to be the hero, you don't have to be their savior."
A distorted voice of a man, as if filtered through water.
A pair of pale, slender hands rose in my view as it reached and clasped the face of a still, blurry face.
"You know that isn't true."
'This...'
A voice of a woman came off as clear as it can be. A voice I am ever so familiar of. The same gentle, soothing voice from that...
"Every day, I wake up grateful that you chose me. That I met you."
Caressing the man's face she continues.
"That you treated me like an equal, showing me that's there more to our lives other than servitude. For that, I'm thankful."
The man held her right hand and rubbed his cheek on it.
"But every time you go out there, a part of you never comes back." His voice, still filtered and distorted.
The woman pressed her hand gently on the man's cheek.
"The kingdom needs you more than ever, and this is an opportunity for me to give my people a chance at freedom. To show them what you showed me."
Suddenly, everything started to slowly fade.
"If I do lose myself, I'm sure you would—
Then I woke up.
***
The vivid dream already drifting off my memories.
My eyes slowly open to a decorative canopy. Sunlight shone through the window bringing in light. Sounds of distant chirping enter my ears. The pleasing, warm comfort of soft sheets and mattresses enveloped me. Never once did I think I'd get to see the light of day glad that
'I'm alive.'
Memories of that time surfaced in my mind, giving me a throbbing headache. A groan of pain escaped my lips.
"Tristen?" An unfamiliar voice asked. I looked in the direction where I heard the voice, and there I saw.
A stunning, gorgeous woman with long black hair, brown monolid eyes, and modest proportions, cautiously approached the side of the bed I'm lying at.
"Tristen you're awake." I didn't miss the slight apprehensiveness in her words.
Tristen. That must be my name.
I looked at the woman with genuine wonder, contemplating my next words. She knows me... Or the body of the boy I took over. I'm sure he's a boy because that's what those bastards called me, and I feel the supposed genitalia down my crotch.
For a moment I stared at her. Racking my brain trying to see if I recognize the woman standing in front of me, but...
'It's no use.'
I have no recollections as a boy named 'Tristen'. I gained none of this body's memories. With no foundation for me to successfully act like him to some degree, there's really only one thing I can do.
Making use of my already puzzled expression.
"I'm sorry, but are you talking about me?"
The woman's eyes widened in shock.
"You mean..."
Getting closer, she sat on the bedside leveling our eye contact. Pointing her index finger at herself, she asked.
"Do you know who I am?"
"No."
'Hm?'
Hearing my answer, her face trembled and her lips tightened as if suppressing... a smile.
"Do you remember who you are?"
I shook my head in response. Immediately, she stood up and faced the door.
"Stay in the room, I'll be back soon."
Her head turned slightly to the right. Following her line of sight, I saw a small table with cut apples shaped like a rabbit. Well, some were. Two of the apples were peeled and cut that way, while the last one was peeled and cut unevenly. As if the person doing it gave up while cutting.
"Feel free to have some apples. It's for you."
Then she walked, somewhat striding out of the room. With that, I'm left alone.
...
Getting off the bed, I stepped on the cold wooden floor. Disregarding the pair of slippers by the side, I walked towards a body mirror resting by the wall.
'What the fuck is this?'
Standing directly in front of it, I glared at the frustratingly handsome man reflected in the mirror.
A full head of wavy golden hair, a striking pair of hooded, vermilion eyes, a tall straight nose, thin lips, and unblemished, smooth skin. I leaned forward to get a better look at my eyes, and lo and behold.
"It's actually red."
Well, if that isn't a huge tell that I'm not on Earth, then I don't know what is. I've already come to the conclusion that I'm 'isekai'd'. After all, I already died fi—
***
"Tristen! Tristen! Spencer do something!"
A woman screamed in concern. A different voice than the first one. This woman's voice was more mature. I can feel my shoulders getting shaken heavily, I assume by that same woman. My eyelids kept shut but I'm well awake. I grabbed her by the wrist as an act to stop the shaking.
"I'm fine. Please stop."
"Tristen!"
She pulled me up and hugged me, her chin resting on my left shoulder as she wept.
"Thank Goddess you're alive."
My eyes finally opened, seeing a lock of golden hair similar to mine. The same woman I woke up to stood a few steps away.
"Elmina, calm down." I looked to the side and saw a man with shoulder-length orange hair and amber eyes, who I assume is Spencer. He patted the woman on her back trying to comfort and ease the woman. While patting her, our eyes met but broke immediately as he returned his gaze to the woman.
The woman's weeping subsided and I could tell that she was calming down. For what seemed like a minute, I rested in her arms. Until she pulled me away and looked me in the eye. Her round, amber eyes, reddened from all the crying.
"Do you truly not remember me?"
This...
She knows the answer to her question, and I could feel that small hope in her words.
Breaking that hope of hers...
I lowered my head and said.
"I'm sorry."
"Mistress..."
Another woman said sympathetically. Raising my head, I saw a woman wearing a black dress with an apron over it, helping the woman with golden hair... Elmina, get up. The woman with black hair came close to Elmina continuously comforting her as she whispered words I couldn't hear.
"Come."
Spencer offered his hand, which I took helping myself up. Once a got up, his eyes scanned me from head to toe. He waved his hand to the bed and walked towards a chair as he said.
"Please have a seat."
Following his request, I sat on the bedside and he sat on the chair he carried over, sitting in front of me. He took out a notepad and ink pen from beneath his coat.
"Do you remember your name?" He asked as he wrote on the small pad.
"No."
"What is the last thing you remember?"
I paused and took a moment of thought. Spencer too paused from writing and glanced at me.
"I woke up and..." I looked at where the woman with black hair stood. Spencer followed my line of sight as I resumed.
"... and she asked Tristen. Is that my name?"
Spencer looked back at me and then jotted down the pad.
"Yes. Your name is Tristen. Tristen Ivor Lorz."
He stopped and then added.
"Do you wish to know their names? Your family's names?"
He glanced at me and I nodded.
"Please."
He took his eyes off me and returned his attention to writing, answering as if he were reading a script.
"Your father's name is Walden Hendry Lorz. Your mother's name is Elmina Dena Lorz. They have three children. Millie Lorz, your eldest sister. You, Tristen, are their second child. And Aubrey Ammis Lorz, your younger sister."
Done with his writing, he put them back under his coat and looked me in the eye, and smiled.
"As for me. You can call me Spencer."
He held his hand in front and then added.
"Please hold my hand. Don't worry if you suddenly feel warm. Just appreciate it. People tell me it feels good."
Addled by his words, I reached out and held his hand.
"Epitheoró."
At his word, warmth enveloped my entire body. It was as if impurities inside of me were cleansed, awash from the engulfing heat. Indeed, it feels good. And, this must be.
Magic.
'Right.'
Instead of dying from that gunshot... rather, dying from that gunshot, I woke up here... in another world, though I didn't get run over by a truck...
'Hah. It's better than hell.'
My mind drifted to fantasies of me wielding logic-defying powers. Releasing fireballs, controlling torrents of water, lifting chunks of earth, and conjuring blasts of wind. A bud of excitement grew in my heart.
*Ping*
Suddenly, a blue, transparent panel popped, out of nowhere, hovering in front of me.
--------
Name : Tristen Ivor Lorz
Age: 16
Experience Level: 2
Experience: 13/125
Proficiencies: -----
Epithets: Baron Lorz's son. ò̸̢̱̪̳̘̖͙̲̳̑͗̓̽̀͗̒͂͝p̵̢̭̲̹͎̘̖͈̰̻̉̌̏̀͋̇̐͝ḩ̴̪͓͔̭̳̟̿̓̽̕ͅę̶̛̭͚̂̑̓̀̄͋͠͠ľ̷̢̨̢̝̘͕̐̊́̅̈́̈̓̇̾̂i̶̧̢͇̝̻̰̼̎̀͊̄̂͝a̶̛͈̩̠͔̼͓̝̰͙̯͌̈̈̓̇̂̅͊͝'̵̮̫̩͚́̊̂͗ͅͅs̶̡̢̩̳̪͛̕͜ͅ ̵̧͚͈͔͇̜́̂͜ͅb̴̰̖̰͔̤̠̞͕̖̬̳̆e̶̢̙̖̿͐l̶̨̢̤̤̯̩̤̦̝̂o̷͈̦͕͉̝̖̮̳̓̿̓̂̈̂̏v̶̧͉̭̖̮̺̒̃̈́̈̔͛̅ȩ̴̛̯̗̩͖̬̈́͝d̷̦͐̈́̏͊͋͝͠ ̴̢̱͕̟̯̪̺̗̖͓͍̇̐
