When Jack Lieber began his second life in the new world, he was quick to figure out how different it was from his first life in Japan.
In every human species, and that includes elves, dwells something the inhabitants call 'Pillars of Spirits.' The tale of the 'Third Creation' tells of spirits holding up the whip-strings of the earth, the sky, the water, and the wind. Other things as well and agreed on the laws of the world below. There are 72 pillars in total. So that means that 72 people in the world have a connection with an 'original spirit' at any given time.
It was so long ago, but Jack could remember all the children he accompanied himself with growing up. They all had some kind of spiritual powers just like he did.
His very first power was something he had been practicing since before he could begin speaking again. Wings of Desertion was its name. The power to erase the weight of his own body along with anything he touches.
This is however, far from the most powerful of spiritual arts. He would later find out.
Before he applied for the school that was established to utilize powers, he had learned a lot from the family maid: a fifteen year old girl by the name of Anelli.
That name was still enough to send a shiver down his spine. She possessed a fire type spiritual art known as The Light of Dawn. She can set anything ablaze with just a touch.
It truly was the most terrifying experience out of every life he had lived. Having to fight her while inside a one year old's body.
As to the reason why they fought? The reason was even more shocking.
The blonde haired goddess. Carrying a giant book and not looking like she knows what to do with it. That was the first thing he saw after he died for the first time. After that truck hit him.
"Co…Congratulations! You're dead! No, I mean… My condolences!"
The goddess went on to speak about a bunch of other stuff. His heart sank a little when she mentioned the death of his parents shortly after turning 18.
She then went on to say something that caught his interest.
"This reincarnation will be to another world and not Earth… And if you reincarnate into the same world as your acquaintances… you can be reunited with them!"
"Wait… hold on…" He remembers standing up at that moment. "MY SISTER!"
"Um… Yes?" That was exactly what she said to him. Looking all flustered.
"MY SISTER WHO WAS ALSO HIT WITH ME! COULD IT BE THAT YOU HAVE MET HER!?"
"Uh… About that…" Each word the goddess spoke felt like a nail piercing his heart.
"The truth is that I met your sister earlier… She's been reincarnated in the same world as you."
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE!?" He remembers swatting the book out of her hands and grabbing her dress, earning a frightened look. "JUST WHEN… JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WOULD FINALLY BE FREED FROM THAT DEVIL!"
He then let go of her. "I don't want it! I don't want to reincarnate! Just send me to Heaven, or Hell, or any place where my sister is!"
"That's… That's not how it works!" The goddess said. Tears begin forming in her eyes. "I… I didn't have a choice!"
As she spoke, Jack remembers his body being covered in a warm and floating feeling as his vision became white.
As he felt his consciousness being carried around, he heard the voice of the goddess yell out to him for the final time. "HIDE YOURSELF! DON'T OVERDO IT! MAKE SURE SHE NEVER FINDS YOU! I WILL DO MY BEST TO PROTECT YOU!"
Before he knew it, he found himself in the body of a newborn baby, whose name is Jack Lieber. Son of Count Kalam Lieber Dedaimkuld and Madeline Lieber in the Kingdom of Reis.
At the time, he wished for nothing more than a kind and loving family. He had sworn to himself to live the life destined for Jack Lieber. As he sees himself as the one who had taken his position.
Everything would have been fine for him if it wasn't for that one person who saw him for who he really was instead of who he was pretending to be.
Anelli.
The name of the one who was his sister in the previous life. The one who had imprisoned him for five years.
Five years of unspeakable acts. He remembers Reina Kawagoe. His sister killed her right in front of him. She was his manager during the short time he had that job at a club.
He still remembers her words.
"Last year, on July 27th, from 3 o' clock, 46 minutes, and 32 seconds to 56 seconds. In those 24 seconds, like a fucking bitch in heat, you laid your lustful eyes on nii-san! Am I right!?"
She went on to kill her. Hummed a song while she was doing it too. Her favorite song.
Don't Dream It's Over.
The moment he heard Anelli hum that song that's when he knew.
'Hey now, hey now. Don't dream it's over.
Hey now, hey now. When the world comes in.
They come, they come, to build a wall between us.
We know they won't win!"
That's when Jack snapped out of his thoughts. That was then. This is now. The past is in the past.
There has been a time where he, through intense study and experimentation, was able to possess 71 of the 72 pillars. It didn't matter. His sister, who at this point, had inhabited the only other human body in the world, held on to the last one. The one that prevented him from being free from her.
As much as he'd hate to admit it, if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be in this world. As he looks down on the daidarabotchi that he conjured up from the ground, he told himself that he wasn't going to stop trying. No matter what the multiverse has to throw at him. His goal is so close, yet so far away.
In the silence, he began whispering a little tune. If he had paid more attention, he'd have stopped himself.
"There is freedom within. There is freedom without.
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup.
There's a battle ahead. Many battles are lost.
But you'll never reach the end of the road while you're traveling with me."
At this point, there do exist accurate translations of that light novel I've been looking into, but they're only for the early chapters. The broken translations are still there so for this story, I just made up what happened given the information.
Chapter 10 of this story will come in late September at the earliest. Given my current situations at this moment, this is the best I can do.
We have to make the best with what we got.