Prologue: A Second Round?
"…I hope we'll find each other again in our next life."
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"Fuck… that could've killed me..."
My breath comes in sharp, shallow gasps as I stare at my small hand, still outstretched toward the sun. It's shaking, my entire body shaking. And it hurts. My chest feels tight—like I can't draw enough air in. The pressure is unbearable. I clutch at my heart instinctively, gasping for a breath that won't come.
I try to sit up, but the world tilts and my stomach churns.
Unable to stop myself, I roll to my side and throw up.
When the nausea finally fades, leaving me feeling hollow, I mutter to myself, "I… I did die."
No, wait. I'm here. Am I? Did I die?
I blink, shaking my head. "What the hell was that!?"
Everything feels wrong—like something fundamental shifted inside me.
I try to push myself up, but my legs, tiny and unsteady, betray me. They tangle in each other as I stagger. Before I can steady myself, I lose my balance completely and roll down the embankment. My body hits the ground with a thud, tumbling helplessly until I come to a jarring stop.
I lie there, then I look down at the vast ocean stretching out, hundreds of meters below. Between me and the endless drop, a sturdy fence running along the edge, barely holding anyone back from falling —like I almost did.
This place… I'm on Dad's—no, our floating island.
But wasn't I just… grown up a minute ago? How did I end up here? What happened?
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The memory of my death—if that's what it was—lingers like a dream just out of reach. It feels vivid, yet impossibly distant. My heart pounds as I try to piece it together. What happened? How am I here?
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Everything is a mess.
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Trying to order everything in my head…
I remember lying here before. Same place, same situation. Not too long ago… or maybe a long time ago? It feels like déjà vu, but it's more than that. It's vivid, painfully clear.
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"What… happened to me?"
The sun dips lower on the horizon, staining the sky a shades of orange and purple. The air cools, prickling my skin. I need to go home, but my legs feel like they belong to someone else.
Slowly, my thoughts begin to clear a little. I think. The events from earlier are piecing themselves together in a more coherent way.
First, there was a hit—then a scolding, followed by the apology from me. And when Mistress Zola saw me father brought me to the shed—the one my brother and I called home whenever Zola was around.
None of that is surprising; I could've predicted it. Wait… predicted?
The word feels heavy, strange. Why does it make sense? And why would I run away? I knew it would only make things worse. It only hurts me and my parents.
But I did it anyway. Why? Did I hurt them? Did I really hurt them?
Caught in the spiral of my thoughts, I barely notice when my older brother, Nicks, talking to me. He must think I'm stuck on my reading exercise again.
I glance at him, my chest tightening further as a memory—no, this memory—plays out in my mind. The conversation we're about to have, I already know it. "Bro" It feels odd, calling him that, but it's what I said before.
He blinks at me, surprised by my tone. His reaction and answers match what I remember.
It's like my memories. How do I know all of this?
Did I somehow see the future?
No... it's not just that.
Did I "reincarnate" again? Back to the same time and place, just like in these so-called "memories"?
A/N
(This is post chapter 4 me speaking. But this fits here the most.)
So while consuming Mobseka and most fan work on here and AO3 + the original timeline via machine translation. I thought of two alt universes, this one and another where Leon is a girl and so gets a treatment more like Jenna and Finnely and no reason to get Luxion before the academy. Wooing the prince away for Marie by being an asshole in a sea of ass-kisser. Even if she tries to be a mob.
But I've never liked writing thanks to school, barely pass as not dyslexic when tested. But still shit at reading and writing.
I took my courage to flesh out my fantasy for the first time, and it's a lot better than I thought, I can really sink my teeth in to it for hours. Yes, this took me hours, and so did the next chapters. I don't know if that's a normal speed, but it's my speed.
So please let me know if there are lore inaccuracies based on the English version. Let me know what you think about it, maybe even a review when there's enough to review.
Thanks in advance.