After everyone left his room to get dressed, Sora opened the enormous wardrobe to discover an array of expensive and pristine clothing.
There was at least one piece of clothing in every single colour, and the material was of the highest grade, extremely soft and silky to the touch.
Completely incomparable to the cheap and uncomfortable clothes he wore daily in his past life.
"Damn, what a luxury…"
Just one shirt from here would probably cost his whole monthly paycheck! Just what sort of young master had he been reborn into?!
Anyone could take a single glance at the way he was dressed and discern he had an affluent background.
When he first opened his eyes and looked around the room, he already knew that this family was filthy rich, if the sparkling gold decor and sheer enormity of the room size hadn't been a big enough of a hint- but it had yet to fully settle.
Rosa told him a minute ago that she'd gone the extra length to ensure that his clothes stayed clean and fresh all year round, ready for him whenever that could've been.
It must've been inconvenient, and yet she still managed to do it anyway- Sora made sure to thank her profusely.
He picked out a puffy satin shirt with small lace ruffles around the collar and sleeves, paired with casual black shorts, since the weather was quite warm.
When he exited the room, Rosa and his mother both cooed to themselves, expressing how much they loved seeing him in the outfit since it made him look even more cute and dainty.
Sora pretended he didn't hear that.
As he walked around the home- or should he call it mansion? Villa? Palace?- it was like he was seeing everything again and for the first time simultaneously, giving Sora a strong sense of deja vu.
He reached the balcony at the end of the hallway, peering downwards from above the staircase. There was a white marble water fountain in the centre of a Spanish style courtyard, with colourful flowers and lanterns hanging down in between arched columns, bringing vividness and life to the scenery. The sound of flowing water and the soft breeze gave an extremely calm and pleasant atmosphere.
Sora sighed wistfully. 'Ah… so serene…'
Since when had he ever felt this relaxed in his past life? Oh, that's right, never.
"Sora, come sit in between us," As he came down the steps, the twin siblings beckoned him over from where the family was gathered around a large glass table.
"No! He should sit on my lap!" Lancelot rushed over and scooped Sora off his feet, wrapping him in his arms possessively. He sat down on a cushioned chair with Sora curled up against his chest.
"...Uh?" Sora was blushing slightly.
"Hey! That's not fair! You can't hog him all to yourself!" Mei argued, standing up. She tried to wrestle Sora out of Lancelot's arms, only for the eldest brother to tighten the hold.
Sora felt flustered.
"Lanceeee, give him to meee,"
"Shut up, you can have him later,"
"My Gods, you guys are imbeciles. Fighting over Sora? Really?" Lucas snorted, before quickly saying with a serious face, "dibs on having him next."
"What?!" Mei gasped.
"It's too late now, sorry sis,"
Mei and Lucas bickered back and forth, and Lance just chuckled.
What was this situation? They were... fighting over him? Sora leaned back against his brother's chest, a small smile in the corner of his lips. He thought it was ridiculous. How could something so stupid like this fill him with such warmth?
He watched curiously as his parents greeted a man at the entrance of the courtyard. It turns out that the man is the physician his mother contacted earlier, who had made his way to their home in record time.
"Wow, you were quick!" he heard his mother praise.
He smiled, "Imagine my surprise, Madam, when you called to let me know that your youngest son had suddenly awakened. This is the moment we've all been waiting for, so I rushed over immediately."
They chatted briefly before walking over to Sora, who hadn't made an effort to move from Lance's lap. His mother didn't seem to mind, as she introduced them with a smile. "Sora, this is Physician Rafi, he's been personally observing your condition all this time."
Physician Rafi was a dark skinned man with bright green eyes and a kind face. He had shoulder length hair that was braided at the sides, joining up to a small bun at the back of his head. He seemed very polite and gentle mannered.
"Pleasure to meet you properly now that you've awakened at last, young master," he inclined his head in greeting.
"Thank you for looking after me," Sora said, smiling at him sincerely. It was a bit awkward to be greeted in this manner, very clearly showing his status, but there wasn't much he could do about it so Sora just went with the flow.
Rafi shook his head, "I was merely doing my duty. May I?"
Persephone gestured to her son, and Sora nodded in permission. Then, the man came around and rested his palm against his forehead. A sudden rush of something cool filled his body. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it felt like his limbs were tingling.
Sora hadn't realised he'd closed his eyes until he opened them again, noticing he was covered in a pale green light.
Sora's eyes grew comically wide.
Was this… magic?
Damn!
His heart was thumping loudly in his ears, he was getting too excited. It's his first time witnessing it!
Rafi hummed, nodding. "From what my mana sense was able to gather, he seems to be perfectly healthy," he went on, "other than his body's stunted growth, but it appears from now on he'll be able to recover from the delay. Although, I will need to return and check in frequently to determine the level of growth, and see if there are any issues...
The only other patient we know of that has awoken from enchanted slumber didn't grow throughout those 2 years at all, but we suspect it's because she was already an adult and had fully matured, unlike young master here. Cases like this are rare and so there are few studies and data written about them." Physician Rafi finished.
Ah. Right, because of the magical illness, his body didn't grow normally. It still grew, but the growth was incredibly slow, as if his body was kept in a time chamber where time was elongated and near unmoving. Currently, the physical age of his body was around 12 years old. 4 years behind.
Sora inwardly sighed. He hoped his body will grow to match his age soon...
They had a quick discussion about the remaining details, and Rafi was about to leave until Persephone stopped him.
"Physician Rafi, since you arrived so quickly this morning, I assume you haven't yet had breakfast. Please, won't you stay and eat with us?"
"Ah, I wouldn't dare intrude…"
"You know you are welcome here," Sora's dad smiled. "After everything you have done for us."
"Then, if it's not a problem, I'd love to,"
Breakfast was joyful, and after confirmation was received that it was perfectly fine for Sora to eat, his family wasted no time in piling his plate up with food.
They kept staring at him, almost as thought they were scared that when they looked away Sora would no longer be there, and everything was just a dream.
Suddenly, a bittersweet feeling flooded him.
When he had his fill, he asked himself to be excused, saying he needed to go to the washroom when actually he was going to wander around the house.
After everything that's happened… Sora couldn't shake off the festering guilt inside him.
How was he so easily swept up in this family? Not even a full day had past yet, and he felt… a sense of belonging, for the first time.
And it was this sudden feeling that made Sora backtrack.
He wasn't the original Sora. He was just an imposter, inserting himself into somebody else's life. This wasn't his body.
Sora wants it to be, he really does, and even though he's already gotten permission... will he really let himself accept what he's been given?
He rubbed his face, founding he had walked to the other side of the house unknowingly, standing on a sandstone patio at the forefront of a beautiful garden.
A bad habit Sora has had since he was young is that he was constantly unsure of himself. Second guessing, doubting, overthinking- it was his fatal flaw.
The previous Sora is already gone, and he isn't coming back, and he still found himself guilty at the thought of taking his place. To take something that didn't belong to him, it didn't feel right.
This family, they were so loving, so kind...
They were the family Sora dreamed of having, ever since he was left on his own at the doorsteps of that orphanage. They were the family he dreamed about when he went to sleep with an empty stomach and bruises on his body. They were the family he dreamed of coming home to after a hard day at work, where he wanted nothing more than someone to soothe his pains and headaches.
Can he allow himself to have this?
These people... they belonged to the other Sora. He had no place here.
And the realisation made him feel all the more alone.
Sora's not ungrateful that he's been reborn like this, no, he's extremely grateful that he even got a second chance in the first place for that matter. It's just... difficult. He's too conflicted with his emotions.
He sighed heavily, wondering if they're going to be worried since he's been gone for too long. He was crouched on the green grass out in the garden, his head resting on his knees.
It's strange, Sora now has the very thing he's always wanted, and yet he finds it hard to believe if he can truly have it.
Why does he have to be so difficult? Why can't he just take it for what it is, like he knows other people would?
Sora sighed as a fluffy white bunny emerged from underneath a flower bush on the other side of the garden, staring at him with innocent eyes. It must be familiar with humans, as it didn't seem afraid as it hopped closer.
"Aw, you're just adorable, aren't you?" Sora patted the head of the bunny, and it twitched its pink nose cutely in return, nudging against his palm. "I don't know what to do… am I allowed to feel this way? Can I… call this family my own?"
Of course, the bunny didn't give him an answer.