I felt the cool yet gentle wind breeze my cheeks as I heard the tranquil humming of the birds. My eyes adjusted to a world vast of colors, leniently bombard my vision.
From the green grass to the purple-leaved trees, to the crystal clear water of the river to the white summits of the mountains. Then to the bluish sky with a tint of pink which shows the giant blue sun high and above. But the most eye-catching of them all would be, without a doubt, the aurora-like gasses high above the sky along with the many moons this new world has.
Pinching my cheeks to confirm I am not dreaming, I already understood that I am now in a different world. But unlike any other "in another world" that I heard so much when I was young, I wasn't reincarnated.
All I remember was sleeping and waking up here, in this world. To ensure that I am not just lucid dreaming, I pinched my hand, but that only confirmed that "This"' is reality. And it would seem that I regressed to being a child.
As I slowly comprehended the situation, it wasn't fear of losing what I have left behind that bothered me, nor was it joy that I have been freed from a life of "my" worth.
What I felt was something more akin to serenity-- as if I have accomplished something big and decided to lay low. Just for a moment, I closed my eyes and let myself breathe in a calming manner.
But as if I had two consciousness, memories overlapped in my head; My life as a prince for the past 21 years, and another life of a 7 years old kid named White. If that's the case, then instead of regressing, my consciousness entered the body of a child in another world.
"What..?"
I unconsciously asked, trying to process all the new information. I have no recollection of his memories of what may have happened to him when I entered his body, but since I still have his memories and knowledge, I concluded that we may have fused. However, how would a fusion of psyche even happen in the first place? But no matter, I believed in my conclusion as to not hurt my head thinking of how.
As I sat up from my bed, strands of white covered my vision. Thinking it was from the stitches of my pillow, I tried pulling on it. As soon as I did, my head jerked along with it, realizing that those "stitches" were bangs of my hair.
"Who would have a pillow with that many loose stitches anyways..."
I gently swept my hair to the side and analyzed where I have woken up from. In front of my bed, was a screen-like wall-- similar to those of the sliding doors from the east of my world. On my left was a simplistic cabinet with shelves on its left, where simple, yet artistic-looking artifacts are kept on. On my right was an open window overlooking the grandeur new world that I have woken up to and at its side was a desk with a pile of books.
I got up from my bed and stood in front of the window, my hands holding onto the base of it, while I took a look at the magnificent view in front of me. The wind blew gently on my face, sweeping my hair back a little. The thought of a relaxation where I could only think of my environment felt tender to the soul, but my body was used to it which kind of felt anti-climactic in a way.
*knock**knock*
I heard as someone slid the door open. She wore something akin to a maid outfit, but I can tell her uniform somehow was made of a lighter material compared to the thick-material uniform our palace had as if it was cosplay or something. Her black hair paired well with her lustrous magenta eyes... Her eyes... So perfect that you wouldn't think that they are those of a human, well that's because they aren't.
"She" is named Sophia, and she is something like an automaton from my old world. The only difference is the materials used. Unlike my previous world, electricity isn't something generated as they are already abundant in something called Lumoine.
Well in a world like this where even this planet looks to be bigger than my previous world, it's only understandable that there are things different from my previous world.
"Young Master, your grandfather ordered me to wake you up for breakfast."
"Ah-... I see, I will be down in a few moments," I answered trying to regain my composure.
"And can you just call me White, as grandpa does?"
"Negative."
Memories from White show me that she has been calling him 'Young master.' Although I am used to formalities, I don't want to talk about those right now.
Sophia gently bowed her head and quietly left the room. I stood up and did a little stretching before heading downstairs when the sound of breaking accompanied by the feeling of stepping on something caught my attention. I moved my foot away from where I stood to see what I had stepped on.
On the floor, a glassy pendant with a galactic, yet mechanical clock design was. Although the surface of the pendant seems to have cracked, it didn't seem to have any effect on the design inside.
"This is..?
I wondered as it was not in any of the memories or knowledge that I had inherited from the previous owner of this body, White. As I continued to think over it, I remembered that my grandfather has called for me to join in breakfast. So I placed the necklace at the desk and headed to the small dining of this eastern like style mansion, not noticing the glint of pure white light in the necklace as I turned towards the door.
----------------------------
White's father and mother were adventurers with an unusual bloodline. As one's bloodline would determine the magical capability of one person, many people of this world would have a hard time using magic. This is why those who are having that problem would use magical instruments-- or so I call them.
Actually, unlike magic which indicates something unexplainable by science, the "magic" of this world is something more innate to the human body-- something like how the circulatory system works in the internals of our body.
Magic also has its system that is connected to the nervous system and circulatory system through the use of a series of vein-like passageways that connects to an organ in the brain called a "Crux" and another in the heart called "Stigma." While some veins are connected to the lungs to absorb the mana in the environment to be used as fuel for the so-called "Magic."
The Crux indicates whether a person can use magic, while the Stigma tells what kinds of magic one can use.
Of course, all of those was the knowledge I picked up from White's memories. Thinking so made me feel excited in my heart as I imagined the things I could do with this thing called magic.
However, that thought was cut short after knowing that White's parents had magic that is said to be hard to control. Of course, this was only what White's grandfather told him as his father died in the dungeon, while his mother from his birth. White was left to his father's father who lives in a mountain semi-isolated from the active society.
"It's just like the countryside."
I said unconsciously as I walked in the wooden-floor hallway while looking outside through a clear window. As I continue to look at the scenery before my eyes, my reflection in the window started to pique my interest. I had white hair that drips downward my head with no sense of bounciness; it was almost as if it was the hair of a girl.
Brushing my hair upwards to reveal more of white's facial, both his iris were similar in color; silver, while having my pupils a bit dark and purplish. The purplish tint, however, was only noticeable when paid with close attention. His nose was not overly sharp, but at the same time not flat. If I was to describe it, it was just perfect. While his skin was fair and free of calluses.
As I look at this body's reflection, I thought of how funny it was to see a 7 yrs old with this kind of beautiful and effeminate features, that even I as a 21 yrs old royalty did not have.
I continued my walk silently in the halls, gazing gently at the scenery outside. When I arrived at the door to the dining room, I stopped. The thought of acting as someone's grandchild never crossed my mind as I was busy still adjusting to my new life.
I know for a fact that White's grandfather is a jolly and amiable man which would make it easy to get along with him. However, I thought to myself whether I do deserve to take over White's role as the grandchild.
As I pondered over what to do, the door was opened by Sophia. Behind her, across the table, was an old man in his bathrobe holding and reading a newspaper in his left hand while horrendously trying to apply jelly in his bread with the other. As soon as he noticed me, he smiled like a jolly dwarf and greeted me.
"Good morning child, come and eat with me, the new peanut jelly I ordered got delivered earlier"
"...Of course."
"hmm? what's wrong child? are you feeling unwell?"
The old man looks at me with genuine concern. To me who have never thought of someone being genuine towards me, this was something that surprised me and made me feel conscious.
"I'm okay, it's just that I slept pretty late last night."
I said as I sat down on the chair in front of this old man. The old man, still eyeing me with concern, noticed my uneasiness with his questioning and decided to change the topic.
"By the way, how's Kayla doing?"
"Kayla?" I asked, "oh she's doing fine ... I think."
Kaylesia, or Kayla as white calls her, is a friend of White who, for some reason, always teases White for his feminine look. She lives in the village of Bluior, further down the mountain from where White lives. Well, apart from the fact that she always teases me, she is known to be a prodigy for her early awakening.
Normally, the stigma would usually awaken at around the age of 10, where their magic would start at the tint of red. Meaning if one's crux had the Flame attribute, it would first have a tinge of red in it. Once it evolves further, it would be accompanied with a tinge of a different color following those of a rainbow, with the highest tinge as violet.
Kayla, on the other hand, awakened a few months back at the tender age of 8. This makes her quite the natural prodigy as well as extremely popular in the village. This makes me wonder why she was always playing around White as he was a rather quiet and uncaring child who enjoys drawing and reading.
"Ho? I think that girl likes you." My grandfather says with that wide grin stapled on his face.
"No such thing," I answered back with a wry smile. But the thought of someone liking me never really crossed my mind.
To me, everyone just wore a façade that shows that they like me-- or the prince, to be more precise. Of course, even if those eyes of theirs disgust me to the point that it makes me want to crawl in a hole, I sucked up to it as it was my duty as a prince. This is why hearing something like someone liking me was a new experience-- or so I thought.
I almost forgot that I am not White. This is why if this Kayla would like someone, it wouldn't be me.
"Child- *Cough**Cough*" As he was about to say something, he coughed snapping me back to my senses as I asked of his condition.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?"
"No, it's no problem child, I guess the peanut jelly felt new to my throat." He says as he wipes his red lips with a towel.
"Now finish breakfast child, and go play with others."
"But-"
"No buts child! Go and enjoy your childhood!" he said cutting me off from being concerned, almost as if he was trying to hide something.
From the looks of it, despite his great physique, it looks like this old man in front of me is sickly. White's memories also show scenes where he catches this old man feeling weak, oftentimes even hyperventilating. Thinking of such, I cursed in my head as my idea of telling this old man that I am not the White that he knows of crumbled. And I knew that the only thing I could do was do as he wishes and live my life to the best that I could.
Realizing that, I unconsciously rolled my fingers to a fist. It... was weird though. I knew for a fact that I need to be considerate to the man before my eyes, but the emotions weren't entirely mine.
"White..."
"What's wrong child?" my grandfather asked.
"I-its nothing!" I said as I gobbled the bread in an attempt to change the atmosphere. "I'll be going now."
My grandfather looked at me with a curious stare as I sprung up from my seat and rushed outside.
"hmmm, well whatever." The old man says as if talking to himself, letting the matter of my unusualness go.