Khalifa Fei looked at the mirror in wonder.
"What… is going on…"
She was clearly sleeping peacefully.
Dreaming?
No, too realistic.
She, a revered water mage, ought to know when she was dreaming… right?
.
.
Pinching herself stung. Not a dream.
Heaving a sigh, she quickly calmed herself down.
Whether she was in an illusion spell or something else, she needed to calm down before she could do anything productive.
Anyway, it wasn't the first time she was pulled to something weird like an illusion, a lot of which were done still by a lover.
She went back to studying the 'her' in the mirror.
It was the same pretty face: a heart shaped face, smooth pale skin, and delicate facial features.
The difference was that the hair color and the eyes of this body were both ebony, unlike the original yellow-green eyes and bluish-silver hair she grew up with.
She admired her new look. In retrospect, she should've changed colors more often. Quite a bit of fun, she thought.
However, it was worth noting that the girl in front of her had also been wearing thick eyeglasses and a huge mass of hair covering her delicate face when she woke up.
Even, this teenage girl looked a little older than her previous face. Granted, her old self was a hundred years old, but still a teenager in appearance based on her talent and lifespan.
It was also the indicator that although they looked so much alike, this was still not her body.
Well, not exactly.
Her pretty eyebrows furrowed at this thought and she went to the door to lock it. She took off her clothes, studying this new body very, very carefully.
There was the same mole under her left eye like she had. She found similar shapely breasts (though a little smaller than hers) and thin waists, though covered by baggy clothing.
There was still the same drop-shaped birthmark under her bellybutton, and another beauty mark in the inside of her thigh.
Other than a few differences, most features were exactly the same.
At this point, she had an idea on who this girl was: A mirror image. A doppleganger. Another 'her'.
This girl was simply another version of 'her' in this strange new world.
It was just that this version of herself hadn't gotten her big break yet.
In any case, she thought that everything was so very mysterious, and she finally found the interest to study her surroundings more deeply.
After getting dressed as she was walking up, Khalifa finally took time to look around the room.
The bedroom was a dormitory with four beds. There were four conjoining study tables in the middle, with personal wardrobes integrated into each bed. The room also had its own bathroom and kitchen.
It was not bad, even better than she imagined.
She perused around the room, observing, trying to figure out more about her life in this world from whatever clues she could find.
First was her bed, which was relatively organized and full, very plain. She had a calendar and a lot of adventure books.
She smiled at the titles, and looking at the worn-out-but-cared-for quality of the books, she could tell that this Other Her retained her love for thrill.
Too bad she didn't have the resources to do what she wanted and could only turn to books, which she probably read over and over again.
Next, she looked at the other beds and desks, in hopes of understanding the environment she was in.
One bed was clean and organized, with blue and green sheets. Her desk was clean and had notebooks, a calendar, and a pencil case. A minimalist like the Other Her.
The next was all pink and fluff and there's even stuff toys on the bed. The desk had the necessities, but there were more stickers than there were books.
The other one was a typical feminine bed with complete cosmetics and others. The sheets were made of purple silk, very comfortable.
Walking around, she reached her bed again, but suddenly her legs gave in. She grasped her head, disoriented, as new memories played inside her brain.
It was the Other Her's memories.
She was also named Khalifa, an orphan with a high IQ. She supported herself through hard work and wit, but her beauty had more than once put her in compromising positions.
Since she was a child, she has been nearly molested by strangers and guardian figures alike. Everytime she barely escaped intact due to her smarts.
As she grew, she learned to hide herself, silently working in the background and gathering strength.
And now she—the mage Khalifa—had come, and she was stronger in ways this girl could ever imagine.
It should have been a couple of months after entering her freshman year.
She was 17 years old now and turning 18 the next day. It was just that she had a low level of existence, either staying in the library to study, or working part-time somewhere outside.
So now her roommates have gone to class, not even noticing she was still in bed.
The Other Her got drenched in the rain the night before and got home late. She naturally didn't feel very good the next day.
By some freak combination of factors—whether it was overheating, suffocation, or other causes—the poor girl just… never woke up.
She sighed in pity at the loss of the young, high potential life. "Don't worry." She said, "I am you and you are me. We will live well together."
Speaking of, now that she was aware of what took the body's life, she was made aware of how I'll she actually was.
She sighed and went to bed, but not before texting her professor and told him of her absence. She told him she was unwell and would not be going to school today.
The Other Her had always been a good student, and she knew it wouldn't be hard to get his approval.
She jumped lazily in bed and opened her phone. From memory, she learned how to use it and she was excited by what she could do, her bad health temporarily forgotten.
She was fascinated by the contraption and used the Other's memories to navigate.
Videos, games, and Apps… there were endless possibilities!
She immediately got addicted to the games and played there the whole day. There was even a drama that she started to binge.
"Hey," she thought out loud, watching the protagonist slap the female antagonist in the face.
"This world is going to be really fun!"