"Finally, we are able to talk. It won't be possible to have long conversation, so I need to tell you as much as possible." The boy who looked exactly the same as me in my "new" body spoke, waking me up. His gaze was full of sadness and he sounded very tired.
I looked around and this time I was in a white space, with nothing and no one around me, in this seemingly infinite space only me and the boy could be seen. I wondered how is it possible that just after I woke up in a new body, now I am again in another place, in a seemingly endless room. He noticed my confused gaze and started speaking.
"As I said, we don't have much time, because I'm slowly disappearing from this world. You are now in my body, and people who call themselves your parents, in fact are my mother and father and I would like to ask you to become their family, their son. Accept the family that you never had, Kayn. I am you and you are me." He said and waited for my response.
At first I immediately wanted to refuse - why would I become someone's son and it was also crazy that this request came from the person who was their real child. But I slowly started to understand what is happening. I understood that now accepting them as my family is the only logical choice, since what else could be done? I'm in his body and I have nowhere else to go, being sixteen too. However, I still wanted to atleast acquire some more information before I told him that I agree.
"I might agree if you answer my questions first. I want to know who I am, where I am, and why am I alive." I replied
I was sure he wouldn't know answers to all my questions, so I asked him the most important ones to me. He got lost in thoughts for a moment before he started answering all my questions.
"I don't know who you are or should I say - who you were. I can only partially answer that, but we will talk about it later, first I need to tell you what caused my death. My family is one of the strongest ones in this world. We belong to the first top 50 influential households. Sometimes, there are conflicts beetween some of them. Yatell family is the one who wants to have control over authority, land and wealth of my family. I didn't focus on training nor could I cast a spell, so in this world that you will get to know, where strenght is everything I was deemed worthless by everyone except my family. I was bullied by Yatell's heirs: John, Aron and Jessie. They are talented in magic and they have bright future, so most of people ignore whenever they bully others. When one day I came home bleeding my parents were furious. They demanded explanation from head of the Yatell - Marcus. He said that his offspring are innocent and he went even further - he said that I tried to kill them. He then showed their wounds to prove his words. They injured themselves and it was enough to convince everyone. Although we are influential, their family has more connections so no one dared to defy their word. After this claim, Yatell announced that he won't leave this matter saying that since I tried to kill his heirs, I'm the one who will die. This meant war and since then there has been many attemps at my life." He stopped for a second to check if I listened to it. I nodded, so he continued.
"Since it was becoming too dangerous for me, the plan was to move to the more secure place - my grandparents' mansion. When we were halfway up there, we were attacked by a squad of powerful mages and aura wielding swordmasters. Mages were hired mercenaries, but the captain of the enemy squad was wielding Yatell's banner. They attacked our cab, killed our horses and threw fireball in direction where I was sitting with my parents. Before I fainted I could hear my parents chanting some defense spells." He stopped speaking and I could see tears in his eyes, he probably remembered the pain both he and his parents suffered.
"What happened later?" I encouraged him to continue.
"I woke up sometime later. In a bed where you currently are. There was no one in my room and I could hear my parents talking with a doctor. I could hear him saying that I'm in a critical condition, but he assured that I won't die. It wasn't true though and I was sure that I would die in an hour I was just so tired and sleepy it was obvious to me I would never wake up again." - After saying that he just went quiet, until I voiced out the question that bothered me the most.
"How did I end up in your world, in your body?" - I asked him.
"Let me tell you that I was useless not because of my lack of talent. Actually, to me, most spells seem simple to understand and I have big mana pool. The reason I was bullied was because I couldn't fully awake my magic nor could I wield a sword. There was a seed of fear in my heart - I couldn't bear a thought that after becoming strong I would have to kill living beings. It is stupid right? Fear of killing in the world where its either kill or be killed. Anyway... so the thing was that I knew all the theory, but I couldn't use it. On my deathbed it didn't matter to me anymore, there was no fear, there was nothing and so I finally awakened. I knew there is no chance to survive, but suddenly I felt my soul trembling. There was a spell that I have read in the past, in an ancient book that described a way for me to connect somebody with me, a person who is like me, who is "me", but from the other world. Just so you know, we don't believe in other worlds, this book and spell was just a theory from some mage that was believed to be insane. I thought that it would be worth trying since I will die anyway and so I casted it. It used all my mana and vitality resulting in speeding up my death, but it succedeed and you are the proof of it. We are the same, but we were born in other worlds. I guess you must have died in your own world, but I won't ask about it. We don't have time. The spell made your soul be attached to this body and I can't exist anymore." He said this all and we looked at his hand. It was slowly disappearing on our eyes. I understood that he doesn't have much time.
What he told me, was something that I would never believe, but what other choice did I have? It was the only answer for me waking up in a body that isn't mine just after I died. What he told me is already enough, I have basic understanding about who WE are.
"From what you told me, although our appearance is different, our souls are the same, and we could be called twins in different bodies, that lived different lives in their worlds, am I right?" I asked.
"Yes, that's how I understand it." He replied with a relief seeing that I believe him.
"Tell me about this world, before you... are gone." seeing that his hands are gone now, and now his arms are slowly vanishing I wanted to know more.
"As I told you, this world is ruled by the strong. You can become strong by mastering mana or aura, preferably both if you are able to. My world is full of magic and all living beings are able to absorb mana. Thats why there are a lot of beasts and monsters most of them coming out of dungeons. I was born with a huge talent for magic, which is proved by my enormous pool of mana. I have never used any spells though or wielded a sword." - He mentioned a lot of interesting things to me, but I knew I would have to further study them on my own.
"I'm starting to understand a lot. Can you tell me more about both your and Yatell family." I asked him.
"My time is running out as you can see, so I don't think I would be able to do that in this short period. Listen, I have a request for you, my last wish. Please take care of my family, that is also yours now. As you are my version, but just from the other world, they are also a version of your parents, so don't see them as strangers. Actually... I think our memories might get merged, so I think you will be attached to them anyway, I guess it just works like that." After he finished, only his chest and head was left while rest of the body was gone and that made him look like he was just levitating in the air.
"If I have to live your life, I will live it to the fullest. I accept your mission to become you and I swear I will execute it perfectly, that's my pride as an assassin. In my past life, I never failed when I swore to do something, never have I failed a mission. If this world is about strenght I won't stay weak. If someone has wronged you I will punish them in your stead." I told him this confidently, in one breath and I really meant it. I was serious about my promise. He must have noticed, because he didn't look so worried anymore.
"Thank you. I hope won't go back on your words. Family should be the most important for you, dont let anyone hurt father or mother. Don't let anyone humilate us, like they used to." As soon as he finished saying it, his body completely disappeared.