Alice woke up.
She blinked. She was lying on a bed, staring up at a dark, wooden ceiling.
[Where... where am I?] she thought, her mind a little foggy from the transition.
As her senses began to sharpen, she became aware of a sound. Someone was crying, the sobs soft and muffled, as if they were trying to hold back.
Alice turned her head. She found herself looking at a woman, her face buried in her hands as she cried.
Alice's eyes widened.
The woman's skin was a deep, rich purple. Not just that, but she had two black horns on her head.
[What the...?]
Alice tried to sit up, her body feeling strange and unfamiliar.
As she did, she caught a glimpse of her own skin. It was purple as well, only a shade lighter.
[W-What...?]
She opened her mouth to speak, to ask the woman what was going on. But as soon as she did, a flood of memories crashed into her mind, nearly overwhelming her with their intensity.
She saw flashes of a life that wasn't her own.
A young girl, born sickly and weak, her body wracked with pain and fever. Her parents, the purple-skinned woman over there, and a similarly purple man with eyes like glowing embers, watching over her with desperate, tear-filled eyes.
She saw the girl growing weaker with each passing year, her life slipping away like sand through an hourglass. And then, in her last moments, she saw the girl's soul leave her body, making way for... for...
[For me,] Alice realized, her heart pounding in her chest. [I've... I've taken her place. I'm in her body now.]
The realization was so shocking she worried she might just have a heart attack. Bit of a waste, that would be. To take this body from someone and give it up immediately after.
The woman looked up, her eyes widening as she saw Alice sitting up in bed.
"M-Melisa?" she whispered, her voice hoarse. "Is... is that you?"
Alice hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
She wasn't this Melisa girl. Not really.
But she was in her body now, and she had her memories.
What should she say?
"I..." Alice began, her voice sounding strange and unfamiliar to her own ears. So high-pitched, like... Well, like a child. "I don't... I'm not..."
But before she could finish her thought, the woman threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly.
"OH, MELISA," she sobbed, her tears soaking into Alice's shirt. "I thought... I thought I'd lost you. But you're here, you're alive. It's a miracle."
Alice sat there, frozen.
She didn't know what to do, what to say. This woman thought she was her daughter, the girl who had just died.
How could she tell her the truth? Should she even tell her the truth?
It took a couple of seconds to produce an answer.
[I can't,] Alice thought, a wave of guilt washing over her. [I can't break her heart like that. Not after everything she's been through.]
So, slowly, she hugged the woman back, letting her cry into her shoulder.
"I-It's okay," she said softly. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
---
Alice, now Melisa, stood in her room, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
For some reason, she'd expected to reincarnate in an identical form to when she died. Her 28-year-old body, hair, skin, all that.
Instead, her skin was a light purple, as she'd noted before. Her hair was black as night, falling in soft waves around her face. Her eyes glowed red. And, unless people in this world were very short and that woman from before happened to be very tall, she was now a kid.
But that wasn't all.
She had a pair of horns protruding from her forehead. And a tail, long and slender, with a heart-shaped tip that swayed gently behind her.
There was no doubt about it.
[I look like... like a succubus,] Alice thought, her mind reeling.
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She had to focus, to figure out what was going on.
Her eyes fell on the journal lying on her bed, right next to where she'd been lying, like it had been scribbled on moments before the original owner of this body passed.
It was Melisa's journal, filled with her day-to-day thoughts.
Alice had read through it quickly, desperate for any information she could find. And she had learned a few things.
Most importantly, right now, it let her know she was Melisa Blackflame, the only child of the Blackflame family.
She looked back at her reflection, at the horns and the tail and the glowing red eyes.
[What kind of world must this be...?] She put on a determined face. [I need more information,] she thought, turning away from the mirror. [I need to know more about this world, about Melisa.]
She began to search the room, looking for more books, more journals, anything that could give her a clue.
She found a few textbooks, their covers worn and faded.
[Mostly history.]
She flipped through the books, skimming the pages.
There was so much to learn. Melisa herself had probably only read a few pages at most, judging by what Alice got from her memories.
[Funny enough, I can read this. It's not English, but... it's like my mind is converting the words into English in real time.]
Just as Alice was about to dive into the book's contents, there was a knock at her door.
Before she could even respond, the door swung open. In walked the woman from before, a man who was also purple, and... a human.
[A human? Here?] Alice thought, her eyes widening. [So, humans DO exist in this world...]
The man and woman were both dressed in fine clothing, fancy, luxurious-looking stuff. The human, on the other hand, wore a simple robe, a leather satchel slung over his shoulder.
"Melisa, darling," the woman said. "We... we need to conduct a check-up on you. To make sure you're okay." She gestured to the human man. "This is Healer Aldric. He's here to examine you, to... to see what happened."
Alice nodded slowly, her mind racing. A check-up? To see what happened? Did they suspect something was amiss?
[Play it cool, Alice,] she thought to herself. [You're Melisa now, remember? Just... just go along with it.]
"O-Of course," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I understand."
The healer stepped forward, a kind smile on his face.
"Don't worry, little miss," he said, his voice soft and reassuring. "This won't hurt a bit."
He raised his hand, and Alice's eyes widened as a soft glow began to emanate from his palm.
[Magic,] she realized, her heart skipping a beat. [He's using magic!]
She watched, transfixed, as the healer moved his hand over her body, the glow intensifying as he passed over certain areas.
[This world has magic. Real, actual magic.] The thought sent chills through her. [Magic is real here. What else is real? Dragons? Fairies? Gods and demons?]
The healer finished his examination, the glow fading from his hand.
He turned to Melisa's parents, a puzzled expression on his face.
"It's... it's remarkable," he said, shaking his head. "Just yesterday, Lady Melisa was on death's door. Her body was wracked with disease, her life force fading by the minute."
He looked back at Alice, his eyes wide with wonder.
"But now... now she's perfectly healthy. It's as if the disease never existed at all."
Melisa's mother let out a choked sob, her hand flying to her mouth.
"It's a miracle," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "A true miracle."
The purple man, who Alice assumed was Melisa's father, put his arm around his wife, his own eyes glistening with tears.
"Thank you, Healer Aldric," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "Thank you for everything you've done for our daughter."
The healer bowed his head.
"It is my honor to serve," he said. "But I fear I cannot take credit for this miracle. It is the work of the gods, not I."
[The gods?] Alice thought, her mind reeling. [There are gods in this world too? Or, at the very least, these people have their own religions.]
Melisa's mother tackled her then, sobbing into her chest.
"Oh, my baby, my baby," she cried, her voice muffled by Alice's shirt. "You're alive, you're really alive."
Alice sat there, stiff as a board, unsure of what to do.
She looked up at Melisa's father, at the healer, hoping for some kind of guidance. But they just stood there, watching the scene with a mix of joy and confusion.
Something came to her mind.
[I have to do something,] Alice thought, her mind racing. [I can't just keep pretending to be Melisa forever. It's not fair to them, and it's not fair to me. Besides, I'd probably fuck that act up in an hour, tops.]
But she couldn't just come out and say it, could she? That she was a stranger, a interloper in their daughter's body? That would break their hearts, shatter their newfound happiness.
No, she needed a plan. A way to let them know that she was different, that she needed help, but without revealing the whole truth.
And then it hit her.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come.
"Who... who are you people?" she asked, her voice small and confused.
Melisa's mother pulled back, her eyes wide with shock.
"What... what do you mean, darling? It's us, your parents."
Alice shook her head, biting her lip.
"I'm sorry, but... I don't remember you. I don't remember anything."
The room went silent, the joy and relief of a moment ago replaced by a heavy, suffocating tension.
"Amnesia," the healer said, his voice grave. "It's not uncommon, in cases of near-death experiences. The mind, it... it shuts down, to protect itself from the trauma."
Melisa's father nodded, his face ashen.
"Will she... will she recover?"
The healer hesitated, his eyes flicking to Alice.
"It's hard to say. In some cases, the memories return on their own, given time and patience. In others..."
He trailed off, leaving the unspoken truth hanging in the air.
[In others, they never come back at all,] Alice finished silently. [Do I feel a bit guilty? Of course, I do. But, this actually works perfectly.]
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice trembling. "I... I want to remember, I really do. But it's just... it's all a blank."
Melisa's mother let out a choked sob, burying her face in her hands. Her father put an arm around her, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"It's alright, Melisa," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "We'll... we'll figure this out, together. You're alive, and that's all that matters."
Alice nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat.
"Thank you," she whispered, not trusting herself to say more.
The healer cleared his throat, a look of sympathy on his face.
"I'll do some research, see if there are any treatments or therapies that might help. In the meantime, the best thing we can do is support Melisa, help her adjust to this new... situation."
Melisa's parents nodded, their faces set with determination.
"We'll do whatever it takes," her mother said, her voice fierce. "We'll help you remember, Melisa. We'll help you find yourself again."
Alice felt a wave of gratitude wash over her, mixed with a heavy dose of guilt.
[They love her so much,] she thought, her heart aching. [They love *me* so much, even though I'm not really their daughter.]
But she couldn't dwell on that now. She had to focus on the present, on the challenges that lay ahead.
"Thank you," she said again, forcing a small smile. "I... I think I need some time, to process all of this. Would it be alright if I rested for a bit?"
"Of course, darling," her mother said, standing up from the bed. "Take all the time you need. We'll be right here when you're ready."
They filed out of the room, the healer giving her a reassuring nod before closing the door behind him.
And then Alice was alone, alone with her thoughts and her guilt and her fear.
[What have I gotten myself into?] she thought, flopping back onto the bed with a sigh. [I'm in a strange world, in a strange body, with a family that thinks I'm their dead daughter.]
But even as the doubts and the worries swirled in her mind, she felt a flicker of something else, something warm and bright and hopeful.
[I have a second chance,] she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips. [A chance to live a life I never could have imagined, a life filled with magic and wonder and love.]
It wouldn't be easy, she knew that. There would be challenges and obstacles and moments of doubt.
But she was ready to face them, ready to embrace this new life with all her heart.
She walked back in front of that mirror.
Staring at herself, she took a deep breath.
[I am Melisa Blackflame,] she thought, a fierce determination burning in her chest. [And I will make the most of this second chance, no matter what.]