Chapter 1: Awakening

The first thing Reylen felt was warmth—unusual for someone who had only just woken up. His body was cocooned in a soft blanket, yet his mind remained foggy, as if he were waking from a long, unending sleep.

A strange, throbbing sensation echoed inside his head, like whispers calling from the deepest corners of his mind. There was no visual clarity; everything was blurry. But one thing was certain: he wasn't where he had been before. He wasn't in his old world anymore.

A voice, quiet but persistent, stirred within him.

"It's not too late. This time, you can change everything. Don't waste it, Reylen."

It was faint—almost like a distant memory he couldn't place. And with it, a flood of emotions rushed through him, though none of them felt truly his. They were fragments, pieces of someone else's life, someone else's regret.

Reylen blinked several times, his vision adjusting. He looked up at the unfamiliar ceiling—a wooden one, intricately designed with carvings he didn't recognize. He tried to speak, but his throat felt dry, his words weak.

"Mom?" he croaked.

A soft voice answered him immediately. "You're awake. Thank the gods. You've been out for days, Reylen."

A figure leaned over him, their face warm and concerned. Reylen tried to sit up, but his body felt heavy and foreign, as if it belonged to someone else. He realized, with a sudden, strange clarity, that it did. This wasn't his body, or at least not the one he remembered. The hands, the arms—everything felt smaller, more delicate.

The woman standing before him had a serene look in her eyes, but her gaze seemed to carry an unspoken weight. She didn't look particularly surprised to see him awake. Instead, she gave him a soft smile, brushing a lock of her long, silver hair behind her ear.

"I'm your mother, Elara," she said gently. "Do you remember?"

Reylen's mind raced. His memories were fragments, like broken glass, too sharp to piece together. But her words stirred something. He knew her, but only faintly—like a dream slipping through his fingers.

"I…" His voice faltered. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember much."

Elara's smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly masked it. "It's okay. You'll remember in time."

He tried to sit up fully, his limbs awkward and uncoordinated, but the action made him dizzy. The voice in his mind spoke again, louder this time.

"This is your chance. Don't waste it. Not again."

Reylen's eyes widened. He could feel it now—the voice, a presence that was clearly his, but not his at the same time. It was a strange sensation, like someone else was speaking through him, living within him. He wasn't alone in his body.

Elara, noticing his confusion, placed a gentle hand on his forehead. "Rest, Reylen. It's alright. Your magic has been unstable lately. It will pass."

"Magic?" Reylen repeated, his voice hoarse. Magic? His heart skipped a beat. Wasn't magic something that only existed in stories? But then, as if the fog in his mind began to lift, he felt the faintest stirrings of something—power. It was small, almost imperceptible, but it was there.

"Yes," Elara answered, sensing his confusion. "You come from a long line of mages. Your father is a great wizard, and you, my son, have inherited that gift. But… it's still fragile, even though you're older than your age suggests."

Reylen frowned. Older than my age?

The pieces began to fall into place, and for a moment, the fog in his mind receded. He was… reborn? No, it couldn't be possible. But his soul, his memories, they were still there. His previous life—his real life—felt like a distant echo, but it was there.

"I don't… understand," Reylen murmured, the whispering voice growing stronger.

Elara's eyes softened. "You will, Reylen. But for now, just rest. You have time to grow. Time to learn."

He looked up at her, eyes wide with uncertainty. "Learn? What do I need to learn?"

Elara's smile returned, though this time there was a hint of something deeper, something… knowing. "Everything. You need to learn everything. And then, you will decide what kind of person you want to be."

Reylen lay back against the soft pillows, his mind racing. There was so much to unravel, so many mysteries, both about this world and himself. Rebirth. He couldn't grasp it fully, but he knew this was his second chance. To learn, to grow, to do it all right this time.

The whispers in his mind quieted for now, as if acknowledging his resolve.

"Just remember," Elara's voice reached him once more, "You are not the same as before. You can be someone new."

Reylen closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. The weight of the world was heavy, but he was ready to face it. This time, he would not fail.

Chapter 2: The Magic Within

The following weeks were a blur of discovery. Reylen's mind raced to understand the new world he inhabited. Elara had been kind, patient, explaining the ways of this strange land. She spoke of magic, kingdoms, and the histories of people long forgotten, but there was a certain distance in her eyes whenever she looked at him—a cautionary look that Reylen couldn't quite place.

At first, Reylen had felt overwhelmed, but as the days passed, the pieces of his new life began to fit together. He was no longer in his old world, a world filled with technology and sorrow. This place was lush with magic, where even the trees seemed to hum with energy, and the air itself was charged with power.

Reylen began to study, and surprisingly, he found it easy. Magic came to him naturally, as though his previous life had already prepared him for this. He could manipulate the elements—fire, water, air, and earth—almost instinctively. But there was something else, something deeper within him, that he couldn't understand.

The voice in his mind had stopped giving him direct instructions, but its presence remained like a lingering shadow.

"Harness it. You must control it. The world is not what it seems, Reylen."