'Aiden? Who the heck is Aiden? And why am I on this bed?' DK though to himself
DK tried to sit up when he immediately felt an unfamiliar weakness course through his limbs. He lifted his hand to rub his head which felt like it was about to burst open but even that proved to be extremely difficult.
Dread, panic, confusion, everything set in at the same time as he had no idea what was happening. He only had to glance down to see that his body As he pulled back the lavish sheets that covered him, he was taken aback. His arms and legs appeared malnourished, devoid of muscle or fat.
"Where am I? What happened to my body?" DK questioned, his voice tinged with a mixture of confusion and dread.
The young woman hesitated, unsure whether to approach him. Finally, she spoke. "You are Master Aiden, and you've been in a comatose state for a long time. Your body has... deteriorated. This is the reason for your frail appearance. We've been waiting for this moment—the moment you would wake up."
"Aiden? I'm not Aiden." DK was still in shock, waking up in a foreign body and unfamiliar surroundings. When he looked out the window, he was stunned to see not one, but two suns in the sky. One was a vibrant yellow star, while the other was a dying red dwarf, nearing the end of its life. The interplay of yellow and red hues gave the sky an eerie ambiance.
Moments later, an elderly person entered the room and immediately checked DK's pulse. "Incredible! I never expected Master Aiden to awaken from his vegetative state. This is truly a blessing from the heavens," said the healer.
"So, I've really transmigrated to a new world and inhabited a different body. It seems I even have household staff and maids. I must belong to some sort of wealthy, aristocratic family. Why have I been given a second chance?" DK wondered.
"I should probably make up an excuse for my lack of knowledge. Blaming it on my coma should work—it's probably a universal enough concept. But do the same rules of human physiology even apply in this new world? I'll have to take the gamble; otherwise, I might get caught," he thought.
"I... I... can't remember any of you. Please forgive me. Maybe I can recall my parents' faces," DK lied, fabricating an excuse to avoid further questioning.
The healer responded, "There's no need to apologize for your memory loss; it's quite common in such cases. In fact, you technically have no idea what has been happening in the Celestia Realm over the past 5 years."
"Celestia Realm. I heard that name in my subconscious after falling from the building," DK thought to himself. He knew he needed a plan. For now, he could use the memory loss as a convenient excuse.
"My name is Aiten, right?" DK asked, turning to the woman next to him, who appeared to have been close to Aiden in his past life.
"No, Master, it's Aiden, with a 'd.' I am Lucy, your personal caretaker, assigned by the Lin family. I started serving you a year before the accident that led to your unfortunate comatose state," Lucy replied with enthusiasm.
"How old am I? Can you tell me about my family? Do I have any siblings?" DK continued his questioning.
"You are the middle child of Lord Jason Lin and Lady Anne Lin. You're currently 18 years old, and you've spent the last 5 years in a coma. You have an older brother named Travis and a younger sister named Angie. Both are currently enrolled in Arcanum Skyhold."
"Arcanum Skyhold? Is that some kind of army or school?" DK was intrigued by the name, which sounded like a location from a fantasy MMORPG.
"Master, I can't believe you forgot about Arcanum Skyhold! It's one of the most prestigious schools in the realm, with a history spanning more than a millennium. It's the dream of every noble house to enroll their children and future heirs there. The school has vast resources and is one of the few institutions with private access to the Unending Abyss," Lucy launched into a 15-minute monologue about the school. It became clear to DK that Lucy probably had ambitions of attending such an esteemed institution herself, and he got a sense that his siblings were overachievers.
"Lucy, it's been more than half an hour, and I still haven't seen my parents. Why aren't they here? Aren't they happy to hear that I've awakened?" DK asked, wanting to dig deeper into the dynamics of Aiden's family.
"Umm, the truth is, Master Aiden, you've always been the black sheep in the eyes of Lord and Lady Lin. They've often kept you away from the family spotlight. In fact, most people outside the family think the Lins only have two children: Travis and Angie," Lucy said, her face going pale. She seemed worried that this revelation might depress DK and hamper his recovery.
However, since DK had no emotional attachment to Lord and Lady Lin, he responded nonchalantly, "Oh, that's unfortunate. What did Aiden—I mean, what did I do to disappoint them so much?"
Trying to maintain a positive tone, Lucy answered, "It was never your fault. The issue has always been that Master Aiden never exhibited any kind of affinity from birth. Lord and Lady Lin were ashamed of it and told everyone you had died at a young age in an accident."
Wow, maybe staying in a coma would have been a better option," DK responded, attempting to look sad in front of Lucy.
"Please don't talk like that, Master. We need to get you back in top form. Unfortunately, unlike the other family members who have many on their help staff, you only have me to take care of you, but I will make sure you don't lack anything," Lucy replied, trying to comfort DK.
"Alright, let's get this started. Mr. Healer, how can I restart and rebuild my muscles?" DK turned and started to get out of the bed.
"Umm, I go by the name Healer Nam. Now, to get you back into better shape, we need to get you some food with spiritual essence, which can increase your recovery rate several-fold. However, with your lack of mana affinity, I am not sure what kind of spiritual diet to prescribe. For now, let's just get some normal food into your stomach," said Healer Nam.
"Spiritual essence, and I don't have any affinity for it. Could you get me some books to read about the basics of spiritual essence and mana? For some reason, I want to understand why my body doesn't seem to respond," DK remarked.
"Okay, I will get some rich, nutritious food right away, Master Aiden, and the book of basics from the library," Lucy exclaimed, eager to care for Aiden. With that, Lucy skipped out of the room to fetch the requested items along with Healer Nam.
Alone in the room, DK tried to get out of bed on his own. Despite feeling very fatigued and famished, DK could not stay still. He was eager to get out and discover the new world. As he tried to place one foot on the floor, he lost his balance and attempted to regain it by holding onto one of the bedposts. "Wow, I guess this body just grew bones for the past five years and nothing else."
I hope I don't remain stuck in this state for the rest of life. That is sucky way to be reborn into another body.