The evening sun cast long shadows through the penthouse windows, painting the luxurious room in shades of amber and gold. Jamie stood frozen, his briefcase slipping from nerveless fingers to thud against the hardwood floor. The sound echoed through the suddenly silent room, but no one moved to acknowledge it.
Before him, an impossible scene played out. His father, Richard Chen – the man he had looked up to his entire life – stood with his arms wrapped around Sarah, Thomas's wife of three years. Their lips had just parted from what was clearly an intimate kiss. His mother, Linda, sat calmly on the designer sofa, hands folded in her lap, wearing an expression of serene acceptance. His younger sister, Emily, leaned against the wall near the floor-to-ceiling windows, her face a mixture of pity and resignation.
They all turned to see him.
"We needed to tell you eventually," Sarah spoke first, her voice steady despite the situation. She didn't move away from Richard's embrace. "This has been going on for over a year now."
Jamie's mind refused to process the words. The world seemed to tilt sideways, reality becoming as unstable as his emotions. "What... what are you saying?"
"Son," Linda's voice was gentle as if speaking to a child, "we've all known for a while. Sarah and your father... they have something special. Sometimes these things just happen. We thought it would be better to tell you together."
Emily pushed away from the wall, taking a step forward. "We didn't want to hurt you like this, but you deserved to know the truth."
Thomas stumbled backwards, his head shaking in denial. The betrayal cut deeper than any knife – not just from his wife and father, but from his entire family. They had all known. They had all kept this secret. They had all chosen to protect this... this abomination.
"You're lying," he whispered, but the evidence was before his eyes. "This can't be real."
He took another step back, not seeing the open balcony door behind him, not realizing how close he was to the edge. His heel met empty air.
Time seemed to slow. Thomas saw their faces change from carefully controlled sympathy to sudden horror as he lost his balance. He saw their hands reach out, too late to help. The last thing he saw as he fell was their faces peering over the edge of the balcony – the four people who had destroyed everything he believed in.
The impact was mercifully quick.
-
Jamie opened his eyes to darkness. Not the absolute darkness of death, but a soft, velvet darkness that seemed to shimmer with possibility. Before him stood a figure that took his breath away – a goddess in every sense of the word. Her skin glowed with an inner light, and her partially revealed form was both alluring and ethereal. A gossamer dress that seemed woven from starlight itself draped her figure, leaving one shoulder bare.
"Welcome, Jamie," her voice was like music, each word carrying the weight of ages. "I am Selene, and I have watched your tragedy unfold."
"Am I... dead?" The words felt strange in his mouth, as if speaking them made the reality more concrete.
The goddess's eyes softened with compassion. "Your mortal form has passed, yes. But I see in you a spirit that deserves more than such an ending. Would you accept a second chance? A new life in a world where you can grow stronger?"
Before he could respond, she continued, "I will grant you a gift – a System that will help you navigate your new existence. It will grow with you, teach you, and help you become more than you ever were in your previous life."
"Make this new life count," Selene's form began to fade. "Let your pain become your strength."
-
Darkness gave way to light, and Jamie found himself looking up into the face of a woman with striking violet eyes and hair the colour of autumn leaves. She was speaking, but the words were incomprehensible until suddenly:
A mechanical feminine voice suddenly chimed in his mind, crisp and clear: [System initialization beginning. Host registration Successful]
[Language barrier detected. Initiating translation protocol.]
The woman's words suddenly became clear: "—breathing! Thank the spirits, I thought we'd lost you!"
[System boot sequence complete. Welcome, Host.
Current Status:
- Physical condition: Stable
- Location: Meridian Kingdom, Eastwood Province
- Current body age: Newborn
- Original memories: Intact
- Basic abilities: Unlocked
- Initial System functions: Online
Would you like to view your starting attributes?]
He tried to speak but only managed a baby's cry. The woman – his new mother – held him closer, tears of joy streaming down her face.
[Host alert: You are currently in infant form. Motor functions and speech capabilities will develop naturally. System assistance is available for accelerated growth once base requirements are met.]
As the system's voice faded, Thomas felt confused. It all happened to fast for him to process. The goddess gave him a system, just like in games.
The woman holding him began to hum a lullaby, the gentle melody carrying hints of magic that his new senses could somehow perceive. In this new world, with this mysterious System as his ally, he knew his journey was just beginning.