"Oh, there you are," Anna said without looking up, her gaze fixed on the worn manuscript that was spread open on the table before her. A quill pen rested lightly in her hand, its tip scratching softly against the aged parchment as she carefully copied the delicate script. By its appearance, the book was of the old kind, and judging by the way she eyed it, it definitely gave him the impression that it was on the magical side. The text on it was indescribable, but to a scholar like Anna, it was no issue as she transliterated the words within the manuscript bit by bit into the giant grimoire she had been working on for the past few years. So focused was she that she hardly gave him a passing glance as he grabbed a seat next to her, only looking up at him a few times from her work to give him a warm smile.

  "I didn’t expect you to be this early, so you caught me a little off guard," she said, her voice trembling slightly despite the confident front she put up. "But I’m glad you’re here. Do you... do you have the books?”

  "Yes, I have them," Lye replied. He placed the heavy satchel gently onto the table, the sound of its contents shifting inside as he tried not to break anything from within it. "I made sure to gather everything you requested, all from the texts, the scrolls, and a note from House Benjen in the nearby village. He would like to arrange a trade between his village and yours."

  She set the quill down with a soft clink against the inkpot and gently closed the manuscript, her fingers lingering on the edges of the book as if reluctant to part with the knowledge it held. Gathering all the other piles of books and scrolls that she had resting on her desk, she set them aside before standing up, the sound of her chair scraping softly against the floor. Crouching to meet him at eye level, she gave him a warm smile as she grabbed the satchel from the desk. "What business does he want with me anyway?”

  He shrugged at that. "Well, have you considered what your father will say?" Lye shifted in his seat, crossing his arms as he studied her. "I haven’t spoken to him yet," he admitted, "but he'll find out I'm here soon enough." Grabbing one of the books from the satchel's side pocket, she examined it, picking up another one on her desk to compare it to the new one she had. "Well, in any case, you should really consider becoming a swordsman. You know how much that means to him. The sword arts has been passed down from generation to generation in your family, so it's best you keep it that way, Lye.”

  "You're part of our family too, you know?" Lye muttered, though more to himself than to Anna, really. Anna, on her part, only paused at that, her expression softening for just a moment. Then, as if catching herself, she quickly shook her head and let out a small chuckle. "I know," she murmured, setting the book down and carefully undoing the rest of its ties from the satchel to examine its other contents. "But sometimes I can't help but feel like an invader.”

  'Well, you're not!' he shouted, way louder than he really meant to, but he couldn't hold himself back from doing it. Thankfully, though, before the situation could escalate, a knocking sound came from the door.

  Knock knock knock knock!!!

  “I will get it,’’ Lye said, getting up before casting one last glance at Anna as he walked toward the door. He took a breath, a bit worried, as he unlatched the door and pulled it open. Standing on the other side was a man wrapped in a heavy, travel-worn cloak, the hood drawn a bit low over his face. The dim candlelight flickered against his features, casting a deep shadow beneath his eyes that made his expression a bit hard to see. Beside him was a maidservant, the one attending to Thalos.

  "May I help you?" he said to the man before turning to the maidservant, his eyes glaring at her as she averted her gaze from him. "And who gave you permission to leave Thalos unattended?" She didn't meet his gaze, opting to stay quiet as the man beside her took over. The man standing at the door did not respond immediately, his gaze lingering on Lye for a moment before he spoke. "It's about Anna's son. I can hardly believe that such words are coming out of my mouth, but he's awake.”

  And the whole scene escalated into chaos from there as Anna hastily ran out the door.

  "What... is going on?" Tom muttered. He fought against the overwhelming exhaustion that threatened to pull him back under, pushing himself up onto his elbows as he grabbed at his head.

  "Young Master Thalos, please do not push yourself too hard," a hand reached out to steady him, but he swiftly swatted it away. "Don't touch me!" he snapped, and the odd woman immediately pulled away.

  "You need to rest, young master. It’s not safe to overexert yourself," the woman insisted, her voice surprisingly calm despite his outburst. "Your body is still recovering from the curse, and you must allow it time to heal," she said, the panicked voices all around him growing more insistent as more people rushed in and out of the room he was in.

  Memories rushed in and out of his mind, the timeline of the events disjointed as he could barely grasp some of their meanings as they passed by. The bits and pieces he picked up, though, gave him some insight into his new life. He was Thalos Valemont, son of Edric Valemont and Anna Valemont, and he just happened to be a noble who was meant to inherit the title of heir to House Valemont in the forest of the elves. But that was all he could manage to figure out, as there was a huge gap in his memory that prevented him from learning anything more.

  That was a bit frustrating, but it was not something that he cared about much. What he did care about, though, were the implications that followed from what had just happened to him. He had really been reincarnated. He couldn't believe it, but despite its absurdity, it actually happened, even though he had spent his years as a devoted atheist.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  But he was alive now and an elf too, though he didn't really know what that entailed.

  But being an elf came with its own set of perks. For one, his vision had sharpened considerably. The woman who had attempted to help him, however, seemed unsettled by his resistance. Still, she held her ground, her presence more a lingering shadow than a source of comfort. He couldn’t fault her for it, though. From the way she carried herself, it was clear she was little more than a servant. Comfort, after all, wasn’t something likely to be expected from someone in her position.

  Unless..... he shook his head, swatting those thoughts away from his mind before they could fully form.

  "Give me your hand," a man demanded, seizing his wrist before he could refuse. More and more people crowded around, their hands reaching out to examine him. Struggling was useless, as their grip was unrelenting, ignoring his protests and commands to let him go. "His mana reserves have tripled," one of them said. "And his brain isn't showing any cognitive or processing issues," another added. "The bad blood in his veins has mostly gone away, so he should be fine within a few weeks," the last one said.

  They were everywhere, as if a moth drawn to a light. "Let him go!" a voice shouted above the others, and immediately the weird-looking creatures that were examining him backed away, bowing their heads down to the ground as a gruff, old-looking man stepped up to examine him.

  "Are you okay?”

  “Yeah”

  "Good, give me a bit. The curse you have been under is a pretty big deal, and we rarely have anybody waking up from this kind of ordeal. You wouldn't mind if I examined your soul, would you?" He asked, and he hesitated. He was afraid that his cover was going to be blown and that he might be killed for taking control of the boy's body. So many possibilities of how this could blow up in his face played out in his mind, but after a while of him not responding, the man took his silence as a no.

  “Ok, well that's understandable. Soul mages kind of have that effect on everyone," he said with a tired sigh, rubbing the back of his neck before he turned to the others. "Well, let his mother in, guys. We're done here, and she's been very eager to see her son, and we have to leave soon since our service won't be required anymore.”

  The door creaked open, and Anna rushed inside before anyone could say a word. Her breath came in short gasps, and her golden eyes shimmered with tears that she quickly smothered away as she took in the sight of him, giving him that loving, motherly smile that made him feel both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.

  She slowed her steps as she neared the bed, almost as if afraid that getting too close would cause him to suddenly disappear. "Thalos..." she whispered, her voice cracking and her fingers trembling as she reached out toward him. Another boy stood beside her, though he was considerably shorter than she was. Based on his appearance, he was probably around 15 or younger. Unlike her, he had a sour expression on his face, not meeting his eyes as his 'mother' gave him a hug.

  “Everyone, you're dismissed. Get out of the room,” the young man beside Anna said. The gathered attendants, healers, and scholars hesitated for a moment, exchanging glances among themselves before slowly filtering out of the room. Some muttered among themselves, and a few cast wary looks at Thalos before vanishing through the doorway.

  The last of them to leave was the gruff old man, pausing at the threshold of the door as he said, “I’ll be nearby if you change your mind about the examination,” before stepping out and shutting the door behind him.

  "I… I'm fine," he said, though the words felt strange coming from his mouth. His voice was softer, smoother than what he was used to, lacking the deep timbre he had once possessed in his old life. That, too, was something he had yet to adjust to.

  Anna let out a choked laugh, swiping at her eyes before she sat at the edge of his bed. "Fine? You were on the brink of death, and now you're awake as if nothing happened. You scared me, Thalos. Do you... do you... ugh, never mind. I'm just so relieved to finally have you back," she hugged him tighter, which only furthered his discomfort. "I was so scared that I was the only one around. I... I—I thought I lost both you and your father after the dragon attacked our village.”

  He squirmed under the affection. In his past life, he had never been one to receive such love from his family, save for his mother. He had long given up on anybody after she had died and had isolated himself from his father and the rest of his family, who either blamed him for the reason his mother died or only saw him as the bastard that his father was—an abusive alcoholic who didn't even care about him nor her. He hated that man with all his being, but he also hated the rest of his family. Perhaps it was because he was so used to being resentful and bitter that he was never capable of forming much in terms of relationships.

  So receiving this kind of affection was odd. He liked it, but he knew it wasn't really directed at him.

  Anna pulled away slightly, holding Thalos at arm’s length as she studied his face. Her golden eyes were bright with emotion, but they were also filled with uncertainty. Who wouldn't be, after all? Their child had just gotten out of a seemingly near-comatose state, so the reaction was not unexpected. He could feel her fingers trembling where they rested lightly on his arms. "You don’t remember much, do you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Tom hesitated. He could lie. He could say yes and pretend everything was fine... but the poor mother of this child had no idea that her son's body had just been hijacked by an outsider, and the least he could do was reassure her that her son's memory was still there, even though the boy himself had long passed away. So, deciding not to lie but not reveal the truth entirely, he settled for something in between. "Bits and pieces," he admitted. "Things feel… a little disconnected.”

  The other boy in the room, the one who had dismissed everyone earlier, shifted uncomfortably. His arms were crossed, and when he gave him a look, he tightened his jaw. He looked like he wanted to say something but was biting his tongue. Tom had no idea who he was supposed to be, as he didn't have any memories of him, nor did he bear any resemblance to Anna.

  Anna, noticing the tension, turned to the younger boy and placed a hand on his arm. "Lye, you’ve been quiet this whole time," she said softly. "Do you have nothing to say to your half-brother?" Lye’s expression hardened. He uncrossed his arms, his fingers clenching into fists at his sides. "What is there to say?" he muttered, his tone clipped. "Your boy is awake. That’s… good." His gaze flickered toward Tom but didn’t linger.

  Anna’s gaze softened as she placed a reassuring hand on Lye's shoulder, though she could sense the unease in his stance. “Lye, he's just woken up. You know it's going to take time for him to adjust to everything, and... well, this is new for all of us”

  Lye didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looked away as if trying to avoid the conversation altogether. His fingers twitched, and he seemed to struggle with the emotions churning inside him. He was clearly bothered by the situation but was afraid to say so. Instead, he decided to excuse himself before leaving the room, closing the door shut behind him. Anna, for her part, could only sigh.

  That was Lye Tinsel, the only son of Paul Tinsel and the heir to this house. I'm not his real mother, but I have known him ever since he was a baby. Shortly after I married his dad, he was probably 2 or 3 by then, and we had gotten pretty close. Be nice to him, okay? And treat him as you would a real brother.” Tom nodded quietly, unsure of what to really say as he watched the door. He was definitely going to have a headache in the future regarding this whole family drama, but he hoped he could get through it without a hitch.

  Anna only watched Lye leave, not saying a word as her brow furrowed with concern. Then, she turned back to Tom, her eyes softening as she gave him a kiss on the forehead. “I'll be back soon, okay? I can't tell you enough how happy I am to see you, but for now, just stay put. I'll write a letter to your half-father in the capital, and we will arrange a festival with the funds we have to celebrate your Awakening.”

  She exited the room, two maidservants entering shortly after as he leaned back on his bed. They had a pretty bizarre appearance, the first one looking like a lion-woman hybrid, with a scorpion-like tail, and a fox-woman who looked more fox than human. He didn't comment on that, though, since it would most likely have been seen as rude by this world's standards.