Taking a deep breath of air, all I could do was cry. I heard voices all around me as well as big hands taking hold of me. I struggled for a bit but soon realized that they were trying to help me. I let them do as they wanted, not that I had the strength to prevent that anyways. I’m not sure how long had passed, but I was soon bundled up in something warm. Though I did have trouble moving my arms and legs. My eyelids feel heavy, but I forced them open; what I saw surprised me. Looking down on me was the face of a giant woman! I was so shocked, I almost started crying again. I was even more scared when others appeared.

  I was confused for the longest time as the giants talked to one another. Eventually they talked to me? I’m not sure what nguage they were speaking, but it sounded as if they were using the cutesy talk as if they were speaking to a baby. Wait…

  I looked around the room. This wasn’t my hospital room. It wasn’t even a room I recognized. The ceiling was made of wood, the room was lit by some sort of oil mp? Not only that, but everyone was dressed as if this was some sort of medieval reenactment. The gears in my brain took a moment to work, but soon a possibility was formed. Did I die and get reincarnated?

  The giant and tired looking woman said something to me, but all I could think about was my family and friends. If I was reincarnated, I would never be able to see them again. I couldn’t help but cry.

  ...

  Some time had passed since my death and rebirth. I’ve learned a lot since then. This pce that I’m in is called the Apraich Empire, commonly referred to as The Empire. Despite being called such, we don’t have an emperor, instead we have a regent. I’m not sure why the names are like that, and given the fact that I’m not even a year old, unable to talk, and barely able to understand the local nguage, I can’t ask.

  This is a bit te to add, but I’m not on earth. I can tell because this pce has three moons and magic is different. It’s not the magic that I know as a former magical girl, but something else. From what I can tell it seems to be a somewhat basic form of magic based around the four elements. I’m not sure if I can use this world’s magic or even my old powers. I hope I can. After all, my old powers came from the moon, and although these moons are small compared to my old one, I should be stronger even just a little. Though before that, I need to grow a bit.

  Magic aside, I seem to have been born lucky. My family- the family I was born into seems to be some sort of high ranking nobles. They have a territory, a rge mansion, and plenty of servants, along with several merchants which regurly come by to try and sell us things. There were some interesting toys that they had but I wasn’t able to get a good look at them. The woman who is in charge kept saying that I was too small to use them. Speaking of caretakers, let's talk about the new me’s parents.

  As I said earlier, my new parents are nobles going by the names and titles of Duke Ceicel Eytell of Acle Spia and Duchess Sophia Eytell of Martil. The phrase, tall blond and gorgeous fit them both, with my Mom having icy blue eyes and Dad having emerald green eyes. If we were on earth, I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of them were models or movie stars. I don’t know much about them, but given how they look at each other, I can tell that they are deeply in love. I wonder if I can fit into my new family this time?

  Knowing what they look like, I have high hopes for myself. I don’t know what I look like, since I haven’t gotten a good look at a mirror, and I can’t exactly ask them to describe me, so I’ll hope I look even half as good as them.

  Setting that aside, I look at the world beyond the crib, and by world, I mean room. It’s a lovely room, though far too big and luxurious for an infant such as myself. The floor was covered in a soft looking carpet and it looks like they pced cushions around my crib as if they were afraid I would fall out. I can barely move my arms and legs let alone crawl or even try to climb out of here! I’m not sure what their fear is, but it seems to be excessive.

  Ignoring that, there is a bookcase with plenty of picture books that the duchess or some of the maids would read to me. I’m still learning the nguage, so I don’t understand everything but I’m sure that they are about heroes of old. I’m doing my best to learn the nguage, but it’s a bit difficult when she keeps using baby speak to talk to me. Oh well, I’ve got time to learn. During my time stuck in the crib, I exercise as much as I can to expand my realm of exploration.

  The days seem to pass quickly as my body grows and I learn more about this world from the stories they read to me. Luckily from stories they read to me, I learned more about this world's magic.

  For most people, magic consists around the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water. Most people who can use magic focus on one or two of them. The heroes in the story each specialize in one of the main four elements. They are said to be the best in the world with the main elements. Not only that, but they can use light magic, a lesser version of holy magic.

  Light magic is special, along with dark magic, with those two being lesser versions of holy and demonic magic. The lesser versions can be used by anyone just as any elemental magic, though they are hard to learn. Holy and demonic magic however can only be used by the Saint and Demon Lord. Who are the Saint and Demon Lord? Well, it seems like there are none right now, so that’s good. Well, mostly good. Apparently only the saint can rule the empire as the king or queen. How that works, I’m not sure.

  How does one become a Saint? Well, it's simir to my magical girl powers, except you get chosen by the god of light, instead of a representative of the gods like Baxter. I wonder how Baxter is doing… It’s been a while since I died. He probably already found a new magical girl to join the Moonlight Blossoms. Hopefully they’re staying safe. I’m sad I wasn’t able to see them again before I died. I wonder how my parents are doing? I hope they can live happily without me.

  Thinking of the past, I look out the window into the night sky. Only two of the moons are visible from my crib. Trying to get the bad thoughts out of my mind, I thought of my powers. They were gifted to me by the goddess of the moon, and delivered by Baxter, so I wonder if this version of me can also use them.

  Clumsily reaching out my hands, I called upon the light of the moon! Or so I would have liked to. In reality, I can’t talk, so my transformation wouldn’t be activated even if I could use my powers. I wonder if I can just say it in my mind? I never actually tried doing that in my past life. I always get caught up in the flow with the others, so it always felt right to say it.

  “By the Moonlight Blossom’s glow!” I jokingly think to myself. “All evil surrender to the keeper of justice! Magical Girl Charming Melody, awaken!”

  At that, my room filled with a torrent of light and my small body lifted into the air. I felt myself grow far beyond that of a baby of my age. The soft and loose fitting pajamas that previously clothed me disappeared and I was wrapped in a cool, silk like material. With a puff, my feet felt the familiar weight of my knee high boots as they formed around me. White ced gloves covered my hands up to my elbows, ending in golden frills and ribbons. A white and green dress with frills and ribbons webbing across it, formed around my body, hugging me with the same silk like material as before. My hair, which I only now noticed grew as well, came together in two long, light brown twin-tails that reached almost all the way down to my feet. Finally, the light which engulfed me sparkled and faded like stars in the night sky, revealing me in the familiar pale moonlight not known to this world.

  “Eh?” I ask myself, still floating in the air.

  Before I could process what just happened, the normal rules of gravity suddenly applied to me and I fell backwards into the crib.

  “Ahag!?” I cried as my lower back struck the tall wall of the crib, making my dress partially flip over and my moon themed boots sticking in the air.

  Despite my awkward position, and the pain in my lower back, I couldn’t help but be astonished. Why do my powers work? I’m not on Earth. I get my powers from the Earth's moon! Do I? You know, now that I think of it, I never asked if we could use our powers if we were ever on another world. Obviously who would!? I’m fifteen! Or rather was. I was fifteen! I never thought I would leave Earth! I’ve never even been on a pne! Do we get magic from all moons? Also, where is my staff?

  At that moment something in front of, rather above me, appeared in a fsh of pale light. My staff, which I only now wondered about the weight of, splendidly fell right on my forehead which made an insultingly hollow noise.

  “Owowowowowow!” Holding my forehead, I rolled as much as I could, hitting the walls of the crib.

  Am I lucky? Is this a good or a bad thing? Why do I have the memories of a past life, and my magical girl powers? Does this mean I can call Baxter? Maybe even go back to Earth? Wondering all of this, I heard the footsteps of several people heading towards the room I was in. Panicking, I quickly undo my transformation, gd it doesn’t also have its own phrase or nearly as bright of a light.

  With a significantly smaller fsh of light than before, my dress and staff disappeared and I found myself back as a baby. I tried to pull the bnket back over me, but once again, as a baby, I cked even clumsy movement skills. Giving up, I y limply on the bed and closed my eyes just as the door to my room opened up.

  “I’m sure I heard something!” A whispered voice urgently said.

  Recognizing that voice as Lin, my main caretaker, I kept my eyes closed and hoped that my transformation didn’t mess up anything in the room aside from my bnket. Lin, along with whoever else was with her, quietly entered my room.

  “I’m sure it was nothing.” Another voice said. “See, even little Evelyn is asleep.”

  “I suppose…” Lin siad.

  After a moment, I felt the bnket gently being lifted over me. It tickled a bit, but I managed to stay still. Eventually the two seemed satisfied and quietly left as the door quietly shut behind them. Hearing their footsteps grow quieter, I opened my eyes and looked at the door. That was close! That was too close! I’ve got to be more careful in the future.

  Not only that, but I still have my powers! Surely I have them for a reason! Maybe this world is in danger! If it is, then Magical Girl Melody will be its protector! I wonder if I can still use that name? Is my outfit weird? Maybe I need to redesign it… Do I know how to make clothes? Maybe I should learn to sew. Oh! Let’s use a mask! I’ve always wanted to use a mask! Thinking of stupid things and the future, I drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.

  Far away and in the countryside, sat a modest house on a modest street. In the day, the owners sold bread to those in the small town. The family of three inside recently became one person bigger. Sharing the bed with the now older brother was a baby, with eyes far more intelligent than they should be. This baby looked at the boy and became flustered, but very quickly she smiled. This was more than familiar love. She had gotten lucky, in more ways than one.

  “Nissia Carter…” She thought about her name.

  I am Nissia Carter. In my previous life I was hit and killed by a truck, but now I found myself reincarnated into the popur Otome game Saintess Shuffle! Saintess Shuffle follows along most other games in its genre but differs in the main character. Every time you start a new game, the saint is chosen at random from a pool of twenty possible characters, changing the story and difficulty. Each possible saint is in one of three camps. Favorable, neutral, and unfavorable with favorable being the easiest and unfavorable being the hardest.

  Not only that, but there are random events that happen throughout the entire story. Some of these are just jokes inserted by the developers which don’t really affect anything, but others can just straight up kill your character. Luckily in the game, there is a quick save feature, but I’m not going to count on me being able to use that feature. I’ll just hope that I don’t run into any of the deadly ones.

  I, Nissia Carter, am one of the saintess candidates in the neutral camp albeit on the harder side. Though I say that, with my knowledge of the game, I should be able to easily become the saint and defeat the resurrected Demon Lord! That being said, I do need to watch out for the viliness, Evelyn. No matter what character you are, she is the biggest obstacle in your path. With someone as jealous as her, she can’t be reasoned with and depending on your choices she tries to have you exiled or killed. More than a few games have ended early because of her. I’ll need to take care of her quickly if I want to survive. Just you wait world, the star of the show has just arrived!

  Grayburne