"You've finally found me," she said warmly, a gentle smile gracing her lips. "I've been waiting to meet you... for a very, very long time."
Her hair, long and white as freshly fallen snow, cascaded down her back like streams of moonlight. Her amethyst-purple eyes shimmered, deep and boundless, as if they contained an endless sea of stars. Her skin was pale as porcelain, soft as fresh snowfall under starlight, untouched by time. Her face was delicate and cute, yet carried a beauty so ethereal it felt almost unreal.
A flowing white dress draped her figure, graceful, elegant, and regal, like something straight out of a fairy tale. Crystalline patterns of stars and constellations were delicately embedded into the fabric, stitched with silver threads that shimmered with every subtle movement, as if the dress itself was woven from starlight. Along the hems and cuffs, tiny violet gemstones sparkled like fragments of a shattered nebula, catching the light with every step.
Everything about her reminded anyone who saw her of a princess from a storybook come to life.
Behind her stood the throne, a towering monument carved from radiant purple crystal, the same shade as her eyes. From its base, veins of glowing violet light branched outward, spreading across the floor, walls, and ceiling like living circuitry. These luminous lines formed intricate, geometric patterns, making the entire throne room resemble a cosmic circuit board, woven from nothing but white and purple crystal.
She smiled at the boy standing before her, a smile filled with countless emotions, as if she wanted to say so many things, but instead chose the one sentence she had waited years to speak.
Opening her arms wide, as if inviting him into her world, she spoke with a warm, joyful expression.
"Welcome... to the land of stars, Asterisia, brother."
But the boy stood frozen, too stunned to speak. A girl he had never met before… calling him her brother. Normally, in a situation like this, he was the type of guy who would've blurted out something stupid like, "Sister… so you do exist."
But even he couldn't bring himself to joke this time. Because the moment he looked at her… it was impossible to deny it. She felt familiar, like someone he had known all his life, even though they had never met before.
And more than anything… it was her appearance. So strikingly similar to his. A little shorter, her features softer, more delicate and feminine, but undeniably identical. From her snow-white hair to those amethyst eyes that seemed to hold the endless sea of stars. Honestly… if someone turned him into a girl, he would look exactly like her.
"Oh, come on, brother. I know this is shocking, but I'm pretty sure you've seen way crazier things. At least say hi or something," the girl complained with a pout, crossing her arms, seeing that he was unresponsive.
Sure, it was probably rude not to greet his long-lost sister... but who could blame him? It's been sixteen years since he was reincarnated into this world, and his parents never once told him that he had a sister he never knew about.
When his parents disappeared the other day, leaving behind nothing but a letter telling him to return to their old home, and all the answers he wanted to know were behind the sealed door in the basement, he had certain expectations. Maybe a legendary artifact. Maybe some ancient sealed magical creature. Y'know, something cool. Something that would kick off a grand adventure like in the anime.
Never had he expected a portal to wherever this place was, and a sister he never even knew existed.
He turned to look at the stunned girl next to him, his childhood friend, who had come to help him out after his long flight, to see if she was seeing the same thing or if he was just starting to hallucinate.
But one glance told him she was way worse off than him. She stood there, completely frozen with her mouth wide open, like her brain had short-circuited.
"Welp... she's broken. Maybe I should've waited before dragging her into this..." he sighed mentally. Honestly, he had just wanted to share something cool with her after years apart, not... whatever this was.
He opened his mouth, ready to say something, anything to break the awkward silence... but thankfully, his sister beat him to it.
The girl giggled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. "The look on your faces... absolutely priceless. Totally worth the wait," she said, grinning like this was the most entertaining thing she'd seen in years.
"Hehe, I know, everything's confusing and you've got a million questions," she continued, her smile soft but her tone shifting just a little more serious. "But don't worry, brother. I'll explain everything. First... there's something important I need to tell you."
Her expression sharpened slightly, still smiling but now carrying weight behind her words. "The normal life you've lived in this world until now, your prologue, is over. From this point on... we're entering the main story."
"Seriously? Normal life? Prologue?" The boy almost staggered at that. "I've spent the last sixteen years in this world... met tons of anime characters... went on epic adventures... even fought in actual life-and-death battles... and she is calling that normal life and prologue?" He sighed internally. "That's easily five volumes worth already".
The girl tilted her head with a playful smile. "But, brother... the characters you met never entered their main stories yet, right? Most of the big plots only start in high school settings. You left Japan when you were nine... so everything that's happened until now is just the prologue." She held up a finger teasingly. "Sure, we could use them as flashbacks... but five volumes would be pushing it."
The boy groaned, rubbing his temple. "Yeah... you're technically not wrong... most of the main stories do start in high school... and yeah... I did leave Japan early, sooo..."
"Exactly," the girl chuckled, giving him a victorious look.
But then something clicked in his head. His eyes narrowed. "Wait a second… how did she respond to what I was thinking? Did I say that out loud? No... I didn't. And hold on, did she just casually mention 'anime characters' and 'storylines'? I never told anyone about that. There's no way... no way, right...?" His brain went into overdrive.
Before he could voice any of that, the girl smiled sweetly and dropped the bomb with a playful tone. "Yes, brother. You guessed it right. I can read your mind."
"She can really do that? Is it magic? But... I haven't sensed any magic being activated though... Is it not magic then...? Wait…doesn't that mean she can know all my secrets? Does that mean... she also knows about my previous life?"
He was a little worried because that was something he had never told anyone, not even his parents. The fact that he was a reincarnated person from another world had always been his deepest, most guarded secret. And now... it was about to be completely exposed, making him panic a little
"No, no, no, I need to distract myself somehow before she reads any more of my thoughts. Think! Think! ...That's right. I can use brain rot."
The boy quickly devised a plan to use psychological warfare against the girl. "Among Us, Among Us, Among Us, Among Us..." he began to think that over and over again, he knows no one can handle that.
The girl visibly flinched, her expression twitching as if she'd been mentally punched. "Brother... please... can you not spam Among Us in your head..." she said, sounding genuinely distressed. "Look, I already know all your secrets! Yes, even that one. About your previous life. But don't worry—I've kept it secret. I never even told our parents." She raised her hands like she was surrendering. "Now, seriously... stop. Please. I beg you. No more Among Us."
Seeing her practically pleading, the boy sighed, crossing his arms with a serious tone. "...Fine. I'll stop. But you have to promise me, you won't read my mind again. It's seriously weird knowing someone can do that. And... thanks... for keeping my secret." He said with a small smile.
The girl smiled back warmly. "Deal. I promise. I won't read your mind anymore... unless..." she tilted her head, "...there's an emergency. For your own safety, of course."
"Ugh... seriously..." The boy sighed, thinking she had a point. "Fine. Only in serious emergencies. Got it?"
"Yup~" she chimed. "Anyway, it'd be boring if I just kept peeking into your head. I've waited so long to finally talk with you properly. This is way more fun."
The boy let out a long sigh, but in truth... he wasn't even mad. Somehow, he was taking all of this way better than he expected. Maybe it was because she was his sister... or maybe because she already knew his biggest secret. But deep down, even though this was technically their first meeting, he already felt an odd sense of closeness to her.
"Sigh... seriously... what even is happening anymore...?" he sighed one more time. "I can't keep up with any of this..."
But then a grin tugged at his lips. "Still... things are getting more exciting now."
Even though he was caught in this completely absurd situation, all he felt right now was excitement.
He thought back to that day when everything began, the day his boring life ended and his new, exciting life began. The journey that had brought him here... Maybe that was the 'prologue' his new sister was talking about.
And with that thought, he began reminiscing about his life up to that point.