Kaelen Voss's consciousness began to claw its way back through the thick, suffocating fog of non-existence.
The first thing he felt wasn't the expected chill of the grave, but a soothing, radiant warmth.
Kaelen's eyes snapped open. He bolted upright, muscles coiled to fight or flee. But instead of the jagged rocks at the base of the chasm, his palms pressed into soft, silken sheets.
He was in a cozy room, dominated by a scarlet canopy hanging over the bed. Combined with the decorative banners lining the walls, the space felt celebratory - almost like a wedding chamber.
What is happening… How am I not dead?
I remember it so clearly - the whistle of the wind, the darkness of the Abyss of the Void. No one survives that!
And yet… my body isn't screaming in pain. I can't feel the gashes, I can't feel the poison… not even a hint of discomfort.
How is this possible…?
"Ah! Kaelen! You… you're awake!"
A melodic, joyful cry rang out from the side. Before he could react, a figure blurred into his field of vision, instantly demanding his attention.
The girl, dressed in a flowing gown the color of young leaves, couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen, yet her beauty was already breathtaking. Her skin was as white and flawless as fresh snow, complemented by a perfectly sculpted nose and delicate, naturally rose-tinted lips that were currently trembling with emotion.
Her eyes, wide with shock and concern, were so clear they resembled the surface of a mountain spring.
Beneath her light robes, her silhouette was already beginning to take on a curvaceous, feminine grace despite her youth - her waist was as narrow as a wasp's, and the soft lines of her body emphasized an striking suppleness in her movements. She radiated a charm that made it difficult to look away.
Where am I? And who is this goddess calling my name so familiarly? Kaelen wondered, feeling his heart - which should have been silent - beating with a strong, rhythmic thrum.
Kaelen Voss stared at the girl by the bedside, trying to reconcile her image with the fragments of memory that suddenly began to flood his mind. Though she looked younger than him, his lips instinctively formed a title he didn't yet fully understand.
"Little Caretaker?" he muttered unconsciously.
The girl beamed at him, her cool, jade-like hands resting on Kaelen's forehead. After a moment, she let out a visible sigh of relief, the tension leaving her delicate shoulders.
"Wonderful, your temperature has almost returned to normal," she said, her voice like the chiming of silver bells. "Truly, you nearly scared me to death. Kaelen, tell me honestly, are you alright? Let me know if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, even the slightest bit of pain."
Faced with those eyes - filled with a deep, sincere concern Kaelen hadn't felt since the death of his Master - the boy felt a strange stiffness. He shook his head mechanically, unable to find his voice.
He stared blankly ahead, trying to grasp the paradox of his situation: a moment ago, he was a murderer hunted by the entire world on the edge of a cliff; now, he lay in clean sheets under the care of a girl whose beauty seemed far too pure for the brutal reality he knew.
Who is she? Who am I now? The questions raced through his mind as the scent of her perfume, delicate as peach blossoms, filled his senses.
"Rest here for a moment. I'll go tell your grandfather that you've woken up. Today is your big day! When you fainted, Grandfather almost lost his mind with worry. He personally ran off to find Medic Malachi for you," the girl chattered happily.
She was so swept up in her excitement that she failed to notice Kaelen's erratic state. She gently nudged his shoulders, signaling him to lie back down, and hurried out of the room, her green robes fluttering in the doorway.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Kaelen sat up abruptly, clutching his head. In his mind, two worlds collided with brutal force.
According to the memories of this body, he was in Skybright Fortress, located in the far east of one of the Seven Kingdoms of the Boundless Ether Domain. He was the only grandson of the Fifth Elder of the noble Valerius House - Kaelen Valerius. He had just turned sixteen this year.
This was his current identity.
Suddenly, those memories overlapped with twenty-four years of life in the Azure Sky Realm, leaving him in a state of total bewilderment.
If I am Kaelen Valerius… then why do I have memories of the Azure Sky Realm? Is it because after jumping from the Abyss of the Void, my soul entered this body?
"No!" he whispered to himself, a shiver running down his spine. "I am Kaelen Valerius! This room, the scent of the burning incense, every detail of my childhood… I remember it all as my own personal experience. There's no way I just stole someone else's memories!"
Is it possible that everything in the Azure Sky Realm was just an incredibly vivid dream? That I only woke up now, after that supposed fall?
But the memories of that life - the years spent studying medicine at his Master's side and the blood-soaked days of vengeance - were as clear as the midday sun.
How could thirty-four years of love and searing hatred be nothing more than a dream?
What the hell is going on here?
Kaelen Valerius remained motionless for a long time. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to take slow breaths, trying to organize the two currents of consciousness flowing through his veins like merging rivers.
It was still early morning, and the sky hadn't fully brightened. Today was the great day of his wedding to the Selwyn House. Two hours ago, his Little Caretaker had woken him and helped him into his crimson wedding robes.
He had eaten the porridge she personally prepared for him, and then, suddenly, his strength had vanished. He remembered nothing that happened after that.
Until now, when he opened his eyes.
A faint, specific scent lingered on his breath. Kaelen Valerius's lips curled slightly, and his expression turned dark and predatory.
This is… Blood Solstice Powder!!
In the years spent in the Azure Sky Realm, possessing the power of the Seraphic Shell of Decay, Kaelen had learned the nature of every toxin under the sun. It could be said that there wasn't a poison he couldn't see through.
He could identify the name and effect of a lethal substance with a single whiff. Furthermore, thanks to the Shell, he had become completely immune to them. No venom could harm him, no matter how devastating its power.
Blood Solstice Powder was created by combining rare Wraith Grass and pollen from Dark Heathers. Once dissolved in water, the poison was colorless and completely tasteless. A victim would lose their life just ten seconds after ingestion, and the cause of death would remain a mystery, as the substance left no trace in the body.
Kaelen's eyes clouded over as the brutal truth hit him all at once.
He hadn't fainted from exhaustion or stress. He had eaten porridge laced with Blood Solstice Powder and had been poisoned to death in his own bed!
While he had spent twenty-four years in the Azure Sky Realm, after his leap from the Abyss… he had actually been reborn into this world, entering a body that had just drawn its final breath!
Someone wanted the Young Master of the Valerius House dead before he could reach the altar, Kaelen thought, ancient hatred mingling with cold calculation in his soul.
The murderer probably thinks I'm a corpse right now. They have no idea who they've brought back from the grave…