Chapter 05 A Glimpse of Her

The sun filtered through the windows of the classroom, casting long strips of light across Rein’s desk. He slouched slightly in his seat, fingers drumming the worn wood, eyes distant—half-watching the outside world roll by, half-lost in thoughts no one around him could possibly guess.

He was now seven years old.

That number echoed in his mind a lot lately. It should’ve felt longer. It didn’t. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

"Seven years since I died. Since I was some other kid in some other world. I was nineteen then… Technically, I’m only seven now, but it doesn’t feel that way. I remember what it was like to be invisible at home, to always hope for something more—but never knowing what ‘more’ looked like.

Now I’m here. Reborn. In a kingdom of swords, monsters, and mana. Royal blood in my veins, training with knights, learning magic by the fireplace. Everything I thought I wanted in another life… and yet, sometimes I still wake up expecting the sound of traffic outside my window."

He leaned back, gazing upward.

"I thought I’d never forget that world. Phones, games, TV, anime… stupid junk food commercials. But little by little, those memories have started to blur. I can’t remember the titles of my favorite shows anymore. Can’t remember what my old house looked like. My parents…? I guess they were alive, somewhere, but 'alive' isn’t the same as 'present.'

They never cared like my parents do here. Cael and Elenora actually smile when they see me. They care about me. They laugh at my dumb jokes. Sometimes… sometimes I wonder if I even want to remember the old world anymore."

He looked toward the front of the room when the teacher raised a hand.

“Everyone, settle down. We have a new student joining us today.”

The door creaked open, and a small figure stepped inside. She looked… nervous. Her steps were light, careful. Like she didn’t want to disturb even the air around her. Long, pale blonde hair framed a soft face, and she held her hands in front of her, gripping them like they were the only stable thing she had.

“This is Aura. She comes to us from the Baycrest orphanage. I trust you’ll all treat her with the kindness due any classmate.”

The girl bowed her head slightly.

“M-my name is Aura,” she said softly, "I hope I can learn alongside you.”

She didn’t meet anyone’s eyes.

A few students snickered. Someone coughed “orphan” behind their hand. Aura just quietly walked to the desk at the back, sat down, and pulled her satchel onto her lap like it was armor.

Rein tilted his head.

"Aura, huh… Something about her feels... different. Not in the way I’m different. I mean, yeah, she’s new, from outside the noble circles, clearly nervous. But it’s more than that. There’s a weight to her. Like she’s holding something back—not fear exactly, but… restraint.

I’ve seen that before. Knights in the castle sometimes wore that look—right before they pulled a blade."

He turned his attention back to his desk but couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking back toward her now and then.

"Why are you trying so hard to disappear, Aura?"

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The bell echoed down the school halls. Rein shouldered his small satchel, waving off a few classmates who offered half-hearted goodbyes. He didn’t dislike them. He just preferred the quiet. The walk home was his favorite part of the day.

 The streets here were peaceful, slow. A far cry from the marble halls and velvet-curtained chambers of the royal palace.

"Hard to believe I used to fight for a few seconds of silence back in my old world. Headphones on, volume up, block it all out. Now I live for the quiet. Guess I'm getting soft."

He took a turn near the old baker’s shop. The alley to the left was usually a shortcut home—quiet, shaded, tucked away between stone walls overgrown with ivy. But today, the air there felt off.

He heard voices.

“…Just say you’re sorry for being bad it, freak.”

“Yeah, better do as told while we’re being nice here, orphan girl.”

“I… I didn’t do anything. P-please, I just want to go.”

Rein stepped closer, rounding the corner with quiet steps.

Three boys. A familiar group—sons of mid-ranked merchants and petty commoners. Local troublemakers. Rich enough to feel comfortable, not important enough to be watched closely.

And between them, cornered against the mossy stone wall, was Aura.

She was clutching her satchel like a shield. They’d knocked her down once already—her skirt was dirtied, her knee scraped, and her eyes flickered between the boys with trembling calm.

One boy reached out and grabbed her by the hair.

“C’mon, just do it!”

“I… I’m sorry,” she said, bowing her head.

Rein’s footsteps echoed as he stepped into the alley.

“Hey, now! That's not the way how you treat a lady! Leave her be and be gone, fiends!” 

The three boys turned. 

“Look who it is,” one of them scoffed, “Little Lord Rein. Get lost pretty boy, or you will take her place! Or wait until we done our business with her than you can have your turn with whatever you want with her!”

Rein didn’t answer them. He just looked at Aura. She didn’t lift her head, but he saw the tension in her small shoulders.

"She didn’t even flinch. Even when they touched her. She's scared, but she's not afraid of them… she's holding back. Why?"

"Yeah, I don't think so, chooms! Leave her be or I will lay you flat on the ground, and I mean it!"

The tallest of them stepped forward, puffing out his chest.

“Oh, look at this, pretty, daddy's boy means it! You and what army? Or what? You gonna hit me with your daddy’s coin purse?”

Rein let out a small sigh.

“Come on, boys! I was hoping for an early dinner. But I guess a light workout could be fun too.”

That was enough.

The tallest lunged forward, clumsy and overconfident. Rein side-stepped him easily and swept his leg in a low arc, knocking the boy clean onto his back. The second one swung—a wild punch. Rein caught it mid-air, twisted, and shoved him against the wall with just enough force to leave a bruise and a lesson.

The third didn’t even try. He turned and ran.

"Not even worth drawing a training sword. These guys are just kids."

The two still on the ground groaned and scrambled away. Rein didn’t watch them go. He turned to Aura.

She was staring at him now, wide-eyed—not in fear, not in awe, but in something closer to surprise. Her lip quivered slightly, though whether from cold, shock, or restrained anger, he couldn’t tell.

“Hey, please. Just don't run away, okay? I have a trauma from pretty girls running away from me when I save them from bullies,” he joked, trying to ease the moment, “So... umm, you alright?”

“I… yes. I’m okay. Thank you but I have to go.”

Then, just like that, she turned and ran.

Not fast, not panicked—but quietly. Like someone used to disappearing without a sound.

Rein scratched his head and let out a small, awkward laugh.

“Heh… Come on, that reaction hurts more than you think.”

He stood there a moment longer, watching the empty alley.

"Well, at least this time I got a thank you. Still, she just ran. Was I that scary?"

He sighed.

“Not the bad guy, promise. Geez.”

He turned back toward the street and continued walking.

"Guess I’m not good with people after all. I don’t blame her though. And those bullies? I only assume not the first time she gets jumped like that. I wonder what kind of life she had before this."