Unknown Danger

Genji's POV:

 After knocking on the door for a while with no response, I started to worry about the message. I tried to open it and found Brenda unconscious in the water. "Brenda! Are you okay?" I exclaimed but got no response.

  I threw a towel at her before pulling her out of the water and trying to wake her up. I shook her several times, but she didn't open her eyes. I checked her breathing and she was weak so I started pressing on her chest hoping that might help her as soon as Leonard rushed into the bathroom "What the hell is going on here?" "I knocked on the door several times but Brenda didn't answer, so I tried to barge in and found her submerged in the water," I explained.

 From the look he gave me, I could tell he didn't believe a word I said, but he didn't have time to argue with me anyway. He quickly took Brenda to her bedroom and called their mother, who had turned pale when she saw her daughter's current condition. Using healing magic as well as first aid, the girl regained her normal breathing.

  The woman looked at me and asked, "Gin, what exactly happened?" I told her the same thing I told Leonard and she sighed "There's no way anyone could come in through the little window but there are signs someone's trying to suffocate her...We'll have to wait until she wakes up to find out" "No need, she already did" Leonard pointed at the girl lying with her eyes open. "Brenda! How are you?" His mother shouted worriedly. Brenda was silently looking around with a frightened expression before whispering "She's not here...She's not here anymore..." We all looked at her confusedly as she dug her nails in her palm her knuckles turning white "I was dragged into the water by a girl... She was pale, with eyes like mine and long black hair... Furthermore, she was equal to my age..."

  The mother and son were worried about who hurt Brenda when I had different thoughts. A 9-year-old with pale skin, dark hair, and bright orange eyes... The only person that comes to mind with a similar description is none other than Nana.

 Brenda suddenly held her head in pain. "Valentine... Isabella Scarlet Valentine... Who is she?" The two of us stared at her confusedly as Lila's face turned pale as she asked "Brenda, why did you mention that name? Is that the person who hurt you?" "It's not her... But that name suddenly came back to me as someone I know... someone I'm very close to...but I don't remember." Leonard looked at his mother and asked, "Mom, who is she? From your reaction and our family name, you should know a thing or two."

  Aunt Lila grabbed the hem of her skirt and took a deep breath, "It's a curse... This woman is your father's great-grandfather's sister... She broke the rules and traveled to another world using forbidden magic. In other parallel worlds, summoning demons was and still is forbidden. The demons that answer these calls will be cursed and stripped of their powers... Lady Isabella was a complete demon who answered someone's call. What I'm telling you today, don't tell anyone else, okay?" She looked at the three of us and we all nodded. She looked at Brenda again and asked "Are you sure a child did this? Isabella is exactly what you said but she's a grown woman. Unless she's reincarnated as the curse says." Out of curiosity, I asked, “What curse did this woman get after she broke the law?” "Eternal reincarnation. The cursed person can never rest but will be reborn endlessly with the memories of his previous life. But this is just a legend and no one knows the details of it." I couldn't help but ask another question "Will this curse fall on ordinary people summoned from another world?"

 The three of them looked at me as I explained "I'm just curious..." Lila sighed "Well, I've never heard of such a case but they say summoning someone here consumes an insane amount of mana, a great energy that no one can have. And since no one did, the consequences are unknown."

 Brenda, who was in deep thought, declared "I feel tired after that scare, so I want to go to bed now if possible." We all understood that she wanted to rest by herself and before she left her mother asked her to make sure she would scream if she needed anything.

  Lila and Leonard left to the kitchen the kitchen when I decided to take a bath... If Nanami was still there, I could meet her. As I was about to step into the bathroom, my phone vibrated 'What now?' I expected something from Edd but it was a message from an unknown private number which made me stop in my tracks wondering... Shouldn't Edd be the only one knowing my number and origins in this world? I couldn't help but check the message only to widen my eyes in shock. The message was a picture that disappeared right the moment I opened it but I was able to see a flicker of its content. It was a picture of Nanami but I couldn't make well what was on the background. Also, the picture submission number was deleted.

  I had a headache trying to find an explanation for what just happened. Who's that? And why do they have pictures of Nana? If they were taking her hostage, they'll leave something to guide me to them and what to exchange for her safety, and if it was her, she'll tell me where she is.

Brenda's POV:

 I lay on my bed vaguely thinking about what had happened and what my mother had said. “Eternal rebirth huh? I may be affected by this curse... I have memories of a past life where I died young after finding love that could break this curse, but now I also have memories of suddenly becoming that mature woman... Could it be that I've been reincarnated more than once? It's more like that... After all, I always act more mature than my age thanks to my experience even if I don't remember anything about it. The last time I was the daughter of a businessman and my mother passed away while giving birth to me, this left me with a fragile body, and died at an early age due to the abuse I suffered under the hands of my half-sister and her mother. I don't remember all my previous lives, but I remember the death of the last one and growing up in another one... And somehow I never remember the name I had in any of my previous lives...

 Even with the fact that my mind was occupied a lot, I ended up sleeping that day embraced by nightmares...

Genji's POV:

 I walked into the bathroom and looked around when Leonard came from behind. "Aren't you afraid there's a ghost here and he's the one who attacked my sister?" I replied sarcastically, "If ghosts exist and are so powerful, why didn't my parents save me and let Brenda do it?" The guy silently felt guilty before offering to help me look around. We looked everywhere but nothing was there or in the water so Leonard walked away when I told him I was going to take a shower "Scream when you see that ghost and I'll come to help you, okay?" "There's no need because it's not coming." "You're such a boring kid... I don't understand what Brenda sees in you. Either way, I'll come to help you if you need me."

  After Leonard left, I searched for more but eventually gave up and decided to take a shower to clear my mind and plan my next move. The next quest mentioned ancient ruins somewhere on this map... I remember I left the map in Brenda's room, so I finished the bath quickly and left to check it. I entered the room carefully so as not to wake Brenda, and luckily the map and key were still on the table and Brenda was still sleeping. I checked my phone for an option to store things because they magically came from the phone itself. Checking the bag icon named [Inventory], I found a square with the word [Store] on the screen. Touching it, the objects in my hand disappear and new icons with their pictures appear 'So this is a game-based world? It makes more sense to think back on how I got here, but a lot of things don't match up... I need more information to conclude. As I was about to leave the room, a low sobbing voice caught my attention. Looking at the source of the voice, the girl lying on the bed was crying quietly.