1. Accepting my fate: A new Life

Aiden's heart raced as he woke up from a nightmare, gasping for breath.

"Ah... AHAAA," he exclaimed, feeling disoriented and confused, not recognizing his surroundings.

His wide eyes darted around the room, now illuminated by peculiar light bulb-shaped creatures. The eerie glow they emitted added to his unease. He desperately tried to recall where he was before falling asleep, but his memory eluded him.

In an attempt to steady his breathing and calm himself down, Aiden rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the light streaming through the window. Slowly, he took in the room's decor, noting the bed sheets and various props that seemed to belong to a fondness for the classical Victorian era, such as a fancy phonograph.

The shock of the situation hit him as he tried to comprehend his surroundings, feeling like he had stepped into a different world entirely.

Confused and disoriented, Aiden's senses gradually started to make sense of the situation. A tall figure, dressed elegantly in a coat, pants, and matching gloves, approached him with a worried expression. The man placed a reassuring hand on Aiden's shoulder, calling him "Ray Hein."

"Ray Hein! RAAYYY HEINNN. Snap out of it. Are you okay?" the man urgently asked, his voice filled with concern.

Aiden strained to hear the man's words, his ears adjusting to the environment. After a few moments, the man's voice became clearer, and Aiden finally comprehended his question about his well-being. However, he was still at a loss, feeling as though he had traversed some mysterious boundary between life and an unfamiliar reality.

The man called his name again, and finally, Aiden thought

[I don't know where I am. It's better to play along. Maybe I'm in a simulation. That's the most logical thing I can think of at the moment.]

Touching his body and face, the boy looked at the person in front of him and said, "I'm fine."

After checking his body and confirming his doubts, he stood up and walked towards the entrance door of the room.

"Thank the Lunars you're safe," the person said. "I will notify the others that you have woken up. Please rest, sir Rayhein."

B-1x (Aiden) was very confused by this situation in general. The last memory he had was of falling and saving all the others, dying in the process. As he looked around, he noticed a blue and black rock. He picked it up, but as soon as he touched it, the rock lost its color in moments.

[I know this rock. I've seen this thing before with my father. He...]

Suddenly, the boy grasped his head as an insane amount of pain and whispers clogged his mind. Endless whispers of a language he couldn't understand. Barely opening his one eye, he saw a ghost-like figure approaching him. The boy collapsed before the ghost could even reach him. He lay completely unconscious.

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The butler walked down the stairs from a spiral staircase, then went from the lounge to a specific room - the head of the household. Coming face to face with the door of the room, he knocked to get permission.

"Come in," came the response.

The butler entered the room.

"Yes, Lord Ivan," the butler said.

A muscular man sat sipping tea, dressed in a fine suit and attire, complete with a waistcoat, high-standing collar, and necktie tied around it. He had a clean shave and good facial structure, looking elegant and imposing. The individual was sorting papers on his fine-made desk with some sort of glowing orb, which he continually touched to wet his hands so he could grab the paper. The room was decorated with all kinds of skulls of things he had hunted, which was off-putting to anyone who saw it for the first time. After the butler stood in front of him.

Approaching the lord of the house, Ivan gestured with his piercing, intense eyes. The butler, feeling a sense of unease, couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"Tell me what happened?" Ivan asked in a stern tone, his deep voice resonating through the room.

The butler, taken aback by the sudden change in Ivan's demeanor, quickly gathered his thoughts and began to recount the events of the day. "Yes sir. It was just a normal day when I escorted the little lord to the east side of the mansion as Rayhein insisted we explore that part of the area. We were having a casual walk, enjoying the scenery and fresh air, when all of a sudden, a rift appeared out of nowhere." he explained, his voice trembling with fear and confusion.

"WHATTTT!" Ivan exclaimed, his voice filled with shock and disbelief.

The butler had a very disappointed look on his face.

"Yes sir. The first thing I did was grab Master Reyhein and make a run for it. It was extremely dangerous. A dark rift walker caught a glimpse of us as soon as it exited the rift. It started chasing us. I battled it and killed it with one of my sword swings. It was a class 1 dark walker. In the process, Master Reyhein was hit by a glowing rock of some kind that came flying from the rift. He caught it out of reflex. In a few moments, he lost consciousness," the butler explained, his voice filled with regret and worry.

As the talk continued, Ivan's mood and face twisted into uncontrollable anger.

"What is the current situation? What happened to Reyhein?" Ivan asked in the coldest voice, his eyes fixed on the butler.

The butler, feeling the pressure of Ivan's gaze, quickly explained, "Sir Reyhein has woken up after half an hour. He seems fine sir. There are no curses or any damage of any kind. I have checked for any abnormalities, and nothing seems out of place. The rift is being taken care of and we are actively trying to find the summoner. It won't be long before we find it and kill it."

After explaining the situation in more depth, Ivan calmed his nerves and began to think of what to do next. The situation was a big mess and he needed to clear it up.

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MeanwhileIn a room, Aiden was deep in sleep. A woman entered the room, moving quietly and gracefully. She was a very beautiful woman, wearing a color-matching bodice with very narrow sleeves and a high-neckline dress. She walked towards the sleeping boy, lay down beside him, and gently caressed his head while holding his hand. For a short while, she stayed that way, and after a while, she left.

The boy started to wake up, lying on the bed. He had no strength to lift himself. Memories were flashing in his head, and he felt heartbroken. He cried but no sound escaped, tears streaming down his face as he screamed through the unbearable pain of sadness.

"DAAADDDD"

Only one word and a flood of emotions overwhelmed him. He remembered it all, the pain of being used and abused as a clone, the memories of his life before the plane crash that took his life. It was as if a part of him had been imbued in that stone. He remembered it all, the crushing loss of his father again, the sacrifice he made for him.

He grabbed a pillow and let out all the pent-up emotions, tears streaming down his face as he cried for all that he lost and all the circumstances he had no control over. He was turned into a weapon, his emotions almost completely stripped away from years of brutal training and being used as a lab rat, with no care for his well-being. He was alone and broken, and no one cared.

"My father tried to save me," Aiden thought, the words tearing at his heart, feeling the weight of all that he has lost and the loneliness that comes with it. The pain was overwhelming, and he couldn't hold back the sobs wracking his body. He was lost in his grief, consumed by the overwhelming emotions that he couldn't escape.

An hour passed as his tears dried, and he lay there staring at the ceiling, wondering what his purpose was now. He was in a completely different body, and he was not familiar with anything here. He could tell that he did not belong there. The sky was green, and he saw a cat with three tails just walking past the window, strolling around the balcony. Its size was big, too, it jumped from the ground to the second floor.

A voice, deep and mysterious, spoke from the door. "You have awoken"

A translucent figure resembling Aiden's former body sat before him. Its yellow hue gave it an ethereal quality, like a ghost.

"What are you? You can't be me. I died," Aiden exclaimed, confusion and disbelief etched on his face.

The figure smiled amusedly, its eyes glowing as it responded. "Well, I don't know for sure, but you got my body. I somehow died as well, you see. This stone is something special. We are the same now, you and I are one entity, one soul. We both died but that stone let us live by converging our existence. This figure you see right now of me will fade away soon."

Aiden, processing this information, replied, "So we are the same now? If that's the case, I don't know you. I don't have memories of your past. Why is that? How do you know about this?"

Smiling again, the ghostly figure replied,

"You will experience them after I fade away. Interestingly, I have your memories as well. You have a similar childhood to me. Not disturbing, but similar. You will see that as well. Honestly, I don't know how I even have this information. It might be because of the stone. It's like an anchor. That's the only thing I can say, you have to figure out the rest. Something is not letting me talk about it."

Aiden, now known as Ray Hein, sat on his bed, deep in thought. He was curious, yet he didn't fully trust the words of the ghostly figure. It made sense, but it seemed too convenient. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than what was being said. Why did this other version of himself not take his place? Why did he take this other's place? And why only him? These were the questions that weighed heavily on his mind as he tried to make sense of this new reality.

"You're worried about that. Hahahaha," the ghostly figure chuckled, "I understand the concern."

Ray Hein, feeling on edge, jumped out of the bed, ready to defend himself.

"Calm down," the figure said in a soothing tone, as it waved its hand for Ray Hein to relax. "I'm not here to harm you. I can't even touch you," It demonstrates this by phasing its hands and feet from the chair it was sitting on.

Ray Hein, feeling a bit more at ease, took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He knew that he had to stay alert and be prepared for anything, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a sense of trust and curiosity toward this ghostly figure that claimed to be a part of him. He knew that he had to learn more about this strange new world and the figure's true intentions, but for now, he decided to take a step back and observe.

"I know everything about you. It's heart-wrenching to experience your memories. Your precious moments with your father. The Alpha project. A world without magic. It's fascinating and yet, it breaks my heart that I will never be able to experience it for myself, It’s just my luck. Both our memories will pool into one. You have a more dominant mind than me so you are taking the lead consciousness. I will just become a part of it with no individuality" the ghostly figure said with a sad smile, looking like the body of Ray Hein.

Ray Hein felt the sincerity in the figure's words and couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow for it. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had robbed this young boy of his life, judging by the fact that he might be 4 years younger than him.

"I'm sorry for taking your life like this. I never wanted this," Aiden said, his voice heavy with guilt and remorse. He couldn't believe that he was capable of something like this. He didn't know how to react to this newfound information, but he knew that it would take a lot of time for him to come to terms with the weight of his actions and the loss of the life that was overtaken by him.

"Don't be, we both died. No one is responsible here. Look at the bright side, we get another shot at life. I should be the one apologizing here. I'm sorry to be a burden," the ghostly figure said, trying to comfort Ray Hein. "You will come to know why."

As the ghostly figure started slowly disintegrating, it looked at Ray Hein with a very sad look, as if it was about to cry. "I don't want to die. I don't want to," it said, its voice filled with dread and helplessness. It reminded Ray Hein so much of himself and his father when they were in the plane crash.

Ray Hein felt a deep sense of empathy towards the ghostly figure, and he couldn't help but remember the feeling of dying, the feeling of being a burden to his father. He walked towards the ghostly figure, confronting it the best he could. He tried to hug it, even though it felt like hugging warm air. But he didn't give any thought to it and continued the gesture, wanting to comfort the ghostly figure in any way he could.

"Let it all out. I'm here for you. I can't even begin to imagine the pain and fear you must be feeling. But just know that you will always be remembered, and honored. I will live for you and myself to the best of my abilities. I will make the most of this second chance you've given me, no matter the challenges I may face. You will always hold a special place in my heart for giving me a second chance. Thank you, Rayhein," Aiden said, his voice choked with emotion as he tried to comfort the ghostly figure.

The ghostly figure broke down in tears, and Aiden couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow for the ghostly figure's pain. He knew that he couldn't do much to ease its suffering, but he wanted to be there for the ghostly figure in its final moments.

As the ghostly figure slowly disappeared, its only head remaining, it tried to say one last thing. "Be careful of THE LIGHT," it said, before fading away completely.

Aiden couldn't hold back his tears as he watched the ghostly figure disappear. He felt a deep sense of loss and sorrow, knowing that he had taken the life of another being, no matter the circumstances. He promised himself that he would always remember the ghostly figure and honor its sacrifice. He would be careful of "The Light" whatever it meant, as the ghostly figure had warned him. He knew that he would carry the weight of this experience for the rest of his life.

Aiden, now Rayhein, took a deep breath and made a silent vow to himself to make the most of this second chance at life. He would honor the memories of the boy whose body he now inhabited and make sure to live his life to the fullest.

He turned to the window, taking in the breathtaking view of the purple and green sky, the massive floating jellyfish-like things making migrating that illuminated the sky, and the planet with a ring visible on the horizon. He couldn't help but be awed by the beauty of it all.

"I will live this life to the fullest. Just watch me, Rayhein," he whispered to himself. He knew that this journey would not be easy, but he was determined to make the most of it.