From the many voices of people seemingly calling out to her, Akari opened her eyes, only to see a bunch of strangers she's never seen before.
Their clothes looked like they were from nobles of an ancient era. A man and a woman were the most worried. A few more people were there, maids and a butler.
"Nyla?" They called out to her. "Are you alright?"
She looked left and right, confused and baffled by the new environment. Then she realized that they were referring to her.
Hesitantly, she decided to answer.
"I'm okay." Her voice was different. Like that of a little girl. She was stunned then looked at her hands.
They were tiny. Not only that, but she was sitting down on the ground, wearing a beautiful kids' dress.
"What the? Am I a, kid?"
She hadn't immediately noticed the bruise on her forehead until she felt a cold liquid drip down her face.
The woman was shocked that she was bleeding and asked the servants to call for help.
A few minutes later, she was laying down on her bed and a doctor was dressing her wound.
He said that she'll be fine and that it was only a minor injury. Meanwhile Akari was still stunned by what was happening.
Once the doctor left, a woman approached her worriedly, sympathizing with her.
"Luckily you didn't fall too forcefully." She said.
"Hmm. It's her own fault for climbing on the table. Kids do dumb things." Another boy, a little older than her said to the woman.
While they were arguing, Akari was trying to piece things together.
Apparently, the woman was her mother, and the other man who left earlier with the doctor was her father. The other boy is her older brother.
She noticed how both her mother and brother have red hair and wondered if she does too.
Her mother decided to leave her to rest and walked out of the room. But she seemed to be worried about another thing from her daughter rather than the injury.
Once she left, Akari got up and stood in front of a mirror. She looked her new self carefully.
She looked young, very young. And her hair really was red. That was something new to her. In her previous world, a normal Japanese person doesn't usually have natural red hair. Especially one so bright red.
At that time, a maid walked in, wanting to check up on the girl. She was shocked when she found her already standing and calmly looking at the window.
"Lady Nyla! You shouldn't be up right now. The doctor said that your head might be jumbled up since you're so young." She told her.
Then she grabbed her and placed her on her bed. While the maid covered her in the blanket, Akari realized that the wound didn't hurt at all. In fact, she felt that the bandage was uncomfortable around her forehead.
So she forcefully pulled it out and gave it to the maid, shocking her to the point that she was speechless.
"It's too itchy." Then she pointed to her head. "See. There's no wound."
The maid was confused. She didn't understand how it was possible for the wound to heal so quickly. And the question that the little girl asked her puzzled her even more.
"Remind me. How old am I again?"
"Huh? You're f.. five."
"I see." She turned and told her that she's going to sleep and that she could leave.
Since it was her orders, the maid had to leave without any questions, thinking that she might not be at her right state of mind.
Akari was now thinking about what the goddess said. That they were all going to be reincarnated as newborns.
Yet she was a five year old. She could already talk, walk and such. If she was the only one like that, wouldn't that make her older than the others.
What if they all got reincarnated as five year olds? Then what was the point of saying that they'll become newborns?
She already didn't trust the goddess. Now the feeling of distrust had grown even more.
According to the little information that the goddess gave, nothing much was supposed to happen while they were still kids.
She wasn't quite sure that it'll be as she predicts, but as of now, she'll have to go with it.
And If she follows what she thinks, it means that she now has to live as the girl they call, Nyla. In this place, with a new family.
Her eyes widened when she said family.
'That's right. I almost forgot. I died in the real world. How are my parents doings? My whole family. By now they must already know. Even though I don't feel like I'm dead. That's the reality there.'
More and more questions came into her head. How did she die? Is this what happens to everyone that dies? Was she just going to accept the fact that she's dead and can't go back?
Was she just going to start living with a new family like that?
For a few days, these thoughts clouded her head, making her unaware of what was currently happening to her.
A week later, her maid brought a plate of food for breakfast to her room.
When the maid looked at her, she noticed that she still hasn't moved from her bed.
It turns out, it's been a while week since the incident. She hadn't eaten anything, or even gotten out of bed.
The whole time, Akari didn't even know that she hasn't eaten in a week. Her stomach and health were completely fine.
Her mind was breaking. She didn't want to accept it. Never again will she see the people she once considered her family, the ones she was closest to, the ones she grew up with.
She didn't want to believe that she just has to live with a new family right off the bat. People she's never seen nor heard of.
And later on, she was to fight for them? She was to be their hero?
How could the others just accept their lives changing like that? No second thought, no arguments. It didn't make sense to her.
At that time, her maid pulled out her blankets and grabbed Akari, who's now Nyla by the shoulders.
"Lady Nyla! You're making your family worry! You haven't eaten or gotten out of your room for a while week. Even your father can't do his work as Marquees comfortably. Are you alright?"
She snapped out of it after hearing that it's been a week.
"A week? That can't be right." She said. "But I haven't even eaten anything. It can't be a week."
The maid was confused. She hadn't expected the little girl to even have energy. But she looked just fine. That wasn't normal.
Akari noticed the food next to her bed, and how good it looked. Then she grabbed it and began eating.
She ate normally. She didn't look hungry or out of appetite. She was just normal. And to make it even more weird, she asked for more even though she wasn't hungry.
According to her, it didn't even feel like she ate. But since she's finally moving after so long, the maid rushed out to call everyone and give them the good news.
Later, Akari was surrounded by her family members. Her parents, brother, and two other sisters she didn't even know she had.
They pestered her with questions and gifts to make her feel better.
Although it annoyed her, she could feel their love for her. She could tell that they cared for her. This persuaded her to make a difficult decision.
She decided to live with them. Since they aren't bad people and she doesn't have any other choice, she thought that it may be for the best to live with them.
But she told herself to never get attached to them. According to her, no one in the world can compare to her real family.
She didn't want to replace what still exists.
This was the final decision that she came to and that it was the rule she was to follow during the time she's living there.
Her mind was determined to live like this. But her emotions got the best of her.
She wanted to hate them. She wanted a reason to distant herself away from them. But they weren't giving her the reason.
They were kind to her. The way they talked to her, the way they treated her. At times it felt unrealistic.
Even when she made crazy demands to them, they let her do anything she wanted. They gave her anything she wanted.
And, over the course of a few months, she grew more and more attached to them. Even she hadn't noticed.
It got to the point that she even began calling them her family.
Slowly, she forgot about her previous life. Slowly, she enjoyed her new one.
Like she lived in a fairytale where she was the princess.
She thought that it won't hurt. Why not do it? Even though, at times, it didn't feel right, she still loved them. And because she was living in a new family with a new identity, her personality changed. She acted more like someone young. Her mature mind slowly, but not completely, vanished.
So it was even more painful, once she lost all of them.
Her, who was well acquainted with the king, didn't think that his majesty's words could have such an effect.
And, during their stay in the city due to work their family had with the king, a giant dragon attacked.
There was no way to fight back, it was too quick to let others escape.
When her family tried to do so in a carriage, it was squished by a building that fell on them.
In such a situation, one doesn't easily survive. Yet she only had a minor injury on her hand.
The carriage had toppled over, and a huge rock had gone through the side.
Her parents got trapped under it. All she could see was their hands sticking out, covered in blood.
Both of her sisters were on top of her, covered in injuries.
She was scared. Her mind found it hard to process what was going on or what she should do.
Instead, she instinctively began to cry. Though she did so softly.
Then she escaped through a window. With her head sticking out, she saw her brother on the road. He laid on the ground, with his legs facing one way, and his torso facing the other.
She vomited from the site. Her throat began to hurt. This time, she didn't cry.
Instead, she continued to crawl out of a broken window then fell on the road.
She looked around, confused by what was happening.
'Didn't the goddess say that nothing will happen while they were still young? Then what is going on?' She thought.
Then she heard a loud roar from the dragon. It was massive in comparison to her.
'If something like this was going to happen to me, then the goddess should have said something.' Then she remembered how the goddess stared at her before she got reborn. She wondered if that stare had a meaning. If what it meant was going to lead to this moment.
She began to run together with the others, hoping for a way to escape. At that time, the dragon seemed to be looking at her. It didn't move for a bit, neither did she.
Suddenly it began to slowly lower its head close to her. She was scared. Thoughts of getting eaten or slashed by its claws filled her head.
She backed up but hit a wall. Her mind was thinking straight. She didn't know what to do.
Once it got close to her. It seemed to be looking at her for a few seconds then it's mouth moved.
She thought that she was going to get eaten now. Her eyes closed and she waited, but nothing happened.
Instead, the dragon made weird noises, as if it was talking. But she didn't understand what it could have been saying.
Then the dragon turned its head to a certain direction. When she looked, she saw a broken part of the wall that led to the outside.
Without hesitation, she ran for it as fast as she could.
She tried to ignore what was happening around her. All the people screaming, children and adults, all the bodies and the blood, all the destruction.
Once she got outside, she noticed that her leg was also injured. Her adrenaline must've ran out at that time because she began limping away.
Without thinking or looking back, she ran for the forest with tears rolling down her face. Then she noticed how it suddenly became bright.
When she looked behind, there was a sudden explosion in the city. A huge one.
But instead of a shockwave, a lot of heat slowly burnt everything in a widening radius. And, without noticing it, her right arm began burning.
She screamed in pain, trying to hold her burnt arm while limping away.
She wondered what she could've done for something like this to happen to her.
Her movement became slow. Her legs were getting weak.
It didn't make sense. It didn't feel right. Why her? Why?
Her eyes closed as she fell to the ground. She cursed her life, the dragon and the goddess as she lost consciousness.
But before she could, she heard someone approaching her. Her eyes tried to open to see who it was but to no avail.
All she could see was the silhouette of a young looking man who crouched in front of her. The person played with her hair a little, even though he saw her condition.
"H...h...hel..p m...me." She struggled to get the words and eventually fell completely unconscious.
It was good that she didn't see who it was. Because if she had, she might not have been able to take it.