I pushed backward, my back pressed against the legs of the desk.
Mirabel looked down at me for a long moment before finally rising to her full height.
"That much is obvious. How much have you forgotten?"
My mind felt compelled to answer her. Not just my mind, my body as well. It was as if responding to her was second nature.
"Personal and worldly. That's all I've forgotten."
Even so, I held a rough grasp on the fabric of this reality. I knew I was in a forest, inside a house, surrounded by an abandoned city.
However, the reasons behind any of it, why it happened, what it meant, or even who she was, remained completely unknown to me.
She raised her hand, placing a pointed finger between her lips, and bit down.
"You're a king. My king. And more than that, you're also a god."
[His body trembled at that knowledge, as if it was offended at the implication, almost acknowledging it as obvious.]
The voice was right. That was exactly how I felt.
I did not know this truth consciously, yet it resonated deep inside me. It felt like an unshakable, obvious reality, as if suggesting otherwise was an insult.
I slowly stood up, taking another look around the room.
"This is my room, right? How long was I in that state?"
She raised an eyebrow at me.
"You don't seem to be questioning anything."
I met her gaze.
"Are you lying to me?"
She stepped closer and shook her head.
"No. I would never lie to you."
"Then answer my question."
She paused. Then she spoke, her voice soft but heavy.
"An eon. The world was destroyed again and again during your slumber. Kingdoms were rewritten, erased, born anew. But this place remained."
"I see. This is a world of power, correct? Tell me, could anyone have sensed my awakening?"
She tilted her head, visibly confused by the question.
"If they are powerful enough, then yes. It's possible."
That answer intrigued me. I was curious what such power entailed, what it meant. But in the end, it did not matter.
Whether or not someone sensed me was all I cared about.
"My personality. What was I like before this?"
She sighed and lowered herself onto the bed, placing her sword gently across her lap. She sat in silence for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
"You could be considered evil," she said. "But inherently, you were kind. At least, to me."
Those words lingered in the air.
Did she cherish me? Was her loyalty deeper than simple servitude?
It did not matter now.
"Inform me of everything you deem worthy of knowing at this current time."
"That's not possible," she replied. "In about two minutes, someone is going to try and kill you."
"You can see the future?"
She chuckled. "Beyond that? No. I can just tell from the shift in the air."
I had no idea what that meant.
But I was about to be attacked?
This world was made up of mana, an energy that was everything and nothing at once. It transcended the physical, the metaphysical, and even the spiritual.
In my current state, I would probably be considered vastly more powerful than the strongest human in Earth's history.
But that was on Earth.
Here, even a child could be considered that powerful.
In short, I was still a child in this world.
"Can you protect me? No, actually, I would rather a fight not break out here. This is the capital city, right?"
She smiled softly. "If I went out to meet them, they would run away. But I'm still not sure what you're thinking."
"There's something inside me, a feeling, an urge. All I know is that I do not wish to cease existing. I want to continue on."
Mirabel stood, sheathing her blade, and walked over to me. She leaned in close, her eyes locked on mine.
"Your eyes changed," she said. "You can see me now, right?"
I blinked. For a moment, I thought she was about to say something important.
"Yes," I said calmly.
"Hm. I see. Well, even still, you are not immune to death, not to my knowledge."
I wanted to ask her more. I wanted to inquire further.
But then the voice screamed again.
Its words sounded calm, but the volume was unbearable. My ears started to bleed again.
[Live on in this world, unless you wish to shudder in damnation.]
I figured it was telling me to get stronger, in its own strange way.
She didn't seem to mind my ears leaking blood. Was it normal in this world?
"You're my loyal follower, right? Mind stopping the attack for a while?"
She shrugged. "I already did."
I paused, confused, then sighed. "Then what was all of that for?"
She shrugged again, nonchalant. "Because I wanted to play with you."
She said it with such a serious face. She's quite the weird girl.
Her eyes softened. She walked toward the window and looked out toward the forest. Her gaze wandered, lingering somewhere unseen.
"I kept waiting for the day I'd see your shadow again," she whispered. "And now the birds sing again in this courtyard. I suppose that counts for something."
I moved beside her, drawn by the weight of her words.
She turned slightly, the sunlight catching the fine dust on her armor, her sword still sheathed at her side, untouched but always close.
"Isn't it strange?" she said. "The trees here never forgot your name. Even after all this time, they still lean toward the throne room when the wind blows."
There was something hidden in her tone, something deeper.
I did not ask what she meant.
I did not have to.
I knelt beside her and gently placed a hand on her face.
"From now on, keep your head held high. As of this moment, I am back."
My actions felt controlled, though deep inside me, I felt I needed to do this regardless.
Her smile bloomed into sudden laughter, warm and familiar.
"You're exactly like before."
We stood at the same time, as if moved by the same unspoken rhythm.
She reached over, grabbed the old chair, and pushed me down into it before settling herself back on the edge of the bed.
"You have a kingdom. People who once lived and died for your name. Now that you are back, this is your life again."
"Seems about right," I replied, settling into the chair with a sense of purpose. "I am a king, after all, and for that matter, a god."
She chuckled at that, but there was a flicker of emotion in her gaze.
"This forest is filled with countless descendants of your followers. But after an eon, it was only natural they stopped believing in your return."
I nodded slowly.
"So my goal is clear then. I must rebuild their faith and restore this place to its former glory."
She stood and began lighting each lantern in the room, one by one, without needing to be asked.
The light revealed faded maps, preserved scrolls, and a banner above the hearth that had been stitched anew.
Without looking at me, she said, "You'll want to see what became of the outer villages. Some chose to stay loyal. Others… forgot."
I studied her as she moved. Her actions told me everything.
She had never left this place.
I crossed my legs, tapping my fingers thoughtfully against the armrest.
"Well, I suppose the first order of business is to check the kingdom's current state."
She hesitated. Her eyes lingered on mine before shifting away, the nerves creeping into her expression.
"About that... well, after you died, the kingdom fractured. It broke apart completely. Now it's more like scattered tribes living within this vast forest."
I sighed and leaned back, eyes lifting toward the ceiling above.
This was going to be harder than I thought, wasn't it?