The woman hoisted him onto her back. He averted his gaze, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “Arghh! This is so embarrassing…” As she did, she said in a gentle voice, “Hold on tight, Kai. We’re almost there.” Her voice strained, yet filled with determination. They walked for a while until they reached the entrance of the forest where his wheelchair was. She gently placed him in it, her hands careful and steady.

Catching her breath, she looked at him and said, “You’re safe now, Kai. Let’s go home.” Her voice was filled with relief and a hint of exhaustion, but her eyes were warm and reassuring. She began to push him towards their home.

As they approached, a single thought filled his mind, “Home…” A memory flashed before his eyes - his past life, alone in his house. But was interrupted when the woman called out, “Let’s go! I made your favourite food today!”

Their home was a cozy cottage nestled on the edge of a small village, a beacon of warmth and comfort amidst the vast forest. He took in the sight of the house, his eyes scanning the area. The smell of freshly baked bread and stew filled the air as they entered. She wheeled him into the kitchen, a room filled with the warm glow of the hearth and the inviting aroma of home-cooked food. “Okay, now let me get all the dishes ready,” she said, her voice filled with a comforting familiarity. He was shocked at first about this whole eating together a homemade meal, but after some time, he found himself calmly enjoying his meal, thinking, “The food’s not bad.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

In the silence of them having dinner, the woman broke the silence. “Kai, I… I need to apologize.” He didn’t know why, so he just looked at her. She then said, “I’m really sorry. If only I had been more aware of the situation, I would have stopped those kids from taking you with them.” Hearing this, he thought to himself, “So it was bullying, huh? No wonder he was alone in the forest with his wheelchair at the entrance.” She paused, her eyes filled with regret. “I promise you, I’ll talk to their parents tomorrow. This won’t happen again. So, eat well and then get good sleep, alright?”. He just nodded and kept on eating, thinking, “I wonder how it feels to get bullied.”

After dinner, they went to sleep. As he lay in bed, he thought, “This kind of life is actually good.” He stared out of his room window, lost in thought. After some time, he thought, “Well, what a coincidence. The name of the original owner was same as mine in my previous life, huh…”

“Whatever, let’s go to sleep. Need to find more about this world tomorrow.”

As he drifted off to sleep, he found himself in the same black void. He looked around for some time, then slowly his head started to hurt intensely. He couldn’t even shout, like his body was paralyzed. His head was throbbing as all the memories and images of the original owner of the body started to flow into his head. It kept going on and on. It was soon morning when he woke up, all sweaty, and stared outside the window. “Vestarnia, huh… So that’s what this world is called,” he thought.