"Home?", Jian Li muttered. Everything in her bedroom stayed right where she left it. Even her first sword forged by her father was back at her bedside.

Realizing what must have happened, Jian Li panicked. Somehow, at some point, someone must have moved her all the way to Qianye Village. Who knew how long she had to have been unconscious?

Looking at her window, she saw that it was pitch-black outside and the sky was full of dark clouds.

Looking down at herself, she saw her arms were bandaged up as they felt swollen and sore. Jian Li sat up quickly and walked to her mirror, her hair tousled from lying down on the soft pillows, her face pale and drained.

Her injuries hadn't fully healed and were painful but she felt like she should have been alot more injured.

But the sight of her reflection gave her the most pain, for the person in front of her wasn't who she thought she was.

The image staring back at her from the mirror made her heart race with dread. The face staring back at her looked exactly like Vanessa Zimmermann. The person she used to be. Only her features weren't those of a teenage girl but a mature woman in her mid-twenties.

She wore her light blond hair down around her shoulders. Her green eyes glimmered brightly, her cheeks rosy. Jian Li even noticed a bruise forming over her eyebrows, and it had caused her forehead to swell up a bit.

Her eyes narrowed, looking down as she observed the woman staring back at her in the mirror. This woman used to be her in the past. Now, some of the memories were fuzzy and distant.

"You are a stranger to me.", the woman in the mirror said.

Her words were accompanied by the familiar smell of herbs, mixed with sweet spices that she recognized from the food her mother prepared for her every night. Vanessa used to always finish quickly, making a giant mess.

She felt a warmth that enveloped her as pleasant childhood memories gradually returned.

They came in a flood and washed through her like water flowing over a dam. The memories of her past life flooded back into her until they felt as if they were all that mattered to her at that moment.

This warm and gentle embrace had brought a feeling of calm to her mind, allowing her to regain a little clarity and strength. It also brought about the desire to return back to Earth and forget the things that had plagued her mind since her arrival on this world.

"You're still me. I'm still me. My world is the only one that changed.", Jian Li said to her mirror, shaking her head. She felt like something was off the moment she woke up and the talking mirror just confirmed it to her.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"This has to be Zhang Yan's doing. But why?", she thought to herself. But neither He Yu nor Jian Chen had warned her about something like this. Maybe it's so strange because she came from another world?

Turning away from the mirror, she noticed a large pile of letters next to her desk. Jian Ye's name was scrawled over them, written neatly with his usual bold script. She grabbed the first letter she could and tore into it eagerly. Reading the rest of the letters as well helped her get the full picture.

Everything felt so odd.

The letters detailed her father's latest achievements, as well as their family finances. There was even news of the progress made by her older brothers Jian Chen and Jian Wen, who had been studying at the True Sword Sect. All the news seemed positive and happy.

But then there was also the occasional note regarding Qianye Village, warning of trouble. Jian Li had no idea what the trouble was as any details of it were scribbled over.

After a few minutes of reading, the sound of someone approaching caught her attention. The footsteps stopped right behind the door, making her spin around and grab her sword by the bed.

As Jian Li stood on her bed ready to pounce for a few instants, she knew she had to act fast to surprise whatever was waiting for her behind the door.

But as the silence dragged on and the sounds of the rain intensified outside, Jian Li grew increasingly anxious.

Taking matters into her own hands, Jian Li threw caution to the wind and ran forward as quickly as she could, kicking the door off its hinges.

There, in the centre of her doorway stood Zhang Yan, holding two weapons, both pointed towards Jian Li and the door flying at him. He didn't look at all pleased as he sliced at the door, shattering it completely. His eyes burned fiercely with anger as his brows knit together tightly.

"How have you brought me here?", Zhang Yan spat, glaring at her from the other side of the doorway.

"What do you mean? You're the illusionist here, don't you know?" Jian Li replied, pointing her sword in his direction. Dashing toward him, she dropkicked Zhang Yan hard on his stomach, knocking him down to the ground.

But Jian Li's anger and determination faded away almost instantly when the sound of splintering wood and the crackling of burning timber rang throughout the hallways. Laying on the ground, Zhang Yan's face went from rage to panic, which quickly changed to despair.

"I've gone in too deep this time...", Zhang Yan muttered to himself. He looked down at the wooden pieces of the shattered door as tears formed in his eyes.

As soon as Zhang Yan's gaze shifted downward, Jian Li leapt at him. Zhang Yan had to know at least something about what was going on and Jian Li was going to get that answer out of him, no matter what.

A hurried voice floated to her ears leaving her confused.

Even if the voice was faint, she could feel it reverberating against her ears and bones. The words echoed through Jian Li's soul, although none of them made any sense to her.

The air between Jian Li and Zhang Yan suddenly warped, forming a dark vortex, which began sucking in all nearby objects. The floor and walls disappeared into thin air along with the destroyed door.

Jian Li crashed into Zhang Yan as the swirling black mist pulled them through.

For a few moments, all they saw was the void as they were both pulled into the vortex. Zhang Yan had managed to hold onto his weapons but Jian Li was not so lucky.

She was dragged through the air as well, her body spinning in circles causing her sword to slip away.

Both of them were thrown onto the ground as the vortex dissipated, leaving only a black fog that was slowly fading away.

Now a familiar sight showed itself to Jian Li.