In the blink of an eye, winter arrived. The cold wind with snowstorms dropped the temperature to -67°C, creating unbearable conditions. Thanks to the walls surrounding them, the harshness of the wind was significantly less felt. Magical candles in round crystal spheres also helped, preventing the cold from consuming the inhabitants and providing light at night. Due to their unique properties, this flame could absorb magical particles and emit not only light but also heat. The shell itself filtered out the polluted particles, which were then fed into the fire, maintaining the flame. Without this filtration, the flame would eventually go out.
However, these candles raised many questions. How can fire burn without oxygen entering the sphere, which in normal conditions is impossible? For example, to maintain combustion, three elements must be present: First, the fuel — what burns. Second, oxygen, without which combustion is impossible. Third, temperature, which must be appropriate to sustain the burn.
If we consider the fact that fire inside the candle can burn without oxygen and fuel, this alone would have caused a sensation in my previous world. But despite all this, after a month, the filter soon becomes clogged, and a new batch of magical crystal candles needs to be purchased. Ao came to the conclusion that the magical energy, which is practically everywhere in this world, could serve as both fuel and oxygen, supporting the combustion.
This is probably just a drop in the ocean, considering that the possibilities of this energy do not end here, Ao couldn’t help but sigh in astonishment.
The miracles of this world are truly awe-inspiring. Of course, I can’t see this energy. But that’s just a matter of time.
Realizing the boundless possibilities of the parallel world, Aenari felt a surge of energy. He felt what it meant to be alive and to cherish this life. The whole of me demanded that I get to work and explore all this unknown — the world itself, strange creatures, unexplained phenomena, martial arts, magic. All of this didn’t exist in my previous world. I couldn’t realize myself, my potential, because the barrier was reality, which would limit any creation. No matter how hard you train or study martial arts, you could be stopped by a single bullet, one that could be fired even by a child or a police officer. No matter how diligently you toughen your body, the result will be a beautiful physique, endurance, and some immunity, but that’s where the privileges of your training end, and your body will not be invulnerable. The question arises — why? The answer is simple — this is the human limit, the limit of mortals! Or reality that will destroy everything.
My previous world is completely imperfect.
But not everything is that bad. There are also lucky ones who love their work, specifically, they have found themselves, their goal, their dream job, they have a healthy family, and everything in general is well. I don’t complain about how things turned out for me. Even if everything had gone differently, I doubt there would have been a place for me in that world.
Finishing his thoughts, he was already heading towards his friend, or rather, to Shizu. It so happened that today, on the 17th day of the second month of winter, it was her birthday, and a week ago, she had invited everyone. And I also prepared a gift for her. I hope she’ll like it.
Dressed warmly, Aenari enjoyed the white veil that had completely covered the northern continent. It felt as if the very Lich King had awoken from his sleep.
Northern continent. The Edge of the World.
At the peak of the eternal ice mountain, there was a creature completely enclosed in an ice crystal, which trembled at times, causing the peak of the snowy mountain to shake as well. Due to the shaking, snow slid off in large layers, eventually turning into avalanches, awakening the sleeping ice creatures.
Meanwhile, as Aenari arrived, Shizu ran out of the house and hugged him tightly, afraid that he would disappear if she let him go. Following her, Risell, Elin, and others came out with cheerful smiles.
— Merry Christmas! They reacted with confusion. He had to explain everything to them.
In my previous world, Catholic Christmas was celebrated on December 25th, while Orthodox Christmas was on January 7th. Here, in this world, it was decided to celebrate it from the 1st to the 31st of the third month of winter. (That is, from December 1st to 31st).
Since Christmas is originally a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ, it is customary to read prayers, visit temples, and focus on spiritual development during these days. There is also a list of prohibitions, traditions, and signs related to the celebration of the religious date. Since Christmas is primarily a religious holiday, prayers to God are also commonly offered during these days.
Looking at his enthusiastic friends, I realized that sometimes, just one interesting story can change the way everything feels from now on.
Climbing to the second floor, a large hall with various decorations and a huge round table filled with delicious treats and dishes greeted our eyes. The smell of food made everyone hungry, and sitting down, we began to feast.
Some time later.
— I think I’ll start first! — Rena said excitedly, standing up from her seat.
— Of course, who else would? — Kazen muttered.
— Shut up! — Rena threw him a look and turned to Shizu. — This is for you. — She handed her a figurine of a cute little animal, which made everyone smile.
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At that moment, Rena stood up and walked to Shizu, handing her the figurine of a cute little animal that appeared only in winter. Yes, these were snowy fluffballs. Just their appearance made all the girls drool, and even the grown men weren’t immune.
One by one, each of us wished her the best and gave our gifts. And to be more precise, each gave her what they could afford. Well, no one can be blamed for that.
Shizu herself was the type who would have been happy even if you came without gifts.
At the end, only Aenari remained, and Shizu’s heart began to race, showing how nervous she was.
Rena smirked and said — What’s wrong, Shizu-chan? Your cheeks are red, and everyone started laughing. It was strange, but they always liked teasing her.
— No, it’s nothing like that! — Hmph! Shizu pouted and lifted her head.
Sometimes she could be too shy, but other times she could do something so memorable that it would stick with you for a long time — everyone noted to themselves.
One such case was when Shizu let two guard dogs chase after the previous owner of this body. Of course, they wouldn’t have bitten him, but they chased after him. While he was crying from the dogs, Shizu laughed at what was happening.
From the memories, it becomes clear that she was always happy when Ao came, and she had no bad thoughts about her dogs biting the former owner’s loaf. But he misunderstood everything and started visiting her less often.
Strangely enough, over time, I began to see other fragments of memories that for some unknown reason hadn’t opened earlier. Most likely, the remaining fragments of memories will open as my soul assimilates with the current body. After all, this process takes so long because both my soul and his body are from different worlds. I came to this conclusion due to the feeling that sometimes I feel like I’m in a nano-suit or something like that. At least, that’s what I think.
[Zzzp!]
[ATTENTION!]
[You have discovered the hidden process of your soul assimilating with the new body!]
[Assimilation process: 37.2% complete]
[Duration: unknown]
[Side effects before and after completion are unknown!]
Hmm, was my guess correct? — Ao exclaimed as he saw the sudden notifications. So this process is proceeding as expected. This was a little unsettling. Stopping to think about it, Ao returned to the current situation, where his friends were discussing the endings.
Ah, yes, what about “chan,” “tan”? I also suggested that when we were coming up with nicknames or something similar — heh.
It seems like it’s my turn now. I took my gift in my hands, walked up to her, and began attaching it to the right side of her hair. The hairpin suited her perfectly, making her look cute and attractive.
Shizu wanted to see what he was attaching to her hair, but decided to wait until he finished. She was so nervous that she didn’t move an inch. Meanwhile, Ao carefully attached the hairpin and said — Shizu-chan, I’m done. How do you like it?
Approaching the mirror behind her, Shizu touched the hairpin but remained silent.
Hmm? Did I get the shape wrong? I like snowflakes, but maybe she doesn’t?
— Shizu, didn’t you like it? If you don’t, I can…
— Aenari, thank you. I really like it! Her sincere smile seemed like it could bring down several cities.
The others were also happy for her.
— Brother Aenari, you’re good at charming girls — heh-heh. Kazen grabbed my shoulders firmly, increased his grip, and grinned, making me smile reluctantly.
— Once again, happy birthday, Shizu-chan! — Ao congratulated.
— Yes! Happy birthday to you!
— Congratulations!
Finishing with the congratulations, Elin said — Kazen, that’s enough, let go of him.
— Aenari, come with me — Elin said playfully.
— Okay — without much thought, I agreed.
— Are you going somewhere? — asked Rena.
— We’ll be back soon — Elin waved her hand.
After that, I left with Elin for a quick word.
After a short silence, Elin spoke.
— I don’t know if you truly love her or if you’re pretending, but stop if that’s the case. You’ll break her after that. She’s pretty fragile inside, even though she doesn’t show it. Since we’ve been friends since we were little, I know her much better than the others.
Hmm? She seems like an older sister. A caring older sister who won’t let anyone hurt her younger siblings. And she’s the most mature of the others. Maybe her life hasn’t been that great, and she’s hiding it. I think I could help her, but for now, I don’t see any benefit in it.
— Don’t worry, I’m not playing with her feelings. You can be at ease.
— Alright, I hope you’re not lying. Thank you for listening, and sorry for all this. She felt like an outcast because of doubts about her friend, but Aenari didn’t blame her.
I can’t understand what he’s thinking, so I’ll hope for the best. That’s all I can do for now. While Elin was still in doubt, Aenari spoke — It’s fine. Let’s go, they’re waiting for us. With a smile, we rejoined the fun.
Midnight.
We were getting dressed, and it was time to go. Due to the intense cold, we couldn’t see each other as often as we’d like. But once every couple of months was still possible.
After saying goodbye to everyone, I kissed Shizu on the cheek, thinking to myself that she would miss me often — with a smile.
— Ao-kun, you should have warned me! Because of the suddenness, Shizu wasn’t ready for this, and she pouted cutely. Her behavior amused me.
Rena and Elin nodded approvingly, as it wasn’t often they saw her like this.
— Shizu-chan, at least miss me a little, okay? — I waved at her with a slight smile.
— Ha, yeah right. She’ll miss her friends, not me. Rena cheekily inserted her little jab.
I just shook my head at this in silence.
Elin lived a little farther from Shizu’s house, about four hundred yards, which was quite close.
Rena went up the snowy path, escorted by the guards. Her house was on the south side of the path, which was a bit farther.
Kazen and Risell were neighbors and went together to the southwest. Their path took about fifteen minutes or more, depending on the walking pace.
Utsin and Aenari walked east, causing the snow to crunch underfoot, which was like an anti-stress sound for their ears. Their small footprints were quickly covered by a new layer of snowflakes.
After chatting a little with Utsin, I went home.
— I’m home.
Sighing with relief, I sat down, holding the magical candle that helped ward off the cold.
Alright, let’s begin.
Open Interface:
Name: Aenari Remire
Age: 6 (estimated: 20)
HP: 40
MP: 60
Strength: 2
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 12
Endurance: 8
[Processes: Assimilation of the new body with the soul.]
[Completed: 37.3%]
Over the past couple of months, I’ve managed to improve my stats a bit by eating various vegetables and fruits with magical attributes, but it’s still not enough. As for agility and strength, I’ll leave them for later. There’s also a new “process” section where I can see what’s happening with my body, soul, and more.