Have you ever felt like living in the wrong place?

Maybe you are in the wrong place or maybe not … depending on what you desire and think….

In fact, nothing is wrong. You are meant to be exactly where you came from…

────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────

After asking him such a bold question, my heart races with guilt. I meant I am Athene—just not his Athene, not from this world.

He exhales slowly. "It's fine, sister. Don't think too much. You are Athene, daughter of the ERYNDOR family."   His voice is so gentle and reassuring.

Then something breaks inside me—half relief, half terror. I want to collapse into this stranger's arms, yet run before he discovers my deception. I've never had a brother before. Never felt this protective warmth from someone older.

… Athene…. You are lucky to have a brother here …

Tears fall down my face on their own suddenly, but I don’t cry. My mind race between gratitude and suspicion. Therasu ‘s gentle eyes seem sincere, but how could I trust him? You know .... One moment I'm convinced by his calm presence, the protective way he stands near me—the next I remember I'm a stranger here, an imposter in the original Athene's life. 

What if the real Athene hated him? What if his kindness is a trap?

But still, I'll be living with them now, won't I? Survival means adaptation. I should just... but no. The past between them matters, even if I don't know it. I'm not really her. I'm playing a dangerous game in someone else's life. But at the same time .... 

Maybe if I believe he's good, he will be… right? Energy is contagious anyway.

But what if he is a bad guy?

His fingers brush my cheek, wiping away a tear. The touch sends electricity through me—comfort and alarm tangled together.

"Don't worry sister, I will be protecting you," he says. My eyes widen as I look at him, searching for truth or lies in his gaze.

You are so kind to me. If anything …… I will deal with you accordingly...

I nod, a lie in motion. He rises and circles the room, examining possessions that belong to me—no, not me—this other Athene. This multiverse twin. This stranger whose skin I wear.

He pauses at the table, shoulders tense. Still, the name ENRYDOR echoes in my mind. A powerful family? My family? I want to bombard him with questions, yet fear each one would expose me. The urge to flee this room, to explore this world, burn against the instinct to curl into myself and hide. My fingers tremble yet I clasp them together.

Girl, you are Athene now. You live as her now, there is no choice but to claim her identity. Be Athene, you crazy b*tch. 

No,.. I strive on authentic... what if there are other versions of me exist  here too? 

B*tch, you better not overthinking. You are Athene now. Doesn't matter what has happened , where her real soul went .... You are here living in her position ! That's what matters!

But I have no evidence ... I need some kind of logical reason ... 

Logic my a$$ .... the fact that you wake up in a strange world is beyond what logic could describe. Get your sh*t together and live as her now. 

I am supposed to meet that master first ... so I can be more confident acting myself ... 

Okay? But you are in a sh*t moment now, don't you play along first? Why are you so stupid? Just be Athene ... claim it ... claim her!

The voice inside my head yells to myself, then immediately doubt. Don't worry, this is how I speak to myself. It feels as if there is a demon imaginary friend living free rent in my subconscious mind.

Was I stealing a dead girl's life or saving my own? The thought of discovery made my throat close. This "master" needed me alive—for now—but for what purpose? Protection or exploitation?

I watched him handle her—my—belongings with careful fingers. Tall, handsome, dangerous. Honestly, In my world, he'd be admired from a distance. Here, he could be my executioner or savior. I forced my face into a mask of docile confusion while calculating every possible escape route. The perfect performance might keep me alive, but what parts of myself would I lose in the process?

While he examines her belongings, my mind races between curiosity and dread. Footsteps approach—two sets—and I snap my attention to the doorway. Nina enters with a man who must be the physician. He's dressed in something between a doctor's coat and ceremonial robes, carrying what could be medical instruments or ritual objects.

"Your grace, Mr. Jung has arrived" Nina announces.

"Greetings, master. How may I serve?" His voice is both soothing and unsettling.

"Mr. Jung, please examine my sister," Therasu says, stepping closer. "She remembers nothing. I see no head injury, yet..." His voice trails off, torn between concern and suspicion.

"Of course, master." Jung approaches me.

His fingers press against my wrist—too intimate, yet clinical. I want to pull away but need answers. As he examines my head, I notice his eyes—they're glowing blue, then suddenly brown again. I want to scream. I want to ask questions.

How is it even possible? What!

Is he a healer or something darker? Those eyes—natural or magical?

Does magic exists … really here?