Little by little, sunlight filtered through the window of an unfamiliar room. I frowned, uncomfortable with the brightness, and cracked my eyes open. Still half-asleep, I lifted my hand toward my face to rub my eyelids… and froze.

“Did I just… move my hand?”
I whispered to myself, stunned. I stared at my hand closely. It wasn’t the way I remembered it. It was slimmer, elegant, with long nails painted a soft shade of purple. In disbelief, I looked myself over from head to toe. My body… was different. I was taller, and I was wearing a beautiful violet-toned kimono, secured with a large obi at my waist.

I stood up with difficulty, swaying at first. I wasn’t used to walking, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. Stumbling slightly, I managed to reach the desk in the room. I leaned against it, breathing deeply as I tried to get my bearings. Everything around me was completely unfamiliar, yet there was something vaguely familiar in the atmosphere.

I tilted my head toward the small mirror resting on the desk, and when I saw my reflection, the world seemed to stop. This wasn’t my body. My hair, once black, was now a deep shade of purple. My eyes, which had been hazel, were now a light, almost ethereal violet, and a small beauty mark adorned the porcelain skin beneath my right eye.

“What is happening?” My mind was a whirlwind of confusion. However, before I could process what was going on, a female voice echoed inside my mind, breaking the silence.

“Who are you? You are not the Shogun.”

I tensed and quickly looked around, searching for the owner of the voice, but there was no one there.

“Well? I asked you a question.”
The voice now sounded firmer, more demanding. I swallowed nervously, and when I answered, my voice was not the one I remembered—it was deeper, more mature.

“My name is Estela, miss. I don’t know how I got here…”
I replied, still confused, as I looked at my reflection once more.

“Ah, I see. So even you don’t know why you’re here. I suppose you also don’t know whose body you’re occupying.”
I shook my head, fully agreeing with the voice.

“I see. Well, my apologies. When I realized you weren’t the Shogun, I became defensive.”

I tilted my head, even more confused. “Don’t worry, but… who are you?”

The voice let out a soft “Hmph” before answering.

“How rude of me. My name is Raiden Ei, and I am the Electro Archon.”

I nodded slowly. That name… I had heard it before, but… where?

“And… if I may ask, who is the Shogun you mentioned?”
I asked, growing more intrigued by the second.

“The Shogun is nothing more than the puppet—the body you are currently inhabiting.”

I looked at my body again, still unable to believe everything that was happening.

“And where are you? I don’t see you anywhere.”

The voice replied immediately.

“I am merely an incorporeal form. I exist on a different plane of existence… at least, for now.”

I nodded, but now I was more confused than ever. What did all of this mean? Who was this woman, really? Where was I? Thousands of questions flooded my mind, threatening to overwhelm me completely.