Cold.
Of all the possible things I could have felt, that was the first thing that filled my senses.
And then, even more pain.
I held my head in agony, trying to scream silently as to not attract any attention. Like my skull was literally being torn in two.
Of course, it was pointless. I had attracted some attention in the end.
"-ai. Amai! Are you okay?"
Amai...? Whose name is that?
It sounded like a young boy, full of worry. I couldn't recognize it for now.
My limbs felt insanely foreign—they obviously didn't belong to me, and at the same time, it felt like they did.
Smaller, weaker and tender.
"Where's the matron?! My friend is having a panic attack!"
Matron...?
Where in the world am I?
With that last thought, everything went pitch black.
I passed out, great. Just amazing.
Why am I still conscious?
Everything was dark, but I could still think and feel for some ungodly reason. Aren't people supposed to just black out after passing out?
Beats me.
Either way, let's recap. I went out for some simple groceries, then a maniac ran me over. I ended up in some really dark place, and I grabbed some kind of light. After that, uh... I can't seem to remember.
I simply ended up here—reincarnated, apparently?
Maybe that's why I felt so small and weak.
Hold on, actually. Did I just take over an innocent child's body? I'm not some evil witch trying to cling to life using dark methods, am I?
I felt bad for the kid, but what can I even do about it? The damage's done, and I don't even have a way to fix it. My soul, spirit or whatever can't abandon the body just like that.
The minimum I could do, is to at least let their name be known. I don't even know if this new world is normal or fantasy-themed, but I'll try.
If magic exists here, I'll figure out a way or something to eventually separate the both of us.
Hmm?
Ah, I'm waking up.
The darkness began to recede, and I felt the world around me coming back to life—slowly, though. I was still struggling to catch up with everything that was happening all at once.
My eyes felt tired and groggy, and of course, couldn't forget the headache that somehow didn't ease with whatever cold thing was on my forehead. A towel, maybe?
Ow.
I lifted a hand to touch my face, feeling the damp, cold cloth resting on my forehead. It feels nice, but it doesn't really do much for the pain.
My eyes flickered, analyzing the room I was in. Am I in some kind of infirmary? Currently, I was resting on a bed, covered up with some blanket. The smell was... faintly medicinal. Like one of those hospitals. I've never liked them, honestly.
The sterile, antiseptic air, the smell of disinfectant... Not really pleasant.
Then, the door creaked open.
A woman who looked like she was in her mid 20s entered the room, holding the hand of a scared... child? Isn't that the kid from before?
"Easy there, Amai."
Again, that name.
"You've been out for quite a while. What happened to you? Your friend here told me you started screaming out in pain, from seemingly nothing."
Guess my attempt to scream in silence wasn't really successful.
"Y-Yeah, Amai just went down to the floor and started doing that out of nowhere, and it really scared me!" Rei... Rei? said, holding her hand even tighter than before. Possibly out of fear.
How old was I, even? The strange thing, is that they were speaking a completely different language, and yet I somehow understood it.
"I... don't know what happened." I replied, looking down at the blanket that was covering me.
You know what they say: fake it 'til you make it.
"You don't know?" the woman who seemed to be the matron, asked softly. "You don't remember what happened, or what caused you to be in such pain?"
I shook my head slightly, avoiding her gaze. "It... came out of nowhere. I don't know exactly why. I'm fine, though."
She held her chin in thought, probably thinking about what could've possibly caused me to be in such distress. Then, Rei let go of her hand, and ran to me. He wrapped his arms around me in a sudden hug.
Ah?!
"I was so worried. I thought, I thought..."
Droplets of water fell down onto my plain shirt. Oh good lord, he's crying.
"Sorry. I'm okay, really."
I've never been good with comforting children or anyone in general. Generally, I'm the one who's usually comforted—by my family only, that is.
I was unsure of what to do, so I just awkwardly returned the hug. As strange as it was, it felt like forever since I've seen him, even though I had never really met him before.
"You promise?" he asked, letting go of me and his eyes teary.
That said... now that I've got a better understanding of the situation, I couldn't help but notice how small his body was.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Pinky promise?"
How old were we? Four? Five? It shouldn't be less than five.
Yeah, that should be it. A baby realistically wouldn't be able to process all of that information, because the brain is barely even developed. That's probably why I reincarnated in a kid's body instead.
He stared at my pinky for a second, before nodding and linking his pinky with mine. "Yeah, pinky promise."
The headache was still present, but it was dulling over time. Memories that weren't mine mixed with what I had.
Amai... Amai is apparently the name that I was given, and I'd been living in this place since forever. And I'm... an orphan.
Great. Amazing. Just perfect. Why do I get the basic shonen main character starting package instead of some actual parents?
Next, I'll probably get hit with some heart-shattering trauma like one of them.
"Rei, let her go. You should let Amai get some rest until she recovers," the matron said, making a gentle gesture with her hand. "How about you go play with the others?"
He turned around, hesitating for a moment. Then, he reluctantly pulled away. "Okay," he mumbled in reluctance.
Rei walked out of the room slow and hesitant, as if he didn't want to leave me alone.
"Now then," the matron said, shutting the door behind her with a soft thud. "Amai, I know you said you don't remember what happened, but..."
She pulled a chair and sat beside the bed I was resting in, probably about to question the hell out of me.
When will I be free of this? I want to see the outside and see just what kind of world it is.
The matron folded her hands in her lap, "Has anything been bothering you lately? Any nightmares, feelings, pains, anything?"
Oh lady, you have noidea.
"Not really, it was just... sudden. It happened all at once, and I don't know why. But seriously, I'm fine now."
She didn't seem entirely convinced, but her hand moved to my cheek. "If you say so," she murmured.
"I know you're a tough girl, Amai. But you don't have to push more than needed." she said gently, her palm still on my cheek. "Get some rest for now, okay? If you need anything, call out for me. I'll be right outside."
I didn't say anything at first, and simply nodded. I was too dumbfounded as to what was currently happening to me, after all. The second I arrive into this world, I pass out from pure pain and the next, I'm being cared for by a stranger. A stranger who seemed to genuinely care about me—or rather, the kid I'm currently possessing.
I feel awful.
The matron got back up from her chair, and stepped toward the door. She opened it, and exited the room.
Just like that, she was gone, and I was once again alone with my own thoughts.
Goddamn it all.
What the hell do I do?! I'd just been thrown into this place with no knowledge of anything, stuck in a kid's body whose life I was barely piecing together, because of that damn... That damn...
Who? I don't remember.
It's like my thoughts are glitching and covered by fog, each time I try thinking about... whoever I'm trying to think about.
Either way, I'm screwed. I don't even know if the world I'm in is supposed to be an easy one to live in. If the fact that I'm an orphan was anything to go by, I'm basically playing a game set on Dark Souls level of difficulty!
...No. This isn't a game. It is all very much real, the pain I felt proved that.
What kind of world was it? What does the word "Orphanage" make me think of?
The Promised Neverland is an option that I really wished didn't cross my mind. Pretty fucked up, to raise humans only to harvest them to be consumed.
Not that we were any different when it came to animals.
What other series come to mind? Black Clover? Naruto?
I haven't watched many and my memories are pretty messy, so I don't really have much of an idea.
...I'll figure it out eventually.