The night was frozen and endless. The ocean had turned into a vast mirror of black obsidian, where the reflections of thousands of distant stars lay perfectly still. The water barely breathed, and such silence reigned on the empty shore that it felt as if the world itself had ceased to exist.
In this deep stillness, a spark was suddenly born. It flared high in the zenith, standing out among the other lights with its cold, steady silver glow. In the very same moment, the spark tore downward, drawing an impeccably straight silvery line across the sky, as if someone had carved a bright stroke through dark silk.
The fall was completely soundless. The star rushed toward the ocean, its radiance growing ever brighter, forcing the reflections of the other celestial bodies in the water to fade. It was a pure, cold light — one that did not break the silence, but instead filled it with a sense of mysterious anticipation.
When the star touched the surface of the water not far from the shore, everything around was flooded with a blinding white flash. For a fraction of a second, night turned into clear midday: the light revealed every grain of sand on the beach, every jagged edge of the dark rocks, and every droplet of coastal mist. The ocean at the point of impact, for an instant, resembled glowing molten silver, shining from its very depths.
And then everything went out just as suddenly.
Darkness returned at once, heavy and dense. Silence became absolute again. There was no splash, no sound — only a faint ripple slowly spread across the water in circles from the place where the light had vanished. Soon, even that dissolved into the still surface.
Very little time passed, and the mirror-like ocean calmed once more, returning the reflections of the motionless stars to their places. A light breeze barely stirred the coastal grass, and the haze finally concealed the place of the fall. The night went on, safely hiding in its depths that which had just come from the heavens.
.
.
.
The night reclaimed its power over the shore, but the silence was different now — as if it had frozen, guarding what the ocean had brought.
At the edge of the dark sand, where the water lazily ended its run, lay a fragile figure. In the pale starlight, it appeared almost transparent, as if woven from sea foam and lunar reflections. Cold waves rolled rhythmically onto the shore, washing over the face and lifting long strands of silvery hair in the water, trailing behind the body like living silk.
The figure did not move, and only the steady rise and fall of the shoulders hinted that life still lingered within this graceful body, devoid of familiar features. The ocean whispered, washing excess salt from pale skin, until, at one moment, thin fingers trembled and dug into the wet sand.
•
I heard the steady rustle of the surf. Rolling in — retreating. Rolling in — retreating.
I instinctively clenched my fists, digging my nails painfully into my palms to check whether I was dreaming. The image of the silty bottom and the slippery stones I had tried to cling to in the final seconds of my life still lingered in my mind. But instead of silt, I felt wet sand. It was grainy, cold, and heavy. I could feel every grain pressing into my skin, and the crunch beneath my nails finally pulled me out of the haze.
When I opened my eyes, I was momentarily blinded by the clarity of the night sky. It was coal-black, bottomless, and completely — from edge to edge — scattered with sharp points of stars. Only here and there did thin scraps of clouds drift lazily by. This was not my sky. In my city, the stars never shone this brightly.
Pushing myself up slightly on my elbows, I sat up, and water slid from my shoulders with a quiet splash. And then the cold hit me.
Something long and wet lashed across my face. I flinched, trying to brush it away, and froze, staring at my hands. The fingers were thin, pale, and somehow… unfamiliar. Too neat, maybe. I was clutching a strand of hair. But it wasn't my hair. Mine had been short and dark — these were pure silver. Long, wet, heavy with salt, they clung to my skin and crept into my eyes.
— What the hell… — slipped out of me.
The voice sounded strange. Not foreign, but not entirely mine either. Too even, too soft, as if I were hearing it from the outside.
I lowered my gaze and went cold. I was completely naked. But embarrassment didn't come right away. First came something else — a dull sense of mismatch. My body… it looked different. The skin was smooth, lacking familiar marks or recognizable details. There were no familiar masculine traits. And no feminine ones either… Just a body. As if someone had erased everything unnecessary, leaving only the form.
My heart began pounding somewhere in my throat. An uneasy feeling crept in. I crawled to the very edge of the water, where it lay still like a dark mirror, and cautiously looked at my reflection.
An unfamiliar face stared back at me. Sharp cheekbones, pale skin, and scarlet eyes calmly meeting my gaze. Not large, not small — just different. Seemingly ordinary, yet they reflected neither who I had been before nor who I was supposed to be now.
And that was what frightened me the most.
— Is this… me?
The voice still felt unfamiliar. It didn't fit any description. It wasn't rough like a man's, and it wasn't soft like a woman's. Yet it carried elements of both.
"Who am I now?"
Tearing my gaze away from the reflection and pushing the thoughts aside, I stood up and looked around.
The shore was wide, stretching along the ocean and disappearing into darkness on both sides. Beneath my feet lay the same damp sand, sometimes firm, sometimes soft, with rare stones glistening with water.
Farther from the surf line, rocks came into view. Not a solid wall, but separate outcroppings — uneven, scattered, as if someone had left them here without any order. They didn't look dangerous, but they didn't invite climbing either. Dying once had been enough; I wasn't particularly eager to die a second time scrambling over rocks.
In the distance, trees were visible. The forest wasn't right up against the shore, but slightly off to the side, yet its dark silhouettes stood out clearly against the sky. It was darker there than here, and for some reason, that immediately made me uneasy.
I saw no lights. No houses, no campfires, no people. Just the shore, the ocean, and the night.
I decided to walk along the shore toward the rocks and head for the forest. Maybe there I'd find something that at least resembled civilization — somewhere I could survive the night. The beach might have been safer, but I didn't want to sit around doing nothing. I needed to figure out where I was and what to do next.
As I walked, it gradually began to grow lighter, and I could see my surroundings more clearly.
In the distance, there were fewer rocks, replaced by towering trees. It felt like I was on some kind of uninhabited island. All around me, there wasn't a single hint of civili…
I got lost in my thoughts, but a new sensation under my feet pulled me out of them. I had stepped on a large white piece of fabric. It was a pleasant discovery for two reasons at once. First: it meant there were people here after all. Second: I could wrap myself in it instead of wandering around naked.
Wrapping the fabric around myself like some ancient Greek god from myth or a simple monk, I continued onward.
Honestly, all of this was fascinating. After I died in the previous world, it felt as though someone had spoken to me. As if it had been in some kind of space without a body, but with… thoughts? It's hard to remember — everything is hazy.
But that voice had been calming, and I wanted to believe it. And thanks to that voice, I'm alive now, right? It all felt like some kind of game, where a goddess blesses a chosen hero and gives him another chance. Alright, my thoughts are starting to drift off somewhere strange.
*…*
Hmm, did it just seem to me, or did a thought like a light breeze pass through my mind?
*No, it didn't seem to you*
— Agh! — I shuddered in surprise — Are you in my head now? And why scare me like that? You could've warned me somehow…
The moment I was addressed, I immediately remembered that voice and everything that had happened before. I was about to protest, but I was cut off.
*I tried, but you didn't pay any attention to it*
Tried? Oh right, she probably meant that moment when it felt like a breeze passed through my head or something like that.
Alright then, in that case, could you explain where we are and what's going on with my… so-called body?
*You were reborn in a new world*
Well, that much I already knew even without the voice. But there was another question. Aren't people supposed to be born, not wake up lying in water? Or do people get born differently in this world?
What else is different here? I jumped to check whether gravity differed from Earth's, but it felt exactly the same.
So what about my body? Why do I look like… like I don't even know who.
*Your body is a spiritual life form. Spiritual beings do not have sexual distinctions, and in principle, they do not need them*
I froze, processing what I'd just heard. A spiritual life form? So what am I now — some kind of elemental spirit or an angel? Just without wings and without… well, you know.
And in general, can spirits even sense smells or feel sand under their feet, like I do right now? My understanding of such things is radically different from reality.
I used to think spirits were like ghosts from horror movies that scare people, fantasy creatures, or something like that. As far as I know, demons are also spiritual life forms and can only exist in hell. So how can I live in the material world?
*You're right. Most of the time, they cannot exist in the normal world. But those that possess material bodies can*
Well, that explains how I can touch and feel things. But it still doesn't explain where I ended up or what I'm supposed to do next. If only I had GPS or at least a map. As it is, all I know is that I'm somewhere on a beach, and aside from the forest, I have no idea where to go. So the plan stays the same: reach the forest, then move on from there. Maybe I'll get lucky and meet someone — maybe even find a village.
I got a bit distracted while talking to… the "voice" in my head?
"Damn, I didn't even ask her name — that's kind of awkward"
Listen, you're living inside me now and sharing the same body with me, but we haven't even introduced ourselves. My name is Rein. Do you have a name?
*Thank you, Rein. My name is Elaris*
When Elaris spoke her name, a warm, ticklish sensation ran through my body, the source of which I didn't fully understand. It felt like I had heard this name somewhere before — that it was strangely familiar — or maybe I was mistaken again.
*You're mistaken. Today was our first meeting*
Well, if she says so, then that must be how it is. She seems smarter than me, so her memory is probably better too.