Lenny—no, Revvyn stared at the sky. His visoin was swimming, but he could make out the tops of massive trees swaying against a deep blue. The air didn't smel like the city. It smelled like earth and pine needles.
"I thought I lost you," a voice sobbed.
He felt a weight on his chest. It was warm and soft, and a few strands of vibrant pink hair tickled his nose. He tried to process the situation, but his brain felt like it was rebooting. One second he was slipping on a puddle in his apartment, and now he was lying in the dirt.
I thought I lost me too, Revvyn thought. He didn't say it, mostly because his throat felt like it was filled with dry sand. He understood the gist of it pretty quickly. Transmigration. He'd read enough webnovels to know the drill, but he never expected the second chance to feel so much like being hit by a truck.
The girl cradling his head stood up abruptly, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "I'll be right back, Revvyn. I'm going to get some herbs... Stay right there. Don't move!"
She took off into the trees. Revvyn lay there, listening to the crunch of her footsteps fade. He slowly looked down at his torso. His breath hitched. His rough, burlap-like tunic was shreded, soaked in deep crimson. There were jagged claw marks raked across his stomach—three of them, deep enough that he shouldn't have been talking, let alone thinking.
Suddenly, memories that weren't his started to shove their way into his mind. It wasn't like a movie; it was like remembering something he'd done years ago. He saw two massive grey wolves lunging from the shadows. He saw himself stepping in front of the pink-haired girl, taking the hit so she wouldn't have to.
Her name hit him then. Lily.
As the memory settled, the searing pain in his gut started to dull. It not only fade but it vanished. He gingerly peeled back the torn fabric of his shirt, expecting to see his insides. Instead, he saw smooth, pale skin. The blood was still there, crusted and dark, but the wounds were gone. Not even a scar remained.
New life, fresh start, he thought, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. I guess the transition fixed the hardware.
Rustling bushes signaled Lily's return. She was panting, clutching a handful of crushed green weeds. When she saw him sitting up, she stopped dead in her tracks. The herbs slipped from her fingers.
"How?" she whispered. "You were... you were dying."
Revvyn rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit awkward. "Surprise?"
"But the blood...?" She stepped closer, looking like she was about to poke him just to see if she was seeing things.
Revvyn took a proper look at her now. She was actually very pretty. She had a soft, curved shape that was exactly his type, and the way she looked at him with those wide, confused eyes was actually kind of cute. His gaze drifted down to her chest, and he realized with a jolt of heat that his face had been buried right there just a minute ago.
"It must be because of the Trial," Lily said, trying to make sense of the miracle. "The Elder mentioned some people awaken their mana early when they're in danger. Maybe you're gifted by the gods, Revvyn."
Trial. The word triggered another memory. This was a world of beasts and monsters, and Beast Tamers were the elite. They had the money, the land, and the power. His Awakening Trial was only two days away.
"Maybe I am," Revvyn said, standing up and testing his legs. He felt brand new.
"Let's head back home," Lily said, her voice still trembling slightly with relief. "Your mom and dad will be waiting for us."
Mom and dad... The memories kept coming. His father was a farmer, but he was paralyzed and sick, badly. The family had gone into massive debt just to pay for Revvyn's Trial registration. He was their only ticket out of a life of crushing poverty. If he failed, the debt would swallow them whole.
And Lily... she wasn't his sister. His parents had taken her in after she lost her own family years ago. She had looked after him, worked the farm with him, and stayed by his side through everything.
We could definitely work after all, Revvyn thought, stroking his chin as they started walking.
"Can you walk?" she asked, her eyes full of concern.
Revvyn moved his body, feeling the lean muscle of his new frame. "Yes, love," he said, the words slipping out without him even noticing.
Lily stopped. She looked at him, her eyes wide. "Huh?"
Revvyn's face went hot. "I mean—let's just go home. I'm fine."
Lily stood there for a second, then a deep blush crept up her neck. She turned away quickly so he wouldn't see her face. "Okay... love."
Revvyn paused, his heart doing a weird little kick. He felt a shameless, smutty smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
They reached the house as the sun was dipping below the tree line. It was a sturdy wooden building, larger than he'd expected. His father hadn't always been poor, but the sickness had drained the family dry.
At the door, Revvyn caught a scent. It was savory and rich. Lily sniffed the air too, her eyes lighting up. He remembered she loved this specific food—it was a rare treat.
Inside, the sound of heavy coughing met them. That was his father. They entered the dining room, where his mother was setting the table.
"Welcome home, you two," she said, her voice tired.
"Good evening, Aunt," Lily said politely.
"Evening, Mom," Revvyn said. It felt incredibly odd to say it, but the memory of the woman's kindness made it easier.
His father was sitting in a chair draped in blankets. He looked frail, his legs motionless. He was essentially a ghost of the man he used to be. Revvyn felt a pang of genuine pity. They sat down and ate in relative silence, the pressure of the upcoming Trial hanging over them like a dark cloud.
After dinner, Revvyn headed to the washroom to bathe. He needed to get the smell of wolf blood off him. He scrubbed down with warm water, feeling the strength in his arms and chest.
Once he finished, he found a long mirror hung on the wall with white thread. He wiped the steam away and stared.
He had dark blue hair in an undercut style. His face was sharp, attractive, and his eyes were a piercing cyan-teal. He had a lean, muscular frame and forming abs. He looked like a protagonist.
Revvyn grinned. "Not bad. Not bad at all."
He looked down at his groin. To his crotch. Average size—nothing to complain about.
He closed his eyes and thought of Lily's face in the forest. He pictured her blushing, her pink hair falling over her shoulders. He leaned into the most sexual, degenerate thoughts his past-life brain could conjure, waiting for the familiar reaction.
Nothing.
He waited a few seconds. Still nothing.
What the hell? He tried again. He focused on the memory of her breasts against his cheek. He pulled up images of Riza Perkins in her pink bikini. He went through every fantasy he'd ever had.
Zero reaction. It was like his body was a statue from the waist down. He could feel his skin, but the spark was dead. The hardware was there, but the power was cut.
Am I... broken? He tried to manually jumpstart things, but his body just didn't respond.
Panic started to settle in. He'd been given a handsome body, a beautiful girl who clearly liked him, and a new world—but he couldn't even use his natural beast.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
"Revvyn?" Lily's voice came through the door. "You okay in there? You've been quiet for a while."
Revvyn stared at his reflection, then at his uncooperative anatomy.
"Yeah," he called out, his voice sounding a little too strained. "Just finishing up! Be right out!"
He looked down one last time with a look of pure betrayal. He was going to be a beast tamer but his natural beast was untamed.
We're going to have a serious talk later. You and me.