2060, Month of Zephyr, 17th

  "Here is your food, and don't make a mess on the bed," Arna said, sliding a checkered plate to me as I sat on the bed.

  "Thanks for the food, Sis."

  "Don't complain, Alice, I am not a good cook."

  I looked at the plate, the food in it was weird.

  There was a huge portion of mush-like substance in the middle with dried fish on the sides.

  Is this thing even edible? What is this stuff?

  I glanced towards Arna, and she was sitting in the revolving chair with a plain white plate in her hands and her mouth stuffed, and she moved her hands, signalling me to eat.

  How is she eating this? Don't they have something else?

  "What's wrong, Alice? Haven't taken a bite yet," she said, pushing the chair and moving towards me

  "Uhm, what is this stuff exactly? This mushy thing."

  "Oh, that's mashed potatoes."

  Potatoes? Isn't that the stuff rich people eat in Everheat? And based on her house, she looks like a normal person, so is this the normal food in Evercold?

  "Oh...uhm, do you have some rice?"

  "Yes, I do have some, but I can't give them to you. If Mom and Dad find out I made rice, they would bury me alive."

  "It's fine then," I said, scooping the mushy potatoes and giving a hesitant look.

  "By any chance, is your family rich, Alice? Since you are weirded out by potatoes."

  "Umm, no, not like that."

  "Well, eat it up and pair it up with the fish, it's a banger," she said, keeping her emptied plate on the desk nearby and stretching, her mustard-colored t-shirt riding up slightly.

  Rice is a luxury here? Is it because it's pretty expensive to grow rice in such cold regions that potatoes are their go-to? the irony is that a potato is a luxury back home

  I hesitantly tried to take a bite of the potatoes, the smell and color of spice evident on it.

  "Ah, Alice, I forgot I didn't add much spice for you. I don't know how your taste buds are, and kids can't handle spiciness."

  She toned down the spiciness? Then why does this reek of that smell? Alyss It's nothing, just potatoes. You can do it, just gulp it down and drink up water.

  gulp!

  I believe in rice supremacy.

  *****

  "Liked my cooking?" Arna said, clearing out the dishes.

  Pant! Pant! Pant!

  "I didn't know eating spicy food would be this hard."

  "Looks like someone isn't man enough to handle some spice. You still haven't answered my question." she said, handing me a glass of cold milk.

  "If you didn't like my cooking, feel free to sleep on the street."

  "It was good...uhm, decent."

  "Didn't need your appreciation," she said, hitting my back to make me move away from the bed.

  Pretty contradictory

  "Anyways, it's way past 20:00, we should head to bed. I need to get my beauty sleep," she said, flicking her hair back.

  "Beauty sleep? "What's that, and didn't you tell me that you will teach me how to control my ability?"

  "Well, don't mind beauty sleep, you won't understand. And as for teaching you, you are staying here over the weekend, so don't worry, we got plenty of time," she said, tossing me a set of wrinkled clothes.

  "Go get change," she ordered as she tidied up the floor and laid a mattress.

  "Uhm, why do you have Siku's clothes here?" I said, removing my shirt.

  "He often stays here, so some of his clothes are here, and what are you doing?"

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "I am changing like you said, sis."

  "In front of me? Go to the fu*king bathroom and change, Alice."

  "Hm, okay, sorry, my mom used to dress me up."

  "Because that's your mom, and I am not, though it's not like that, I've never seen what's under the clothes." She chuckled, giving me a playful wink before continuing to make the bed.

  "Get going, Alice, it's getting late," she said, pushing me into the bathroom.

  *****

  Tick-tock! Tick-tock!

  The clock's ticks fell on my ear in the same tempo of sixty beats a second. I glanced at the clock; it was 22:00. Arna would have slept.

  I couldn't sleep, my mind was racing with anxiety and fear, wondering about my ability or curse and thinking about what my purpose would be.

  What would I do if I died again tonight when I am sleeping? I died like that when I was Duncan, didn't I? What if someone finds out about me? Will they torture me again? But I am in Evercold, not Everheat, so I am safe, right?

  If what Arna said is correct, I would have awakened my ability at the moment I died and transmigrated into Duncan. Then whenever I die, I transmigrate, but if I were able to control my ability, then I could transmigrate at will, which means my body will have no soul, essentially becoming a doll until I return. If I could transmigrate at will? Is that the reason why I transmigrate whenever I die? my body becomes soulless, and my ability automatically triggers in grave moments, pushing my soul into somewhere else? But that doesn't answer the question of me going back in time or forward. Plus, that fetter, if that nullifies abilities, then I would have died and not transmigrated back then.

  What should I do? Why did I have this tiresome ability? Why didn't I have it sooner? Why am I supposed to be the only one in Ocean of Ever? Can't I just be an ordinary one with a random ability instead of this? I am scared. I have never slept alone. I want Mom and Dad. I need them to sleep next to me like they usually do. I want to hear Dad's snores and Mom waking up once in a few hours to check if I am safe. I am scared. I don't want this. I want to go back in time and live in that moment forever. I don't need an ability or swirl, I want Mom and Dad.

  "Alice...you are awake, aren't you?" Arna's voice disrupted my flaring thoughts.

  "Hmm, ye...yes."

  "Guessed from the sound of you rolling" She let out a small chuckle.

  "Are you crying?"

  "Not really."

  "Cry all you want, Alice; once you become an adult, you are not allowed to cry."

  "It's not like that."

  "I hope your parents are not worrying about you because you've been here the whole day. You should transmigrate fast. You can't let them worry more."

  "..."

  "Want to hear something, Alice?"

  "You haven't slept yet, sis? You said you need some beauty sleep."

  "Hah...well, it's kinda awkward, you see, whenever Siku sleeps over, we, uhm, forget about it. You won't understand. Now listen to me, okay?" she said, rolling to the edge of the bed and seeing my face, her hands tucked under her head.

  "You are not from Evercold, are you?"

  What the hell? How did she find out?

  "Don't worry, your being from another kingdom doesn't bother me a bit, I am just helping someone out."

  "I am from Everheat."

  "Oh, Everheat? Isn't it located northwest of Evercold?"

  "Uhm, I don't know"

  "Guess they didn't teach you geography yet…want to know how I find out you are not from Evercold?" she said, looking at me, her eyes shining in the dark.

  "Sure."

  I could use some advice, honestly.

  "Well, first, your words, you used the word 'sizing you up' when you first saw me, which was quite foreign to me. What does it mean?"

  "Oh, you caught me there, haha. Well, sizing you up means looking at someone and taking in their appearance."

  "You perv," she said playfully, swatting my arm.

  "What else gave me away?"

  "Ooh, someone's eager. Well, the second thing is when you tried to make an offer of amends to the Luminaries, you cupped your hands, but in Evercold, we bow down."

  "Oh, cultural difference."

  "Third is when you mentioned ability classes, but in Evercold, they're known as swirl control classes, and fourth is when you asked for rice since it's a luxury here."

  "Ha, guess you got me, sis, and potatoes are a luxury in Everheat."

  "But tell me, Alice, how are you able to speak Brewbelton, even though they speak Alchelnics in Everheat? you were able to read and understand too."

  "I am able to go through memories of the person I transmigrated into, in this case, I can go through Siku's memories, essentially making me able to speak Brewbelton, and I even solved a math problem."

  "Oh, I see. That makes it so convenient for you. No wonder you were able to impersonate Siku well. Ha, if you were able to master your swirl, you might become an overpowered character like in novels."

  "Do you read a lot of novels, Sis?"

  "I used to, but now I read some other stuff, not the kind you would know."

  "Like the one you kept under your mattress?"

  "Ehh! You saw them, you didn't see them, Alice. It's not something for you, got it? Forget about it; that's definitely not for kids like you." she said as her cheeks grew red.

  "I just read the names, I think it was something like Love Hypot- "

  "Shut your fu*king mouth, Alice...oops, sorry, a bad habit of mine, but don't talk about it."

  "If you say so."

  "Anyways, how much of Siku's memories can you access?"

  "Uhm, me. I could access almost everything if I think, I know that you and Siku met at a park when you were twelve and started to date when you both were in the same high school, and he even took you to the movies for your first date."

  "Oh, you can go that deep, huh? Wait, stop, stop, stop. Don't, please don't access his memories, okay? There are some not-so-okay things in there, which are harmful for you, so don't access them; just don't go through his memories." She said her face grew red and threw a pillow at my face.

  "Get back to sleep, and don't accidentally transmigrate, Alice. Good night, and don't even dare go through his memories."