Free Web NovelChapter 2: Chapter 2 — The New World.
"My head hurts..."
That was the first thought that entered Ethan’s mind.
A dull throbbing pain assaulted his head, making him wince instinctively.
"Wait a second..."
His thoughts came to a halt.
"Why does my head hurt?"
The question lingered in his mind for a moment before another realization struck him.
"Shouldn’t I be dead?"
The last thing Ethan remembered was the screeching of tires, the impact of a speeding car, and the worried face of a woman hovering above him as his consciousness faded away.
Yet here he was.
Thinking.
Feeling.
Existing.
Slowly, sensation returned to his body. He could feel his arms resting on something soft. He could feel the slight chill in the air against his skin. Most importantly, he could feel pain.
A lot of pain.
Ethan attempted to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt unusually heavy. It was as if someone had glued them shut.
After what felt like fifteen or twenty minutes of struggle, he finally managed to pry them open.
The first thing he saw was a plain wooden ceiling.
No hospital lights.
No machines.
No doctors.
Just a simple roof made from polished wooden planks.
Confused, he slowly turned his head.
The room was modest and surprisingly cozy. A small sofa sat in one corner. Beside it stood a wooden vanity mirror. A few clay pots and woven baskets were neatly arranged near the walls. Various household tools and daily necessities occupied the shelves.
Everything looked primitive.
There wasn’t a single electrical appliance in sight.
No television.
No fan.
No charging cables mysteriously tangled together.
Nothing.
"What happened to me?"
Ethan frowned.
"Did I actually get reincarnated?"
The possibility sounded ridiculous, yet it was the only explanation that made any sense.
He wasn’t completely unfamiliar with the concept. He had watched enough movies and read enough fantasy novels to know about heroes getting reborn in magical worlds after unfortunate accidents.
Though usually those heroes were hit by trucks.
Apparently, cars worked too.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The idea was exciting.
A second life.
A fresh start.
Maybe magic.
Maybe adventure.
Maybe dragons.
Hopefully not taxes.
However, as he examined himself more carefully, he realized something strange.
This wasn’t the body of a newborn child.
His limbs were already developed. Judging from their size, this body belonged to a boy in his early teens.
"So it’s not exactly reincarnation..." freewebnσvel.cѳm
Ethan muttered.
"It feels more like I got dropped into somebody else’s life."
Before he could think further, a sharp pain exploded inside his head.
"Agh!"
He grabbed his forehead.
Fragments of memories suddenly flooded his mind.
Images.
Voices.
Faces.
Experiences that weren’t his.
A woman with kind eyes.
Two cheerful sisters.
A small village surrounded by forests and farmland.
Children running through dirt roads.
A river flowing near the outskirts of town.
And then—
A boy.
The son of the village chief.
Arrogant.
Spoiled.
Cruel.
The memories became clearer.
The original owner of this body had gotten into an argument with the chief’s son. The confrontation escalated until the boy shoved him near the riverside.
He had lost his footing and tumbled down a rocky slope before striking his head.
The injury had apparently been fatal.
The more Ethan remembered, the angrier he became.
His chest tightened.
His fists clenched unconsciously.
The rage felt unnatural.
It wasn’t truly his.
"...This must be because of the memory fusion thing."
Ethan exhaled slowly.
The emotions likely belonged to the original owner of the body.
As the memories settled, Ethan began learning more about the world he now inhabited.
It was a world vastly different from Earth.
People lived in harmony with nature.
The villages were small and self-sufficient.
Most daily tasks were accomplished using magic instead of technology.
There were no cars.
No mobile phones.
No internet.
No computers.
No social media.
Honestly, that last one sounded surprisingly peaceful. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
People cultivated their own crops, raised livestock, and worked together to support their communities.
One thing that particularly surprised Ethan was the absence of currency.
Instead of money, people exchanged goods and services directly.
Farmers traded food.
Craftsmen traded tools.
Healers traded their skills.
Everyone contributed something to the community.
The system felt primitive to Ethan, but it seemed to work.
"Not like I can change the entire economy on day one."
He shrugged.
"Let’s focus on surviving first."
With considerable effort, Ethan pushed himself out of bed.
His body felt weak but functional.
Slowly, he walked toward the vanity mirror.
His heart began beating faster.
This was the moment of truth.
What exactly did his new body look like?
Standing before the mirror, he looked up.
Then he froze.
"...Oh."
That single word escaped his lips.
Staring back at him was a beautiful young boy with long emerald-green hair that reached past his shoulders.
His bright green eyes seemed almost jewel-like.
His skin was smooth and fair.
His facial features were delicate enough that, at first glance, many people would probably mistake him for a girl.
He appeared to be around thirteen or fourteen years old and stood roughly five feet five inches tall.
Ethan blinked.
The reflection blinked back.
For several seconds, complete silence filled the room.
Then he rubbed his forehead.
"Well... that’s unexpected."
The boy in the mirror looked less like a future adventurer and more like the kind of person artists would spend weeks trying to paint.
Ethan stared for another moment before letting out a nervous laugh.
"I suppose there are worse things to be reincarnated as."
His reflection remained annoyingly beautiful.
That somehow made the situation even stranger.
Just as Ethan was examining his reflection, the door to the room suddenly opened.
He turned around.
A woman with long crimson hair hurried into the room.
She appeared to be in her early thirties and wore a simple black dress that looked too scantly to hide her curves. The moment her eyes landed on him, they widened with relief.
Tears instantly began to well up in her large red eyes.
"Kael!"
Her voice trembled.
Before Ethan could react, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"Oh, Kael, my child! How are you feeling?"
The memories that Ethan had inherited immediately identified her.
This woman was Kael’s mother.
The concern in her voice wasn’t fake.
The fear wasn’t fake either.
For the past few days, she had genuinely believed that she might lose her son.
