When I finally stopped crying, I passed out—completely exhausted, emotionally and physically. When I awoke again, I found myself in a lavish bed surrounded by unfamiliar faces. They called themselves my family, though everything felt like a dream. I heard murmurs that I had been asleep for seven years. Seven years. The priest who examined me trembled, falling to his knees, whispering prayers to the "Lord of Light" for granting me new life. I didn't understand any of it.
Then, a man who called himself my father, the king, gently asked the priest and attendants to leave the room. After ensuring they had truly gone, he stepped outside. Alone in the room, I felt a strange sense of peace—as though I'd been given another chance. My younger brother ran to me, urging me to play, his innocent eyes filled with excitement. But my body was too weak to even lift my arm. Still, something about him—his smile, his voice—reminded me of Shen.
Before I realized it, a faint smile formed on my face. My mother noticed.
"Your brother always comes to tell you everything he learns," she said softly, her pink eyes shining with emotion. "He doesn't want his big brother to miss anything."
She paused, her gaze turning toward the setting sun beyond the tall palace windows.
"I always believed the day would come when you'd wake. Now, that day is here. My son has opened his eyes," she said, tears tracing her cheeks.
In that moment, I wanted to say something I never got the chance to say in my previous life.
"Mother… Father… I want to enjoy every moment with you. Everything I missed since birth… I've made you worry long enough. I won't make the same mistake again."
As the words left my mouth, my heart ached. These were the words I once wished I could say to the parents I lost. Their faces were already fading, their features blending with those of my new family—my mother with her radiant pink hair and matching eyes, a beauty unlike anything I'd seen before; my father, a man of powerful build, brown hair, and sharp blue eyes; and my little brother, a five-year-old bundle of joy with pink hair like our mother and blue eyes like our father.
We talked that evening about many things. Time passed quickly. Two weeks had gone by since I first woke in this world. My muscles, once so frail, had begun to grow stronger. Once an old man of sixty, I now inhabited the body of a seven-year-old boy named Liam Morningstar.
There was something I couldn't ignore, though—a gnawing realization. This world… I'd read about it before. It was from a novel Shen and I had read together: The Illegitimate Prince. The protagonist of that story was Jon Walkers, a boy the same age as me now. But there was something odd—this kingdom, Vineta, didn't exist in the book. There were only five kingdoms under one empire. Was I mistaken? Had I missed something?
A knock came at the door.
"Young master, it's time for breakfast," the butler said respectfully.
"Yeah, I'm coming. Just need to wash up," I replied, adopting a more commanding tone, still trying to adjust to this life of luxury. Servants and maids were ready to help with everything.
"Shall I summon the maids to assist with your dressing after your bath?"
An electric jolt ran through me at that suggestion. My mind, still that of a sixty-year-old man, couldn't accept such treatment.
"No!" I snapped.
The butler smiled gently and left the room. I headed into the enormous bathroom. As I glanced at the mirror, I saw the reflection of a boy with dark purple eyes and jet-black hair. Strange… I'd read that children's appearance usually reflected their parents'. Yet I looked different. Perhaps I was an anomaly.
My body was weak, but one thing stood out: a large scar on my back shaped like a monster's claw. I was told I was born with it, but no one knew more.
After his bath, Liam sat in quiet reflection, his mind adrift in the boundless world of Giga
Yes this was no Earth. This was Gaia—a planet twice the size of Earth with a deep magical system. Here, power was ranked from F+ to SSS+, with only one known person ever reaching the top rank: Gabriel Baratheon, the hero of 200 years past. His name was etched into bedtime stories and legends alike.
Two centuries ago, a mysterious portal had opened, bringing forth waves of mutant monsters. Humanity struggled to survive. Then, a second portal appeared—this time, not with monsters, but other races: elves, dwarves, demi-humans, mermaids, and dragonkin. Fleeing from the demon race that destroyed their own worlds, these species sought refuge on Gaia.
A great war followed, the first war against the demons. At their darkest hour, humanity was saved by a hero descending from the sky—Gabriel Baratheon, the first human to reach SSS+ rank. With his dragon companion, Snow White, he drove the demons westward, trapping them in a barren, desert wasteland.
In the aftermath, Gabriel founded the Empire at Gaia's heart, establishing schools and academies to train future generations. His descendants, the Baratheons, ruled for centuries. The current emperor, Aegon Baratheon, was over 50, with three children—two sons and a daughter—all with shining gold-white hair like crowns of light.
The Empire's capital was Minas Tirith, with the main city named Nazgûl. To the east was Imladris, the elven kingdom, with Rivendell as its mist-guarded city. Further east lay Erebor, home of the dwarves, who dwelled underground in sectors rather than cities. The vast south-western nation of Pelargir was the largest in Gaia, housing orcs, humans, demi-humans, mermaids, and dragon descendants.
To the north, the Empire shared a wall with the dangerous Darkwood Forest, teeming with monsters. Guarding it was Duke Edward Stark, the Empire's northern shield.
After dressing, I left my room—still a child, still fragile—and made my way to the dining hall. The butler followed, stopping at the grand doors before opening them for me.
I paused, stunned by the grandeur but masked my reaction.
"I really thought the life of rich people was hard," I muttered inwardly, stepping into the world that now awaited me.
A world of magic. A world of mystery. A world that I somehow already knew… yet had never truly seen before.
My name is Liam Morningstar, and this is just the beginning.