That night, Ariella couldn't fall asleep.
Lying beneath the covers, she spread and curled her fingers. The fingers where particles of light had settled during the day. They had been warm. They had tickled. They had spun around like living things.
A spirit.
In the original novel, spirits were legends. There were records of their existence, but not a single human in the history of the Empire had ever seen one. And yet Ariella had. Not only had she seen one—it had sat on her finger.
...Why me?
She stared at the ceiling. It was high, with golden patterns carved into it. The same ceiling she'd seen when she'd first opened her eyes the night before. Two days ago, she'd been looking at a hospital ceiling. A white, cold ceiling beneath flickering fluorescent lights.
The world had changed in two days.
She pushed off the covers and stood. Then she walked to the window. When she pulled back the curtains, moonlight poured in. The garden spread out below her. It was the rose garden she'd walked through with Ririela during the day. Beneath the moonlight, the buds on the rose bushes gleamed silver. The flowers hadn't bloomed yet, but swollen buds clung to every branch, holding the moonlight inside them.
And then she saw them.
Particles of light drifted above the garden. Not one or two. Dozens. They darted between the buds, hovered above the fountain, and sparkled at the tips of the leaves. There were far more than she'd seen during the day. They were much clearer at night.
She held her breath and watched.
They were beautiful.
They were different from the night sky she'd seen at the hospital. Through the hospital room window, all she could see was the glow of streetlamps. Here, there were stars and a moon, and particles of light dancing between them.
She opened the window.
The spring night breeze flowed inside. A chill still lingered in it, but it carried the scents of earth and grass. Winter was retreating. Then one of the particles of light rode the breeze into the room.
It stopped right in front of her nose.
It was round and transparent, with a pale green glow around it. It had no eyes or mouth, yet it seemed to be looking up at Ariella. It was a different color from the one that had sat on her finger during the day. That light had been a warm gold, but this one smelled of the wind.
“...Are you a spirit too?”
She whispered. The light blinked once, as if in reply.
Ariella smiled. She had already died once in a past life, so what was so surprising about seeing spirits? Being shocked had been enough for yesterday.
“You smell like the wind. Are you a spirit of wind?”
The light blinked twice. It spun around Ariella, making her silver hair sway softly in the breeze. It was wind created by the spirit.
She held out her hand. The spirit settled onto her palm. It was light, cool, and ticklish.
“Do you have a name?”
The light remained still. It seemed to mean no.
Ariella thought for a moment. She remembered Ririela giving names to the buds. Pointy, Pink Princess, Morning Star. And Little Grump.
“...Lu.”
The light tilted as if cocking its head.
“Because you're the wind. Lu. What do you think?”
The light blinked three times. Then it spun around and around on her palm. It seemed to mean that it liked the name.
Ariella smiled. For the first time, she had a secret of her own in this world.
One by one, other lights entered the room from outside the window. Gold, blue, red. They hovered around Ariella as if they'd come to see her.
“Do you not have names either?”
All the lights blinked at once.
She looked at them one by one. The golden light was warm—the one that had sat on her finger during the day. It was like sunlight.
“You're Sol.”
The golden light sparkled.
The blue light was cool and tranquil. It was like being deep underwater.
“You're Lin.”
The blue light slowly made one circle.
The red light was hot and hasty. It burrowed through Ariella's hair and played mischievous little games.
“You're Ar.”
The red light brushed past her cheek. It was warm.
She sat by the window, surrounded by four lights. Moonlight tinted her silver hair. The spirits circled around her.
Not a single human in the history of the Empire has ever seen a spirit.
She recalled the sentence. Then she thought about it. She had to hide this ability. She knew that from the original novel. In this world, spirits were legends. Seeing one wasn't merely wondrous—it could be dangerous. Fear of the unknown was the same in every world.
“The fact that I can see you is a secret.”
The spirits remained still, as if they understood.
She placed Lu on the tip of her finger. Lu spun around on it.
“But come visit me often.”
Lu blinked. Sol blinked. Lin blinked. Ar blinked.
Ariella smiled. This time, she didn't cry.
Morning came.
The spring sunlight filled the windows. The cold breeze from last night had vanished, and warm air spread through the room.
Ariella went down to the dining room. Ririela was already there. The moment she saw Ariella, she sprang up from her chair.
“Big sister! Good morning!”
It was the same greeting as yesterday. But her voice was brighter than it had been then. Her shoulders were less hunched, too. Only a little. But Ariella noticed.
“Good morning, Riri.”
The corners of Ririela's lips lifted. Whenever she heard her nickname, her face looked as if a flower were blooming.
Just as Ariella was about to sit down, footsteps sounded in the hallway. Quiet and precise footsteps. She turned her head.
Leoniel entered.
His red hair stood out vividly in the morning sunlight. His eyes brushed over Ariella. They were as cold as yesterday's. But something was different today. There was a sharpness mixed into that coldness. He was watching her.
“Good morning, big brother.”
Naturally. Just like yesterday.
Leoniel stopped. His chilly eyes looked straight at Ariella. One second. Two. Ariella didn't look away.
“...Good morning.”
Leoniel answered. His reply was short and dry. But yesterday, he hadn't even answered her. Those two words were enough to make Ariella happy.
Leoniel sat across from her. He didn't take out a book. Instead, he picked up his teacup and watched Ariella. He pretended not to care, but his gaze stayed fixed on her.
Ariella understood. He was watching her. Watching the younger sister who had suddenly changed. The younger sister who called him big brother, hugged her little sister, and thanked their parents. Actions the original Ariella would never have taken.
Leoniel was the Master of the Imperial Mage Tower. A genius who had become its master at twenty-two. He was someone who put logic before emotion. To a person like him, a sudden change wasn't moving—it was suspicious.
Ariella didn't mind. No, she did mind. But there was nothing she could do differently. She was happy to have a big brother. Whether he was cold or warm, he was still her big brother.
“Big brother, what are you doing today?”
Leoniel's teacup stopped.
“...I have to go to the Mage Tower.”
“You're busy.”
Ariella smiled. Leoniel's eyes wavered ever so slightly. That smile was unfamiliar to him. The original Ariella had never smiled at her brother.
Leoniel set down his teacup. Then he looked straight at Ariella and spoke.
“Ariella.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
The dining room fell silent. Ririela froze with her fork in hand. Her violet eyes moved between her brother and sister.
Ariella looked at Leoniel. His eyes were cold. But there was something inside them. Suspicion. Wariness. And somewhere very deep, so small she could barely detect it—hope.
He wanted this too. He wanted his sister to have truly changed. But he couldn't believe it. He had been disappointed too many times.
Ariella smiled.
“Just because you're my big brother.”
Leoniel's eyes narrowed. His expression said that wasn't an answer. But Ariella didn't explain further. She couldn't. She couldn't say, I'm not your sister. I'm someone from another world.
Leoniel stood from his seat. He set down his teacup, looked at Ariella one more time, and turned away.
“I'll be going to the Mage Tower.”
His back grew more distant. His red hair disappeared at the end of the hallway.
Ririela cautiously looked at Ariella.
“Big sister, are you okay?”
Ariella looked at Ririela. Her violet eyes were filled with worry. She looked concerned that Ariella might have been hurt because her brother had acted coldly.
Ariella gave Ririela's shoulder a light tap.
“I'm okay.”
She was okay. She really was. Leoniel was acting cold not because of the Ariella she was now, but because of all the disappointment he'd built up toward the original Ariella. She understood that. And because she understood, she could wait.
Someday, he would believe her too. He would believe that Ariella had truly changed.
Until then, she'd call him big brother. Every day. Even if he turned away coldly. Even if he didn't answer.
She looked out the window. Spring sunlight poured down. The buds in the garden sparkled in the sunlight. Amid that light, a particle no one else could see sat on the windowsill, glittering.
It was Sol.
Ariella smiled faintly. It was a smile no one knew about.
It was the third morning of her new life.