Glimpse of Eternity [A Reincarnation Isekai Fantasy]

The frosty words, delivered to his ears by his sister's voice, rattled Ken's mind to the point where he couldn't even form any words to respond. Despite that, he was quite sure of one thing.

That whoever he was talking to was not Kyouka.

"Tsk." Kyouka's impostor clicked her tongue as her face screwed up in disgust and annoyance. Her fingers still firmly gripping Ken's hair, she dragged him off the bed, letting him crash onto the floor.

"Ack!" He yelped in pain before shakily trying to get up, his trembling eyes locked with his sister's. "You're not Kyouka... Who the hell are you...!?"

"Shut it." She pushed his head down with her foot while she spat out her next words. "Who or what I am is of no importance. What's important is that you remember who you are, Reivan."

"Reivan...? Why do you keep calling me that? I think you have the wrong person..." Ken trailed off as his words were caught in his throat. For some reason, the name was incredibly familiar.

'But why?'

His first guess was that the name was used in one of the novels he'd read. But that could immediately be ruled out.

He didn't know any characters with such a crappy name.

Ken bit his lip and clenched his fists in determination as he strained his brain to remember. But no matter how long he spent digging through his bank of memories, he just couldn't find what he was looking for. It always felt as if the answer was about to fall into his grasp, but would disappear just before he touched it.

 

---

 

As Kyouka's imitator looked down on the fool squirming around on the floor, her eyes grew colder by the second. Soon, her contempt became exasperation and reluctant acceptance. She sighed and started muttering under her breath. "I can't believe that this is my wielder... but I suppose I wasn't spoiled for choice in those desolate corridors..."

While Ken swam through his sea of memories, the young woman standing beside him also had an internal debate.

"Hmmm..." Humming a low note, she closed her eyes while her head hung low. Sounds of her foot tapping on the floor filled the room — which was now unrecognizable from how it previously was.

The carpet-strewn floor was now a vast stretch of pitch-black darkness, making those who stood upon it think they were standing above a bottomless pit. Every piece of furniture was gone, with the walls and ceiling replaced by an endless expanse of twinkling stars.

"Fine. I've decided!" The fake Kyouka exclaimed, her eyes filled with determination.

'If you get swallowed by this god-forsaken ability, I might have to watch you relive your life over and over and over and over again! I'd rather kill myself instead of suffering through that shit for thousands of years!'

Ken, who was just about to find the answer for the umpteenth time, snapped out of his daze when the person that looked exactly like his sister started shouting. "Wh-what the hell is wrong with you...?"

Completely ignoring his words, she bent over and poked Ken's forehead with her finger, a serious expression on her face. "Let's do some shock therapy."

 

---

 

The instant the tip of her slender finger made contact with his skin, Ken convulsed uncontrollably, overwhelmed by searing pain. It felt as if he were being roasted over a blazing inferno. His body went limp, and his consciousness teetered on the edge of oblivion. With sheer determination, he fought to stay awake long enough for him to catch his fake sister's last words.

"Wake up."

'What the hell is that supposed to...'

With that final thought clouding his mind, Ken passed out.

 

---

 

"Hah!" Ken awoke with a start. He gulped down a mouthful of saliva with difficulty as he wiped away the countless beads of sweat on his forehead. While he sat cross-legged atop a bed, the sounds of his erratic breathing filled the otherwise silent chamber. The disgusting feeling of his shirt — now sopping wet — clinging to his skin made him grimace. "Ugh..."

 

'Holy fuck!'

Ken almost jumped out of his skin when a holographic screen suddenly filled his vision.

 

 

His surprise quickly turned into annoyance at the spammy nature of the holographic screen. One screen became three, and then three almost immediately became nine, and the next thing he knew, Ken couldn't see what was in front of him anymore. Even insurance, medicare, and real-estate companies didn't spam him this much.

'Goddammit! Fuck off!'

As if following his orders, the semi-transparent screens vanished without a trace, surprising Ken since he honestly didn't think yelling would work on a system.

'So I have a system...?'

After he managed to regain a fraction of calm, Ken managed to realize what the screens were. They were what most LitRPG fans dreamed of seeing one day — System Notifications.

'Holy shit, I have a system now!'

Ken tried to maintain calm as his head swerved left and right, taking in his new surroundings.

'The system thingy aside, where the hell am I...? And where is Kyouka!?'

He was no longer in the hospital with his beloved sister. Nor was he in that strange and fantastical place together with the impostor.

'Was that a... dream?'

It was, perhaps, a natural thought to have.

How could a place like that possibly exist? Or rather, how could someone who looked exactly like his sister, had the exact same clothes, and even had the same voice show up in his private ward just to mess with him?

It was easier to think that it was all a strange dream. But then there was the baffling fact that he'd woken up somewhere he couldn't recognize.

Furthermore, there was one thing that he found even more strange.

'The pain...'

It was all gone. The constant agony Ken felt for such a long time has vanished. Moreover, he felt that his body was filled with strength. Even though he was way shorter than usual for some reason, he was quite sure of his body's explosive power.

He was healthier than ever before.

Suddenly, Ken was snapped out of his thoughts when a black python flew out from behind to float right in front of his face.

That's right. It flew. And then it floated.

Ken didn't go out of his hospital room a lot — or rather, he never did — but he was pretty sure that snakes didn't fly. Nor did they float.

'Am I dreaming right now...?'

He lightly pinched his thigh just to make sure, but the pain that followed made him yelp a little. Being far stronger than he'd ever been, he accidentally put too much strength into it.

'Dammit. Does pinching yourself in a dream even snap you out of sleep in the first place...?'

As Ken massaged the bloody welt he'd inflicted upon himself, he thought about how foolish it was to think that his dream self experiencing pain would snap him out of it. That meant that all of this being one weird dream was not out of the question yet.

That was the only way to explain this strange situation after all. The system and his body being much smaller than usual was one thing, but now, there was even this weird snake thing.

'That said, it's kinda cute...'

A smile crossed his face as he reached out to pet the snake. Perhaps he should've been a bit more cautious, but his mind rationalized that if a flying snake was behind him and it didn't kill him immediately, then it probably wasn't going to do so after floating in front of his face.

Well then, maybe touching it would somehow anger the snake?

Ken naturally knew that as well, but he really wanted to boop the adorable danger noodle on the head. He carelessly thought the risk of being bitten was worth it.

Luckily, it didn't appear opposed to his touch. The nope rope adjusted its head to make it easier to pet, all while hissing in what seemed like glee.

'Cute.' His smile grew wider the happier it got. 'I wonder what this lil' guy's name is... or is it a she? Uh...'

He wasn't trying to sound woke or anything like that, but he didn't know what the snake's sex was. And as he was ignorant of most biological facts about animals, he wasn't sure if snakes even had a gender.

'Didn't all of them lay eggs? Pretty sure guys don't lay eggs... no matter what animal they are.

Unexpectedly, the serpent stopped the stroking session itself. As if remembering something, it stiffened for a moment before hissing frantically while pointing at a baseball-sized ball on the ground.

"Uh..." Ken just stared blankly at it, not really knowing what to do.

For some reason, he felt like he should understand what it was saying, but the unintelligible snake hisses were... well, unintelligible.

After coming up with a possible scenario, Ken hopped off the bed and walked over to the ball, picked it up, and lightly threw it across the room. "Fetch!"

The serpent tilted its head for a moment, before flying over and picking it up with its tail. Then it zoomed in front of Ken and plopped it down on the ground.

"Huh... that wasn't it, huh?" Ken's brows furrowed as he bent over to pick the ball up again. The tube dude's confused appearance made it obvious that he'd failed to properly read its intentions.

'And I was so good at telling a dog's thoughts...' His shoulders shrank in disappointment before sighing in acceptance. 'I guess snakes are out of my area of expertise...'

BANG!

Ken stiffened when the door to the room burst open.

"Rein! I just realized something!" An extremely pleasant and energetic voice sounded out from outside. "You're constantly under the effects of the Beast King's Ichor, so you can't be that tired! You little rascal! You tried to escape from me but I won't let you~!"

'Woah...' Ken couldn't help but gawk as an impossibly beautiful woman walked in.

Her snow-white hair fluttered along behind her as she walked briskly, while the wolf ears atop her head twitched from time to time. The elegant black nightgown she wore clung to her impressive and voluptuous figure as her fluffy tail swayed from side to side.

All the usual compliments a beautiful woman usually got were just descriptions of her.

As for her breasts...

'Holy fuck. Those are some enormous honkers!'

Ken was by no means someone who just went around staring at women's tits, but it was impossible not to notice when they were that huge. It was to the extent that her very authentic-looking animal ears and tail were completely overshadowed in Ken's mind.

Now, as for the texture and softness of the massive mammaries, he was able to confirm that almost immediately.

"Got you~!" The woman cooed as she closed the ten-meter distance between them in just a fraction of a second. Wasting no time, she scooped up Ken's tiny body and hugged him tightly, smothering his face with a delightful warmth and softness. She then began nuzzling against his hair, deeply inhaling his scent. "You're gonna go and sleep together with me, okay?"

Ken's normally calm demeanor was completely blown away when he heard that. His inexperience when it came to contact with the opposite sex made him panic when such an attractive woman — that wasn't his sister — came into such close contact with him like this.

'Hmmm...'

But even the alarm he felt didn't last long. Trapped in the woman's arms, Ken felt something he'd always yearned for but never received. Something precious — priceless, even.

His nose started getting clogged up and tears fell from the corners of his eyes, but Ken didn't care about that right now. Time seemed to stand still as he clung to the embrace, savoring every moment of this newfound sensation. He had no idea who this absurdly beautiful woman was, but he didn't want to part with her.

In that embrace, Ken found solace, a sanctuary from the chaos of his current situation. The world outside faded away, and for a fleeting moment, it was just him and this white-haired woman with animal parts sticking out of her body, bound together by some sort of bond.

"Hm? Why's it wet...?" The woman separated from Ken and looked down at her clothes, where his tears had left their traces. She then glanced at his face before her face broke into one of worry. "Ah! Rein, why are you crying!? Are you hurt!? Where!? Show me!"

"I-I'm fine, ma'am." Ken sniffled and wiped his eyes, an awkward smile on his face. "I don't really understand why I'm crying, either..."

"Well, as long as you're not hurt anywhere..." After heaving a sigh of relief, the woman's brows furrowed. "What did you just call me...?"

"Uh, ma'am?"

"Yeah, that. Why'd you call me that?"

"Well, I don't know your name, ma'am. So that's all I've got for now..." Ken chuckled wryly. "On that note, could you please tell me your name?"

The woman stared at him blankly, mumbling out a response. "It's Vianna..."

"That's a wonderful name, Miss Vianna." Ken smiled as he held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Uhm, you may find this question strange, but could you tell me where I am?"

Vianna's eyes narrowed as she kneeled down to meet his level, examining his face. After a few moments, she stood up with an anxious look in her face. "Honeyyyyyyy...! Our son is being wierd! Get over here!"

'Son...?'

 

---

 

The news that the second prince had turned strange spread throughout the castle like wildfire.

Queen Vianna's raging screams as she charged out of the castle to find the culprit — who must've done some sort of damage to the boy's soul — did not help to keep this fact a secret.

A somber mood hung over Aizen's capital. Even though the citizens weren't privy to the details, they naturally sensed how the knights were a bit more twitchy than usual. They no longer smiled to reassure the citizens of the country's continued peace, nor did they spare anyone from even the slightest of offenses. Criminals were punished in a much more severe manner, almost as if the knights were venting their anger and anxiety.

Despite all of this, the person responsible for this mess was actually relaxing comfortably in his room.

'It's becoming a total mess down there...' Ken mused as he leaned on the window frame, staring at the city below. 'It's like a witch hunt.'

By now, he'd figured out that he'd transmigrated into the body of Reivan Aizenwald, the second prince of the Aizen Kingdom. And the woman he'd first met was Vianna, Reivan's mother.

After just a few interactions, it became clear to his family that he wasn't the Reivan they once knew. Vianna had doubted him at first, but the way he stared at a handsome young man — who ended up being Reivan's brother, Roland — as if he was a stranger was enough of a confirmation for Vianna to assume that someone had attacked his mind in some way.

She had then shouted something to an "old man" about "doing his job" before charging out and looking for whoever did this to him.

Vianna had immediately decided that it was the work of some mysterious assailant. Then, she charged out while shouting profanities and all sorts of cruel punishments that probably shouldn't be heard by a ten-year-old kid like Reivan — the child that Ken had apparently transmigrated into.

His "brother" had then checked him over before running off and reporting to their father. Naturally, he'd made sure to have a bunch of bulky knights guard Ken from inside the room.

A week had passed since that day. Seven days since the hunt for whoever caused the prince's strangeness began. Every single day, Ken would watch as the massive city below grew visibly less energetic.

Airships that caused him to gape in awe during his first few days here were now completely absent from the skies. The innumerable people who hustled and bustled about had dwindled enough that counting them had become feasible. There was even a large, bubble-like barrier surrounding the entire city!

'Oh my god... my lie is causing trouble for so many people...' Ken frowned while clenching his fists, suppressing the guilt he felt in his heart. 'It's especially bad since they think this was caused by someone.'

Naturally, there was no such person.

'Or maybe there is...?'

Ken didn't know if this whole transmigration business was caused by someone. As far as he knew, he was peacefully sleeping in his bed after taking a crap-ton of sleeping medication before all of this transmigration stuff.

As for that weird dream, he that was probably all it was.

"Ugh..." Ken winced in pain as he clutched his head. For a moment, the image of Kyouka looking down at him with a cold expression crossed his mind, but he shook it off.

His sister would never look at him that way. Unless he was perving out or something.

 

 

'Damn these things...'

Ken brushed off the incredibly annoying screens that started filling up his vision again.

'At least tell me what I have to resist!"

"Your Highness! Are you okay...?" A middle-aged knight with black hair and eyes rushed over to Ken's side, a worried look on his face.

"Ah, yes... I'm alright." Ken righted himself before smiling warmly at the knight. "Thank you for worrying about me, Sir..."

"This humble knight is named Harold, Your Highness." Harold stood ramrod straight and placed his fist upon his chest; some sort of knightly salute, it seemed.

"Ah, yes. Sir Harold." Ken nodded sagely in an attempt to look somewhat regal and prince-like. "Thank you."

"Tis' nothing, Your Highness." The knight quickly returned to his original spot, standing at attention — just like he'd done for the past few days, not even taking a single second of rest.

Returning his gaze to the city below, Ken inwardly sighed. He didn't miss the trace of pain in the middle-aged knight's eyes as he gazed at Ken.

'What a fucking mess...'

He couldn't help but curse at what a shitshow his life was turning out to be.