Reunion
No matter how off-guard I was, I couldn't believe someone had managed to sneak up on me. I froze, completely unable to react to the unexpected situation.
"Who... are you?"
The person who approached me was a woman. She spoke as she drew closer. Flustered, I couldn't even look her straight in the eye, my gaze darting around nervously.
"Excuse me? Who are you, and what are you doing in front of our house?"
Our... house? I snapped my head up to look at the woman. Hearing those words, I studied her face slowly, meticulously.
A wave of familiarity washed over me. Though she had grown and changed significantly, familiar, nostalgic traces remained in the contours of her face.
"Seohui...?"
It was undoubtedly my younger sister, Kim Seohui. My adorable little sister, who was fourteen years younger than me... The last time I saw her was probably at her elementary school graduation.
Since I had been gone for ten years... she must be twenty-two or twenty-three now. She had matured and changed, but a glimmer of her childhood self still lingered. It would normally be hard to notice, but looking closely, I could see it.
My sister... It's really my sister...
"Wh-who are you? How do you know my name?"
Seohui's eyes widened as she stared at me, her guard raised. But her posture was strangely... combative.
She extended her left hand to measure the distance between us while subtly slipping her right hand behind her back, as if reaching for a weapon.
In that split second, a flurry of thoughts raced through my mind, leading to a single conclusion.
Earth now had Gates, and there was a profession called Hunters who closed them and fought monsters. If Seohui was a Hunter... it wouldn't be strange for her to have combat experience.
A brief spark of anger flared inside me. The thought that my precious little sister might have suffered, fighting monsters at such a young age... made me furious.
Having spent ten years surviving on the battlefield, I had seen the absolute worst of humanity and war. And my sister might have gone through that?
For a fraction of a second, my anger caused a sliver of my suppressed power to leak out. Sensing this, my sister grew even more alert.
"An Awakened..."
"Ah... shit."
The timing couldn't have been worse. I had planned to just turn back, but of all people, I had run straight into my family—my sister.
I should have pretended not to know her, but I made the blunder of recognizing her and blunting out her name. Now Seohui was suspicious and on high alert... Clearing up this misunderstanding wouldn't be easy. Should I run?
"Don't even think about running."
As Seohui's suspicion deepened, mana began to ripple from her body. Just as I thought... she was an Awakened, a Hunter. To think a power ordinary people could never possess would manifest so visibly.
"Calm down first."
"Calm down? I have no intention of lowering my guard with a suspicious person standing right in front of me."
That sharp glare... that hostility... My heart ached slightly. To be treated as an enemy by my own sister.
Yet, a sliver of hope bloomed alongside the pain. If my sister was an Awakened who had already experienced the extraordinary... maybe she would believe my story? It was a tiny hope.
I quietly observed her stance. Studying her posture closely, she seemed highly capable, as if she had survived numerous real battles.
"Explain yourself."
In an instant, a short sword slipped out from behind her back. The blade was aimed right at my throat... Impressive speed.
My sister's skills were formidable. Even in the other world, she would be considered quite capable. But of course, she was no match for me.
"Fine. Let's go somewhere quiet where there are no people."
Leaving it at that, I turned and walked toward the outskirts. My sister followed, keeping her guard up.
Once we reached a secluded alley nearby, I cast a divine spell to block out all sound. Seeing this, my sister tensed up even more and drew her weapon fully.
"First... how should I introduce myself..."
Should I say I'm Kim Seoyul, who used to be your older brother? Or Nix Hemera, the name of this body? My hesitation didn't last long. Yes, let's explain it to my sister... Our parents probably wouldn't understand, but my sister—an Awakened and a Hunter—just might.
"I am the being who used to be Kim Seoyul."
My sister still looked wary, clearly not understanding what I meant.
"Well, how should I put it... I was suddenly dragged to another world, did some hero-like work, and finally managed to return."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
Her gaze was dripping with skepticism. Honestly, I wouldn't have believed it easily either. Even though I was the one who went through it, it was an absurd story.
"Well, I didn't expect you to believe me right away."
Still, a part of me had hoped she might...
"Didn't you just ask me to believe you?"
"I suppose I did...?"
A person should have some shame; how could I demand her trust so easily? Still, talking to my sister face-to-face made my heart ease a little. The reality of my return finally sank in, and knowing my family was alive brought me immense relief.
"Is it... really true?"
Huh?
"It is..."
Hard as it was to believe, it was exactly what I had experienced.
"You're saying you're my brother, Kim Seoyul? Do you honestly think that makes any sense?"
I couldn't find the words to reply, so I just watched her. Who would believe a woman claiming she used to be a man?
"My brother is currently lying in a hospital bed in a coma. How on earth am I supposed to believe you?"
W-what...? What did she just say...? I was so utterly shocked that I couldn't even control my expression. Me—no, the male Kim Seoyul—is on Earth? In a coma? What on earth does that mean...? I... I clearly have Kim Seoyul's memories. Then what am I?
"Th-that can't be..."
I'm standing right here, but there's another me...? What does that even mean... Then what am I?
"Th-that can't be..."
Then what are these memories inside my head?!
"I clearly remember changing your diapers... taking care of you when Mom and Dad were busy. If that's not me, then what are these memories?"
I was certain...
"Back in kindergarten, you said you were going to marry your brother... and in elementary school, you clung to me, begging me not to go anywhere..."
Fragmented memories rushed back to me in vivid detail. Why did they keep surfacing? If my sister—if Seohui's words were true, then I wasn't Kim Seoyul. I would be nothing but a foreign entity that shouldn't even exist. Then what were these memories?!
"Ugh..."
"Hey!"
As I clutched my head and collapsed, Seohui rushed over to support me. I kept babbling the memories that were flooding my mind. Going on family trips... helping my sister out when she got into trouble, giving her pocket money, getting scolded by our parents together because her teeth rotted from all the junk food I bought her. All of them were Kim Seoyul's memories.
"Are you... really my brother...? But that's impossible..."
Even I didn't know what was going on anymore. I had no idea why these memories kept flooding back. Were they fake? Gradually, the power inside my body began to fluctuate wildly.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a deep sigh, my sister pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"Yeah, Mom? Something came up, so I don't think I can make it home tonight. Is it serious? No, it's nothing like that, so don't worry. Yes, I know. I know, so don't wait up and get some rest. I said I know!"
I panted heavily, desperately trying to suppress the power raging inside me. My holy power was...
As my mental state fractured, the boiling holy power threatened to break free. An amount of divine energy that far surpassed any ordinary priest or nun... a power so vast that I had to constantly keep it under lock and key... was on the verge of going wild.
"Ugh, huff..."
My mind was in complete chaos, but ten years of battlefield experience and raw rationality kicked in, starting to rein in the rampaging power.
"Are you really okay...?"
Moreover, my sister was right next to me. If my holy power exploded, she would be the first to get hurt. I couldn't let that happen... absolutely not. I grit my teeth and forced it down.
"S-sorry..."
Whew, I can finally breathe... The turbulent holy power was finally under control.
"I'm sorry about that."
My sister stared at me intently.
"Follow me."
Without another word, she led me away. I followed her silently. To think she was already driving her own car... she really had grown up. Well, it had been ten years. She had already graduated from elementary school when I last saw her, so she was an adult in her early twenties now.
"Um, could you tell me where we're going...?"
Even when I asked, she remained silent. The place we finally arrived at was...
A hospital.
"A hospital..."
"I understand that you want to claim you're my brother. But..."
I knew what she was trying to say. And I had a feeling I knew why she had brought me here.
I followed her inside, eventually stopping in front of a private room. Honestly, the moment I saw the patient's name on the door, my breath caught in my throat.
Patient: Kim Seoyul...
My sister stepped inside and pulled back the curtain with a sharp *shhhk*...
There lay an emaciated man. He wasn't hooked up to a respirator or anything; he was just lying there. Looking at his body, which held almost no signs of life, sent a chill of discomfort down my spine. And...
The man's face was both familiar and jarringly foreign.
"This is my brother."
This... is me? I stared blankly at the man lying in the bed. Ha... At first, I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. But the longer I looked, the more certain I became that it was indeed my body. Hard as it was to accept, my sister was telling the truth. Sigh... Then what am I, standing right here?
I stood there in a daze until my sister pulled me out. Feeling the cool evening breeze outside the hospital, my mind slowly began to clear.
"Ah..."
"Now, explain."
"I don't know... What on earth am I?"
I truly didn't know what I was anymore. Was this why the Goddess had apologized when she sent me back...?
The fact that I could no longer hear the Goddess's voice, which had echoed in my ears for ten years, made me even more anxious. If only I could hear her... if only we were still connected, I would have demanded an explanation from that damn Goddess... But I couldn't.
"Are you still going to insist you're my brother?"
"I know... but it's the truth..."
I didn't know what kind of entity I was anymore, but the thought of denying that I was Kim Seoyul was too terrifying... so I couldn't bring myself to deny it.
After that, we began comparing our memories, bringing up things from the past.
"Ugh..."
The more we talked, the more our memories aligned perfectly... leaving my sister visibly shaken. If I were an impostor, it would be impossible for us to share the exact same memories. I was just as bewildered. What on earth did these memories mean?
"Is it really true...?"
"Well, seeing as my body is still lying there, maybe I am a fake."
"What should I call you...?"
"Nix. Nix Hemera."
In the end, I had no choice but to use that name. Since my identity as Kim Seoyul was now in question...
"Uh, Nix...?"
"Yeah..."
"What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. Technically, the 'me' of this world is classified as missing in a Gate... so I don't really have a place to stay."
Watching my sister look at me with pity... made me feel utterly worthless.
"Sigh. Just follow me for now."
We got back into her car, and the place we eventually arrived at was... a studio apartment building.
The place we entered was clean, yet filled with the cozy warmth of daily life.
"Are you living on your own...?"
The moment she brought me here, it clicked. She was living alone... I had also started living on my own once I got a job. It was an inevitable choice due to the distance between my parents' house and my workplace. So, under similar circumstances, it wasn't surprising that she was doing the same.
"Yes. You can stay here for now..."
"Th-thanks..."
"Don't mention it. It's hard to believe, but it really seems like you're my brother."
Huh...?
"You believe me?"
"Well... I don't completely believe it, but seeing how you have all of my brother's memories and our shared past, it doesn't seem like you're lying."
"I-Is that so...?"
To think my sister would actually believe me... I looked at her, deeply moved.
"Don't look at me like that. It's creepy."
"S-sorry..."
"Ahem! Well, this is just a guess, but..."
After listening to my story, my sister offered a theory based on her own experiences as an Awakened. She suggested that perhaps only my soul had been summoned... and the reason my original body was in a coma was because it was empty. My soul had traveled to the other world, and because only my soul had been summoned, they had to fashion a new body for me—this female body—to return. Her theory was incredibly plausible. My soul... Why didn't I think of that?
"That actually makes sense..."
I must have been too panicked to think straight.
"So, you know... don't be too discouraged. We can figure things out slowly, one step at a time."
"Y-yeah... thank you."
Was it because ten years had passed? Seeing how calm and mature my sister was, I felt a deep sense of pride. She had grown into such a kind and intelligent person... I was deeply moved.
Afterward, we discussed our next steps. Specifically, what to do about our parents regarding my identity... I told her I didn't plan on telling them. When she asked why I had told her, then...
"Well, you seemed to be an Awakened... so I hoped you might understand if I explained it."
And just as I had hoped, she did. If she had been an ordinary person instead of an Awakened, she probably would have never believed me. My sister nodded, seemingly agreeing with that sentiment. Though I couldn't tell our parents, I was incredibly happy to have been able to open up to her.
"Well, you can stay here for the time being."
"Y-yeah... thanks for letting me crash."
My sister gave me a coy look...
"Forget it. Honestly, of all things, how did you end up turning into a woman..."
She nagged me, though it was more of a playful scolding. Even so, I was just so incredibly happy to be with my sister again.