“Wow…” I breathed, staring wide-eyed at the sleek, sci-fi mansion below.

  Home, I guess.

  The massive four-story building itself was pretty amazing, its details becoming sharper as it grew closer. It was made up of dark-colored metal with gold and silver accents, and had many long windows that extended across two of its walls.

  But that wasn’t what caught my attention. What I couldn’t take my eyes off of was a large pulsing violet crystal seemingly suspended in mid air in the center of a roundabout. I could feel something coming from it, but I couldn’t place what it was. It was like a tugging sensation near my heart.

  I noticed my mother and sister looking at my reaction with a mix of amusement and sadness. Feeling embarrassed, I tore my gaze away from the crystal to examine the rest of the grounds.

  There was also a tall, shimmering security fence that stretched around the mansion. That shimmering piqued my interest. I would have to ask what those were later.

  The fence surrounded a large yard with many different ornaments arranged in an organized manner on either side of an extremely expensive-looking driveway that ran from the mansion to a gate in the security fence. It looked almost like polished obsidian. I also noticed a few gun turrets scanning the area.

  That was more security than I was used to. Just who were these people? Or was this level of security normal in this city?

  I was pulled from my thoughts as the Hovercraft eventually touched down and the panels hissed open once more.

  “Welcome home, Nyxia.” The older one… my mother… said as Valerie wheeled me down the ramp. “How do you like it? Does anything feel familiar to you?”

  “Oh, no. Sorry.” I said, eyes downcast. I felt terrible, my gut clenching in guilt. It felt like I was an outsider playing a cruel trick on this grieving family.

  “It’s alright, Nyxia!” Valerie must have noticed my reaction, because she leaned forward, patting my shoulder softly. “We don’t expect you to recover right away. Just take it at your own pace, okay?”

  “Okay, I’ll try.” I forced a smile on my face. Regardless of what was going on, I certainly had no way of fixing it right now anyway. Best to try not to think about it.

  They wheeled me up through the ornate front door of the mansion, and soon I was transferred to a long, fancy, fluffy couch.

  I just sat there for a moment. Taking it all in and enjoying the comfort of such a luxurious home.

  It certainly wasn’t because I couldn’t meet their kind gazes. Yeah, that couldn’t be the reason.

  I took a deep breath and tried to organize my thoughts. There was no way I could tell them the truth. Even if I did, they would probably just think I had lost my mind. But I couldn’t bear to just play along either. I wasn’t that kind of person.

  The couch shifted as Valerie sat down beside me. My gaze had drifted to the floor, and I didn’t look up.

  “Nyxia.” Her voice was soft, full of kindness. “I know that this must be hard for you. I get it. And I really mean it when I say to take your time. This isn’t something that you can just choose to get over. Take it at your own pace, and if you need us, we’ll be here for you. I promise.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  I could feel liquid starting to build up in my eyes. The stress of the situation must have reached its limit.

  Valerie reached out and pulled me into a warm hug, but that only made the tears worsen. My gut twisted. I didn’t know how to process this situation. Their kindness was meant for their sister and daughter, not some random person who took over her body!

  Did I even take over an innocent girl’s body, though? Or was this one of those things where you remembered a past life? I didn’t know, and had too little to form a theory on.

  The rational side of my mind told me I would have to come to terms with my situation one way or the other. But that could be dealt with later. As of right now?

  I just sobbed, my tears falling onto Valerie’s shoulder while she kept her arms around me.

  *Ding-Ding-Ding*

  “I wonder who that could be. Dad wasn’t going to be here until later.” Valerie frowned as she pulled back from the hug, giving me a moment to rub my eyes. That must have been a doorbell.

  “Don’t worry, you two. I’ll see who it is. They may just be a friend who found out you had awakened from your coma.” Mother nodded to me and stood from a nearby chair, making her way toward the entrance.

  Neither of us really knew what to say as we sat there in silence for a few minutes.

  “I wonder what is taking Mom so long,” Valerie muttered, glancing in the direction of the door. “Stay here for a bit, I’m gonna see what’s up.” She stretched her arms before hopping up and rushing out of the room. She was surprisingly agile.

  I sighed quietly as I looked around the massive room. It looked like it might be a living room, but I was under the impression that living rooms were supposed to feel cozy. It was so big, I just felt small.

  Though I suppose I would get used to it.

  “Unhand me this instant!”

  I startled at the shout. It was coming from the entrance!

  I tried to stand, but my muscles refused to support me, and I immediately collapsed to the floor. Shit! I‘d forgotten how weak I was!

  I looked around for a weapon of some kind as my mind raced.

  Were we being robbed? If that was the case, wouldn’t the turrets do something about it?

  I stilled my movement and strained my ears. I needed to know what was going on.

  “As of this moment, you and your family are considered to be trespassing on this property! You will stand down at once!” An angry-sounding voice burst out.

  “On whose authority?! We will not be kicked out of our own home without due process!” That voice belonged to Mother.

  What was happening?

  “The order comes from Erasion Ordon! Your family has been found guilty of embezzling company funds. You, Vexeria Ordon, are to be taken in for questioning, and your assets are to be seized and returned to the ownership of the Ordon Corporation.”

  “What about my children? Are they free to go?”

  “You know the rules. If they cannot afford to live in the upper realms, they will be transported to the lower ones.”

  “My youngest just woke from a coma! You know very well that they won’t last a day if you send them there without some manner of support!”

  “That is not my concern.” My blood chilled at the cold reply. This world was far more cutthroat than I could have ever imagined.

  But I didn’t have time to do anything else as I heard a brief fight ensue before I heard the sound of many sets of heavy boots entering the house.

  It wasn’t long before they found me lying on the floor near the couch. I stared wide-eyed as the armored troops calmly approached me, their armor gleaming under the white lights, gunmetal gray with the faint glow of augments beneath the plating.

  All evidence of heavy, likely military-grade, cybernetics enhancing their bodies. All of them were adorned with a violet dragon head symbol on their armor.

  I felt a tingle of recognition, but whatever this body’s previous host knew of it was lost to me.

  My heart hammered in my chest as they roughly dragged me out of the room. I didn’t even try to protest. I was too weak to fight back physically, and I didn’t know nearly enough about this world or its customs to argue with them.

  Not that arguing seemed to do my mother any good, I noted as I saw both my mother and Valerie prone on the floor with their arms cuffed behind their backs and a type of muzzle placed over their mouths. I winced as I saw how it was digging into Mother’s jaw. They must have over-tightened it on purpose.

  I saw their eyes flick toward me as I was dragged over to them.

  “U Fckn, bstrds!” Valerie struggled to yell through her muzzle as I was dropped painfully onto the floor. Her eyes filled with rage.

  “I’m okay, Valerie.” I gave her a quick smile, trying to calm her.

  I knew that antagonizing these guys wouldn’t do us any favors.

  I tried my best to stay still as they cuffed me and fought down the fear in my gut as they pulled out another muzzle.

  I hoped this could all get resolved peacefully.

  But I knew that was unlikely as I felt the cold click of the muzzle locking around my jaw.