Sunlight of a Sunday morning filtered softly through the gaps between the leaves, casting swaying shadows over the grass. The air felt fresh, carrying the scent of dew and flowers.
A faint silhouette stood in the distance, a figure that felt so familiar, yet whose face Enatur could never remember…
The girl from Enatur's dream…
"Ahh… this again… this feeling, this girl's feelings again. This loneliness hurts my heart so much."
His voice trembled softly, and his hand clenched his chest as if trying to hold back something invisible.
There was a faint throb beneath his skin, as if his heart was pushing against a hollow void. A sadness of a girl who never had someone she could call a friend.
Even when she laughed, she cried within that laughter. Her gaze was gloomy, as gloomy as the ash-colored sky of her world.
"I feel like I've already known that girl so well."
Her mouth lowered slightly, as if she was about to cry quietly.
"I can almost see her face."
"She's looking at me."
"Wait… wait!"
Enatur shouted, reaching out, trying to grab her.
She disappeared the moment he got close. A white light swallowed her whole.
Suddenly it felt like the ground collapsed inside his chest, some nameless kind of loss.
---
"Wait!" Enatur yelled again, but his voice was only an echo.
His breathing became ragged, his energy drained by the dream that had haunted him for nine years.
"My chest hurts so much. I can feel the pain in her heart… the pain she has endured for years."
He stared up at the ceiling, cold sweat dripping down his temples.
"Good morning, Master," Rein greeted.
"Morning, Rein."
Sunlight flooded into the room through the window, illuminating the library-themed bedroom. Enatur got up from the bed and stretched his body. Rein floated beside him.
"Hooaamm…" He yawned loudly as he walked out of the room.
A maid inside quietly prepared to tidy the bed.
"Is it finally time for me to do a 'night call' on a young maid? Unfortunately, there were no young maids. They were all married and had children. There was no way become an NTR."
He walked through the corridor toward the bathroom. His steps were relaxed, still sleepy.
The bathroom was located in the very back, before the changing room for removing clothes.
[A sign on the door read: occupied]
He opened the bathroom door, and time seemed to freeze. A girl stood there wearing only panties, a towel covering her chest.
Her hair was shoulder-length blonde, and her eyes were gold. Their gazes locked. The air between them tightened.
She was Marissa Himelmes, Enatur's childhood friend.
"Marissa, aren't you going to scream 'Kyaa! Enatur no ecchi!' or something?" Enatur asked casually, without any guilt.
Marissa's face turned red from anger, not embarrassment. A vein popped on her forehead. "Close the door, you idiot!" she shouted furiously.
Her fist flew instantly, bursting with spiritual energy toward his cheek.
"Wha—!"
Enatur was launched backward, crashing into the corridor wall so hard it cracked.
Instant K.O.
His eyes spun dizzy circles.
"M-Master?!" Rein panicked, floating anxiously beside him.
"Thank you to the god of rom-com for the classic scene called 'wrong place, wrong time!'" Enatur muttered, half-unconscious.
---
In the lounge room, the soft aroma of coffee drifted through the air. The bar counter sat at the back. As usual, Enatur took over the coffee machine and prepared coffee for everyone.
He already knew everyone's coffee preferences. The beautiful woman in front of him was Earth, his second sister.
Her long wavy brown hair draped over her shoulders. Her golden brown eyes blinked playfully at Enatur.
"Good morning, our beloved free barista," Earth said as she grit her teeth with a teasing smile.
"Good morning, my glamour sister," Enatur replied with a grin.
Earth sat on the bar stool, waiting while Enatur finished making her latte.
He handed her a precisely crafted cup.
"Ahh~!" Earth moaned, her voice seductive. "As always, your coffee is divine. How about you marry me?… Hahaha!"
"I'm ready to give my virginity!" Enatur replied while giving a thumbs-up.
They both burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Let's go to a love hotel!" they said at the same time.
Her laughing face made her beauty shine even brighter.
"Yeah, it was just their usual joke."
Someone peeked from the other side of bar counter. Yunia, Hera, and Marissa were lining up to get their coffee too. Their eyes sparkled like hungry kittens. Enatur prepared their drinks, greeting them with a smile.
"Sit nicely, beautiful ladies."
"Good morning, everyone!" Rein greeted.
"Oh, so this is the AI technology?" Auntie Hera looked amazed.
"My name is Rein. Nice to meet you all, ladies."
Hera had long mocha-colored hair tied into a top bun. Her turquoise eyes were soft. Her face is beautiful with a milf charm.
Po-chan brought coffees for them. "Enjoy. Your. Drinks." its chest display read.
"The robot is so cute," Marissa praised Po-chan.
But her gaze sharpened when she turned toward Enatur. "Auntieie, Enatur peeked at me while I was bathing," she said while pointing at him.
He gasped, panicked. "Hah? I was still half asleep, I didn't see the sign!"
Yunia smiled with a terrifying expression. "Prepare yourself for a very long lecture, Enatur-chan!"
His body trembled, his face paled.
"Good morning!" Carl entered. His body was covered in sweat, just finished his morning run.
His hair was golden, and his eyes were brown.
"Morning!" everyone responded.
Enatur gave him a cup of coffee. "Ah, thank you, Enatur," Carl said with a cheerful and sincere laugh.
"You're too diligent with exercising," Enatur replied in annoyance.
Carl grinned. "You should come running with me sometimes."
"I refuse. You wake up too early!" Enatur puffed his cheeks.
"Hahaha." Carl laughed loudly.
"I'll go deliver a coffee for our sister who loves locking herself in her room!"
Everyone sighed as Enatur left the room.
"Yunia, is there still no solution for him?" Hera asked, her voice heavy.
"If only I could find an alchemy expert, Enatur would be saved," Yunia answered with a hopeless tone.
"What about Karen Van Dammon, Yunia?" Hera suggested. "She's the only alchemist capable enough. I'll help speak to her."
Yunia stared ahead. "I've been negotiating with her for a very long time, but she said she doesn't know how to purify the Soul Core."
"Her cousin, Chloe Van Dammon, is the one who knows how."
Hera stiffened. "Chloe? Isn't she dead?"
Yunia nodded slowly. "That is exactly why I'm stuck searching for an alchemist."
Hera changed her tone. "Karen is definitely lying!"
"No, she was telling the truth."
Earth rotated her glass slowly, coffee aroma scattering in the air. "The real question is whether Enatur even has the desire to fight the curse or not."
Earth sighed, her voice cold. "From what I see, he doesn't have the ambition to take initiative at all. It's like he has already accepted his fate. His studies are nothing but an escape."
The entire room turned silent, awkward, and heavy. Only the sound of a ticking clock filled the space in between them.
---
Meanwhile...
Enatur was in the mansion's backyard, where green grass spread widely and colorful flowers filled every corner. The midday sunlight touched his skin, warm and soothing.
He sat cross legged, eyes closed, steadying his breath, trying to grasp the peace he had not felt for a long time.
Slowly, a thin red aura emanated from his spiritual energy, weak, almost invisible. Inside his body, the meridian pathways pulsed like veins, channeling the energy.
However, the flow halted, slowly fading, then vanished.
"Oh, so you are the AI Enatur told me about." murmured Shadow.
"That is correct. My name is Rein. Master gave me that name. I look forward to working with you," answered Rein, floating in the air, his voice calm yet respectful.
Shadow lifted his head, his tail swaying slightly. "Ah, my name is Shadow, Enatur's partner. I look forward to working with you too, Rein."
Rein floated closer, the digital light in his eye flickering softly. "Then, why is that Soul Core inside his body?" he asked, full of curiosity.
Shadow lowered his head a little, his fur trembling. "I do not really know what happened in the past… but if it did not happen, maybe we would never have seen Enatur as he is now."
Suddenly, a small pincer hand patted Shadow's fur. Po chan, the tiny robot who had welcomed
Enatur before, wrote something on the screen on his chest:
"Is there. Any. Technology. That can. Save. Master?"
Rein chuckled lightly, looking at Po chan. "Haha… Po chan, that is something beyond the capabilities of technology."
Po chan lowered his head sadly, his round eyes glowing dim.
Inside Enatur's body, the spiritual energy continued to fade, slowly disappearing.
"Gah!"
He groaned, startling Shadow and Rein.
"Master, what is wrong?" asked Rein in panic.
"It still does not work… AARRGGHH! What was that person thinking, putting a Soul Core inside my body… damn it!" Enatur shouted.
Shadow exhaled deeply. "Who knows?"
Enatur closed his eyes, burying his face in his palms. "Is there any power other than spiritual energy, like my mom's Authority?"
"If we search during our journey to another worlds, we will surely find one," said Shadow.
Enatur pouted. "Actually… deep down, I want to keep cultivating, increasing my spiritual power. But no matter how hard I try, I still cannot."
Standing above Enatur, Shadow narrowed his eyes. "Do not give up! There must be something we can do."
Rein floated in front of Enatur, his voice turning serious. "What Shadow said is true. There are still less than two years before Master's body is taken over."
Enatur lifted his head. "Why are you two more fired up than I am?"
"If I can obtain my body as soon as possible, there may still be time for research on an artificial body," said Rein.
Enatur laughed awkwardly. "Haha… Rein, that is impossible!"
Shadow froze.
"With a combination of technology and spiritual power, there must be a way!" continued Rein.
"There has never been research on that, Rein… maybe," replied Enatur.
Shadow's tail moved slightly. "Enatur, it does not hurt to try. Try contacting Reina, she might find a solution."
"Shadow, if it were possible for me to use a new body, my mom would have done so long ago. A new body is clearly impossible," said Enatur flatly.
---
Shadow and Rein immediately lost their enthusiasm.
Shadow collapsed on the garden grass, while Rein rolled his spherical robot body over the grass.
He chuckled softly. "Hahaha… thank you for worrying about me. But it is alright, I will not submit to this damned curse!"
Enatur rose from his lying position, his brows furrowed. "Nothing can make me kneel. Instead, this Soul Core curse will kneel before me!"
Enatur lay back down. His eyes gazed at the sky dotted with white clouds.
From behind the mansion window, a blue-haired woman watched Enatur. Her hair flowed like a river flowing through the air. She grinned.
---
Poof!
White mist covered Shadow's body. He shifted into his true form, a Fury Dog Samoyed the size of an adult horse, majestic and powerful.
Enatur jumped onto his back.
"Let's go, partner!"
Shadow dashed toward the gate, the tall black iron gate opening automatically.
Anfield, Capital of the Liverpool Federation. The city's architecture was dominated by futuristic buildings, their reflective glass surfaces mirroring the colored sky.
Many vehicles moved along layered flyovers. The sky was adorned with artificial floating islands supported by magic and technology.
A world where the symphony of advanced technology and high-level magic became the foundation of this civilization. Shadow sprinted swiftly through the moderately busy traffic.
"The scenery of this world is truly amazing!" Rein exclaimed with pure excitement.
Enatur gave a small smile. "Hahaha… you'll soon get your new body." His voice was light, but behind that smile was pity and hope.
"Hm, I can't wait anymore!" Rein replied.
"Mom... that dog is huge."
"Wow, you're right, dear."
They arrived at the bookstore district specializing in manga and novels, a paradise for isekai manga lovers. The store had plenty of visitors.
The door sensor lit up. "Welcome, customer," greeted the AI.
Enatur walked toward the stack of books at the center of the store, picking up three manga volumes with the same title.
---
"Did you get them?" Shadow asked.
Enatur grinned. "Of course I did," he lifted the three manga volumes in his hand. "Let's go to the city park, I can't wait to read them."
"Sure, I can't wait to read them either."
The walkway curved between colorful flowers. A place where people relaxed after their tiring activities. At the center of the park was an oval-shaped lake twenty meters wide.
They sat on a bench, reading the isekai manga together with full concentration.
Their eyes sparkled with satisfaction and joy. "Amazing, the MC finally defeated one of the demon king's generals."
Shadow burst with excitement. "Exactly, the fight was dramatic and epic!"
Enatur lay back on the bench, his eyes gazing at the sky with deep curiosity.
Enatur closed the manga. "I really want to explore an isekai, get OP powers, and defeat the demon king... hahaha!" Enatur laughed in satisfaction.
"If I were born in that world, I might already be a great adventurer..."
After the weekend holiday activities, Enatur and the others returned to the mansion.
---
That night, Enatur was sleeping soundly in his room. Gentle shadows danced across the wall, illuminated by moonlight seeping through the thin curtains.
Footsteps of a woman sounded softly, stealthy. The heartbeat of the night matched her steps.
His bedroom door opened slowly, and she walked toward him. She was carrying something for Enatur…