A Shared Body and an Unshared Fate

Suddenly, little Leon opened his eyes. He began to get up, looking around. Surrounding him was a landscape of floating islands.

His body was controlled by the first Leon. He was about to dismiss everything that had happened earlier as a dream when, suddenly, he heard two simultaneous voices in his head: his own and the second Leon's.

"What the hell is going on with me?!" shouted the second Leon, looking at his body in the first Leon's consciousness.

The first Leon turned his thoughts towards the second and saw him. The second Leon, who had been a teenager, was now a child — little Leon Fou Bartfort. Even his voice sounded the same as before. In that moment, the first Leon realized that he himself had also transformed into a child.

Before he could say anything, the second Leon started speaking:

"Wow! Hey, I can control the body too! Look at this!"

With those words, Leon's arms began moving on their own, rising into the air.

"Looks like we can switch places. Let me take over!" said the second Leon, attempting to push the first Leon aside.

"What? Wait!" protested the first Leon, but he wasn't heard. The next moment, he felt as though he had completely lost control of his body. It was as if they had truly swapped places.

The second Leon, now in control of the body, began running around aimlessly, bursting with excitement.

"Man, anime and manga didn't do this place justice! The beauty here is unreal! And seeing everything in 360 degrees, and in 4K resolution too? It's amazing!" he exclaimed while looking around at everything he could see.

But then, he noticed the sky darkening.

"Oh, right... wasn't something supposed to happen?" he mumbled to himself.

"What are you talking about?" the first Leon asked in his thoughts.

"Let's go home first," replied the second Leon, retreating back into their shared consciousness and giving control back to the first.

Still confused by what was happening, the first Leon started walking home, relying on his memories to guide him.

When he got closer to the Bartfort estate, he suddenly heard an angry voice. Turning towards it, he saw Barcus, Leon's father, marching towards him with a face full of rage.

"This is gonna hurt," muttered the second Leon.

Before the first Leon could brace himself, he felt a sharp blow to the head.

"You little brat!" shouted Barcus, glaring at his son.

"Ow!" cried Leon, crouching down and clutching his head in pain. "That hurt!"

"Good! I hope it did!" snapped Barcus. "Don't you know what day it is today?!"

At that moment, Leon's mother, Lucca, appeared. She looked sad as she spoke.

"Did you forget? Madame is arriving today."

"I'm sorry," Leon murmured, lowering his head.

Nearby, four people were watching the scene: two children, a woman, and an elf.

"Tsk. An ill-mannered child is no better than an animal," said Zola, Barcus's wife, her voice dripping with disdain.

Hearing her words, Leon turned his gaze towards them. In his mind, the second Leon spoke up again:

"There she is! You know those kids standing next to her aren't your siblings, right? That bitch herself admitted they're not your father's children."

The first Leon nodded, recalling the memories of Leon's past.

"If we can prove that, it'll calm her down at least a little. Plus, Father might finally divorce her."

The first Leon, noticing the scornful look in Zola's eyes, nodded again.

Zola's comment made Barcus and Lucca feel a little ashamed. Trying to save face, Barcus turned to Leon.

"Go to the warehouse and think about your behavior. Your brother will help you with your studies later."

Leon silently nodded, still holding his aching head, and began walking towards the warehouse.

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Author's Note:

Hello, dear readers! I'm pleasantly surprised — in just half a day, almost 100 people have added my story to their libraries! Honestly, I thought at best 5–10 people would add it on the first day. Luckily, I was wrong! Thank you so much for your support! I'm feeling super motivated now and will do my best to pick up the pace and release more chapters for you!