Chapter 5: Two minds for one body

But let's go back in time a little.

It was the evening of the day before my birthday. Like all impatient kids, I got to bed early because I wanted the next day to come sooner.

I was turning in my bed, unable to sleep. Like all kids on Astria, I was excited and scared about what would happen tomorrow.

Turning ten was special because, on that day, all kids had to attend church to receive their blessings.

There were a multitude of Deities in the universe, and one of their duties was to bless children. One child can receive several blessings, even if it is rare.

One of the other goals of the ceremony is to establish a link between mortals and Gods. The awakening ceremony is not the only time someone can receive a God blessing. Anyone can receive more during his life, depending on his actions. Of course, the Gods don't always look at everyone, so to receive another blessing, you must do something to attract their attention. Another way is to establish a direct connection by participating in a Judgment Ceremony. There were two drawbacks about it: the first one is the heavy fee requested by the church to conduct it.

The second one was more severe. As the name of the ceremony implies, the Deity will judge the one making the request for a blessing. There are three outcomes possible: the Deity agrees to the request. If the Deity thinks the believer is not worthy but is on the right path, a trial can be issued. But a punishment will be given if the Deity is offended by the request ( for example, a monk asking for the Goddess of Lust blessing).

On the other hand, the Awakening Ceremony is risk-free and free of charge.

Here I was, in my bed, unable to sleep because I kept fantasizing about what blessing I would receive.

"Will I be blessed by the God of Thunder like Mom? But the Goddess of Fire is so cool. Perhaps I will receive a blessing related to weapons. Warriors are so badass!"

Without me realizing it, midnight came. And with it, a voice began to resonate inside my head.

<Ding >

<The 10 host has attained the age of>

<The system will now release all the seals placed on host soul in accordance with Creator's instructions>

My first reaction to hearing that was confusion. Suddenly hearing a voice in your head when you are not expecting it is a weird experience.

I tried talking to this mysterious voice.

"Who are you? What do you mean?"

The voice started to talk again but didn't answer me.

<Now breaking the seal on host memories>

As soon as the voice finished his sentence, I felt a crushing pain in my head.

I began to see visions of my past life. All the suffering I endured, all my ambitions, all my desires.

Those visions were dominated by all the moments I had with Emily.

As those memories began to merge with the ones I made in my new life, something bad happened.

My body began to reject those memories. The pain worsened again, and I felt like my head was going to explode.

In my mind, I saw two girls facing each other.

The older one had shoulder-length curly brown hair. Her body was undeveloped. It was as if she didn't have enough to eat while her body developed. She was not ugly but not a beauty either. Her only distinctive trait was an ugly scar on the left side of her otherwise plain face.

It was the 20-year-old Earth's Alice.

"Don't reject me," she said in a kind voice. "We are the same person. You are only hurting us by doing that."

On the other side stood a young girl with bright red hair. Her face was exquisite. Her youth could not hide how beautiful she would become growing up. When looking at her, it was apparent that she was terrified.

It was the 10-year-old Astria's Alice.

"No, I don't know you! I don't want to be you! I won't let you take control of my life.

This situation was something Destiny never anticipated. My two sides were incompatible.

The tough Alice, who managed to overcome many difficulties despite her lack of confidence, and the proud Alice, who grew up surrounded by love, were too different.

< Warning!>

< The host's soul is in danger>

< Engaging emergency protocol >

< Immediately releasing the seal on the system helper>

As soon as the voice faded, a third entity appeared in my mind, right between the two sides of me. She was shorter than my child's side and had butterfly wings on her back. Her face was blurry, but surprisingly it wasn't making us uncomfortable.

She turned her head toward the child version of me and said with a calm and soothing voice.

"Calm down, little one. You are putting yourself in danger. "