The morning smelled like rain and rebirth.
Somewhere above the canopy, birds argued about who owned the sunrise, and the soft echo of their chirping pulled me out of sleep.
For a second I didn't remember where I was. Then the ache in my shoulders reminded me — oh right, I had shoulders now.
I yawned, stretched my arms, and heard a crack.
"Ugh… either I'm too strong or just very weak."
The pain faded almost instantly as my body glowed faintly and repaired itself.
I looked at the mending limb and muttered, "And it heals itself too. Guess I'm the kind of NPC that respawns after dying."
When I finally stood, the ground tilted beneath me.
"So this is what having knees feels like," I grumbled. "I already hate it."
Elina stirred beside the embers of our tiny campfire. Even half-asleep, she moved like someone who had rehearsed grace for centuries.
"You sure you didn't train for this form before?" I asked. "Wait—don't tell me queens get lessons on how to be flawless after reincarnating."
She arched a brow. "We train to maintain dignity, not trip over air."
I pretended to cough to hide my laugh and started arranging what passed for breakfast — some fruits, a few roots I'd stolen from the jungle.
At this point, we were basically a caveman couple trying to survive.
Elina caught me staring. "What?"
"Uh, nothing. Maybe you're just… looking more beautiful this morning."
She blinked, then looked away. The faintest blush touched her ears. "Let's go hunt something instead. We can finally taste real food now."
"Oh right, eating! I forgot mortals do that."
Outside, sunlight filtered through the trees, painting everything in molten gold. I took one heroic step forward — and immediately tripped on a root.
Elina's laugh was light, musical.
"Just you wait," I muttered. "I'll start flying next. Walking is for kids."
"We were rolling yesterday," she said, still smiling.
Her laughter lingered like a charm spell. And for a moment, in this absurd world filled with monsters and gods, I felt oddly… safe.
We practiced a bit to test our new bodies. Elina summoned a thin beam of light; I slashed it apart with a weak Wind Scythe. Sparks of mana crackled between us as we traded harmless blows, both laughing whenever one of us tripped or mis-cast.
When our systems chimed together — [Humanoid Combat Mode Activated] — we collapsed onto nearby rocks, panting and grinning.
"Not bad for day one," I said.
Elina tilted her head. "You fought like a man who doesn't know the meaning of restraint."
"I call it enthusiasm."
We shared fruit in silence. The sweetness was faint, but after weeks of tasteless absorption it felt divine.
I leaned back, staring at the sunlight filtering through the leaves. "So this is the new life of a poor bastard," I said to no one.
My heart beat steadily — a rhythm I'd thought I'd never feel again. For the first time since dying, I didn't feel empty.
Elina tried to peel another fruit and fumbled; juice splattered across her fingers. I caught myself smiling. These feelings… I've never had them before. I want to keep them.
"What did you say?" she asked.
"Nothing for you to notice, my queen."
She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.
The next morning, I woke to Elina shaking my shoulder.
"Ugh… when did I get a wife? Oh, it's you."
She crossed her arms. "Look at you acting all smug."
Breakfast was a few roasted beans and fruits. I tasted them like sacred offerings.
So this is what a wife's cooking would taste like, I thought, then immediately hated myself for thinking it.
"I didn't know royalty could cook," I said aloud.
"I wasn't that privileged," she replied softly. "Most of the time I cooked myself… to avoid poison."
We sat outside the cave, watching the sunrise paint the jungle in gold.
"You were betrayed," I said quietly.
"Yes. My council thought they could rule without me. So they killed me."
I nodded slowly. "I died for something stupid. Guess the universe gave me another chance to be useful."
"Useful?"
"Becoming the first knight of Queen Ashborn."
Her cheeks colored again, and she looked away.
"Then we'll live this life differently," she said. "No regrets this time."
Later that day, we found a wounded fangboar struggling beneath a tree.
"Ooh, free EXP," I whispered.
[Target viable for absorption. Proceed?]
I crouched, ready to finish it, but Elina caught my wrist.
"Not every wound needs to be erased."
I frowned. "You're not seriously letting it go?"
"Not everything in the way must die."
Her calm words hit harder than any monster's strike. I realized I'd been treating this world like a game—because my System made it feel like one.
We combined our skills: her healing light wrapped the creature while I filtered the poison from its body. The fangboar staggered to its feet, squealed once, and limped away.
[Emotional Inconsistency Detected.]
"Feels heavier than killing," I said quietly.
Elina nodded. "Even in Elvenheim, beasts were sacred."
I smirked. "And yet, here you are, breaking your own traditions."
"That lifestyle did get me killed," she replied.
I reached out and patted her head lightly. "Then this one won't."
We continued walking through forests of colossal flowers and drifting mana dust that shimmered like stars. Elina spoke of divine trees and ecosystems back in her world; I listened, realizing how easily she carried knowledge into the unknown.
"You're quite something," I said. "Integrating your old world's lessons here."
She smiled faintly. "It's all I have left of it."
We rested beside a stream. I cupped the clear water and drank—cool, real, alive. It felt strange after months of absorbing things whole.
Elina laughed for the first time. "For a God of Abnormality, you look rather normal."
"Give it time," I said. "I'm still updating."
By dusk we reached a ridge overlooking miles of forest.
Far in the distance, thin plumes of smoke rose into the sky. Civilization.
Finally.
"Real food," I whispered. "Here I come."
Elina chuckled. "And maybe a roof."
[System Notification: Aetheria — Detected Ahead.]
A soft wind brushed past us, carrying the scent of iron and fire from that distant town. I felt an odd pull, as if something—or someone—was calling.
From slime to man, from death to… whatever this is.
Maybe this time, I'll live before I start killing.
I've even got someone I can say I like for the first time.
Elina turned at the sound of my voice, but the wind stole the words.
She only smiled.
And together, we walked toward the lights on the horizon.
End of Chapter 4 — New Beginnings, New Feelings