I woke up to a new location with books all around me. It was almost jarring but somehow the smell of old books were enough to calm me.
The last thing I remembered was going to sleep last night so why did I wake up in what seemed to be a library?
Looking around, there were shelves filled to the brim with books of all kinds all around me but what felt odd was my point of view…
Did I become shorter or is this place just really big?
Then I looked down.
Frilly clothes of white and reddish pink with a big pink and white bow on it, striped leggings of pink and purple colors and a pink shoe with what looked like a butterfly strap.
Not the type of clothes you would find me wearing. You would have to point a gun to my head to make me wear clothes like these.
Uh oh.
I don't know why I am thinking "uh oh" but something is definitely not right here.
"What the hell is going on here, I suppose?"
The moment those words left my mouth, memories flooded my head… memories familiar yet not. It was almost suffocating.
Memories spanning a hundred years, two hundred years, three hundred years, four hundred years, these were not memories a human mind could hold and I… I was no longer human, I realized.
I sat back down on the stool I had woken up in, my chin resting on the back of my palm.
"Well, this is not good, in fact… this is very not good in fact."
It seems like after going to sleep last night, I have now awoken in the body of Beatrice… a fictional character that I remember from an anime series called Re:zero.
"No, no, no. This is not happening right? It can't be real… I am just hallucinating, in fact. Yes, yes… since there is no other explanation for such a phenomenon, that means I must be hallucinating, I suppose."
"Umu, yes… no need to think too deeply about it." I say as I start walking towards the bed.
I just have to go back to sleep and when I wake up, the world would start making sense again.
After going up the stairs with familiar steps, I come before (my) the bed and plop into it.
I know it's morning but goodnight.
•••
Looking through the window at the clouds drifting in the sky, I once again sigh for like the 10th time today.
I slept and woke up, it's a new day now and the world still doesn't make any sense because I'm still a four hundred years old loli.
Honestly that's not even the most worrying thing. It's the fact that after waking up, I can't seem to tell who I am anymore.
Am I Beatrice or am I the twenty years old girl from Earth? I have memories of living life as Beatrice, the daughter of Mother (that's a can of worms I wouldn't be opening anytime soon) and I also have memories of living life on Earth.
It's to the point that if there was a lie detector and I said something like "I am not Beatrice", it would ring as false.
Just what is happening here? Did I get ROB'ed? Had I always been Betty? Did the two consciousness mix together? Or am I just someone else who has the memories of both Betty and the twenty years old girl from Earth?
If so, why do I have memories of the Re:zero series? That should be some sort of game breaking balance right?
Hmmmmmmmm. Hmmmmmmmm. Putting my index fingers on both sides of my head, I try to come up with a reasonable explanation.
"Well, it can't be helped!" I gave up. "No use thinking about it. I think therefore I am, I suppose!"
Honestly, both memories are helping me right now. The experiences of four hundred years is telling me that panicking in such a situation wouldn't help and the experiences of twenty years, even though small, is telling me that I should look at the wider picture.
Both are right.
So, right now I'm in a world both familiar and not… the anime series compared to my memories of this world is lacking in a lot of details but it got the overall outlook right.
But still… this world is kinda messed up huh?
And soon things will get even more messed up when the boy know has Subaru appears.
Subaru huh…
I don't know what to feel about that. In one hand I feel extremely happy… after four hundred years, who would have thought that the person who would reach a hand to me would be a boy from a different world? A boy willing to go through countless suffering in order to reach a happy ending for everyone.
What a selfish thing to do… why would you destroy yourself like that?
Whoa, it seems like there is a lot to unpack there as well. I hadn't even met the boy yet so why was I balling my fist and getting angry? Well, thinking about what would have been, it is a really annoying thing. Especially thinking about the reasons he went through those things.
Walking towards the stool before the door, I sit down as I take a black tome from the table beside it.
Opening it, I see that it is empty as usual.
This… this…
With anger, I throw it towards the door.
What That Person?!
There was never any That Person. All of this had just been a way to pass away time for Mother.
"Mother. Just why would you do such a thing to Betty, in fact?"
Ahhhh, my emotions are all over the place. It's to be expected that the feelings of four hundred years would triumph over the one of twenty but even the memories of twenty years old is in agreement right now.
How troublesome both these memories are…
I also know that the one in the Sanctuary is not really Mother. Just an aspect of her…
I walk towards the black tome on the floor, the gospel and pick it up.
Mother was kind, Mother cared about us all, she would chastise Betty whenever she did something wrong, she protected us. Mother would always smile whenever she was with us.
Mother… wouldn't hurt us.
Mother wouldn't hurt me.
"So why?" Tears starts to fall on the tome on my hands.
"Why does it hurt so much?"
I cried.
Kneeling with the tome on my hands, I don't know how long I cried for…
Was I perhaps crying because of Mother's apparent betrayal? Was I crying because I wouldn't be able to go back to Earth anymore? Was I crying because I had practically wasted centuries inside this hall of books? Was I crying because I wouldn't be able to meet my friends and families back from Earth anymore?
I don't know.
But after crying that much, surprisingly I felt really better afterwards.
•••
Now sitting back on the stool, I am a little embarrassed about my previous outburst. That is not the countenance of a Great Spirit.
"That's right, Betty is— I mean, I am a Great Spirit, aren't I? That means I should be able to use magic right?"
Honestly, the idea of magic from the perspective of my twenty years old self is a very intriguing thing… while to my four hundred years old self, the idea of a world without magic is scary but yet marvel.
"Hmmm, let's see here… Huma."
Without any effort, as though flexing my will, a shard of ice formed above my open palm and in that moment, I realized two incredible things.
Dispersing the ice, I placed a palm on my chest.
"As I thought…"
It seemed like my affinity towards magic has increased… specifically, I now have an affinity with Yang magic. Is this perhaps an effect of my twenty years old self? That is the only explanation that I can think of.
That is not all though, the next thing I discovered is perhaps the most important and the most incredible thing…
I am now able to absorb mana from the surroundings…
Incredible is the only way to put such a phenomenon. Did the fact that I am now an amalgamation of two existence change my Od, I wonder? But still, this is really great news, the fact that I am no longer limited by my mana capacity would be really helpful… especially when Subaru…
"Get a hold of yourself, Betty!" I slap both of my cheeks. "You don't even know if this world might be a different one from the one you know from Earth… who knows, there might not be a Subaru who will appear so let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet, I suppose."
Anyway, I should probably check on the residents of the manor, confirmation if I'm the only one who has changed would prove useful…
Walking towards the door, I connect it to the dining room where everyone seems to be present then pushed it open.
As the door opens, everyone looks in my direction, the people present is the blue and pink maid, Roswaal, the half elf girl and, oh it's Bubby!
"Oh, Beatrice… it's such a wonderful surprise to seeee you joining us todayyyyy."
Geh, Roswaal… nope, not even going to think about that right now.
"Betty does not feel especially wonderful to see you, I suppose." Roswaal's smile only grow at my response as I walk over to a chair and seat, incidentally I'm sitting beside the half— Emilia, I'm sitting beside Emilia.
A part of me is excited to see all these people who I've only seen through a TV screen before while the other part of me doesn't really think much about it. To my twenty years old self, they might as well be celebrities while to my four hundred years old self, they are annoying.
"Betty… decided to join us today huh?"
"Bubby!"
Except Bubby though, Bubby is not annoying, but I now feel a little conflicted due to what my twenty years old self remember from the anime.
Opening my palm, Bubby who floated beside me rested on it as I start to pet his soft fur.
"You look a bit different today, Betty." Bubby says as the blue maid sets a plate of food before me.
"Really? How so, in fact?" I ask.
"Ah, I know, I know…" The half-elf girl— dammit! Emilia responds looking at me. "She looks a bit cheerful right?" She asks.
"Yes exactly. How do I put it… did you have a nice dream or something?" Bubby asks.
"I guess you could say something like that, in fact."
Holding Bubby in my palm, I pick up my spoon as I taste the food. I am really glad that I have taste buds as a Spirit. Imagine not being able to taste amazing meals like the ones my twenty years old self has had.
"Oh? Is the foooood reeeeaaaallly so deliciousssss?" Roswaal asks.
It seems like the way I felt about the meal was displayed on my face.
"Hmph! I guess the blue maid knows her way around the kitchen, I suppose." I respond.
"Eh, eh, Betty are you sure you are okay? You are not hurting anywhere right?" Bubby asks as he floats before my face, touching my head.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, in fact?"
"You are being way too honest today." Bubby replies as Emila nods.
"Yeeeessss, I'm a little surprised as weeeellllll."
"Thank you for the praises, Beatrice-sama." The blue maid— Rem, replies.
"Hmph!"
They are really asking for it. What do they mean I'm being honest. I'm always honest right? Hmph! How rude…
It doesn't take long and then we finish breakfast.
Cleaning my mouth with a napkin, I hop off my chair as I walk to the side of Emilia.
"You girl, give me your hand." I request.
"Eh, why all of a sudden?" She asks even though she gives me her hand.
"Don't worry about it." I respond.
Walking over to the blue maid and pink maid, I request the same thing as well to which they comply.
"Betty, you really are acting strange today." Bubby says from the top of my head where he sits as I open the door to leave the room with Emilia right behind me.
"Ohhhhh, are you not goinggggg to ask for my handddddd as wellllll? I'm a little hurtttttttt." Roswaal says from the table.
Opening the door, I look over my shoulder to Roswaal…
"Roswaal… I know what you are." I say, purposely making my tone ominous.
"Ehhhhh, what are you talking aboutttttttt?" He says, feigning ignorance or he probably doesn't know what I'm talking about but I doubt it.
"If you do not understand what I'm saying then you truly are a hopeless man, I suppose." I say as I leave the dining room.
Hmph, stupid Roswaal.
"Bubby, I'm a little peeved so you are spending the day with me, in fact." I say, walking to the nearest door.
"Eh, what's wrong all of a sudden, Betty. Do we need to call for a Spirit doctor?"
I giggled at that.
"You know there is no such thing like that Bubby."
"Don't worry Puck, you can spend time with Beatrice. I will be in my room studying." Emilia says, a smile on her face.
"Okay Lia, although if you feel lonely, call for me and I'll be right there in a jiffy."
"You are coming as well, half-elf girl, I suppose."
"Ehhh, I am? Really?!"
"Really Betty?!"
"Hmph, it's just for today, in fact…" I am sure I am sporting a blush on my face. "So don't think something like this would happen again, I suppose." I say opening the door to the library.
"Is that okay?! Thank you Beatrice! Or should I call you Betty?" Emilia asks and I could feel the happiness from her voice.
"Don't push your luck, girl." I respond as she giggles.
"Well, I guess this is fine." Bubby replies.
Of course it is fine, Bubby.
It's not like I'm trying to be friends with her or anything…
Okay, I guess I'm not always honest.
Anyway, it is with to that, that I spent the day with Bubby and the half— Emilia.
Damn, this would take some time getting used to, wouldn't it?