"Big brother, wake up. Something happened at the orphanage. Granny Helen is calling for you."
Leo groggily opened his eyes, wondering who was shaking him so late. When his vision focused on Chloe’s face, he was instantly awake.
"What is it, Chloe? What's wrong? Why are you waking me?"
"I don't know the details. Something happened, and Granny Helen urgently needs you in the back garden."
Leo immediately threw off his thin blanket and pulled on his clothes. He never doubted Chloe’s word for a second.
In the orphanage, everyone was like family, but some bonds were forged stronger than others. He thought of Chloe as his real little sister, and he loved her as one.
The moment Leo left the room, Chloe's worried expression twisted into a sinister sneer.
"Please forgive me, my dear big brother," she whispered to the empty doorway. "If you don't die, Young Master Mark will never make me his concubine. You can only blame your bad luck for seeing something you shouldn't have."
Leo was seventeen, Chloe fifteen. For years, he had shared his own food with her, as the orphanage never had enough to go around.
He could still remember her crying from hunger when she first arrived five years ago, so he had given her half of his own meager portions every day since.
Because of this, Leo was rail-thin and scrawny, but he had always been happy to provide for the girl he considered his sister.
Outside, the frigid night air, thick with the mist of approaching winter, bit at his skin.
The back garden was shrouded in an impenetrable darkness. Leo could barely see his own hands in front of his face.
He could just make out a solitary figure standing in the gloom.
"Granny, what happened?" he called out, his voice laced with worry. She wouldn't have summoned him at this hour unless it was something serious.
Before he could take another step, a blinding pain exploded at the back of his skull.
His vision blurred, stars bursting behind his eyes. As he collapsed to the damp earth, his gaze fell upon a sinister smile from the last person he would have ever expected.
It was Chloe, an iron rod gripped tightly in her hands.
"Why?" Leo managed to choke out, the single word a pained whisper before his consciousness faded into blackness.
A young man stepped out from the shadows of the garden, smiling charmingly at Chloe.
He walked over and pulled her into a deep kiss.
"What a little demoness you are," he murmured against her lips. "Didn't you feel even a flicker of guilt, killing this 'big brother' of yours?"
Chloe pushed away from him, her voice hard.
"He was nothing but a wimp. He shared a few scraps of food and thought that made him my brother? He should have never seen what you were doing. Now stop talking nonsense and get me out of here," Chloe said, her tone sharp.
"Such a heartless woman. Let's go. I'll have to punish you properly for that."
Leo’s eyes flew open and he shot upright in bed, gasping for air.
"It was just a dream," he panted, drenched in a cold sweat. "Thank God!"
But then he looked around. As he took in his surroundings, his eyes widened in shock. This wasn't the cramped, familiar room at the orphanage where he'd fallen asleep.
"What's going on? Where am I?" he whispered, his confusion mounting.
He was surrounded by gleaming medical instruments, and a tangle of thin wires snaked from the machines to his own body.
Just then, the door slammed open, and five people rushed into the room.
Before he could process anything, a woman threw her arms around him in a desperate hug.
"My son! My baby! You're awake!" she cried, pressing frantic kisses to his cheek and forehead.
No one moved to stop her. Tears welled in the eyes of the others as they watched the emotional reunion.
After a long moment, an older woman placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Sarah, you should control your emotions. He's just woken up. He’s confused. Give him a moment. Let the doctor check on him first."
Only then did the woman, Sarah, pull back, her composure returning.
"Doctor, please, check his condition."
But before the doctor could take a step, a piercing scream tore from Leo’s throat. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed onto the bed, unconscious once more.
"No, no, no! What happened to my baby?" The color drained from Sarah's face.
After being comatose for two long years, her son had finally awoken, only to lose consciousness again. She felt herself on the verge of collapse.
The doctor rushed forward. As he examined Leo, a strange energy flowed from his hands into the boy's body.
After a moment, he looked up at Sarah.
"Please don't worry, my lady. The young master is all right. He is just sleeping. He will wake up in a while."
The older woman was crying now as well. When she and Sarah heard the doctor's words, a wave of palpable relief washed over them.
"Doctor, are you telling the truth?" Sarah pleaded. "Please don't give me false hope."
"I wouldn't dare lie to you, my lady. The young master is truly all right. Let him sleep. You should prepare some nourishing food for him."
At that, both Sarah and her mother finally let out a long, shaky breath.
She turned to two maids standing by the door.
"Go, prepare a healthy meal."
Then she looked at her mother.
"Mother, give the doctor a top-quality Astral Shard."
The doctor's eyes widened in disbelief and gratitude.
"Thank you, my lady. Thank you. But I would like to wait here until the young master wakes up."
The old woman nodded, then left the room with the two maids.
Sarah sat by Leo's bed, gently stroking his hair.
Three hours later, Leo opened his eyes again. This time, the confusion was gone, replaced by a dizzying torrent of information. The memories of the body's previous owner—a twelve-year-old boy, also named Leo—flooded his mind. The revelation shook him to his core.
He had transmigrated to a Aether-Powered World.
And this Leo was the heir of an Sovereign family in the Argent Continent.
The moment his eyes opened, his mother, who was still sitting vigilantly by his side, noticed.
She cried out happily and rushed to bring the food. This time, she kept her composure, allowing the doctor to examine him first.
After channeling his energy into Leo's body one more time, the doctor smiled.
"Young master, you are all right now. Please eat healthily and do some light exercise. You have been in a coma for two whole years. Your body needs movement."
Leo's eyes widened.
Two years? This body was in a coma for two years? The poor boy must have died, and only then did I transmigrate. That means… Chloe really did kill me, Leo thought, a profound sadness clouding his features.
"What happened, son? Don't think about anything else right now. Eat. You were surviving on nutrition serum for two years."
Sarah entered the room with her mother, followed by two maids holding large trays laden with steaming, fragrant dishes.
"Mom," Leo said, the word feeling foreign and heavy on his tongue. He was an orphan in his previous life and had never seen his parents.
Even though she was the mother of this body, it would take time for him to truly merge with this new life.
Hearing him speak the word, Sarah felt her heart swell with a warmth she hadn't known in years.
"Please eat, son. We can talk later."
Bowl after bowl of exquisite food was placed on a table before him.
Leo had never seen so much food in his entire life. He began to eat like a starved animal.
Sarah watched him with a gentle smile. Seeing her son devouring a meal in front of her after two years, fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks.
While he ate, Leo felt his own emotions merging with the lingering feelings of the body's previous owner.
He paused, looking up from his bowl.
"Mom, where is Dad? And why are we here?"
Sarah's smile faltered, and a shadow passed over her mother's face as well.
"We'll talk about that later, son. You eat first."
Leo didn't press the issue. He finished every last bite of the meal.
But before he could ask anything else, his mother stood up.
"Rest now. We will talk later."
With that, everyone left the room.
Leo, however, didn't lie back down. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He needed to move, just as the doctor had advised.
Then, suddenly, a faint shimmer appeared at the edge of his vision.
What is this?
As soon as the question formed in his mind, the shimmer expanded into a full interface, a screen he recognized with a jolt of shock. It was the game he had been playing the night he died:
"Endless Ascension"
The interface depicted the avatar of a young man in a white robe, sitting cross-legged in meditation.
Beside the figure was a status panel.
[Name: Leo Sullivan]
[Ascension talent: Unawakened]
[Ascension Level: Null]
[Ascension base: 0/1000]
[Energy absorption: 0/s]
Leo’s eyes were wide with disbelief. What was this game interface doing here? Had it transmigrated with him?
His gaze fell on a "Cultivate" option at the bottom of the screen.
He focused his will on the button.
[1 top-grade Astral Shard is needed to start cultivation]