Chapter One

Everything was turned into darkness. Not even a speck of light could be seen.

No light. No sounds. Nothing. Jade doesn't even know if there is really space or time in here. She could not feel anything, and the feeling of not feeling anything even her body couldn't be explained into words unless you experience it yourself. It's just... unexplainable.

All she knows is that, her consciousness is here.

She can think, if that's what it meant, but nothing else. She can't fall asleep nor do anything other than think. But she doesn't have anything to think of— she can't remember anything. She knew nothing.

Everything was silent. It's the type of silence that is somewhat bothering— even the world's most quietest room cannot be compared to this. And even though she's the type who prefers silence than noise, there's just something unusual and it prevents her from being calm.

*Szzzz*

A soft sizzling sound resonated, but the sudden noise just after complete silence made it deafening.

Jade subconsciously knew that she doesn't have any body. But the noise rang straight deep in her mind and there is no way for her to block it. It sounded as if trying to take her consciousness away, and the pain from resisting against it was like the lightning that struck her. The exact same feeling. She felt that her nonexistent body suddenly appeared and its appearance only brought her the feeling of being struck by such excrutiating pain.

As if knotted chains were suddenly unlocked, she suddenly felt her awareness of herself. Her memories that somehow hid from her popped out suddenly.

'I... I died... I'm already dead...' The realization of being dead came to her like rushing waves. She felt petrified and stunned, and she'll probably have her mouth hanging agape and face ashen if she was still alive.

The moment she remembered everything that had happened, her surroundings flickered from black to white— its immediate change assaulted her senses until it dimmed down.

Jade felt the drowsiness hit her, and even after her attempts of resisting it, her consciousness immediately shut down.

...

Images of different places swiftly passed her, and it seems that she's going to a certain destination. Her vision hovered over huge buildings and tall skyscrapers that looked the same yet different. Something in the atmosphere made it strange, yet the feeling of danger could not be felt.

The pace of her flight accelerated, too fast that the scenery just seem to suddenly change. Lush green trees stood upright, their densely packed leaves covered the sunlight which barely passed through its thick layers. Yet the ground still looked brightly lit, magical even. Then, a forceful suction grabbed her. Though it's pressure was enormous, it didn't hurt her, but it didn't stop her from being wary. Her caution, however, was useless as she can't even do anything to her motionless self. Knowing that all her wishful thinking would all just end in her mind, she didn't try to resist.

If ever she still has her physical body right now, her heart probably would have been long gone from her chest, with it wildly pumping due to the inevitable tension she feels.

Then again, a spark flashed, a streak of light as bright as the sun rushed towards her, the scene of being struck by lightning once again played in her mind. Jade panicked, yet she can't do anything to stop it. Her movements weren't caused by her and so far, she's frozen still and she can't do a thing about it.

With a frightened feeling, she braced herself for the impact using the last millisecond she could find.

Then once again, everything turned black.

...

A sensational warmth embraced her being. As if she's currently bundled up inside a cocoon. Comfort washed through her, immediately relaxing her state.

However, not long after she got used to the comfortable warmth, it gradually turned cold.

A soft, hand-like figure held Jade's shoulders, the other one gently patting her cheeks in a very anxious manner.

"Eli, baby, wake up! What's wrong???"

And panicked voice of a woman drifted into her ears. The woman's voice was shaky and seems to have a trace of fright.

'Who's Eli? Why is she touching me and not the Eli?'  Jade thought, confused. She was just lamenting before that she had died, right? But how can she... still feel a person's touch? Was it all a dream? A nightmare?

A sob caught her attention, just as she felt the woman lift her up to her bosom, and speedily ran.

Then, she was stunned silly. How did the woman carry HER? She's at least 164 centimeters tall, and the way she held her felt like her body was so small to just fit inside the woman's arms.

Did she just shrink back to being a kid mostly 2-3 years old? Of course she's not! This whole scenario was probably just a dream! Jade continued to convince herself, yet she can clearly feel her surroundings. It's too real to be a dream, but it's too unreal even after all these years of reading fantasy books. Because, she can still differ her fantasies from reality. And this situation might turn her mad.

The woman ran, tightly hugging her in her embrace. "Eli, dear, please just hold on and I'll bring you to the doctor. You'll wake up... You will be fine..." Jade felt that the woman kissed her forehead, her words most likely to console herself.

'Is she... Is she talking to ME? Why is she calling ME Eli?' Jade was definitely confused by all these. She wanted to know what's happening, SEE what's happening. But as if glue was poured over her eyes and chains binding her movements, even doing anything but shallowly breathe is impossible — she could only listen.

Annoyed by such restrictions, she tried to forcefully open her eyes, or even just move her fingers. At last, after multiple tries in moving a part of her body, her eyes twitched, tears silently flowed out before bright rays of light blinded her. She hurriedly tried to get used to the sudden brightness, and as though the woman felt her small movements, she swiftly turned her face as Jade— eyes sparkling as if given a new hope in life.

"Eli? Eli? Can you hear me, little Eli? This is me, Mommy!"

As the woman called, relief was evident in her voice, looking at the still squinting Jade with anticipation.

As Jade's sight looked just right, what she saw before her made her stunned.

A woman, who seemed to be in her late 20's was staring at her with tears threatening to burst out from her green eyes. But it was because she was happy, her lips parted slightly into a smile. Her face was clear without any blemishes, and her strawberry blonde hair was tied into a loose ponytail, shorter strands hanging on her face. It's true that she's a beautiful woman, but what made her shocked was because she looked like the younger version of her own mother! Just changing her eyes into hazel, she'd be the exact replica of her!

Out of instinct, she called out, "M-mom..my..."

Once again, she was astonished! Her voice was that of a child!

Before she could react any expression, images appeared in her mind. To be more exact, memories. But since what she was seeing was the perspective of a 3-year-old child, it was short and ended until just before this event. Before she knew it, she's already being checked upon by a female doctor. As her physical body was first checked, she let her mind wander on what has been happening.

Azalea Eliot Jadeite, that's her name. Her mother is called Chrissy Paige, and as for her father, she only knew of his surname, as that was what she used. She lived with her mother and her grandparents, but because their jobs were a bit more complicated, they were rarely in the house during the early morning.

It seems that what happened to her greatly frightened the lady, as when she was just about to wake her up, she didn't. At first, the woman thought that the child was just in a deep sleep, so she let her be for a while and finished preparing their breakfast. But after some time again, she noticed that her breathing was rather shallow and her heartbeat was very slow. On top of that, she couldn't wake up. But apart from those symptoms, it seems that she's perfectly fine. She has never contacted any illnesses before, even just a simple cold, and her body was at its very peak. It's impossible for her to be deprived of sleep or feel anxiety during her three years in life. Furthermore, her physical condition was beyond average of a child, strong and healthy.

Thankfully, Jade woke up before then. And now, she's in the body of Azalea. Currently , she's rather confused on which between these lives are real. Her life as the young woman Jade, or the little girl Azalea.