CHAPTER: 2

There was no pain.

No noise.

No weight in his limbs, no beating in his chest. Just stillness. Peaceful. Eternal.

Sean opened his eyes to a sky too beautiful to be real — a canvas of golden light dancing over rolling meadows and trees swaying in a wind that didn't bite. Flowers bloomed with impossible colors, and a calm stream trickled nearby with a melody that soothed the soul.

For a moment, he didn't even remember his name. He just… was.

He stood there barefoot, wearing soft clothes that felt like air, and took in the silence — not the heavy kind, but the kind that gently wraps around you like a warm blanket. He sat by the stream, dipped his fingers in, and smiled to himself.

"So this is heaven…" he whispered, chuckling softly. "It's… beautiful."

Time had no meaning there. There was no sun nor moon, no clocks, no appointments. Sean simply existed — wandering meadows, laying under trees, sometimes sitting by the water in quiet thought. There were no responsibilities, no cancer, no aching bones.

He had always sought a quiet life — and he had found it. Though strangely, it began to feel too quiet. Too empty. A life without meaning was still a life, but Sean began to wonder…

Is this all there is?

Then, one day, something changed.

The wind stopped.

The birds that once chirped sweetly vanished.

The blue sky slowly shifted into heavy, grey clouds that rolled like waves above his head. A chill crept into the air, and the peace was replaced by an unsettling stillness. Sean stood up from his resting place, staring at the changing sky.

"Ngano man ni…?"

Then came the fog — thick and creeping. His vision began to blur, and suddenly, his knees gave in. He clutched his chest.

"So… mamatay nasab ko ani ron?" he muttered, half-laughing, half-weeping. The stillness became noise — a pulsing hum of something beyond, something calling.

Then, the world shattered.

Blinding light consumed everything — not harsh, but overwhelming, like the warmth of a sun that burned from within. Sean couldn't move. He couldn't think. Tears flowed from his eyes without his permission.

Then — voices.

Soft, muffled. Mysterious.

He tried to open his eyes, but everything was hazy. He tried to move, but his limbs were too small, too weak. That's when it hit him.

Did I… get reincarnated or something?

He heard familiar words — Japanese. But they sounded different. Older. Formal.

"Japan? Countryside?" he thought, still trying to blink away the fog. "Is this… ancient Japan?"

As the haze began to clear, he found himself swaddled in warmth — wrapped in a soft cloth, held close to a figure. The scent of lilies. The touch of a delicate but strong hand. He looked up… and gasped.

A woman. Beautiful. Pale lavender eyes like moonlight on snow. Dark, silky hair cascading past her shoulders. She wore a white kimono with lilac trimming. Her expression was serene — gentle, yet with a silent strength in her gaze.

Sean — or rather, this new baby — stared at her.

"Pale eyes… no way."

Then, another figure appeared beside her. A man. Tall, proud, clad in formal robes. His face was stern, unreadable, but not cold. He held his hands behind his back, and his sharp white eyes peered down at the baby with quiet judgment.

Sean's breath caught.

"That's Hiashi Hyuga…!"

"No… wait.""He only had two children, right? Hinata and Hanabi?""So who… who am I?"

Before he could spiral deeper into his thoughts, the woman spoke, her voice like soft bells:

"Let's name him… Haruka."

Sean's eyes widened.

Haruka…?

The woman smiled gently at the child in her arms.

"His eyes," she explained, "remind me of a white flower. Pure and soft. Even though this world is full of hatred, I want him to be a flower that blooms in a beautiful spring… surrounded by people who will love and support him."

Sean — now Haruka — felt tears prick his tiny eyes. Her warmth… her words… they cut through the fear.

Hiashi finally stepped forward, lowering himself to get a closer look at the boy. His hard eyes softened just a little.

"This boy…" he said with a nod, "will grow into a fine man. A pride of the Hyuga Clan."

Hina Hyuga, as she was called, smiled and pressed her lips gently to the baby's forehead.

Haruka.

A flower blooming in spring.

In a world he once thought was fiction — now reborn as one of its noble bloodlines.

And so, Sean's second life began… not as a lawyer, not as a simple store owner — but as Haruka of the Hyuga Clan.

And the winds of destiny had already begun to stir.