Chapter 2: The History of The Country Feline

"I think I'll name him Sulien," the

voice who was claiming to be Sulien's mother said. "I think we should name her

Kamaria," the voice Kamaria heard said.

Both were babies, held in separate

arms, under separate roofs, by parents they'd never known—yet both with names

whispered in identical reverence. Same name. Same features. (At least, that's

what they think.) At this point, Kamaria and Sulien think about their

situations, but neither connects the dots.

Neither remembers the other.

Neither even knows the other exists.

"Welcome to Crystoia, Valoria, I'm Minori, your mother." The voice soft as clouds said with practiced warmth. "And i'm your father, Kagetsu Kobayashi!" the man- loud,proud, and regal- declared like a noblemen from a classic jidaigeki drama. Sulien, still adjusting to the surreal light of rebirth, blinked slowly. He wasn't in the run down apartment he had known before as home.

No flickering bulbs. No peeling paint.

No hunger gnawing at his ribs like a second skeleton.

Instead, he was lying on a plush futon

of fine silk, draped in a double-layered blanket embroidered with golden

chrysanthemums. The scent of fresh tatami straw and burning sandalwood filled the room. His small, swaddled body rested inside a chamber that looked more

like a museum than a nursery. Kutani ware, hand-painted with phoenixes and

golden clouds, glowed from lit cabinets along the wall.

Byōbu(folding screens) painted with cranes and seasonal mountains separated the chamber from the next. The tatami flooring wasn't just custom-made — it was bordered with shimmering gold thread, an expensive detail only seen in homes of the elite. A lacquered table rested in the corner, set with a delicate incense holder and porcelain teacups unused but pristine. And the ceiling?

Hand-painted, in soft ink, with a spiral of stars-Crytoia style constellations,

the family crest woven into the centre. It felt like a palace.

He was fed with silver-spoon care,

bathed in herbal water, wrapped in silk, and rocked to sleep by hands that had

never known calluses. Every breath he took was wrapped in luxury. Sulien,

though still a baby, could feel the contrast deep in his soul. It was jarring. Once,

he had begged for a single bowl of rice. Now, he was being waited on like a

blessing reborn. It was confusing. Overwhelming. And though he had no words…

His new heart beat with unease.

*

"Kamaria! Look over here!" The voice

was sweet, too sweet, like honey masking something bitter. "Welcome to Keidonia, Vorthalys. I'm your mother, Sora," she said, her voice casual, as if

introducing herself to a stranger in a shopping district. "And I'm your father,

Rasetsu Suzuki," a deeper voice added, gentle, but worn out, like an old

shamisen string still trying to play a lullaby. Kamaria looked around with

heavy eyes. She was not in a palace. Not in a room of treasures.This… was

survival. The futon beneath her was thin, patched with scraps of fabric that

didn't match. The floor creaked under every step—rough wooden planks without finish. The air was cold, and so was she. No incense. No heat. No comfort. Just the scent of dust, boiled barley, and clothesline-dried fabric. The walls were bare, save for a faded calendar tacked loosely beside a cracked cabinet.

No glowing display cases.

No artwork.

No lullabies — unless you count the

coughs echoing from the other room.

She wasn't cleaned often — only if she

cried hard enough. Her meals were infrequent. Swaddling was a luxury, not a

routine. The single small window was barred with bamboo slats, letting in more

shadows than sun. Outside, she could hear the sounds of motorbikes, children

shouting, someone scolding a dog. This was the world she had come into. And

Kamaria—whose soul remembered warmth and wealth—felt it.She wasn't just uncomfortable. She was angry. She didn't know who she was yet. But her heart screamed: I don't belong here. I want to die

again.. and wake up somewhere else.

*

A Few Years Later.

Now, Kamaria and Sulien were starting

to attend school. To their status, they still didn't know that either of them lived in the same world. Same sky, same ground… yet unaware.

Kamaria still hadn't adjusted to her

new life, while Sulien was just beginning to. The past still clung to both of them like an invisible thread — a thread pulled taut across lifetimes.

Knock.Knock.

"Young Sir, it's time to wake up for

school. You are going to be late!"

The maid's voice came sharply through

the wooden frame of the sliding door, tone stern, refined — as if her words

themselves had been trained. "(Muffled groans) I don't want to go." Sulien

grumbled from beneath the heavy quilt, his voice muffled against silk pillows. "You must go. It is your duty as a child to attend school and increase your

knowledge." Without waiting, the maid swept into the room, throwing open the

shoji screens to let in the soft morning light. She tugged at his blanket and

began dressing him with methodical precision. Sulien winced at the brightness and sighed. In another life, he would've stayed home with no one to care. Here… he had everything. And still, it didn't feel like his.

At school, Sulien was immediately

surrounded by many students — all eager, all friendly, all fake. Children of

nobles, pushed by their families to be near him. After all, Sulien was the

child of two high-ranking figures in Crystoia. Influence was a currency, and he

was a walking vault. "Class! Gather around. Today we are going to be learning

about the world that we live in," the teacher called out, clapping his hands. Finally,

Sulien thought. Maybe I can finally learn

something real about this place. The teacher gestured to a glowing board as

glyphs lit up across it. "The whole world is called Feline, but we are split

into three groups," she began. "We are called the Balancers — very rare humans

who can use both light and shadow magic. Our souls are connected to something

ancient, like the Eclipsion Entity. Most don't know what they are at first." We can

;Use both types of magic (light & dark).

Can bond with others to boost their power.

Grow stronger by

training. Balancers…? Sulien repeated the word in his mind. It rang oddly

familiar — as if he'd heard it before in a dream.

The teacher continued:

"We live in a kingdom called Crystoia,

and in the city of Valoria. We have our separate regions, as the founders of

Crystoia did not get along during the development of this world. Therefore,

this is why we have three groups and countries." I wonder, Sulien

thought, his fingers twitching slightly, why did they not get along? Why are

we separated into three groups just because of some disagreement or whatever?

The thought clung to him like a

splinter. A puzzle left unfinished.

He raised his hand. "Teacher?" he

asked quietly.

The room stilled.

"Yes, Young Sulien?" the teacher

replied quickly — careful, respectful. In Feline, rank was law. And Sulien?

Even the teachers bowed to his name. "Why did our ancestors not get along?" The teacher froze for a beat too long. "Young Sulien… that is something you will learn later, as you grow up. You are not ready for that information now." But

I am… Sulien thought, a whisper in his heart. Even in his previous world,

Sulien was a prodigy — a mind too sharp for his own good. It was part of what

had made him a target. Smart. Kind. Quiet. Alone. People like Kamaria had once used him to cheat, to copy, to mock. Now, they praised him — but for all the

wrong reasons.

*

Kamaria's life, on the other hand, was

far from refined.

Her school was underfunded, rough

around the edges, and didn't provide her with the information she needed. But

she had books. Books she hated. Books she had to endure. Because if she wanted to understand this world — if she wanted to know who she really was — she had to turn the pages. "Hmm… what book should I read to find out about this weird world?" Kamaria mumbled, pacing by the shelf. "And I'm speaking to myself… again." She sighed. Loneliness echoed in her small voice like wind in an empty shrine. In her old life, she had been adored. Cherished. Chased. Here? She was alone. Her parents — Sora and Rasetsu — were too busy working to be present. They loved her, maybe, but from a distance. Still, they tried to give her the best they could afford. Her fingers brushed a leather-bound book.

Ah ha!

"A Book About the Three Kingdoms." She opened it, and the musty scent of old parchment greeted her like a ghost.

Long ago, there lived

three men who once ruled the country Feline together, as whole, before it was divided into three kingdoms. However, they weren't normal men — they contained magic inside of them. One was superior, and the other two were left

inferior to him. They didn't know how to contain their magic properly, so when

it would go out of control, the superior man would help balance the magic. This

is where his name 'Balancer' came from. Kamaria raised an eyebrow. Balancer? She read on.

The second superior was something called a Mage, who was born with the natural ability to use magic. They train to control elements, cast spells, or heal

others. Magic comes from study, focus, or magical bloodlines. He would heal the

other two anytime they had any accidents. He would use spells and would control the four elements of nature. He then called himself and his future people 'Mages'.

 The last and final man… really didn't have anything. He could only travel through darkness. But one day, he got jealous — and in a fit of rage, tried to kill the other two magic users. When his plan

failed, he turned toward the dark. This is where his name 'Shadowbinder' comes

from. He was someone who used magic to tie himself to shadows, spirits, or

memories. Shadowbinders could see memories or speak to spirits. They could

create illusions or create shadow figures (usually to scare people or to fight

alongside them). They could travel through the dark or hide in it.

These people were seen as 'cursed'. Therefore, they are frowned upon by the other two groups. Kamaria's fingers tightened on the pages. So there's spirits in this world too…? Her eyes scanned the final lines.

The Balancers were located in the land Crystoia.

The Mages were located in the land Thildesa.

The Shadowbinders were located in the land Keidonia.

Kamaria froze.

Wait… I live in that land… Keidonia. Her heart skipped. Does that mean…

For days and nights, Kamaria held that thought in her young mind like a thorn she couldn't pull out. Why? Out of all 3 kingdoms… why the worst one?

She didn't truly know if it was the

worst — not yet. She hadn't even awakened her powers. After all, she was only 3 years old. But even at that tender age, her sharp instincts had already started to whisper. Whisper that something wasn't right. That something about this place felt… lesser. And somehow, even as a child, she had managed to piece together where she belonged. Not through magic or memory — but through how the world looked at her. How it treated her. The world of Keidonia was cold. And Kamaria had already begun to feel its chill.

Sulien, on the other hand, was 6 — old

enough to walk with purpose, to train with dreams. And he did. Every day, under

the careful eyes of instructors, he practiced the forms and stances of his

people.

The Balancers — born to command both

light and shadow.

Most Balancers didn't unlock their

mana or magic until the age of 8, but Sulien had started early. Why wait for destiny, when you could fight for it?

He was determined — not for praise,

not even for power — but for a reason that burned in his heart since he had

discovered who he was in this new world.

He wanted to be ready.

Because once his magic bloomed, it

would mean he had truly arrived. He wouldn't just be the noble son of Crystoia

— he would be something more.

Something powerful.

Something that no one could look down

on again.