Peak Between Two: Mushoku Tensei

-Luciel Greyrat-

I ignored the pain in my hand, leaving the wound open—there was no time to worry about it now.

I sprinted through the village streets, my breath heavy, my heartbeat racing faster than ever.

The wind howled around me, carrying the scent of damp earth mixed with something foreign… something that shouldn't be here.

By the time I reached home, the atmosphere had already turned tense.

I saw it in Father's and Mother's expressions—serious, wary. Lilia stood in the corner, her face clouded with worry, while Norn and Aisha clung to Father's arms, restless and uneasy.

I barely had a moment to speak before the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind.

Sylphiette had just arrived, panting, her face filled with confusion.

But I had no time to explain.

Because deep inside…

I knew this was bad.

I rushed into the house, leaving Sylphiette stunned at the entrance.

"Luci? Wait—your hand!"

Mother hurried toward me, her concern shifting to alarm as she noticed the burns on my palm.

I glanced at my injured hand before casually covering it with my other one. "Ah… I was practicing magic earlier. Just a little accident."

Mother let out an exasperated sigh before immediately casting healing magic over my hand.

A soft green light enveloped my skin, and within seconds, the pain vanished.

But instead of relief… I felt uneasy.

Not because of the wound—but because of something else.

Mother looked at me with warmth, though she still scolded me lightly. "Honestly… I know you don't have much talent in magic, so please don't be reckless, dear."

I forced a small smile, but my thoughts were racing. "Yeah… I know, Mom."

I wanted to explain what I had sensed—to tell them that something wasn't right in the village.

But before I could open my mouth—

"Luci…"

Father called out to me.

He approached, still holding Norn and Aisha in his arms. The two little girls were restless, their tiny hands clutching at his shirt tightly.

The moment Father crouched down to my level, the girls struggled out of his grasp—

And the second they broke free, they ran straight to me.

They threw themselves into my arms, gripping my clothes desperately.

"Aa… Luci…"

Aisha murmured my name in a small, trembling voice, while Norn looked up at me with wide, frightened eyes.

I gently stroked their heads.

"What's wrong?" I asked softly, trying to soothe them.

But before anyone could answer—

The world began to tremble.

The Disaster That Shouldn't Have Been

At first, it felt like a strong gust of wind.

But within seconds—

That wind became a vortex of invisible energy.

A strange pressure filled the air, like an unseen force was pulling everything in different directions.

Mother and Lilia gripped the table, struggling to keep steady.

Father's eyes darkened—his warrior instincts flaring as he recognized an impending danger.

Meanwhile, Norn and Aisha tightened their grip on me, whimpering softly in confusion and fear.

I forced myself to stay calm. But then—

My body felt lighter.

Like something was pulling me.

"What's happening?! Is this magic?!" Father shouted, trying to resist the force, but even with his raw strength, he couldn't move freely.

Mother attempted to cast a protection spell, but before she could finish—

A blinding white light exploded through the room.

Through the overwhelming brightness, I caught sight of Sylphiette standing at the doorway—her silver-green eyes wide in horror as she witnessed the chaos inside.

"LUCIEEEEL—!!"

Her scream reached me.

But then—

The world shattered.

Into the Void

It felt like a silent explosion.

My body disintegrated into countless specks of light—

Like I was being ripped away from reality and thrown into nothingness.

A nauseating dizziness overtook me.

I could hear nothing.

See nothing.

Only darkness—and a faint, distant voice calling my name.

I tried to move.

I tried to reach out.

But there was nothing to grasp.

And before I could comprehend what was happening—

My consciousness faded away.

###

I drifted through the void.

Whether this was a dream or not, I was here.

Lost in confusion, I found myself staring at a floating cube—

A familiar cube.

And the moment I recognized it, a chill ran down my spine.

This was the reason Ryusei and I died.

A Memory from Another World

Earth. The modern world.

It all started when my research team discovered a massive meteorite, believed to have fallen during the Ice Age. But what truly shocked us was what we found surrounding it—

A temple.

A prehistoric structure built by Stone Age humans, seemingly worshipping the rock as a deity.

At first, we didn't understand what made it so special.

Then, we found the cube inside the meteorite.

And everything changed.

This cube was not from Earth.

It wasn't even from the Milky Way.

Our discovery could have changed the world—revolutionized science as we knew it.

I wanted to reveal it to the public.

But powerful forces disagreed.

They wanted the cube for themselves.

Ryusei Takeda—my childhood friend—was assigned by the government to protect me.

We faced threats, betrayals, conspiracies.

But on the day we were about to show the world our findings—

We died.

A sudden car accident.

Brake failure.

But I never believed it was an accident.

Someone had betrayed us.

And as I took my last breath in that world, I thought—

It's over.

I'll never see that cube again.

But then…

Why?

Why is it here?!

The Unanswered Mystery

I reached out.

My hand trembled as my fingers brushed against the cube's surface.

Its structure was unchanged.

The ancient inscriptions on its exterior were exactly as I remembered.

"Why…?"

And before I could even process what was happening—

My consciousness faded once more.

"B-Bro… Luci!!!"

A voice pierced through the darkness.

I coughed, my lungs suddenly filled with hot, dry air.

When my eyes fluttered open, I immediately realized something was very wrong.

I wasn't home.

I wasn't in the village.

Before me stretched an endless desert, golden sand dunes rolling beneath the scorching sun.

The wind howled, carrying fine grains of sand that stung my skin. The heat was suffocating, radiating from the vast land like a merciless furnace.

Then, I felt something clutching my arm—

Something small, trembling.

I turned.

Norn and Aisha.

Tears streamed down their little faces, their tiny hands gripping my clothes desperately.

They were here.

They had been pulled into the teleportation as well.

My chest tightened.

I was alone.

Stranded in an unknown land… with two small children to protect.

I took a deep breath, forcing my chaotic thoughts into order.

"Calm down, Luciel. Panicking won't help."

I knelt down and gently placed my hands on their small shoulders.

"Norn, Aisha… it's okay. I'm here."

Their teary eyes searched mine, full of fear.

But as they saw my steady gaze—

Their sobs softened.

Even if I didn't have the answers…

Even if I didn't know how to survive here…

I couldn't let them see my fear.

I pulled them into a firm embrace, trying to give them warmth and security.

I didn't know where we were.

I didn't know how to get back.

But one thing was clear—

I had to survive.

For them.