Tim slowly opened his eyes as he rose from the floor, he was lying in. His head still felt a bit heavier but unlike before it was a bit more acceptable. He never knew what was causing his brain to act like that but surely it was not natural.

Soon, Tim stood up on his feet, looking around the room to calculate the damage he had caused and surely everything was there. But where was the woman he tried to strangle?

For some reason Tim felt a little bit calmer after waking up. The feeling of anger was there but not in that exploding sense anymore. He could think straight now.

Next the door opened and the same woman entered the room once again. Tim had forgotten to take a closer look at her with his raging mind but now, when he looked again, she seemed a lot more beautiful than before.

She appeared to be in her late twenties at most. Her face was pretty with not so sharp or not so dull features. She wore a conservative maid uniform, resembling Victorian variant. It consisted of a long black dress that tightly stuck to her figure, doing nothing to hide her curves. Over it was, was a frilly white apron that dropped to her ankles. She used white waistband as a simple decoration.

Her brown hair was styled up in a bun, with some strands falling on her shoulders. Her skin was milk white as Tim’s. Her luscious lips thinly knit together as she smiled worryingly.

“You are awake…?” said the maid, slowly moving closer, despite experiencing the recent happenings.

“I am awake and… sorry for what I just did, Sophia… wait…how do I know your na…”

Tim couldn’t even complete his sentence as the barrage of memories of him with this maid were lunged into his brain out of nowhere. Within seconds he could remember everything about her in vague details.

But what stood out the most was some unusual feelings Tim couldn’t acknowledge. Just looking at her made him feel sad yet happy. Felt like she was his first love and at the same time first heartbreak. Wanted to hold her but always out of grasp. A very strange yet familiar feeling.

Tim even felt like he could trust her with his life. An absurd emotion when he just met her like an hour ago.

Still, that was not all. There were many more and those were intimate kissing with her followed by steamy nights. It was not even once but many times.

“What-” Tim muttered out loud as his brain recollected everything, particularly nights with her. He could feel the sensation of touching her lips, bosoms, and many other parts. Just what the fuck was going on?

‘That’s not me, I didn’t do any of that.’ Tim yelled inwardly, taking a couple of steps back. Everything just felt too real for them to be fake or a lucid dream.

“Lord, are you okay?” asked Sophia, standing just a couple of feet away from Tim.

“What’s my name?”

“What?”

“I said what is my name?”

“Leonhart…”

“Leonhart Tristan Von Esper, right?”

“Yes, Lord.”

‘Shit!’

As soon as he heard the name, Tim’s brain filled him with all the details he needed, which was a lot. He now had imprecise memories of someone named Leonhart who was in the empire named Espedor as a duke’s son.

Just a moment ago he was in the testing facility getting obliterated by his friend and in the next moment he was in this country. How was that even possible?

What about Rose, Frank? What happened to them? If he was here, were they too? He was supposed to be dead but how did he even get here inside another human’s body?

Million questions emerged and Tim’s headache gradually increased. Nothing made any sense but in the next instance everything made sense.

He could understand their language, feel the air, and had memories of someone else. Did his soul slip into another universe? If it did then the whole thing became perfectly logical. But that was just impossible.

How could anyone explain a freaking soul getting passed into another dimension or a universe? But if that was not the case then how did he have memories of someone else?

Tim was now contradicting himself.

“Calm down, Tim. Calm down.” Tim said to himself, taking a deep breath and sat on the floor, trying to piece everything together.

“Sophia, did I really… kiss you?”

“Yes Lord. Last night, we slept together. Don’t you remember?” Answered the maid in a casual tone as if it was the most obvious thing to say.

“I…”

And in the next moment his brain gave him the piece of the puzzle. Tim remembered every little thing he did last night with her, proving the truth in her words.

“Lord, are you not feeling well? You are acting strange?” responded the maid in a soft tone, sitting down on the floor in front of Tim.

“I don’t know what I am feeling anymore.” Tim sighed as a broken smile appeared on his face. It only took a couple of minutes to break his already broken world. He thought he could protect the ones close to him but failed again. Just how fragile this life was?

And now he was here in this unknown place talking to an unknown person, having familiar yet unfamiliar feelings. Something neither his brain nor his heart could recognize.

“I understand.” Replied the maid with a calm expression on her face.

“Thanks.”

Tim faced the floor reflecting upon his choices when he felt someone embracing him. His face was pushed into something soft as his nose picked up a very pleasant scent. And it was none other than Sophia who hugged him saying nothing.

She knew Leon was not feeling well and it was the only thing she could do to make him feel better.

As for Tim, he didn’t hate it. He was a reserved guy who didn’t like to get touched or hugged by strangers but she was different. It was as if he had known her for as long as he could remember.

Strangely Tim liked her scent and getting squeezed into her bosom as he involuntarily wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her even closer. Never knew why he did that but felt like he should do that.

Normally Tim’s heart should have been beating out of his chest but now it was calm. His mind was at peace and the stinging sensation in his head slowly dissipated. He liked her warmth and she let him do what he wanted.

Tim wanted to stay like this forever but Sophia had another plan. She gently moved his head before lowering herself to kiss him on the lips.

Tim was beyond shocked but did nothing to stop her. Closing her eyes, she pressed her pink lips onto his and he couldn’t object. It seemed his body couldn’t do anything.

Her lips were soft, almost silken, and pillowy against his own. Tim could feel the soft tickle of her breath beneath his nose, fingers carding through her hair as they breathed each other in. A completely new emotion surged in him as he craved more but Sophia couldn’t let him.

Moving her lips away she touched her forehead with his and asked looking into his eyes with a very slow tone, only heard by themselves. “Tell me?”

“I… I had a nightmare…” Tim mumbled.

“What did you see?” Sophia asked again in the same tone, not changing her position.

“Lost the ones I loved the most… Didn’t cherish the moment I had… Betrayed by the people who never deserved my trust…I failed”

Droplets of tears escaped Tim’s eyes as he finished his words. He truly lost everyone he ever loved. Failed at protecting them. Failed at saving the ones he loved the most. The immense guilt weighed on his heart as the hopelessness shrouded his mind.

“You didn’t lose anyone. You have me. You have everyone. It was just a dream… Forget it…”

Sophia kissed Leon again in the forehead, as she smiled in a graceful manner, wiping his tears. Tim kept looking into her eyes where he saw hope. A new light, which he desperately needed.

Soon she pulled back, slowly standing back on her feet, extending her hands towards Tim. He held it and she helped him back on his feet.

“Dreams don't decide our fate Leon… We make it. And I know you will never fail. So, cheer up. You have a new day to live.” Added Sophia still holding Tim’s hands with the same smile on her face.

“Yes…”

Tim never knew why he told her the story in a vague manner but felt like he needed to tell her. Within moments she became someone he really could trust. Didn’t know how but knew she was different.

Sophia tried to let go of Leon's hand but he didn’t as he spoke slowly with a soft smile on his face.

“Thank you.”

She said nothing but just gave an equal smile, clutching his hands more tightly for one last time before leaving towards the bathroom where she would prepare the bath for him.

Seeing her disappearing figure Tim awoke from the little daze he was in. He didn’t know why she kissed him but he liked it. He really wanted more but didn’t force himself upon her.

All of this was very peculiar but it helped him calm down. His derailed thoughts had found a way and Tim could think clearly.

And with these new found memories Tim didn’t feel that awkward anymore as his familiarity towards this place gradually improved. Now he could remember where the clothes were or why there was an empty wine bottle beside the bed and many other things.

Sophia came back from the bathroom, making all the necessary arrangements and gestured for Tim to enter.

Tim nodded adding no further and went inside the room, closing the door behind him. Striping his clothes, he plunged himself into the bathtub where he spent at least fifteen minutes just relaxing.

Countless thoughts passed through his mind during this time and one of them was this empire called Espedor. Information regarding which was already printed in his brain. For example, this empire dated centuries and was in transition between the late and modern mediaeval era where things were getting rapidly invented.

Many pointless wars were being fought but Tim had no interest in them. So, he shifted his mind elsewhere and that was on himself. He was now a duke’s son who ruled an enormous land. Both immensely rich and powerful. But his son was a little messed up or that’s what the glimpse of memories told him.

Tim had no idea how or why he was here inside a freaking human being whose memories he carried in vague niceties. But decided to roll with whatever he got because there was no point in asking anyone. They would think of him as a madman anyway.

After a couple of minutes of thinking, Tim concluded that this world was not that different from the one he had hailed but a little too old to become relatable. Still, not so bad, or not so good. And he liked it that way.

Cleaning himself up, Tim got out of the bath wearing nothing but a towel and soon found a perfectly cleaned dress which consisted of just trousers and a shirt.

Donning the attire, he exited the bathroom and was again received by Sophia.

“Leon, your mother is calling you. You should talk to her, before doing anything.” Added the maid, closing the dresser.

“Mother.”

Tim mumbled as the stinging sensation in his brain returned. He lost his mother twenty seven years ago. She won't be here unless this really was a nightmare.

“She was worried about you. You should tell her what you told me. It will ease her mind, you know.”

“Yes and where is she?”

"In your father's office. That's where she mostly is."

"Father." Tim could not understand what was going on here. How were his parents here? What about his Sister?

"My Sister?"

"She… she should be in the garden."

“Oh. Ok”

“And I should call someone to fix this mess.”

Sophia sighed kneeling on the floor picking the broken wooden pieces and Tim felt guilty for giving her pointless work.

“I am sorry… I was just out of my…”

“No worries, Leon. It is nothing. I will handle it. You should go.”  She responded with a smile and Tim nodded.

Leaving Sophia inside the room, Tim got out and traversed his way through large corridors towards the room where his family was supposed to be in. He was told where they were but not how he was going to get there. He just knew it.

And soon he stood before the gates to the office of the duke. Tim was neither happy nor sad. He was just curious and a little surprised.

He knocked on the door and a deep voice was heard.

“Come in.”                                                                                 

Tim took a deep breath and finally entered the room. 'Here we go then.'