Levi woke to the sound of chirping birdsong.

  For several seconds he remained completely still, his eyes shut and his breathing unchanged, not giving any indication that he’d regained consciousness. Automatically feigning sleep when awoken was a habit he’d picked up long ago – many a time it had earned him invaluable information and even saved his life once or twice.

  He was lying on something soft. The air was warm but not crisp, suggesting he was indoors, and the ambient magic permeating the atmosphere was much stronger than he was used to. And… ah, that was curious.

  This wasn't his body. Even without opening his eyes, he could sense it instantly. Flesh unmarked by conflict, free from the numerous scars – tangible and arcane alike – that had caused him so much grief in the past. Breathing didn’t hurt anymore, and just that simple little fact had him wanting to jump in joy.

  But his magic…

  Oh dear. That could prove to be problematic.

  Death had warned him that he would be reincarnated, but he hadn’t clarified on the exact mechanisms that’d be used. Levi had half-expected his entire body to be transported over to the new world, but it seemed Death had chosen to transmigrate only his soul into a different body instead. For better or worse was yet to be seen.

  Once he was certain there was no one nearby to start a conversation he could conveniently eavesdrop on, Levi opened his eyes and sat up. He promptly blinked in surprise. As he’d thought, he was lying in a bed inside a room, but what he hadn’t expected was just how massive everything was. The room was easily the size of a small cottage, and the bed was so large he instinctively looked down at himself, worried that he’d been reincarnated into the body of an obese whale.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his body was in relatively good shape. A little lacking in muscle, but nothing some time and magically synthesized testosterone couldn’t fix.

  Kidding. Levi knew better than to mess with that stuff. He had met someone once in a bar who swore by it, and had almost been convinced into trying it out until the bartender had chimed in with a laugh explaining what it had done to the guy’s gonads. Levi had quickly extricated himself from the situation after that.

  But he digressed. At any rate, he continued his examination of the room, first noting the exit points before taking in the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, quartz marble flooring, and an honest-to-god chandelier hanging from the patterned mosaic ceiling.

  So. He was rich, he supposed. He got pretty lucky there; while poverty wouldn’t have been much of an obstacle for someone like him, most of his moneymaking ventures always seemed to veer into the illegal side, which then inevitably led to people wanting his head on a pike.

  Speaking of, how did reincarnation even work? What happened to the previous person who inhabited the body he was currently in–?

  His gaze fell upon the nightstand next to his bed and he froze. On the surface of the nightstand lay an empty crystal bottle of pills, a piece of parchment, and a pitcher of water.

  In a flash, he leaned over and grabbed the bottle. He inspected it closely. It was labeled in a language he didn’t recognize but was somehow able to read.

  Troches of Ashroot, most Potent & Concentrated. For Afflictions of the Throat, for Agues, and for the Burning Fever. One to be taken but once in the Day, whereby the Humours are swiftly set aright and the Body made whole. If more than One be taken, see the healer straightway; if Ten or beyond be swallowed, let the mortician be summoned.

  The bottle was completely empty.

  Oh.

  Oh shit.

  Well… Sure, there was a possibility that it was just a coincidence. His previous self might’ve just had a cough. But Levi felt physically perfectly fine, not a single symptom of sickness in sight. Which meant…

  With a sinking feeling, he reached over and grabbed the piece of parchment. On it were written just two words, in scratchy, shaky handwriting.

  I’m sorry.

  Levi breathed out slowly. Death’s words suddenly came back to him. Death is universal amongst all.

  …

  Okay, yeah, there was no denying it. The previous owner of his body had killed himself through overdose and that had allowed Death to incarnate Levi into the newly vacant body.

  That was fairly morbid. Levi cast another glance around the opulent room. Just what could’ve happened to the poor guy for him to kill himself?

  He bowed his head in a moment of silence.

  Though he had his own thoughts on suicide, he recognized that most of the time, one was only driven to kill themselves because they were experiencing such profound suffering they’d do anything to make it stop, even if their own lives were ended in the process. He couldn’t find it within himself to begrudge or scorn the ones who do. Not after…

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He shook his head. That didn’t matter anymore. In a sense, it had never even happened.

  Standing up, he made his way over to the massive full-height trifold mirror in the corner of the room. It was time to see whose life he had taken over–

  He froze.

  It was himself. While there were some minute differences, he looked more or less identical to his old self. Messy black hair that was a bit shorter than he was used to, a gaunter face that signified underweightness, and grey eyes underlined with dark circles (that was the same, at least).

  So he was in the body of his alternate dimension self, then. A Levi from another world.

  One who’d ended up killing himself.

  …

  Levi stood there for a long time, the expression on his reflection unreadable. He wanted to deny what he was seeing, but the proof was quite literally right in front of his eyes. Intellectually, he knew that it meant nothing; just because someone was his alternate self didn’t mean they were anywhere near the same person.

  But emotionally? There was just something unsettlingly visceral about staring into your own face knowing that you, or a version of you, had killed yourself.

  Slowly, he raised his hand still clutching the note. He looked down at it, the two innocent words staring almost accusingly back at him.

  Alright, then. Change of plans.

  When Levi had initially awoken in this new body, he’d immediately sensed that he had no magic whatsoever. Not even a drop.

  Originally, he had been fine with that. Its absence was physically painful, like he had lost a limb, but despite the issues it might’ve caused later down the line, he had still felt a strange sense of relief at finding it gone.

  It would have been a true fresh start. An almost sacred emptiness within him.

  But now, staring at his own face who had just killed himself, something shifted inside him. A spark of defiance, perhaps. Or maybe he just wanted an old friend by his side.

  Levi closed his eyes and reached deep into the space where soul met flesh, feeling for the line that separated what never was and what ever could be. He breathed, and within him he heard an echo, the faintest currents of power stirring like a half-forgotten dream. He latched onto that, refusing to let go, and with all his will, he pulled.

  Magic was his. It was and always will be. Not even a different world could change that. So long as his soul was his own – no, not even then. So long as he was him, it would work.

  And work it did.

  Reality bent and its boundaries shimmered as he let out a call, an ardent plea, and his magic responded with thunderous joy. It flooded back into him, pouring from within and without his soul. The sensation felt like it took both an eternity and no time at all–

  And then it was over.

  His body unconsciously relaxed, and Levi breathed out a long exhale of satisfaction as he felt the familiar thrum of magic pulsing along his veins once more. The wrought-iron magic of an archmage who’d once served Death himself.

  Levi opened his eyes and looked back down at the note in his hand, committing the image of the handwriting to memory.

  Then, with just a thought, the note lifted into the air. It hovered in place for a moment before crumpling into a small perfect sphere and bursting into flames.

  “Be at peace,” he murmured quietly as the only evidence of the suicide burned away into nothingness. He wished he could’ve given a proper burial or cremation, but this little pseudo-cremation was the only way he could honor his other self’s memory.

  “I’ll take it from here.”

  He stayed there for several moments, eyes staring blankly off into space as he was lost in his thoughts. Though he'd never known his alternate self, Levi felt a strange sense of kinship with him. It was like losing a member of family. Not that Levi knew what that was like – in his old life, he’d grown up an orphan. Still though, it felt almost as if he was mourning a brother he’d never had a chance to meet.

  Then his eyes widened. Wait a moment. If this body had died of an overdose… then there was a chance the drugs were still in his system.

  Fuck. Retirement had made him rusty. That should’ve been the first thought he’d had.

  Cursing, he performed a magical diagnostic scan of himself, and released a breath when it returned all-clear. His body was healthy – inordinately so, in fact. It appeared that reincarnation had the side effect of healing the body back to full vitality.

  Was it similar to the rebirth of a phoenix? Levi mulled on it for a bit before shrugging. Whatever the case, it benefitted him quite nicely.

  A sharp knock on the bedroom door drew his attention. He hesitated before settling on a blank expression.

  He didn’t know how the Levi of this world acted – hell, he didn’t know if he was even called “Levi” in this world. It was like he had to act out a play without having been given the script. He’d just play it safe, present himself as bland and polite as possible and hope it didn’t come off as too suspicious.

  Worst came to worst, he could just claim that he hit his head on something.

  Striding over to the door, he opened it to reveal a young girl looking up at him. She was about a head shorter, with black hair, grey eyes, and a delicate frame. He estimated she was around thirteen or fourteen – but honestly, she could’ve been older or younger and he would’ve had no idea. She was dressed in a midnight blue dress of fine silk, with silver buttons running down the front and an embroidered trim that caught the light.

  He would’ve called her cute if it weren’t for how her face had immediately darkened upon seeing him.

  “So you are in here,” she said. “You’re late. Father is waiting for you in his study.” Her gaze lowered to his body and she narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t even changed out of your nightclothes yet. Have you just been lazing about this entire morning?”

  Levi stared at her uncomprehendingly.

  Father?

  He had never known his parents in his old world; they’d died when he was just a baby. It hadn’t occurred to Levi that this world might be different.

  Which meant…

  This little girl must be his sister.

  “Well?” she asked when he didn’t say anything. “Are you going to get changed? Or are you going to just continue standing there staring like an imbecile?" She shook her head. “No wonder the Institute sent that letter if this is how you conduct yourself. Come on, Levi. This is beneath even you.”

  …

  Huh.

  She was also kind of mean, wasn’t she?

  Well, two could play that game.

  “Ah, sorry, but what was your name again?” Levi asked mildly. “I forgot.”

  The look the girl shot him was so icy, it was like he’d killed her kitten.