My Life in Golden

Prologue

We all die in the end. It's a natural part of the cycle of life—something we shouldn't let ourselves be scared of, but rather something we should embrace. Yet, never once in my life did I think my own would be cut short, all in a stupid car accident, nonetheless. But that's what happened to my sixteen-year-old self—after a day at school, I was just trying to cross the street to come home and play my favorite video game, Persona 4, for the millionth time. Instead, I was hit by some reckless idiot who was speeding.

Everything happened so fast that I couldn't feel the pain from the impact. It wasn't until I hit the pavement, laying there like a discarded ragdoll, that the pain finally set in. My head throbbed as if I had been hit with a baseball bat, and I could feel something warm and wet—probably blood. My body was unable to move, no matter how hard I tried. I could hear the screams of bystanders, and through my hazy vision, I saw some people trying to call for help. But I knew that by the time it arrived, I would no longer be here.

Dammit! I just wanted to go home and escape into my game, to try to save their world once again. But now it seemed that wouldn't happen.

It was becoming harder to breathe, as well as harder to keep my eyelids open, knowing I probably didn't have much time left. In the distance, I could hear the faint sound of an ambulance, which brought a slight smile to my face. Even though I knew being saved wasn't likely, I gasped for air and turned my eyes to the sunny sky, deciding to let myself move on from this world—to face death not with fear.

But once I left this world, I didn't experience what most people described when they died. Instead, I found myself trapped in a realm of fog, barely illuminated. As soon as I arrived, I could faintly hear something in the distance—a voice calling out to me. No matter how hard I tried to peer through the dense fog, I couldn't see anything.

"Do you want a second chance at life? A new life in exchange for helping someone save their town from a looming threat? All you need to do is sign a simple contract. What do you say?"

"Contract?" I attempted to speak, but my voice came out dry and hoarse, as if I hadn't spoken in years. My purple eyes scanned the thick fog, searching for the source of the voice, but I found nothing. Were they serious about their offer? A second chance at life? Without considering how unbelievable it sounded, I shouted my acceptance, and as soon as the words left my lips, I suddenly found myself sitting in what appeared to be the blue interior of a limousine.

Looking around, I realized I was in the backseat of a random limo. My eyes widened as I noticed I wasn't alone in this car.

There was a man near the front with a freakishly large nose and a woman next to him wearing a dress the same royal blue as the limo. I sat quietly, feeling as if they hadn't noticed my presence. As I tried to piece together how I got here—most of it a blur, save for agreeing to some contract for a chance to live again—it didn't take long before the man with the large nose turned his attention to me. In that moment, I realized exactly where I was.

"Ah, it seems our new guest has finally arrived. Welcome to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. Though I'm quite sure you already know what this room is." He chuckled softly before continuing. "By entering this agreement, you will play a significant role alongside another guest who will join us here. But first, why don't you introduce yourself?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but I found myself unable to remember even something as simple as my name. Igor must have noticed, because a moment later, it felt like a bolt of lightning struck me. My mouth slipped out a name that felt entirely foreign. "My name is Narukami. Narukami Yumi."

Wait, are you serious?! There was no way in hell that not only was I getting a new life in my favorite video game, but I was also the sister of the story's protagonist! This was something I'd only read in fan fiction. How could something like this even be possible?