Whispers of Fallen Stars, Rising Hearts

Epilogue

The Trouble with Rebirth

Phuwin had never imagined that being reincarnated would be so... confusing.

When he first woke up in his new body, he had expected some sense of clarity, a divine purpose perhaps. Instead, he was greeted with a splitting headache and the feeling that his brain was trying to process two entirely different sets of memories at once.

In his mind, he was both Phuwin Naravit Rathprasong—the second son of a struggling noble family—and Phuwin, the war-hardened strategist from a different world. The problem? He wasn't quite sure which version of himself he was supposed to be at any given moment.

His first day back at the Rathprasong estate after the reincarnation was, to put it mildly, a disaster.

Before Reincarnation: The Confusion Begins

Phuwin woke up, drenched in sweat, his heart racing as if he had just run a marathon. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar room—except it wasn't unfamiliar at all. It was his bedroom... except it wasn't. The bed, the walls, the furniture—everything was wrong, and yet it felt like home.

He groaned and sat up, only to find that his body felt... different. Lighter. Younger.

That's when it hit him—he had been reincarnated. But instead of feeling enlightened or wise, he felt like his brain was about to explode from the sheer confusion of having two lifetimes' worth of memories crammed into his head.

As he stumbled out of bed, his twin brother Gemini barged in, looking far too cheerful for Phuwin's liking.

"Morning, Phuwin! You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I am the ghost," Phuwin mumbled, rubbing his temples. "Wait... what year is it? Where am I?"

Gemini frowned, tilting his head as if trying to decide whether or not Phuwin was joking. "Uh... it's the same year it's always been? And you're in our estate. You know... where we live?"

Phuwin blinked. Right. Of course. But that didn't explain the nagging feeling that something was horribly wrong.

"I was... somewhere else," Phuwin muttered, stumbling toward the door. "In a different life. I was... a strategist? A soldier? I can't remember."

Gemini burst out laughing, slapping Phuwin on the back. "Good one, Phuwin! A strategist? You can barely strategize your way through breakfast!"

"Seriously, I—"

Before Phuwin could finish, Dunk stormed into the room, looking every bit the responsible older brother. "What's going on? Why are you yelling so early in the morning?"

Phuwin looked at Dunk, then Gemini, then back to Dunk. "I... I think I've been reborn."

There was a beat of silence. Then, Dunk sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Gemini, what did you feed him last night?"

"I didn't feed him anything!" Gemini protested. "Maybe he hit his head."

Phuwin groaned, holding his head. "I didn't hit my head! I just... I think I lived another life before this one, okay?"

Dunk and Gemini exchanged a look—a look that said they were very seriously considering locking Phuwin in his room until he came to his senses.

"You've been... reborn?" Dunk asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Into what, exactly?"

Phuwin blinked, trying to remember. "A military strategist... I think. I led armies into battle."

Gemini cackled with laughter, doubling over. "Phuwin, you couldn't lead a group of chickens to water. What are you talking about?"