The Love Hunter

Chapter 1

The Rebirth

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Bakit ang tahimik? Sobrang dilim din. For a moment, I wondered if I was still asleep. 

Then I remembered—wait lang... 'patay na ako? ' 

The last thing I remembered was collapsing into my bed, my body too weak from all the stress of work, family, and life in general. Exhaustion had finally caught up with me, swallowing me whole.

Then, I felt it. A strange warmth wrapping around me, like being cradled in a giant invisible hand. Slowly, I opened my eyes and blinked at the brightness.

"Huh?" I gasped as I looked around. 'This... hindi na 'to yung kwarto ko!'

Instead of my old, cramped apartment, I was in a soft bed, surrounded by beautiful tapestries and intricate wooden furniture. Everything looked like it belonged in some medieval fantasy world straight out of a novel. I pinched myself, hard.

"Ouch!" I hissed, rubbing my arm. 'Teka lang... buhay ako?' But no. This wasn't my life. I looked down at my body and almost screamed. My hands—small. My legs—short. And my reflection in the glass window beside me—'Bata ako!'

I scrambled out of the bed and ran to the mirror, staring at my reflection. A young girl, maybe ten years old, with long, wavy brown hair and wide, curious eyes stared back at me. I looked down at my clothes, a simple but elegant dress, and I turned slowly, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Oh my god. What is happening?"

'Walang kwenta bangungot ba 'to?!'

But then, the memories hit me, like a movie suddenly playing in fast-forward. 

I was dead. 'Tama, patay ako!' I had died, pero—my final wish. 

Before I closed my eyes for the last time, I wished for something ridiculous, out of sheer desperation: 'Sana, kung mabuhay man ulit ako, gusto ko namang maranasan 'yung pag-ibig, surrounded by the most handsome men possible. At may powers, of course!'

I groaned out loud. 'Ano ba 'tong drama ko dati?!' But here I was. I had been reincarnated—reincarnated as a kid in this strange new world. And I wasn't just any kid. Oh no, I could feel it. There was something... different. A sort of hum, a buzzing energy inside me.

'Whoa...'

The door creaked open, and a woman entered—an elegant, regal-looking lady dressed in soft purple robes. Her hair was pinned up neatly, and she wore a kind smile on her face.

"Good morning, Lyra," she said in a warm voice. "Did you sleep well, anak?"

'Lyra?' So that's my name now. I nodded absentmindedly, still in shock. "Uh, yeah. Sobra... well." 'What the hell? I can't even believe this!'

The woman, apparently my mother in this new world, walked toward me and gently brushed my hair behind my ear. "Today is a big day for you, Lyra. You're turning ten. You know what that means, di ba?"

I frowned. "Um... No?"

She chuckled. "Everyone who turns ten here awakens their magic abilities. And you, anak, are going to be one of the strongest. We can feel it."

Magic? Abilities? Oh wow. 'So, tama nga 'to. I'm not dreaming.' As if on cue, that buzzing energy inside me grew stronger, as if it was responding to her words. This new world wasn't just some medieval place—it was filled with magic. And I was going to get powers.