A swirl of golden light surrounded Chi Yang's body as the divine world faded away.
He had spent three long years training—facing ancient beasts, mastering elemental temples, surviving brutal terrain, and standing before gods themselves. Every moment had honed him, strengthened him. And now, as the ethereal glow dimmed, the real world welcomed him back.
A notification echoed softly in his mind.
[Transfer to Earth World initializing. Seals reactivated. Clone integration in process.][Final Message from the Training Realm: "May your path now shape the stars."]
The warmth of his bed returned before he could even open his eyes. The scent of breakfast. The rustle of newspaper. The sound of a small voice, full of life and impatience.
"Brother! Are you awake yet?!"
Chi Yang's eyes fluttered open slowly. Sunlight streamed through half-closed curtains. A stuffed bear sat near the bedpost, exactly where he'd left it—or rather, where the system clone had placed it. The walls were decorated with little drawings, the kind that came from a six-year-old's imagination.
He sat up quietly, the blankets slipping off his body. He could hear her footsteps outside the door.
"Come on, brother! If we're late, Dad's gonna scold us again!"
It was Chi Chu.
His heart warmed. She sounded exactly like she had in the clone's memories.
He stepped off the bed and walked to the door, his posture unnaturally balanced for a child. As he opened it, he found his younger sister standing there with her hands on her hips, puffing her cheeks.
"You always sleep too much," she said.
"I had a long dream," he replied.
She raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Well, hurry up! I'm hungry!"
She turned and skipped down the stairs, her laughter echoing behind her.
Chi Yang stood there for a moment, silent.
The system's notification flickered again.
[Clone Memory Transfer Complete.][You now possess full memory of life on Earth from ages 3 to 6.]
A rush of moments swelled inside his mind—sharing lunch with Chi Chu, falling during a race at school, cuddling on the couch after cartoons. He hadn't lived any of it. But somehow, the emotions were real.
He clenched his small fists.
So this is what a normal childhood feels like…
Three years in a god-forged realm had prepared his body and mind to endure the divine. But this place, this home—this was what he had truly yearned for. A world where no one abandoned him. A world where his sister's laughter was louder than loneliness.
He descended the stairs.
At the table, Chi Chu was happily munching on chocolate toast. Their mother, dressed in a soft sweater, glanced over the morning paper while sipping tea. The scent of warm bread and fruit filled the air.
"Sit, Yang," she said.
Chi Yang nodded and sat across from his sister.
Chi Chu pushed a banana toward him with a proud smile. "I peeled it just for you!"
He took it gently.
Thank you, he wanted to say.
Instead, he just smiled.
The toast was warm, the air soft, and the mood light. But deep in his heart, he knew that this peace was fragile. It had to be protected.
Even if he had to hide everything.
The morning passed quietly, but the unease in his chest grew as they approached the school gates.
The building hadn't changed. Colorful walls. Shouts of children. Teachers ushering students into class. But for Chi Yang, this was a new battlefield.
He stepped into class beside Chi Chu.
"Morning, Chi Yang," his teacher greeted. "You look taller."
"Thank you, miss," he replied.
He scanned the room automatically.
His senses—trained through divine trial—picked up every detail. The chalk on the board. The slight anxiety in one girl's posture. The way another student had mud on his shoes. He hadn't meant to notice. It was simply natural now.
He sat near the window, where the breeze touched his face. He liked that.
When recess came, he stayed under the large tree behind the classroom. The clone's habit. He pulled a stick from the dirt and idly traced runes into the soil.
But then… he felt it.
A presence.
It wasn't hostile—but it wasn't normal either. It was too still. Too deliberate.
His eyes slowly lifted.
On the bench not far from the tree sat a girl. Black hair tied in a bun, wearing the school uniform perfectly. She had a book in her lap, but she wasn't reading it. She was watching him.
Their eyes met.
And for a split second, her eyes shimmered gold.
Just like his.
He blinked.
It was gone.
[System Alert: Unknown anomaly detected. Subject possibly possesses divine trace.][New Quest Triggered: Investigate the Golden-Eyed Girl.]
He looked away casually, but inside, his mind was racing.
She wasn't in the clone's memories.
She must've enrolled recently.
And those eyes… that was no coincidence.
Could she be… like me?
Back at home that evening, Chi Yang sat silently on his bed.
The golden light of the city shimmered against the bedroom window.
He stared at the ceiling and spoke softly.
"System… that girl. What was she?"
[Analysis Incomplete. Subject does not match known Earth profiles. Origin unknown. Divine presence possible.]
He let out a long breath, feeling the weight of the unknown settle over him.
"So I'm not the only one marked by fate."
[Monitoring will continue.]
He turned his head toward the moonlit window.
His sister was asleep down the hall. His mother had kissed his forehead before bed. Everything was perfect—on the surface.
But the game had already begun.
And somewhere in this peaceful world… others were watching.
End of Chapter 5