Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

The girl—shining like a rainbow—crawled up Jin Shu's chest until her face hovered mere inches from his. Her pale pink eyes glimmered with a dreamy intensity, locking onto his as if she were peering into his soul.

Pink eyes…? The sight sparked something in his fragmented memories, but he still couldn't place her. Who is she?

“The only one with pink eyes in your memories was—”

Nano’s voice whispered in his mind, but Jin Shu didn’t have the luxury to listen. The girl suddenly leaned down, her red lips dangerously close to his. Reflexively, he turned his head, narrowly dodging her audacious attempt at a kiss.

“What are you doing?! And who are you?” Jin Shu demanded, his voice sharp with frustration. Deciding he'd had enough of her antics, he carefully lifted the girl off his chest and stood, putting space between them.

Now upright, he could fully grasp how small she was. At a glance, she couldn’t have been more than 130 centimeters tall—nearly seventy centimeters shorter than him.

She tilted her head back to look up at him, her small face contorted into an offended pout. “Shu-gege doesn’t remember me?” Her voice trembled, and tears began to well in the corners of her eyes.

Jin Shu sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I recognize you… but I can’t remember who you are.” His honesty drew a sharp intake of breath from her.

“Oh?” Her lips curled into a mischievous smile as the tears vanished in an instant. “Don’t remember? Then could you lean down? It hurts my neck to stare up at you like this.”

He opened his mouth to refuse, but a strange, inexplicable feeling stopped him. Reluctantly, he leaned forward, meeting her at eye level.

The moment he did, she darted forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Startled, Jin Shu reeled back, a flush of annoyance coloring his face.

“Does Shu-gege remember me now?” she asked, her voice as sweet as her smile.

“What…?” He stared at her, more confused than ever.

“Remember? I used to kiss your cheek like this whenever you visited the palace.”

The palace? The word sent ripples through his mind as he struggled to connect the dots. “Are you one of the princesses? No, they’re both older… who—”

Then, like a thunderclap, recognition struck. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he stumbled back, tripping over his own feet. He hit the wooden deck hard, his astonished expression drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

“No… No, it can’t be. Sun Li?” His voice was barely a whisper, tinged with denial.

Sun Li clapped her hands together, her face lighting up with glee. “So, Shu-gege does remember me!”

Jin Shu shook his head, as if hoping to shake away the impossible truth. “No, no, it’s not you… it can’t be…” But the memories, now crystal clear, told him otherwise.

Sun Li took a step toward Jin Shu, her mischievous smile unwavering as he scrambled backward, his horrified expression betraying his panic.

“Where are you going, Shu-gege?” she asked sweetly, though the glint in her pink eyes was anything but innocent.

“S-stay away! D-don’t come near me!” Jin Shu stammered, crawling backward until his shoulders hit the ship’s railing.

Sun Li stopped a couple of steps away, tilting her head with mock innocence. “Won’t you come give me a kiss, Shu-gege?” she teased, her pink eyes faintly glowing.

For a moment, Jin Shu’s expression went blank, and he began to rise unsteadily to his feet. But before he could take another step, a figure suddenly moved between them.

Biyu now stood firmly in front of Sun Li, her presence calm yet commanding.

“Who are you? Why are you blocking my Shu-gege?” Sun Li’s sharp tone was in stark contrast to her earlier playfulness.

“I’m his wife,” Biyu declared, her voice steady and resolute.

“Hmph!” Sun Li’s face twisted into an indignant pout. “Kneel!” she demanded, her tone dripping with authority.

Biyu raised an eyebrow, giving the small girl a baffled look.

“W-why aren’t you kneeling?” Sun Li’s voice faltered, a note of panic creeping in.

“Why would I?” Biyu asked, genuinely confused.

“Because… I ordered it?” Sun Li replied, sounding equally perplexed.

As they stared at each other in mutual confusion, Jin Shu finally regained his composure and stepped forward.

“Biyu, be careful,” he said gravely. “He is a Heaven’s Blessed. His eyes can influence your mind.”

Biyu blinked, her confusion growing. “He?” she repeated, glancing over her shoulder at the small, feminine figure.

“Yes,” Jin Shu confirmed with a shudder. “This is the fifth prince of the Sun Empire. Sun Li.”

The revelation hit like a thunderclap. Biyu’s gaze flicked between Jin Shu and the ‘girl,’ a strange expression settling on her face as the pieces fell into place.

“Boo! You know I don’t like being called him or he, Shu-gege.” Sun Li’s pout was as cute as it was unnerving, and it sent another shiver racing down Jin Shu’s spine.

“The pretty girl that kissed Daddy is a pretty boy?” Yin’er chimed in innocently, her question punctuated by the last bite of her fish.

“Ahem!” The older man took the opportunity to cut through the escalating scene. “Prince Li, could we please move this conversation to the ship’s cabin? There are too many eyes and ears here.”

The group glanced around, noticing the sailors and dockworkers shamelessly gawking from both the ship and the nearby port.

Sun Li’s cheeks flushed with a light pink hue. “Um, let’s set sail.”

“An excellent idea, Your Highness,” the older man agreed, bowing slightly before hurrying off to give the sailors their orders.

Sun Li turned back, ignoring both Biyu and Yin’er, and focused solely on Jin Shu. “Would you like to come down to the cabin, Shu-gege?”

Jin Shu immediately averted his gaze, retreating behind Biyu. “Biyu, you don’t seem affected by his ability. Could you stay between us?” He glanced warily at Sun Li, a cold sweat forming on his brow. “I don’t want him doing that to me again like when we were kids.”

“What is that?” Biyu asked curiously, her tone betraying genuine interest.

Jin Shu’s face reddened as he shook his head frantically, avoiding the question like the plague.

Sun Li’s eyes sparkled with unrestrained mischief, their vibrant pink hue brighter than ever. “Shu-gege, would you like to relive those precious moments?” He teased, pulling out a softly glowing orb no larger than his palm. “I recorded everything on this memory orb!”

Jin Shu’s face turned pale, and then to fire. “You WHAT?!” he yelled, leaping out from behind Biyu in a desperate attempt to grab the orb.

Sun Li giggled, pulling the orb back and spreading her arms wide. With nothing to grab onto, Jin Shu stumbled forward awkwardly, trying to retreat as quickly as he had lunged.

He wasn’t quick enough.

Sun Li caught him in a tight embrace, wrapping his slender arms around him as he grinned up into his horrified face. “Shu-gege, I missed hugging you like this,” he cooed, his voice both playful and sugary.

“LET GO OF ME!” Jin Shu squawked, his struggles only making Sun Li’s grip tighten.

All of a sudden, the Rune of Unity on Jin Shu’s chest flared to life, casting a soft glow through his clothing, as if his very heart was alight. The gentle radiance halted his struggles as his consciousness retreated into his soul.

Within his soul, chaos reigned. His younger self was in full-blown hysteria, his form trembling and breaths coming in shallow, rapid gasps. As a spiritual manifestation, the younger psyche couldn’t technically hyperventilate, yet it seemed determined to try. Nearby, the older psyche stood firm, trying to steady the panicked boy.

When Jin Shu’s awareness entered, the older psyche turned to him, his expression calm yet resolute. “Let me take over the body,” he said. “The kid’s fear is bleeding through and overwhelming us.”

“Do it,” Jin Shu agreed without hesitation. He couldn’t afford to remain in this fractured state any longer.

In an instant, Jin Shu’s mind snapped back to reality. Control of his body had passed entirely to the older psyche—the Jin Shu of Earth.

To the others, not even a second had passed. But in that moment, Jin Shu’s demeanor shifted dramatically. The fear vanished, replaced by an unyielding sternness. His eyes grew cold as he reached down and grabbed Sun Li by the collar of his robes, lifting the small prince effortlessly as one might a misbehaving kitten.

“Ah?! Shu-gege, what are you doing?” Sun Li yelped, his voice tinged with nervousness as his pink eyes widened with surprise. But his protests died in his throat when he met Jin Shu’s icy gaze. He shuddered and clamped his mouth shut.

Saying nothing, Jin Shu turned and began striding purposefully down the steps toward the ship’s cabin, carrying Sun Li like luggage.

Biyu blinked in surprise before hurrying to follow him, her eyes darting between Jin Shu and Sun Li. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, Yin’er fluttered onto her shoulder and whispered, “Daddy’s mad.”

“Hm? How do you know?” Biyu asked, glancing at the little tiger.

Yin’er shrugged, her tiny paws raised in a gesture of innocence. “Yin’er just knows,” she said simply, her voice light yet knowing.