Chapter 1: Rebirth in a Cage of Gold
"My new world is beautiful.
My new life... meaningful."
Though I died at the age of sixteen, caught in a senseless crossfire, fate gave me a second chance.
Now reborn as Nerona Sai, a 9-year-old bastard son of some secret supreme ruler... my life has taken a strange, twisted turn.
Sai took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the alien sky. The air was clean—too clean—and echoed with the cries of birds he couldn't even name.
"Ahh... I wish I could live like this forever," he murmured, exhaling slowly. "But unfortunately—"
His words froze on his tongue as he glanced down from the grand, marble balcony of his luxurious prison. Below, a bizarre sight unfolded: someone was walking—or was it riding?— a weird humanoid creature. It was hard to tell.
Sai squinted, mentally fumbling through scraps of memory. Back when he was alive, he had taken care of his niece, and now and then, he'd caught glimpses of random anime episodes. But this? This wasn't familiar.
And this body—this young form he now inhabited—offered no memories. Just raw instincts.
He sighed.
"From the look of it, I've ended up in some kind of twisted medieval world where slavery is legal, and I'm the secret child of some high-ranking leader... Only five elders even know who I am, and a handful more know I exist at all. They're the only ones who ever visit me. I've never even met my supposed parent."
The structure of this world was strange: 90% ocean, with the remaining land scattered as islands. Pirates roamed free, and Marines chased after them in a never-ending cycle—like some interdimensional version of Tom and Jerry. And just like the cartoon, "Jerry" always won.
Yai looked out over the vast horizon.
"I want to explore this world too," he whispered. "There's so much weird and wonderful stuff out there. Like that huge man... is he some kind of beast meant to be ridden? What species even is that?"
For someone like him—an active, restless spirit who had loved exploring, hiking, camping, and traveling in his previous life—this felt like a dream come true...
Except for two things.
He had thalassophobia and acrophobia Great right? For an active person like him it is a major handicapped.
Just as he lost himself in thought—
—Knock knock—
"Sai-sama, I am coming in."
At this rate, did the guy even need to announce it anymore? Sai rolled his eyes.
No privacy in this luxury prison.
An elderly man stepped in—one of the five elders. He smiled warmly.
"Is there anything you need from me, Ojisan?" Sai asked, masking his frustration with routine politeness.
"Hoho, nothing in particular. Didn't you throw a tantrum two days ago?" Marcus chuckled. "I've gotten you permission to leave your room—with a guide, of course. I brought a Holy Knight to accompany you."
Marcus Mars was a tall, slender elderly man with flowing white hair, a matching mustache and goatee reaching his chest. He wore a crisp black suit over a white buttoned shirt and navy trousers.
"Oh... thank you, Ojisan." Sai scratched his head awkwardly, remembering that embarrassing scene.
He hadn't just thrown a tantrum—
He had straight up blackmailed them with his life.
Confined for only four days, with no freedom, and no clue what lay beyond his lavish walls, he'd lost his patience.
"Why am I even locked up?" he had demanded, almost in tears. "Is this house arrest or something?! When can I go outside?!"
The elder's answer had chilled him.
"Sai-sama, there is no 'outside world.' It's too dangerous. Beasts and ghosts roam freely. They'll eat you alive."
BULLSHIT.
Sai had screamed, "I DON'T CARE! I WANT OUT!! Or I'll jump—swear to God, I will!!"
And he had.
From the third story. Straight through the window.
He didn't die. He bounced off a corridor roof, blacked out, and woke up with a mild concussion and a mountain of shame.
So naturally...
He faked memory loss.
And guess what? It worked.
Ultimate excuse card: "Oops, sorry, I forgot."
But that night, everything changed.
Night – One Day Ago
:: System Activated ::
:: Three Wishes Ready to Be Granted ::
:: Scanning host's childhood desires... ::
:: Over thousands wishes defected. Filtering... Narrowing to ages 9–10... ::
:: Still too many. Alternate Method Located. ::
Most Frequently Wished-For Item:
Omnitrix (597 wishes) — GRANTED.
Strongest Desired during age 9 and 10:
Transformer— GRANTED.
Favorite Lottery Game – BINGO:
15-character card draw — GRANTED.
Additional system functions unlocked:
Inventory
Aprenser
:: Good luck, Host. Goodbye. ::
When Yai opened his eyes the next morning, a glowing screen floated in mid-air.
On his desk:
– a strange green watch
– a deck of colorful cards
– and a palm-sized robot blinking up at him.
He laughed.
"Man... I really did wish to be like Ben 10 when I was a kid. Was I always this childish?"
Still, a dangerous thought lingered:
Could this be my key to escape?
Would his so-called "parents" protect him if he ran and got caught by Marines? Or would they deny his very existence?
He shook his head. That urge—to sail, to explore, to breathe free air—was just too strong.
But first, he needed supplies. Food. Clothes. Blanket. Maybe even a mattress.
And then, today... came the opportunity.
"Sit, would you like to buy a slave?" his escort asked casually.
"Huh?! WHAT?! No! Why would I—?!"
"We're in the Exchange District," the knight explained. "It's where nobles trade slaves when they grow bored of them. I thought you might want one too since we are already here."
"Exchange... slaves?"' Like pet parks where people swap animals for fun?' Yai whispered, horror-struck.
'This world's darker than I thought...'
His escort today was a girl named Gunko, a Holy Knight personally introduced by Marcus.
Gunko was a young-looking woman, average in height, with short light hair and distinct heterochromia—a dark right eye and a light left one. Her face and knees were wrapped in bandages.
Her outfit?
Questionable.
She wore a dark newsboy cap with goggles, a double-breasted jacket with sleeves that reached her knees, and... what looked suspiciously like just dark panties underneath. Add a dark cape and strange boots with cylindrical parts—was this fashion or war gear?
'Isn't that outfit a little too revealing...?' Sai thought, squinting.
"Sister Gunko," he asked, "can we go somewhere else? Like... near the beach?"
"The beach? You mean land near the sea?" she asked.
"Yes! You know... a beach?"
"Ahh. You mean the borderlands near the Mortal Realm?"
"Mortal... what?!"
"The elders said your memory loss was bad, but this serious?" she asked with concern. "Sir, you are a celestial. A god. You must remember who you are. You mustn't lower yourself to mortals."
God? Mortal? Is everyone in this world insane?!
All Sai saw was a corrupt kingdom, ruled by secrets and sustained by oppression.
And he knew how these stories went. Empires fall to revolution .Always.
He didn't plan on being caught in the crossfire again.
'I need to escape. I need to learn more about this world.'
Maybe he could charm Sister Gunko—or better yet,—into spilling some secrets.
"Nee-nee, Sister gunko," he cooed, eyes sparkling with exaggerated cuteness,
"I want to see the mortal world~ Pretty please? 🥺"
Being downgraded from sixteen to nine was rough.
He couldn't even masturbate anymore.