Chapter 1
Holy Spirit Village.
When one heard it, they would most likely think of something grand, an exclusive Place for the Elite similar to the Plaza Hotel. But, in fact, it was nothing more than a little countryside Village numbering barely three hundred inhabitants, a little South of Nuoding City. The reason for its grand name was a Legend that told of a Spirit Sage that was supposed to have been borne there.
The Village lived off the Land, except for the Village's Blacksmith, they farmed. Producing grains, vegetables, and fruit to sell in Nuoding city. While it certainly was no easy Life, it was a good one. The villagers did not feel hungry and had roofs over their heads and sometimes leftover money; there was even a small school with a single close to the ancient teacher, a rarity, who only wanted food and shelter for his service. He had already been old when the village elders had been children.
Barely at daybreak, from the east, the sky was tinted in a soft reddish-grey dawn color, showing a cloudless sky and promising a sunny day. Two thin and small silhouettes were visible on a small hilltop not far from the Village. They were two five or six-year-old children. Both had jet-black hair and crystalline blue eyes; while the Boy's skin was of healthy wheat color, the girl's was ghostly pale. Both were, although simple, very neatly dressed.
Speaking of children at this age, climbing a hill this tall and sometimes rather steep had to be tricky. Yet, strangely, both of them were fine once they arrived at the summit. The Boy's face wasn't the least red, nor was he panting; breathing harshly, the girl seemed a lot more exhausted.
Both of them, though, appeared content and pleased. One with their quick climb, the other to have arrived at all.
They sat down at the hilltop, their eyes unwaveringly looking eastward, where the sky gradually brightened. The Boy slowly exhaled and inhaled, gently meditating on his usual morning routine.
The girl next to him took a small wooden plaquette and a sharpened stone from her bag and started to scratch into the wood, carefully continuing the carving she had started a week ago, picturing the idyllic landscape.
During this, they both silently went into their little worlds. The Boy's eyes started to faintly glow purple; it would have been unnoticeable by anyone unaware of this change.
But the anomaly did not last long; after very little time, it vanished, and his eyes turned into a deep, mysterious dark blue.
After sitting next to each other quietly and unmoving for a long time, the Boy let out a dejected sigh, showing a displeased expression that was unexpected for someone his age. The girl next to him stopped with her carving and put her tools back into the bag, stretching.
"It seems as if you still can't break through your bottleneck. It has been three months already; you knew there was a good chance of being incapable of progressing further than this without awakening your Spirit Weapon." She told him, but he shook his head.
"These skills should be able to progress without a Soul Weapon, even if this isn't my original world." He answered her in defiance, and she shrugged her shoulders in resignation, knowing he would never give up once he made up his mind.
Both Children arrived precisely five years ago in this world. Then, the Boy was called Tang San, a former Member of an influential martial arts sect that had leaped off a cliff for his conviction and beliefs. The girl next to him was the unfortunate girl shot by her friend Lucilla after graduation, Rebecca.
They were both born five years ago as twins. They didn't know how it had been possible, and at first, they refused to tell each other of their origins in suspicion of what would happen, but they were no longer who they once were.
The reborn Tang San needed nearly a year to learn this world's language. Rebecca required a little longer, almost a year and a half since her original language held no relation to the one used in Spirit Continent, unlike Tang Sans, who seemed to have spoken something similar before. Nevertheless, Tang Yin would swear it was Chinese or something similar. A Chinese girl at university sometimes sounded like it when she spoke in her mother language.
Both of them only faintly remembered their time after birth, but none would ever forget the heart-wrenching cry of their Father, Tang Hao, shortly after their birth. Only Later they understood that their Mother had passed away that day and with her, their father's heart. Three years passed until she told her brother she had come from another world.
Initially, Tang San was suspicious, but as time passed, his trust in her grew; the fact that she knew how to cook and was his twin sister did not hurt either. He told her he had once lived in a completely different world.
Tang San didn't know if it had been a bad joke on the gods' behalf, but he still carried the same name from before his reincarnation, after their Mother's nickname, meaning the third Sister. So, while Rebecca's name changed, she carried their mother's name, her father's last name, and a boy's name, Tang Yin.
Because of their names, the other village children often bullied the two of them, but they didn't take it to heart. Knowing the origin of their Names and Tang San being used to his girly one for thirty years, they didn't mind; instead, they were proud of their names. At some point, Tang Yin even started beating most people, making fun of their names, making her famous as a troublemaker and local boss lady among the kids. The older children who tried to take revenge for their respective siblings all made unpleasant acquaintances with Tang San.
Both had been even more shocked and afraid at their rebirth, so they came from different worlds. But they recovered and took it in their stride, accepting it as a second chance while sticking together. They took on the role of a protector for each other, and their strangeness united them into a team. The serious, loyal, and responsible model child, Tang San, and the troublemaker with a hair-trigger temper, Tang Yin. One taking it in front of the other, sneaking around, and stabbing from the back, they complimented each other.
"Time to head home.", Tang San said and stood up, "Today's breakfast congee."
Tang Yin groaned. "I miss Nutella, fresh bread, hot chocolate, coffee, like coffee, electricity, my cellphone, a flushing toilet, the internet, a good bathroom, a full meal, hell, I miss the supermarket! The only positive aspect is that the food here is regionally produced and totally Bio." she finished her ranting; her brother shrugged his shoulders, used to her occasional whining about the lack of comfort, and picked up his Sister in a princess carry.
"I have no idea what half of the stuff you are talking about.", he said, carrying her downwards. Then, grumbling, she freed herself and started walking on her own.
"It is amazing stuff.", she empathized, pronouncing the awesomeness of what she wanted. They both descended the mountain with one last look towards the bright, now orange sky. Tang San started running Tang YIn close on his heels. If anyone had seen those two, they would have been shocked to the core by the sight. But, unbothered by crevices and uneven ground, they were faster than adults.
It was the arts of the Tang Sect; Tang San had been a patient teacher to Yin. Her skill did not equal his lack of experience, but she proved to be a constantly complaining but brilliantly talented and motivated student. Ever since Lucilla shot her, she was determined never to become a victim of anyone again.
For his teachings, Tang Yin taught her brother carving. The artist's work told stories about all the technologies and knowledge she could remember from her old world.