Reincarnation of Nikola Tesla in another world-Chapter 21: The artifact

I opened my eyes.

White. Endless, blinding white. Not the dull sterility of a hospital, but something ethereal—divine. The ground beneath me gleamed like polished marble, stretching infinitely in all directions. It wasn't cold. It wasn't warm. It simply existed, pristine and untouched.

A soft, golden mist swirled around my feet, barely shifting as if suspended in a dream. Below the marble floor, an ocean of clouds rolled in slow, mesmerizing waves, glowing with an inner light. They stretched far beyond sight, a boundless expanse of silver and gold, their undulating forms whispering secrets I could not understand.

Above me, there was no sky. No sun. Yet, the world was bathed in a soft, omnipresent glow, as if existence itself had chosen to radiate warmth. Towering structures of translucent crystal rose in the distance, reflecting prismatic light. They had no seams, no imperfections—monuments crafted by something beyond human comprehension. It was a place that felt untouched by time, a realm not meant for mortal feet to tread.

My mind lagged behind. What... just happened?

Flashes.

Bandits. A demon's smile, too sharp to be human.

The chimera. Its claws crushing my ribs. The fall. Agony searing through every nerve.

I should be dead.

Instinctively, I glanced down, expecting bruises, fractured bones—

I froze.

The leg I saw wasn't mine.

No scrawny limbs of a struggling boy. No dirt-streaked skin. Instead—a strong, well-built leg, clad in a tailored black suit.

Breath hitching, I lifted my hands.

They weren't a child's hands. They were the hands of a man.

I staggered back. "This... this can't be." My voice—deeper, refined, carrying the weight of experiences I hadn't lived in this body.

A soft voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.

"You have awakened."

It was not a mortal voice. It carried warmth, authority—an embrace in sound itself. Pure. Ethereal. Motherly.

I turned.

She was there.

A woman sat on a throne, carved from the same radiant white as this realm. Her presence was overwhelming yet comforting—like standing before existence itself. Golden chains bound her wrists and ankles, anchoring her to the throne. Yet she did not struggle. She did not look like a prisoner.

Her golden gaze met mine. Soft. Knowing.

"Welcome to this world, Tesla."

Tesla.

Not Kim. Not the child fumbling through a second life.

Tesla.

"This... isn't a hallucination, is it?" My voice wavered.

She smiled. "No. What you see is real."

I swallowed. "Who are you?"

Her expression remained gentle. "I am Gia."

Something about the name felt old—as if it predated language itself.

"Why am I here?"

Gia tilted her head. "First, tell me—how has this life been?"

I opened my mouth for an immediate response—but stopped.

How had it been?

I exhaled. "Complicated."

Gia's smile was knowing. "You are experiencing two lives as one. To you, it may feel like a dream—blurred, interwoven—but it is real. Your body has not yet fully developed."

Her words settled within me. I already knew she was right. The flickering memories, the inconsistency in my thoughts—the way I was Kim, yet Tesla.

Time held no meaning in this place. Maybe none had passed. Maybe eternity.

Her voice carried the weight of ages. She spoke, and the past unfolded.

"They destroyed what sustained them," Gia murmured. "They poisoned the waters, slaughtered each other without reason. And still, I did not act."

A pause.

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"We were not allowed to interfere."

Her golden eyes dimmed, lost in something distant, painful.

"They conquered their world," she continued, softer now. "They built wonders beyond comprehension. They reached for the stars, defying their own limits."

A bitter smile touched her lips.

"But those above saw them as an infection to be cleansed."

Cold settled in my stomach.

"They decided it was time to end them. A celestial purge. A third extinction."

She lifted her hands, golden chains clinking softly under the endless glow.

"I could not allow it."

"The others were not pleased," Gia said simply. "A trial was held. A verdict was passed."

And so, she was bound.

I didn't know what possessed me to say it.

"What can I do to help you?"

Gia's golden eyes softened. Something almost... motherly flickered within them.

"There is nothing you can do, my child."

I frowned. "Then why bring me here?"

She exhaled, gaze drifting past me, beyond this place.

"I have watched you from the moment you walked this world. From the moment your mind first questioned."

Something ancient stirred in her eyes. Admiration.

" A mere mortal that had tamed electricity without any help, but betrayed by cruel fate. Your words moved me. When you left, I cried."

A goddess... cried for me?

She smiled—soft, sad. "So, I stole your soul from that universe. Plucked it from the cycle and placed it in Nova's hands. She found a replacement."

A stolen soul. My soul. Ripped from my dying self, forced into Kim's body.

"I wanted to see you happy again," Gia murmured. "That is why you are here."

She lifted her bound hand slightly. "Come out now."

A pulse of energy rippled through the space.

The feather—Spark—trembled. Then, in a swirl of golden embers, it changed.

No longer a simple pigeon.

A phoenix.

Crimson and gold wings unfurled, each feather glimmering with eternal fire. A slender neck, a sharp regal beak, piercing eyes holding a wisdom beyond human comprehension.

The phoenix let out a cry, stretching its wings, testing its newfound form.

Gia's fingers brushed its beak. The sight felt... personal.

"This is Athena's phoenix, it will protect you for some time"

Her gaze shifted back to me. "Take care of it, too"

A burst of golden fire. Heat surged toward me.

Then, it crashed into my chest.

[Celestial Phoenix Armor Unlocked.]

A voice—no, a message—flashed in my mind.

[Initiating Recovery.]

A rush of something ancient, something alive, flooded through me. Liquid fire stitching me back together. Strength surging where weakness once lingered.

[Recovery Complete.]