i reincarnated in to my Novel

The group was heading out to complete their mission. After the fun day at the water park yesterday, they were in high spirits.

Dakota: "Yesterday was a lot of fun, wouldn't you guys agree?"

Henry: "Yes, indeed it was. I haven't laughed that much in a long time."

Ava: "Oh, it sure was fun~. Dakota and I had such a good time~."

Dakota: "Why are you making it sound like that?"

Ava giggled, ignoring Dakota's question.

Dakota: "Oh, whatever. I just want to get this mission over with."

Henry: "You sure like finishing things fast, huh?"

Dakota: "Okay, what's with all the dirty jokes today? Seriously, what's gotten into you guys?"

The group burst into laughter at Dakota's expense. He sighed, but deep down, he enjoyed moments like this with his friends. Their lighthearted banter helped him feel grounded, even when he knew trouble was looming.

However, Dakota's expression grew serious as they neared their destination.

The problem was that they wouldn't arrive at their mission site because they were about to get caught in an illusion. An illusion that would send them to Henry's old world, Earth.

Well, it was also Dakota's world, but they lived in two different Earths since they were not from the same universe.

Dakota (thinking):

Earth, huh? I haven't been back there since 16 years ago, when I was reincarnated. But this isn't going to be my Earth—it'll be Henry's Earth. That means my friends won't be there… That's actually good. I'm not prepared to face them again.

After walking for several minutes, they were close to their destination.

Henry: "Okay, we're almost there. Is everyone ready?"

Ava: "Pfft, of course we're ready! This is only a B-rank mission. It's not that hard. We don't even need to prepare."

Henry: "Hmm, I guess so."

Dakota (thinking):

Nah, you should be ready, Henry. This is going to hit you harder than you think.

Just as they were about to arrive at the mission site, everything shifted.

The scenery around them transformed in an instant. The group found themselves standing in a completely unfamiliar place.

Lucas: "Huh? The hell is going on? Where the hell are we?"

Ava: "This place looks weird. It doesn't look like where we were before."

Liam: "Yeah, it's strange. What happened?"

The group was confused, except for two people: Dakota and Henry.

Dakota remained calm. He already knew what was going on.

Henry, however, was frozen in shock. His hands trembled as he recognized the surroundings.

Henry: "Huh? What the hell? Why am I back here again…"

Amelia: "Hm? Do you know this place, Henry? It kind of looks like our country, but not quite."

Henry stopped shaking and answered Amelia's question in a subdued tone.

Henry: "…Yeah, I guess you could say I know this place, but I won't say why. You'll just have to trust me."

Lucas: "You know, you kind of sounded like Dakota there with all that 'trust me' and 'can't tell you' stuff."

Henry: "…Huh. I guess I did. So this is how you feel, huh, Dakota?"

Dakota: "Yep, pretty much."

Henry: "…I don't like it."

The group laughed lightly, though the tension remained.

Henry: "Let's move. I need to check something."

The group followed him silently as he led them through the unfamiliar streets. After a while, they arrived at a house.

Ava: "A house? Is this what you wanted to check out, Henry?"

Henry: "Yeah… I wanted to…"

His voice broke, and he began trembling again.

Amelia: "Hey, Henry, are you okay? Why do you look so sad?"

Without answering, Henry suddenly rushed into the house. The group followed behind him, with Dakota staying close.

Inside, Henry froze as he saw a man and a woman sitting on the couch. They turned toward him, their expressions softening into familiar smiles.

Woman: "Henry? What's wrong? Why are you shaking like that?"

Man: "Son, are you okay?"

Henry's eyes filled with tears, and he ran to them, collapsing into their arms. For the first time in years, Henry cried—truly cried.

---

After some time, Henry calmed down and rejoined the group outside. His parents had remained behind, leaving him with his thoughts.

Amelia: "So, Henry, would you mind telling us what's going on? What made you cry back there?"

Henry was silent for a moment, then finally spoke.

Henry: "Looks like it's time I told you all the truth."

Jack: "The truth? What do you mean?"

Henry: "I'm… a reincarnated person. This world you're seeing right now was my home in my past life. And those people you saw were my parents."

The group stood in stunned silence, trying to process his words.

Amelia: "…So all this time, you've been keeping this from us? Our best friend is a reincarnated person from another world?"

Henry: "…Yeah. Are you disappointed?"

Amelia: "Disappointed? No, I'm angry! Why didn't you tell us before? Why now?"

Henry: "…I'm sorry, Amelia. I'm sorry, everyone."

He got up and walked away. Dakota followed him outside.

Henry: "…Why did you follow me, Dakota? Are you mad at me too?"

Dakota: "Mad? No, I'm not mad."

Henry turned to him in surprise.

Henry: "You're not mad? Even after I kept something like this from you?"

Dakota: "Nope. I'm not like the others, Henry. You know I'm different."

Henry chuckled bitterly.

Henry: "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you're more special than us?"

The two laughed before falling into a comfortable silence.

Dakota: "Don't let this get to you. Sadness doesn't suit you. You're supposed to be the cheerful one, remember?"

Henry: "…Cheerful, huh? Yeah, I guess that is me. Okay, I'll try not to be sad anymore. Well, maybe a little, but not as much."

Dakota: "That's better. Now, let's figure out how to get out of this mess. We've been through worse, haven't we?"

Henry: "Yeah, you're right. Together, we can get through anything."

Dakota: "damn right we can, with both of us working together, nothing and I mean nothing can stop us."