Mirrors surrounded me. Every which way I looked, I felt sick. Hours and hours seemed to pass by as I walked onward to no avail. I was trying to get somewhere, but I couldn't remember where. There was a ringing in my ears, growing louder and louder, until it became deafening.

Then, the mirrors exploded, and I awoke with a jolt.

I couldn't move. My mind was reeling, and it took a few seconds to realized I was wrapped securely by a blanket. I looked around, only to be greeted by a wooden fence. No, it was a crib.

Right. I'm still here. That ... was a dream, but this wasn't.

My tiny little heart was beating in my chest like a drum. With a few deep breaths, I soon found myself calming down. I'd apparently caught Rag Lady's attention, because she'd walked over from her desk to pick me up and check me over. A hand was pressed against my forehead, her fingertips feeling awfully cool. She frowned, her brow furrowed. With little else to do, I just stared back at her and flexed my uncooperative throat muscles best as I was able. Blep!

That was about all I could manage. Her worried face eased. She then decided to unbundle my blanket, exposing me to the cool air. Honestly, it felt rather nice. I'd previously felt kind of warm? But it wasn't uncomfortable. A strange sensation that's hard to put into words.

Rag Lady then decided to press the back of her hand against me in a few spots, some remnant chill from her hand seeping into me. I tried grabbing her fingers with my mini-hands if only to see if I could manage it, but it turned out to be quite the challenge. She started to say something, but was soon interrupted by the other elephant in the room. Namely, my next door neighbor began to stir and cry.

It must be said, Rag Lady seemed to have the patience of a saint. With nary a hint of displeasure or annoyance at the sudden shrieking, she simply lightly covered me and turned to attend the other child. I'm not sure where the older kids went, but they weren't present. Rag Lady went on to change the child's diaper, if my nose was to be trusted. So that left me to wiggle my noodle-limbs around and try to adjust to having the bodily competence of a newborn.

I wasn't sure if it was just my body being undeveloped or trying to adjust to which brain signal goes where. Or both. I can't imagine my neurons or whatever were the same, so in the very least I was making an attempt to figure out how to get things to do what I wanted. That continued, but I was distracted by Big Green entering the room shortly after.

The two adult women had a brief conversation before turning back to my neighbor. Nickname still pending, as all my current ones were kind of mean and unfair to the kid.

Content to simply wiggle my limbs around futilely, I was only half paying attention to them. The sooner I gained some form of mobility, the better. Plus, who knew how long they were going to let me stay here. While it'd be nice to assume I'd found a group of people willing to take care of me, that still begged the question of how exactly I'd ended up here. My red skin was telling and I was forced to make a lot of assumptions based on reactions and possibly false common sense, but it was obvious I didn't belong in a church.

Anyway, that was all well and good until I realized Big Green was standing between the cribs, loosening and opening the front of her robes, revealing milky white skin and a set of much larger than I initially expected breasts. My brain lagged, processing the fact I was staring at her now exposed right nipple. Not that I'd been paying much attention before, but where was she packing all that?!

I rolled my head back the other way, my already-hot face heating up a bit more. Looking felt extremely rude, especially considering the circumstance. It was a breach of privacy and trust. I tried to shake the mental imagine, all the while Big Green—I'd need a new name for her to avoid the obvious double entendre—began breastfeeding the no-longer crying baby. Because, y'know, it's normal to breastfeed babies.

Oh no, *I'm* a baby.

Panic! Guilt warred with anxiety for the next 10 minutes, as the two women decided to make small talk while Big Green took care of my neighbor's dietary needs. I'd been fervently hoping they'd ignore me. Please let them ignore me.

What followed shortly thereafter should have been best mentally blocked out, as I found something else being inserted in my mouth for the second time today. Both times had been against my will, before turning into an oddly pleasant situation.

Now, mentally, I still wanted to beat myself off a wall. Yet the relaxation and contentment I'd found from being held and fed by such a prodigious chest was downright embarrassing. After the initial bone-deep worry, I rapidly found myself forgetting about all my earlier compunctions.

Boobs were great. Especially when providing me with my second favorite food group. And me being as small as I currently was made them seem all the bigger. I felt an immense desire to fall asleep against Big Green's chest if ever I got the chance. Dopamine flooded my brain and absolutely kicked the shit out of my neural pathways. By the end of things, my belly was full and I dare say I was at least twice as content as my neighbor.

Nex bless that woman.

Funny thing, though. While my tummy was doubtlessly full, Old Man sticking his finger in my mouth and doing whatever the heck that was had actually gotten me waaaay more zooted out. I had some ideas on the bizarre occurrence, but not a whole lot to go on yet. Certainly a question for the future.

After shamefully enjoying Big Green's rockin' titties, we moved on to far more wholesome endeavors. Rag Lady picked up my neighbor, whereas Big Green got saddled with me, and we went 'n sat down on what appeared to be a deep-set couch. I was propped between B.G. and the armrest. She then pulled out a very rudimentary picture book and began reading it to me and pointing at pictures periodically.

I hung on to each word she said like a lifeline, trying to suck up and absorb as much as I could as soon as possible. Who knows if or when I'd get another chance any time soon, or if this was a one-off thing. It seemed like more of a repeat activity, but gift horses and all that.

I'd studied several languages before. Not enough to really get good at any of them, especially when they'd never seen any major or real-life application and use, but enough to pick up a few memorization tricks. At the same time, I'd never been forced into total immersion before. Always, I was drawing parallels between the two, translating things in my head. Probably why I never got beyond a basic level in any of them.

This was an entirely different beast. My brain felt like mushy soup after even a short session. But by golly when a pretty lady who just fed me points to a picture of a dog and says it's something else entirely, then I'm going to call it whatever she just said! Once my mouth and throat start cooperating more. For now it was just a warbled chim! noise.

At least my baby speak seemed to have surprised or pleased B.G., so I strove to continue that same enthusiasm. After making our way through the perilous alphabet book and several pictures of animals I didn't quite recognize, she put the book aside and made some cooing! noises at me, before patting my head. She spoke in the dreaded 'baby tone'. I'm going to assume this meant something like, "Good baby." or "Good girl."

Still not really sure how I felt if it were the latter, but the head pat was enjoyable all the same. For my part, stuck between the armrest cushion and B.G., I simply faceplanted into her side and attempted to hug her as thanks for taking the time to teach me.

At some point, my neighbor had been picked up and deposited back into their crib. I still can't tell if the baby was a boy or girl, the bedding was an off-white and they weren't wearing much besides the makeshift diaper-thing. My thoughts turned to hygiene around here and what I'd do when I needed to do my business, but I still hadn't felt the urge yet thankfully.

B.G. spent some more time trying to teach me stuff, pointing at herself and saying the same thing several times. I realized this must be her name. Siobhan.

I tried to pronounce it, but failed spectacularly. Even if I were being very generous, I barely got a 'Shh' out, before the rest deflated into an unenunciated, wet balloon of baby speak. Still, that somehow seemed to delight the woman. Personally, I'm just glad I managed to not fall over while sitting up. Even while propped between an armrest, the back, and Siobhan, my core felt shaky and I feared my face accelerating into the cushion.

Small victories.

It was at this point she repeated the process while pointing at me. Several times she said the same word. Diadora.

Only, that wasn't my name. Was it? ... Then I realized.

—That's right. Jordan died. I died. This must be my new name.

I'm not sure why being presented with a new name upset me so much, but I began to tear up. Small mewls escaped from my mouth. I swear I'd cried more in the past two days than I had in the previous ten years. Why was I so bad at holding my emotions in? That only frustrated me more, snowballing the ordeal.

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Siobhan picked me up and started to rock me. I did my best to wrap my stubby arms around her. Maybe touching something would make this whole experience seem a little less fake. But I'm not sure if it feeling more real was a good or bad thing. All I know is that I missed my family. I missed my friends, my house, my life. As shitty as some things about it were at times, overall there was still a lot I was thankful for. It wasn't a bad life.

After calming down a bit, I convinced myself I'd just have to find new things to be grateful for. The alternative was too depressing to consider.

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The next two days were mostly similar, which was both surprising and a huge relief.

One thing to note is that sometimes I'd get visitors from curious women in the church. The nuns, I guess? They'd stop by what I was dubbing the children's quarters and visit me and the other baby. Only one of the men came to visit, though I didn't recognize him. Some of them would fuss and play with us a little, though my neighbor got far more attention. Others would simply stop by to chat with Rag Lady or Siobhan.

Abruptly, I found my days becoming far more idyllic than the prior immense chaos that life had dropped on my face and rubbed in for good measure. Siobhan would spend time either feeding me, playing with me, or holding me while sounding out books for me. I did my best to absorb whatever she threw my way like a sponge.

Siobhan taught me that Rag Lady's name was actually Eleanor, which was far more of a disaster for me to attempt pronouncing. Anyway, Eleanor's attention appeared to be more focused on the older children, while Siobhan took care of myself and sometimes Neighbor, who was apparently a cute little normal human female baby. That fact only made me a little jealous.

On another note, it seemed like there were a good bit more women in the church than men, for whatever reason. That didn't particularly matter, so I just filed that nugget away and didn't give it much thought. Maybe there were a bunch of monks meditating up on a mountain somewhere. Meh.

Fortunately, Eleanor still watched over and took care of me, especially when the older children were off doing something or another for a good portion of the day. It was a bit hard to tell or keep track of time, as I found myself drifting off to sleep periodically. I had to rely on the amount of light filtering into the room from a set of windows.

Unfortunately, Eleanor wasn't as fun or attentive as Siobhan. I'd almost describe her as more ... professional? If I were being mean, a stick in the mud. But she still checked on the two of us between whatever she was doing at her desk. Mostly my neighbor though, as the little tyke cried or made noise often.

I continued to attempt wiggling my body around, trying to both get used to and strengthen it. I'd made a little bit of progress in just a few days, but it still felt frustratingly slow. Who knew being a baby could be so boring? I began to miss the constant mental stimulation I'd kept up with during my previous life. Not being hyper-focused on one project or the next felt strange and I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts right now.

At least I could keep myself physically busy whenever I wasn't wrapped up in my blanket. I tried to associate it with actual working out, despite the many differences. The lack of independence was the biggest annoyance. I needed to correct that with haste.

Also, I was beginning to worry quite a bit because I hadn't gone to the bathroom even once since I got here. That greatly confused me. I hadn't felt bloated or backed up or ill, but given my neighbor's frequent diaper changing, that didn't seem normal.

Then again, what was normal about this situation? The fact I seemingly had all the downstairs plumbing and hadn't used it was borderline paradoxical at this point. I'm pretty sure this also confused Siobhan and Eleanor, though maybe I just misread the situation when they'd checked me a few times and gave each other looks after.

Really, I shouldn't be complaining but having another thing stand out on the list of 'what the fuck?' wasn't fully comforting.

While Siobhan was reading to me on the third evening, a knock! came from the door. Old Man soon entered, followed by an old man. They were multiplying! The horror.

More importantly, new old man wasn't wearing the same, uniform robes that I'd come to expect from the people in this church. He wore a set of brown slacks and a white, puffy doublet. It had fancy gold embroidery. A set of round glasses sat below his bushy, brown eyebrows. He had a comb over and a well-maintained mustache completed the look. His eyes were a bit wrinkly, but otherwise he looked healthy for his age.

The man reminded me of a spiffy banker. Until I was told otherwise, his name was now Mustachio. Not sure what was up with the clothing—seemed kinda old fashioned—but hey, fashion never was my strong suit. Mustachio gave off an 'I'm important' vibe, though I could've imagined it. Best to play it safe though.

By safe, I mean I did my darnedest to meld into the couch and hide behind Siobhan. Unfortunately, she betrayed me by putting the book down then picking me up. Drat!

With little else to do, I was forced to greet the new gentleman. My stomach felt a bit uneasy. The past few days of being around all the church people had helped me worry less. A new, non-church person was an unknown. Well, first impressions and all that. Supposed it best to get things over with.

I gave Mustachio my most poilte mlem! hello from the comfort of Siobhan's cradling arms. His bushy eyebrows were furrowed and he seemed to be disregarding me to speak to Old Man. He also didn't offer a finger for my tiny baby hand to shake, which seemed rude. At least a couple of the nuns had done that...

The three 'adults' conversed for quite a while, and from what little I could tell, Mustachio was clearly upset about something. Old Man seemed a bit concerned, and Siobhan had mostly gone quiet while the two talked. Wasn't really feeling good vibes here.

Using my newly acquired baby powers, I did the sensible thing and whined into Siobhan's chest.

Siobhan seemed to take the hint. I didn't really want to be here if I didn't have to. The discussion seemed to be getting heated, and I felt like my mere presence wasn't doing Old Man any favors. Or perhaps that was just me projecting.

A minute later, Siobhan and I had left the room. She carried me down a hallway, then another door led into an open courtyard with a running fountain and a gazebo. There were several bushes lining the walls with tiny little white flower buds starting to form, plus a handful of wooden benches with metal frames. A nun was sweeping the stone floors nearby.

I must say though, I was a bit surprised by the fountain's design and flowing water. Mustachio's old-timey clothing and lack of electricity in the church had me worried I'd been tossed into the Dark Ages or something similar, but the fountain seemed to have a motor? It was elegantly designed, featuring a man in a toga pouring the water from a large jug that he held in front of him. The whole fountain had a circular base and must've been at least 8 feet in diameter. Fancy.

There were two men sitting and conversing on the fountain edge, who Siobhan greeted before we retired to the gazebo. I gazed at the scenery and fountain a bit more, admiring the whole courtyard. The scenery was quaint, relaxing. Siobhan talked to me a bit, rocking me just a tad while I was in a shoulder hold. I thought I picked out a few words, but still couldn't understand.

I was extremely thankful to have someone as nice as Siobhan taking care of me. It seemed like Old Man might've maybe possibly been going to bat for me as well? Unless he was getting ready to ship me off to Mustachio, but judging by their reactions in the earlier conversation, that didn't seem to be the case. I hoped.

If Old Man really was helping me out with Mustachio, I very much needed to learn his name and stop disrespectfully calling him old all the time.

Regardless, assuming I survived all this weirdness, I would absolutely have to pay back their generosity. With those thoughts firmly in mind, I soon let my head plop against Siobhan's shoulder. I found myself relaxing, then falling asleep amidst a nice, chill breeze and the gentle rays of sunlight.

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"And I'm telling you we can't have an unbound demon in the city, even if it's a child!"

Mayor Edouard Penbright's complexion had reddened considerably since arriving at the abbey. He'd scarcely believed the letter he'd received from Father Elias the previous day, asking for an audience and briefly explaining the situation. Elias remained as unmoved and unshakeable as anything, his tone the picture of serenity.

"I did not invite you here to debate this matter, Edouard, only to inform. I've already written to the main branch to report and request guidance. Further, allow me to remind you there is no law specifically against unbound demons."

Edouard's complexion only worsened. He was incredulous.

"Yes! Because everyone with sense knows what happens when an unbound demon runs amok! Need I remind you how many men died just three years ago near the capital! Fourteen men, sucked drier than a fucking brick! In just one day!"

Elias frowned, "Language. And I am quite familiar with that incident. It was a tragedy and resulted in several laws being passed the following year regarding the ownership of demon contracts. Now I assure you again, the child is being monitored carefully, and I expect to hear back regarding the matter soon. To remind you, the abbey will not recklessly abandon any child upon their doorstep, regardless of difficult circumstances."

"It isn't a child, it's a demon!"

Edouard wanted to grab the abbot and shake him until he saw sense. This was an awful joke, and he hadn't quite believed the man until laying eyes on the little devil just moments ago.

"All children are born without sin, Edouard. Benevitas will guide my hand on this matter. Until then, I am simply informing you of what has occurred and what will happen next. Once I receive correspondence, I will update you on the situation immediately. Until then, the child will be under our watchful eye."

The poor mayor could only sputter at this point. His fire was going out. This was complete and utter nonsense.

"Just ... Just, don't do anything stupid, Elias. I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you don't get someone else to come out here soon, I'll be writing them myself just to make sure you aren't addled or bewitched! I don't care about the lack of laws or interpretations of the Scripture, this is hogwash and you know it."

Edouard sighed heavily, pausing for a moment, "At least do me a favor and keep this under wraps. I've enough on my plate with the poor harvest, tax increase, and elections coming up next month. If word about this gets out, my head will be on a damn platter! I don't need this right now!"

At that, Elias frowned.

"I've already instructed the entire abbey to maintain secrecy on this matter until we receive a response. While I can't guarantee anything, I've stressed the importance to everyone here. Again, I shall keep you informed."

With a disgusted and defeated growl, Edouard finally relented.

"See that you do," he replied before making his way to the door. His voice trailed off, "Honestly, ridiculous! Never in all my life."

With mutterings and curses, the Mayor of Wintershire made his way back home, where he would toss and turn all night until a fitful sleep took him. Elias remained impassive until the man left, before exhaling deeply and aging several years. The stress was weighing on him, too.

While his responsibilities had dwindled down to nearly the previous norm, the past few days were hectic. Thankfully he was among the most supportive group he could ask for. That would change should he mishandle the situation, something bad occurred with the child, or if things dawdled too long. Yet for now, there was a tenuous peace in the abbey.

Elias was glad to hear from Eleanor and Siobhan that their new guest was very well behaved. How long in the child's development that would last until the natural order of things reared its ugly head, he was unsure. Yet he chose to believe that given enough of Benevitas' love, even a demon might find a place amongst them.

"And thusly, her voice rang out; every soul can be redeemed in his holy light," Elias muttered quietly.

He earnestly believed that, because he had to. Or else, what would that make him?

And should time prove him a liar or fool both? Then with a heavy heart, he would accept that as well and deal with it as necessary.