Marcus awoke to a peculiar sensation. His body rested on something soft and warm. Confusion bubbled in his mind as he tried to open his eyes, but everything was a hazy blur.
The world around him was a wash of pale shapes and muted colors. He blinked furiously, willing his vision to clear, but it didn’t even after a minute had very well passed. Panic began to swell in his chest.
‘Geh… Am I born blind?’
Driven by fear, he tried to move, to push himself upright, but his body refused to cooperate. His arms and legs felt strange—small, weak, and unresponsive. His limbs flailed helplessly, a frustratingly alien sensation.
“Wabhah” Marcus called out instinctively for Adrian. Or at least, he tried to.
The sound that escaped his lips was not his voice. It was a high-pitched, babbling whine, utterly unfamiliar and thoroughly embarrassing. He froze, horrified by the noise.
He tried again, only to produce another nonsensical sound, his panic rising with each attempt.
Marcus flailed again, not giving up to try yet. His tiny limbs yet still moved in ways that felt foreign and uncoordinated. He could barely tell which part of his body was which. Every muscle he tried to command responded sluggishly or in ways he didn’t expect. His fingers, if they could even be called that, curled weakly, and his legs twitched without purpose.
‘This is… humiliating.’
He wanted to groan, to curse, to at least say something resembling words, but every attempt resulted in another high-pitched, garbled whine. His throat burned slightly with the effort, and he could feel a tightness in his tiny chest.
‘I guess this is the side effect of being reborn with your memory of your previous life still intact?’
Just as he was about to try moving again, a sharp ping rang inside his mind, cutting through the disorientation. A cool, mechanical voice echoed in his thoughts.
[INITIALIZING…]
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE BEEN REBORN.]
[500 SP HAVE BEEN DEPOSITED INTO YOUR JOINT ACCOUNT.]
A translucent blue box materialized in his vision, hovering as if projected directly into his mind. The crisp, glowing letters of the System message pulsed softly, drawing his full attention.
‘Oh? Well, would you look at that?’
Despite his frustration, Marcus couldn’t help but be begrudgingly impressed. The interface was smooth, seamless—almost intuitive and game-like.
One particular bar is sticking out in the status section—it was called Æther.
‘Wonder what it’s all about? Is that the magical energy in this world?’
Another ping echoed in his mind.
Marcus barely had time to process the first message and all the new details when a second notification appeared.
[YOUR TWIN HAS REQUESTED A PURCHASE: ‘TELEPATHIC LINK – 450 SP’]
[APPROVE?]
[YES] [NO]
Marcus blinked. ‘Telepathic link?’
It took him a second to connect the dots. Adrian!
His now twin brother was out there, experiencing the same thing. And, as expected, Adrian was already a step ahead, looking for a way to communicate.
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A wave of relief washed over Marcus. They didn’t consider this kind of complication. Without hesitation, he focused on the YES option, willing the selection to be made.
The moment his mind touched the command, the notification vanished, replaced by a new presence that settled into his consciousness. It was like a missing piece had snapped into place.
｢Marcus?｣
Adrian’s voice rang through his thoughts, crisp and clear, yet without actual sound. It was an odd sensation—like hearing someone inside your own skull.
A sharp laugh echoed through their shared link.
｢Oh my god, you sound ridiculous.｣
Marcus scowled—or at least, he felt like he scowled. ｢Shut up. I don’t even know if I have proper facial muscles yet.｣
｢That’s actually true. But still—holy crap, we’re actually babies.｣
Marcus exhaled. ｢Yeah. I hate it already.｣
He could sense Adrian’s amusement but also his underlying focus. ｢Alright. First things first. Are you okay? No weird defects? No unexpected mutations?｣
Marcus tried to move again, his stubby limbs barely responding. ｢Physically, I think I’m fine, but I feel like a useless lump. Vision is blurry, body doesn’t respond the way I want it to, and I can’t even talk properly. You?｣
｢Same for me, I think.｣ Adrian admitted, ｢Despite everything, we’re still managing to be together, at least.｣
The soft murmur of unfamiliar voices drew Marcus’s attention. His hazy vision picked up two figures approaching, their silhouettes gradually coming into focus. The voices were melodic but completely foreign, a language neither Marcus nor Adrian recognized.
｢Do you hear that?｣ Adrian’s voice echoed in Marcus’s mind, still carrying the surreal quality that made him question whether it was real.
｢Yeah, and it’s not English, that’s for sure,｣ Marcus replied, trying to make sense of the situation.
The two women stepped closer, their tones warm and soothing, like caretakers comforting a child. Marcus tensed when one of the women leaned over him, her large shadow engulfing his small body. With careful hands, she picked him up, lifting him as though he weighed nothing.
“Whoa!” Marcus’s mind reeled as his body was cradled against the woman’s chest. ｢Adrian, she’s picking me up!｣
｢The other lady doing it to me too.｣ Adrian wryly smiled inside, his voice tinged with equal part of alarm.
The women exchanged a few more words, their language flowing like a stream, soft rhythmic, and archaic-like. Adrian tried to understand or at least guess if he ever heard of this language before, but the sounds might as well have been gibberish. Before he could process anything further, the woman holding him adjusted her grip and pulled aside the neckline of her tunic.
“Wabupaba?!” Marcus’s thoughts spiraled into panic as she brought his face closer to her exposed breast.
｢Oh, no, no, no, no! Adrian, are they—?!｣
｢Yes! They are!｣ Adrian practically shouted in Marcus’s mind, the horror in his tone unmistakable. ｢This isn’t happening!｣
The sheer absurdity of the moment hit Marcus hard. He squirmed instinctively, his tiny limbs flailing desperately as he tried to turn his head away. His face burned with embarrassment, though he was sure it wasn’t visible under his baby-soft skin.
For a brief moment, he and Adrian shared the same thought: This is not part of the plan.
Marcus had been nineteen when he fell from that cliff—old enough to know how to drive and carry his own license, to take on challenges and make his own choices. And now, here he was, reduced to a helpless infant being coddled and offered nourishment he was far too conscious to accept.
Adrian, only seventeen, felt similarly humiliated. Despite his usual pragmatism in life, even he wasn’t prepared for this.
｢I’m not doing it,｣ Marcus declared firmly. ｢No way. I refuse.｣
｢Same,｣ Adrian muttered. ｢This is too weird.｣
Their silent protest didn’t go unnoticed. Both babies wriggled and turned their heads away whenever the women tried to guide them closer. After several minutes of fruitless attempts, the women exchanged glances, shrugged, and set the boys down gently.
Marcus and Adrian shared a collective sigh of relief, though it was short-lived as the women returned with small clay cups. One of them held the rim to Marcus’s lips, tilting it carefully. A warm, sweet liquid trickled into his mouth.
｢Wait... cow’s milk? And... honey?｣ Adrian noted, the distinct yet familiar taste registering on his tongue.
｢At least it’s not... the other thing,｣ Marcus quipped.
Despite their embarrassment, the boys allowed themselves to be fed. The women cooed softly, seemingly pleased by their cooperation, as they patiently helped the two drink from the clay-made sippy cups.
As the milk soothed his throat, Marcus’s mind began to race again. ｢Adrian, part of me still believes that these are all just a dream. But, this doesn’t feel like a dream at all. We fell, and I’m pretty sure we hit the ground. Hard. Met a cold, detached god. Learning about the secret of the universe and existence.｣
Adrian hesitated, but then his voice came through, quiet and resigned. ｢Yeah, I was avoiding thinking too much about it as well. It’s important to take it step by step, Marcus.｣