1st Life
Year 2
Day 14
“Why do you do that?” Asked Selene with her smooth and clear voice.
I looked up from the small pieces of cloth in my hands, and studied her face for a moment. I might be in the body of a baby, but I still have the mentality of an adult. Looking at a pretty girl like Selene is one of life’s small pleasures.
She quirked her eyebrow and a small crooked smirk appeared, she seemed able to guess the direction of my thoughts. Well that is not too unlikely since she is bound to have suffered the admiring gazes of more than a few men.
“Well for a myriad of reasons really, but tailoring has two main benefits for me at the moment. One it does not require great strength yet it requires a great deal of manual dexterity.
Two it is a craft worth knowing in the case I get reincarnated into a family that isn’t rich beyond belief.“ I answered her, while my small clumsy hands kept stitching the two small pieces of cloth together.
“Ahh, that actually makes some sense. Yet why haven’t you tried to train your body, or some other such nonsense. instead of just reading and doing arts and crafts?”
I could not help a small frown from appearing on my face.
“Because I am still just a one year old child. My body is human, it will be some time before it can handle any form of strenuous physical activity.“ I cracked a small smile and then continued. “Besides I have this feeling that my mind is much more malleable than it was in my last life, so I think that for now I will focus on reading and learning.”
Selene looked at me for a moment, and then said:
“Well humans do take a long time to mature it would seem.” And with that she left, off to wherever she goes when she isn’t near me.
I had already made plans, and as I told Selene, for now I would focus on using this wonderful clarity and alacrity that my young brain has gifted me with.
My parents had a huge library, filled with all kinds of books, and I read as much of it as I could at night under the flickering light of a candle.
1st Life
Year 4
Day 117
My small body moved slowly through the motions of Tai Chi that I still remembered. It was not much that I did recall, but enough to help me strengthen this body’s sense of balance and poise. While taxing it was still low intensity training and I have therefore concluded my three year old body should be able to handle it.
A small smile lifted the corner of one of my lips. Selene had almost laughed herself right into the afterlife when I begun four months ago, and she still found it endlessly amusing to watch me do this every morning as the sun rose.
Done with the mornings exercise I enjoyed the gentle warmth of the sun on my face for a moment.
Life was good here, no one demanded anything of me, yet I was starting to feel a disconnect. Life here is too good and I am well aware that it will never stay that way, the world is a harsh place and without even taking other sentient beings into consideration humans are bloody monsters.
My one frustration was my lack of progress with magic. I had this feeling that I have it yet neither my mother nor Selene will teach me.
1st Life
Year 6
Day 2
I stood in the fieldstone courtyard of the Blackstone mansion holding a wooden stick. Across from me stood my father William.
At the tender age of five, I have decided that it is time I learn how to defend myself. Seeing as my father is a noble, I am apparently expected to learn the sword.
“Now Johann, what do you know of fighting?”
Now that was a tricky question to answer, I had spent a great deal of my life killing in ways that reduced my chance of actually getting in a fight. My old pals did try to teach me their hand-to-hand combat but I never did get much out of it. A rifle is just so much easier to use.
I had tried to experiment with making gunpowder in this world, but guess what it isn’t combustible here. Besides if it had worked some other soul was bound to have introduced it already.
“Well in my old world, fighting had progressed to mostly ranged combat and I was something close to a master marksman with the weapons we used. Swords and the like had been outdated for two or more centuries depending upon how you measured it.”
William smiled, and it lit up his whole face. That guy was way too charming, and it must be that charm that caused my Ever Dying mother to fall for him.
“That’s great. I won't have to readjust your old and probably bad habits. You have no idea how arrogant some of those with the circle can be when it comes to swordplay.” He shook his head ruefully. “Now watch me closely. The most important part of swordfighting is the footwork. It is from that that strength and speed is derived. Do as I do, and remember to always work from your center of gravity.”
Now the only reason that we are going directly to exercises instead of warm up is because my meagre Tai Chi skills seems to be enough warm up for what we are doing.
At least according to father. He did have me do some exercises with a wooden sword after each session, mainly to strengthen the wrist and arms.
As I watched I saw William place his feet a little more than a shoulder width apart and then take a step forward with his left foot. Ending up in a stance not unlike the one boxers and martial artist use. Well it would make sense for them to be similar since they all require you to have a stable footing.
I settled in to the old familiar form, and William corrected it slightly. Made me bend a little more in the knees and straighten my front foot more so that it presented as little a profile as possible.
William’s dark eyes checked my stance critically for a moment, and then he took a similar one once more. He then moved his back foot forward a little bit in a straight line and then moved the front foot, all the time keeping his back straight. After that he moved the front foot backwards a small bit and then moved his back foot.
Advance and retreat was then shown a couple more times before I had a go at them myself.
The first time I did the advance I was told in no uncertain terms that the angle of my back foot should stay the same through the movement, only moving forward in a straight line.
When I got the hang of that I was hounded for my posture, my father likening it to the back of a drunk snake.
I did three hours of that before I was let go, I never knew my father could actually be strict.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
1st Life
Year 11
Day 1
Standing in front of a tall mirror I looked myself over, checking that nothing was out of place. This body had taken after my father, granting me clear blue eyes and raven black hair, now slicked back with some sort of oil.
Wearing a pair of self tailored dark slacks and a fine white shirt I looked the part of a young noble. A small unadorned steel sword at my left hip, only reinforcing the fact I was a noble.
Turning away from the mirror I found Selene watching me, her golden eyes intent.
“I didn’t think you had a thing for kids Selene?”
A familiar smirk appears on her face while she continues to watch me, clearly not the least bit disturbed by my words.
“Ohh but while I am not into kids, I do so enjoy thinking of their potential.” Her smirk turned predatory. “Besides a baby soul like you have so much unexplored potential that I can not help but shiver just thinking of the possibilities.”
Now that was a scary thought, I had little to no knowledge of Selene even after ten years together. I had concluded that she was not at all what she seemed to be, that is a young incredibly beautiful woman. Well she was at least something more than that, all attempts to dig deeper had met with overwhelming failure though.
Well no time to think too much about it, today was after all my tenth birthday, a great day for any human child in Ortus.
My parents had invited anyone and everyone that was something in the great empire of man. There was even rumors that the emperor and his children would appear.
As I walked into the great hall I felt every gaze in the big room turn and settle onto me. Along with the low buzz of whispers at my appearance. Well mother had told me I was being very modest in my attire, and judging by the other children and their gaudy clothes it would appear she was right.
Now that I could have dealt with, the intense gaze of the middle aged man wearing a purple robe I could not. For it was not aimed at me, it was aimed just to the right of me, where Selene stood.
I couldn’t help but feel like a bloody idiot, just because no one up till now had been able to see her did not mean that no one could.
The man made a gesture and the two big burly guards behind him strode forward.
I made a snap decision. My time here had come to an end. As quickly as I could I turned around and fled.
I ran down the hallways as fast as my young body could, thankfully my training had paid of and I was in excellent shape for a ten year old.
I was just about to run down towards the gated exit, when the thought of more guards hit me so instead I turned towards the rooms at the back of the mansion.
I jumped out the window of a maids small room after having quickly checked for guards outside it.
I ran towards the woods, when I a sharp pain in the back of my thigh. I looked down and saw an arrow head peaking out on the front of my thigh.
Slowly I sank to the ground, no sense in given them a reason to fire again. While placing my hands behind my head I looked at Selene.
“You know why that man was so interested in you?” My voice even, no hint of emotion.
She looked at me for a moment, indecisive.
Just as her lips started moving I felt a sharp pain at the back of my neck and I blacked out.
*******
When I came to it was with a pounding headache and the cold feel of steel against my raised wrists.
Looking around, I found myself in a dark damp stone room with straw on the floor. The smell of blood heavy in the air, more than likely coming from the table containing the bloody tools of a rather gruesome trade.
“So ,Selene, what is going on?”
Selene appeared from wherever she hides and then just stood there, silent.
Fuck it, if she did not want to share so be it, their questions would more than likely answer a lot of my own.
I did not have to wait long before someone came to talk to me, the surprising thing was who came.
“Well hello dear mother, what can I do for you this fine day?” My voice polite, albeit heavy with sarcasm.
Isabelle did not look happy, in fact she looked positively pissed.
“How did you get a guardian spirit? and why were you idiotic enough to flaunt it in front of an inquisitor?”
Ahh so my thought was right, it all boiled down to Selene.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Isabelle usually warm eyes turned hard.
“Well there is nothing we can do for you now, if you end up returning to the cycle do remember that we did right by you for the most part.”
“I will, say goodbye to William for me.”
Isabelle walked to the heavy iron bound door and knocked twice before it opened and she left. As she did so the middle aged man entered and walked over to the table.
“A pleasure to meet you young Ever Dying. My name is Valerian, and I am the personal inquisitor of his imperial majesty.”
He picked up a tong with something black and crusty on the end.
“Now you have something his majesty wants, are you going to give it to him or will i have to persuade you.” Valerian said while pointing at him with the tongs.
I could not help a smirk from appearing, this meant they could not simply take her.
“Well seems to me you want to be persuaded. No matter, If you will not budge I will simply have to ensure no one else gets her. Care to guess what the easiest way is to dispose of an Ever Dying is?”
With those words he walked over my feet floating ten centimeters above the ground held fast by another set of chains.
I could feel cool metal on the tip of my left big toe and the searing pain as he started pulling.
I screamed, as hard and as high as I could. Nothing to be gained by being a stoic.
The tongs floated into view in front of me. My nail securely placed between the prongs on it.
Valerian smiled from ear to ear and then said:
“Now that was one, nineteen to go.”
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Hey there fellow penguins.
Now things are heating up a bit eh? :)
As always I hope you enjoyed my story and cya around.
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