Chapter 3: Rebirth Among the Stars

Hentz drifted for what felt like an eternity, his thoughts a mix of resignation and longing. The void, once oppressive and suffocating, had become his constant companion. The darkness seemed infinite, save for the faint, distant pinpricks of light above him.

"Wait…" he thought, his consciousness stirring with a flicker of hope. "Stars…?"

He blinked—or at least, he thought he did. The stars shimmered faintly against the black canvas, impossibly far yet unmistakably present. They hadn’t been there before. Slowly, realization dawned on him.

"This… this isn’t the void anymore," he whispered in his mind, his thoughts growing sharper. "Something’s changed."

And then, the stars began to swirl, coalescing into a dazzling cascade of light. His body, or whatever semblance of a body he had, felt weightless, as if he were being pulled toward something. A strange warmth enveloped him, comforting and unfamiliar.

Suddenly, the stars vanished, replaced by a blinding white light.

---

When the light subsided, Hentz found himself in a strange new reality. The first thing he noticed was the sensation of weight—the comforting pressure of gravity anchoring him. The void’s oppressive silence was gone, replaced by muffled sounds and distant voices.

He tried to move, but his limbs felt strange, unresponsive. Panic bubbled within him for a moment before he looked down—or rather, tried to look down. His field of vision was limited, his head cradled in something soft.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"Where… am I?" he thought, his mind racing.

His surroundings slowly came into focus. He was in a room—no, a chamber—of pristine design. The walls gleamed with a metallic sheen, smooth and reflective, illuminated by a soft, ambient light. A large window dominated one side of the room, revealing a breathtaking view of the cosmos. A massive planet, painted in swirling hues of blue and green, hung in the void of space. Beyond it, countless stars twinkled in the inky blackness.

"Stars," he thought again, a sense of awe washing over him. "So many stars…"

He tried to sit up, but his body refused to cooperate. That’s when he noticed it—his arms, small and pudgy, not the strong, calloused limbs he once knew. He froze, his breath—or whatever semblance of breath he had—caught in his throat.

"What… what is this?" he thought, a mixture of fear and confusion coursing through him. He moved his hand experimentally, watching as the tiny fingers curled and uncurled.

His body wasn’t his own. It was the body of a child.

Before he could process this revelation, a soft voice spoke, its tone soothing and melodic. He turned—or rather, his head was turned—to see a woman cradling him in her arms. Her hair was long and pristine black, cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall of silk. Her face, though unfamiliar, radiated a warmth that stilled the chaos in his mind.

She was speaking to him, her voice a gentle murmur in a language he didn’t understand. Yet, the melody of her words, the tender cadence, eased the tension in his body.

His gaze shifted to the people around her, all clad in strange white garments that seemed to shimmer faintly under the room’s light. They moved with purpose, their expressions calm yet focused. Strange devices floated in the air around them, blinking with tiny lights and emitting soft hums.

"What… is this place?" Hentz thought, his confusion deepening. "These people… their clothes, their tools… I’ve never seen anything like it."

The woman holding him leaned closer, her face filling his vision. She smiled, a look of pure affection in her eyes, and spoke again, her voice carrying an almost musical quality.

Hentz felt a strange sensation in his chest—not pain, but an unfamiliar warmth. For the first time in what felt like lifetimes, he felt… safe.

"Who… who are you?" he wanted to ask, but his body betrayed him. His voice was no longer his own, reduced to soft coos and whimpers.

The woman laughed softly, her expression one of pure joy. She leaned down and kissed his forehead, her touch light as a feather.

Hentz closed his eyes, his mind a whirlwind of questions. "This isn’t the Empire. This isn’t the world I knew. Am I… reborn?"

His thoughts turned to the gods he had cursed in his final moments. Was this their doing? Was this some form of punishment—or a second chance?

As the woman’s soothing voice continued, Hentz felt himself drifting again, but this time it wasn’t into the void. It was into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, her gentle embrace and the distant stars lulling him into a calm he hadn’t known in a long time.

One thought lingered in his mind as he succumbed to the warmth:"If this is a new life… then I will make it my own."