CHAPTER 3

As he forced himself to cry, hoping, praying, that she would hear him and come to his side, his tiny chest heaved with the effort. He screamed out, letting his voice break with the intensity of his fear, confusion, and helplessness. His cries echoed into the emptiness around him. He waited, heart pounding, for any sign—any sound of footsteps, any whisper of comfort. But nothing came.

Tears welled up in his eyes again. *Why can't anyone hear me?* He wondered, panic rising in his chest. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe this was all just a strange dream. His thoughts raced as he tried to convince himself of it. *Yes, that's it. I must be dreaming, right?* But the feeling of dread gnawed at him, growing more intense. Warm tears slipped down his tiny cheeks, and in that moment, the truth became undeniable.

He looked at his small, helpless hands—the chubby fingers that could barely grasp anything—and realization dawned. This wasn't a dream. He wasn't in the past, nor was he back in the future. He was... somewhere else.

"I'm... in another world," he whispered softly, the words trembling as they left his lips. The sky above him was so clear, so vast, and so beautiful, it felt surreal. *No... it is real*, he thought, fresh tears now streaming uncontrollably. His cries turned into pitiful sobs, the kind that broke with every exhale. But again, no one came to him.

With the soul of a man in his twenties, he somehow managed to calm himself. He sniffled, the last of his sobs fading into silence. *I have to survive,* he thought. The resolve in him hardened, even as his infant body betrayed him with its vulnerability. And yet, curiously, he wasn't hungry. He wasn't tired, either, despite all the crying. That wasn't normal for a newborn—he knew that much.

This realization sent a shiver through him. *What is keeping me alive? What is keeping me from starving or needing sleep?* The idea frightened and reassured him in equal measure. Whatever it was, it kept him safe... for now.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He sighed, a soft little sound escaping from his baby-sized lungs. *Shelter... I need shelter.* His tiny heart raced again as the thought of wild animals flashed through his mind. *What if I'm in a jungle? What if something heard me crying and it's coming for me now?* His pulse quickened as he imagined the worst—fangs, claws, the flash of eyes in the darkness.

He prayed, desperately calling out to every god or deity he could think of, hoping someone or something would protect him. Time passed slowly. Minutes turned into what felt like an eternity. Still, no creature approached. No human, no beast, nothing at all. The silence was both a comfort and a torment.

His thoughts grew heavy with doubt. *Am I even real?* But then, another realization brought a small flicker of hope—if no animals came, perhaps he was safe, at least for now. *Maybe I can survive...* he thought with a fragile optimism, his small eyes watching the clouds drift lazily across the sky. They moved so peacefully, uncaring, as if nothing in the world could disturb their path.

Night began to fall, and with it came an overwhelming drowsiness. His eyes fluttered, fighting to stay open. *I don't want to sleep... I don't want to be eaten by a monster while I sleep...* But his tiny body couldn't resist the pull of exhaustion. His thoughts faded as he surrendered to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him, a soft, shimmering figure appeared beside him, a gentle sigh escaping their lips. The figure gazed down at the sleeping child with an expression that held both sadness and wonder. "He adapted quicker than I expected," the being whispered softly, their voice almost lost in the night air. "Fate... truly is a mysterious thing."

The figure's expression grew more complicated, eyes clouded with emotions that only they could understand. "Who... who would have thought you would be born as one like me..." There was an ache in the being's voice, something akin to hope and sorrow intertwined. "The world is protecting you, little one..."

The being's voice wavered. They bent down slowly, hesitantly, and placed a soft kiss on the baby's forehead, then another on each tiny hand. "I'll protect you until you turn ten... Fate will take it from there."

And with one last lingering look at the child, the figure disappeared into the night.

Our sleeping protagonist, unaware of the celestial presence that had just watched over him, drifted deeper into sleep, feeling strangely comforted in the arms of an unknown destiny.