It was dark and calm, and I felt like I was floating. I looked around at an infinite void of darkness. I didn't know where I was or how long I had been there. Despite the eerie silence and complete darkness, which would make any normal person go insane, I had only one question playing in my mind on repeat.
Did I just die?
I asked myself that over and over until I switched the question, given the situation.
After all, I was in a dark void, and I didn't know how long I had been there. I sort of just... woke up.
I tried to speak, but it came out as a thought. I looked down in a desperate attempt to see my hands. I needed to see something, to know that I existed... but it was either so dark that I couldn't see my body, or I simply didn't have one.
Hell, maybe? No, it's a little too calm.
I don't know who likes spending their time in dark voids like this, but it's certainly not me.
I sighed internally and started to look around with little expectations. There's really nothing here, huh? I knew there were no gods. I lived alone, died alone, and now I'm in this infinite void alone. How annoying.
Before I came to the dark void, or rather, before I died, I was in my home country, where life wasn't always easy - it was more difficult than anything else. Ever since I could remember, I was an orphan with no parents or background. But that wasn't unusual because, from my birth to my death, the country where I grew up was constantly at war. When I turned eighteen, I left the orphanage and joined the army.
I was an exceptional combatant. I didn't have any family or home to return to, so I fought with no concern over my life. It wasn't good for my mental state, but it made me a damned good soldier.
I was so good that the higher-ups in the army gave me special training to become a spy. After the hellish training they put me through, I wouldn't be lying if I said I was one of the continent's strongest soldiers. I was a pinnacle of strength, a beacon of hope for our people.
One of my biggest achievements was when I was sent on a highly prioritized mission. I infiltrated our enemy's country, killed two top generals, and took out whole battalions of soldiers, which put our country at a great advantage.
And although I did this, the fight didn't stop there.
After that mission, I took leave to find myself. I didn't know what I wanted to do or what my life meant in the long run. I was confused.
Three years later, I died. I don't know how. All I can remember is falling to the ground in my room, feeling like my heart was being ripped out of my chest, blood coming from my mouth, eyes, and ears. And the next thing I knew, I was here. In this damn void.
What is this place, anyway? Am I stuck here forever, or will I just disappear any moment? I sighed internally once again.
Wait, what's that?
To my surprise, a light appeared out of nowhere, as if someone had lit a lamp in this dark cave that I dubbed "The Void."
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For some odd reason, everything in my being was telling me to float towards this mysterious light.
Was it a god awaiting my arrival? Or maybe they decided to let me into paradise, and this was the front gate?
It didn't matter. I floated towards the bright radiance like a moth to a flame.
As I approached the light, I found myself in a room that resembled a rickety old barn. The sound of heavy rain and occasional thunder filled the air, and raindrops seeped through the worn-out wooden roof.
The whole structure seemed like it could collapse at any moment, but my attention was drawn to an ugly bald man with a curved mustache. He was staring at me as if I were his pet cat.
God? No, that couldn't be right...
"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy!" he exclaimed with obvious joy in his voice.
Hold on, a baby boy?
Suddenly, a woman's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Did you hear that, honey? It's a baby boy!" Despite her evident exhaustion, her excitement overrode everything else.
The man, whom I assumed to be a doctor, handed me over to the woman.
She was stunning, with fair skin, deep green eyes, and jet-black hair that put the darkness to shame. Her warmth was so inviting that I didn't want her to let me go.
"Yes, Faliya, if it wasn't raining, I'd take him to the village and show him off. My son! I finally have a son!" said a man in the room whom I hadn't noticed before.
Meanwhile, my mother, still lying on a makeshift bed of hay and cotton, held me as her husband stood tall, towering above her. He had a sun-kissed face and navy blue hair dampened by the rain, which complemented his light brown eyes.
"That wouldn't be a good idea even if it were a hot summer day! Mel, we both know how clumsy you can get. You would probably drop my poor son."
The man looked at my mother in shock and hurt, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he let out a nervous laugh. "You don't trust your own husband, Faliya? I admit I can be clumsy at times, but this is my son we're talking about. I'm sure I can be careful."
My mother chuckled and looked at me again. "Doctor, why isn't he crying? Is that normal?"
The doctor paused for a moment, pondering her question. "Although it's rare for babies not to cry, I've examined him, and I assure you he is healthy and well."
My mother trusted his words and thanked him as she sat up, adjusting herself to get a better look at me.
I was in a state of disbelief, wondering if I had been reincarnated. It was the only logical explanation, right?
Damn, maybe there are Gods, but I've been totally screwed over. I have a baby's body that can barely move, and every time I try to speak, it comes out as a cry-like sound. Most of all, I'm butt naked. They could at least wrap me up in one of those extra sheets.
Just as I thought that, my mother pointed to the sheets, muttered a few unrecognizable words, and a gentle breeze brought a sheet over to her. She wrapped it around me tightly, and I stared at her in shock. To her, I looked like a newborn baby, but I was shaken to my core.
What the hell was happening? Was I the son of some witch now?
"Madam Faliya, you shouldn't use magic until you've properly rested. You must be exhausted. Let's get you and the baby to the carriage so I can take you guys home right away," said the doctor, his voice filled with concern.
Magic? Carriage? Pulled by what, horses?
"Sir Melvin, please carry your wife, and I'll hold the baby. We must get to the carriage fast, or they'll get soaked. It doesn't look like the rain will stop anytime soon. We must make haste, or the baby will catch a cold. Healing a newborn with light magic is harder than an adult or a small child."
My mother then handed me to the doctor, and after ensuring that I was safe, my father picked up my mother, and we hurried out of the barn. As we emerged, we were greeted by a dirt road, muddy from the rain, and a carriage. But instead of being pulled by horses, it was drawn by two large bird-like creatures with dark green feathers and two long, pink legs. They looked like something akin to an ostrich in my old world.
Despite my surprise, I felt numb after witnessing my mother's use of magic and being 'reincarnated' into this strange new world. I paid little attention to the creatures and instead gazed past them, taking in the sight of vast grass fields stretching out as far as my infant eyes could see.
The rain continued to pour down like a shower, but beyond it, I could make out the outlines of many mountains in the distance.