Reincarnation… It's such a fascinating concept that is mostly used in the Euro-Asia world religion, pertaining mostly to Buddhism and Hinduism.
It's said that during one's lifetime, a person gains karma by the actions that they have condoned, be it good or bad. Once their life has ended, the accumulated karma gets to decide the next life of the soul, be it a life of luxuries and wealth, or one of suffering.
But... I never thought such a situation was going to happen to me once I died…
Even as I finally narrowed down my current situation, I still couldn't believe it.
Once again, I tried to move my body, but was still unable to move any muscles due to being in the body of a newborn. Furthermore, there are three unfamiliar people in the room that I have no disclosures of other than the couple being my potential parents.
"Relax... overthinking this won't help."
I slowly began observing my surroundings with the limited mobility my head could do. There's not much detail that can tell where exactly I am. The most I can tell is that I'm either residing in the Medieval Europe era in modern earth, or that I have travelled to another world in the same basic timeline.
As the newborn continued to think about his current situation, the woman who was holding him worriedly gazed at the child's face. Despite just being born, the baby already has such a discontented face. The woman holding the baby couldn't help but think the baby was probably hungry.
"I think he's hungry... let me try and breastfeed him." The woman slowly began removing part of her clothing to ease the baby's hunger.
After the consistent thoughts, I quickly opened my eyes, unaware of what was happening before I saw the breast of the unknown woman getting closer to my face.
Wait... Getting closer?
Wait–Wait–Wait–Wait–Wait–Wait!Wait a minute!
Don't tell me that I'm about to be breastfeeding?! Even if I am emotionless, I will undoubtedly feel some sort of shame coursing through me!
… Will I…? Maybe not… No—Wait! That doesn't matter!
Even at this moment, the unknown woman continued to slowly bring me closer to her chest. I tried to come up with as many counterplan to prevent what is about to happen, but to no avail.
Just as I was about to make physical contact, a sudden idea ran through my head.
With this final push, the newborn suddenly began crying as loudly as he could. The woman holding the baby got surprised and retracted, bringing the baby down to check what was wrong.
"This... This is embarrassing..."
Caressing his soft baby hair, the woman quickly looked at the doctor with worry. "Oh dear... Dear doctor, can please check to see if my child is in any sort of pain?"
The doctor who was waiting silently on the side of the bed nodded before she carefully picked me and carried me away to a nearby changing table.
As she gently placed me on top of the table, she quickly began inspecting me, seeing if there was any visible injury and gently began poking me lightly to see if there was any internal injury.
After a while, she quickly stopped before responding. "There seems to be nothing wrong–"
But just as she was about to finish her sentence, she clutched a glimpse of my open eyes before staring directly into them. We made a long minute eye contact as she slowly got closer to me, trying to see if what's in front of her is real.
She slowly clenched her hand, letting a silent scoff before retracting her gaze before quickly walking towards the two other people in the room.
Gazing at the woman first, she then looked at the man before bowing politely. "Your grace, there seems to be something odd regarding the newborn…"
The man stood there motionlessly, eerily gazing at the doctor before tapping his finger on the hilt of the sword. "... Is there something that we need to be worried about?"
The doctor quickly nodded. "There's something regarding his right eye, but..."
After hearing the incomplete sentence from the doctor, the man slowly began walking towards me. Once he finally stood right in front of me, he carefully stretched his hand towards me before gently placing his fingers on the side of my face, staring directly into my eyes without blinking, just like the doctor did before, but with a gentle smile on his face.
He then looked back at the doctor. "... I see. Is it regarding the blindness in his right eye?"
The doctor slowly shook her head. "... Although his right eye does look blind, that doesn't seem to be the case..."
Hearing those words, the man turned his body around, tilting his head with slight confusion. As he continued to think to himself while stroking his chin, a gust of wind slowly hit the nearby window.
From what seemed to be a signal, the doctor's blue eyes shimmered before calmly continuing on with her explanation. "The pupil still seems to react with the surrounding light. The color of the eye is also unusually pure white rather than milky-white, the color that signifies blindness. Although it seems impotent for me to say... his eye might signify the blessing of the mana..."
... Mana? Isn't that the concept in fictional stories regarding magic and such?
So my suspicion of traveling to another world seems to be correct then... But the problem now relies on where exactly I am at...
The man's eyes twitched as he heard those words, slowly letting out a sigh before gazing at me with worried eyes. "The Blessing of the Mana…" He tapped his finger on his forearm nervously. "Is there any way to disprove it?"
"One way to see if the baby is blessed by the mana is to use mana itself. As we know, mana isn't visible to the naked eye and can only materialize in solidified form such as magical spells. But if he's able to view and feel mana in its natural state... then he indeed has the Blessing of the Mana."
Once again, the man's eyes twitched as she slowly gazed at the doctor."... But isn't it fatal to expose large amounts of mana to a newborn...?" He slowly began walking towards her, his eyes coldly glaring at her. "If, by chance, the baby doesn't have the blessing of mana… he'll surely die."
All of a sudden, I could see a black mist enveloping the man in front of me, causing the doctor to shiver in fear.
I was also no exception. The more I gazed at the condensed darkness around the man, the more I felt the immense pressure coursing through my body, cold sweat running down my face while I shivered in fear.
I quickly glanced at the woman on the bed. She's been looking at the situation with slight discontent, but doesn't seem to be affected by the condensed darkness.
Is this only being directed to the doctor and me....? But why would he exert such intense pressure to an infant—his own child?!
The man slowly began walking towards the doctor, his blood-red eyes shimmering as he held the hilt of his sword. "If something bad were to happen.... Then you'll surely know what will happen to you?" His eyes slowly narrowed down. "... Especially considering your reason for being here."
The doctor's eyes quickly widened before she keeled to the ground, trying so hard to gasp for air.
Just like the doctor, I'm also experiencing the same symptoms of oppression. My vision is getting clouded, the senses around my body quickly vanishing, just like they did before I died…
If this continues… I will definitely die again…
The woman in the bed quickly noticed the dire state of the baby. She desperately leans forward from the bed, even in her exhausted form, before calling out to the man with all her might.
Just like... a mothers instinct. "Laurence! Something wrong is happening to the baby!"
The man stops his threatening attitude towards the doctor before quickly facing me. He finally noticed my condition and quickly ran towards me.
The closer he got, the more suffocating this feeling became…
He quickly picks me up into his arm, still emitting the threatening pressure, before glancing at the keeled doctor. "Do you know what's happening for him to suddenly start acting like this?!"
The doctor slowly raises her head up despite her body shaking from the fear. She forces her mouth open before finally answering the question. "T-The aura that you are emitting is also considered a formation of mana...! If he does have the Blessing of the Mana... then even if you target your bloodlust, magic, or aura to only one person specifically... He can still sense them…! The amount of pressure... you are releasing... can kill the baby...!"
After hearing those words, the man went into shock, the pressure finally subsiding as I desperately breathed in.
The doctor started coughing and slowly got up on her feet. The woman in the bed couldn't help but direct an angry expression towards the man.
After a moment of awkward silence, she finally sighs. "Laurence… Is what the doctor is saying true?"
The man didn't respond. He continued to stare at the ground with utter shock, thinking about what would've happened if not for the doctor's words.
She sighs once again after not receiving a response from him, rubbing her forehead with slight frustration. "... I'll take that as a yes."
She opens her mouth once again, her tone more condescending. "... Could you please bring the baby back to me and leave? Me and the doctor will decide the name for the child."
The man quickly raised his face, his face anxious and pleading. "No—I-I can't leave you alone, it's not safe–"
"Can you please… leave the room after you safely deliver the baby to my arm? I am very angry with you at the moment. It'll make me slightly happy if you were to also reflect on your actions after you leave, Laurence."
His face slowly turned solemn, staying still before finally nodding to her words and quietly making his way towards the woman, handing me down on her arms. He then walked towards the door and once he opened it, he took a quick glance at the doctor, his eyes shimmering red once again before excusing himself and gently closing the door.
The woman let out a solemn sigh as she stared at the door before gazing at the doctor who began recomposing from the experience."I'm… sorry. I know that my husband treated you horribly when you did nothing wrong. Please, I give you my sincere apologies in my husband's stead.
The doctor looked at her unimpressed and remained stoic. "... It is no trouble my lady. You don't have to apologize to someone of my caliber."
"Please don't say that! Although my husband did indeed act rashly today, he isn't a bad person... He is truly a kind person who gave the world to me. He… just has a hard time trusting people. So I apologize once again."
The woman looked at the doctor with a smile so endearing that it could make any man and woman fall for her.
Even so, the doctor couldn't help but look at the woman with slight disdain before gazing away at the window, gazing at the setting sun as it was slowly consumed by the midnight sky. "... I'll try and see the duke in a different way now."
Unaware of her intentions, the woman just let out a small chuckle at her remark. "Like I said, there's no need to be polite with me."
The woman holding me gently placed her hand on my head. Her warmth slowly coursed through my skin as she gently caressed head, smiling at me as if I'm her one and only treasure…
Slowly… she got close to me and gave me a kiss on my forehead before smiling warmly once again."May happiness follow you through your path, and guide you to a world of peace and tranquility..."
She then began singing an unknown, but beautiful, lullaby as she gently continued caressing my head.
The more I heard this lovely song, while feeling the warmth of her hand over my head, the more at peace I felt…
"This… This doesn't feel bad…"
As she kept caressing my head, I felt my eyelids become heavier and heavier, forcing me to close my eyes. I don't necessarily feel tired, yet… for some reason, I want to sleep...
This body… is quite needy with sleep....
The warmth of this woman who is now my new mother... Can I continue to live in this moment, even if it's a dream...?
Even if it's just a dream... I just want to ... feel this moment…
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ .
"My lady. The baby is asleep now. Would you be deciding on a name here or would you like to rest?"
The woman stopped singing the beautiful lullaby, gently removing her hand from the baby's forehead.
She began to think deeply about the name she should give her child.
A name with a special meaning… A name that will make this child that she's holding feel happy, and give him the courage to face the unknown.
"... Lysander..."
"Is that the name you wish to give my lady?"
The woman nods. "Yes. It is a name me and my husband decided on. Although I did say that I was going to decide on the name myself… I didn't want to make my husband feel bad."
The woman looked at the baby again, smiling happily with the name she decided on for the baby.
The doctor looked at the woman coldly once again before closing her eyes, forcing out a sentimental smile towards the woman. "Yes, it is indeed a beautiful name, my lady."
"Yes... My husband said the same thing."
The woman's eyelid suddenly felt heavy, forcing her to open and close her eyes as she let out yawn, but didn't dare to move an inch so as to not disturb the sleeping baby.
The doctor's face turned emotionless once again, staring coldly at the sleepy woman before her blue eyes eerily glanced at the sleeping baby."... Your body has accumulated a lot of stress while delivering the baby. Both your mana and body have been depleted to their lowest point. You must rest well in order to not make his grace worry."
Her blue eyes shimmered once again while looking at the woman, who began to feel even more tired for some odd reason, other than the recent labor.
The woman slowly closed her eyes, trying to force out the last bit of words out before she fell asleep. "I… I guess so... do you mind taking the baby… to his room for me…?"
Upon hearing those words, the plan of the doctor begins to set in motion. "Yes, my lady. I'm happy to help you with your needs."
She carefully picked up the baby from her arm, gazing at the woman's smiling face that fell asleep without a care in the world. "... Sleep well, my lady."
The doctor then looks sadly at the baby in her arms, who was sleeping so peacefully, just like the lady in front of her. "A child with the Blessing of the Mana..."
The doctor shook her head before walking towards the door and exiting the room without a sound. She walks through the empty hallway. No servants or guards around for some reason, while still carrying the sleeping baby in her arms.
She then walks past the room that was prepared for the young child, and continues to walk forward with no end, her face shunned by the dark hallway.
As she walks by a window, the emergence of the bright, full moon catches her attention. Its illuminating light slowly reached down to her, caressing her whole body with pity. The woman stopped amidst her track and stared at the moon with utter sadness.
The moon is so white… and full of light.
Oh, how it reminds her of that person's face…
Her eyes slowly turned tired and slightly dead. "... What a pitiful person I am..."
She slowly closes her eyes and stands motionlessly at the empty hallway for a long, silent moment before walking down the hallway once again.
It's always been a human philosophy that when the night sky reaches its peak... The time to ripe has come.
Someone will perish on this unfortunate night...
The so-called doctor looked at the child in her arms once more with a troubled expression. Her footsteps became heavier and heavier as her troubled expression morphed into grief.
She stopped amidst her track once more before smiling bitterly at the baby. "... I have murdered a lot of people... grown men... young women... nobleman and the like..."
She looks at the night sky once more with a mourning expression. So many windows, yet it cannot show the full image of the sky in front of her.
"But I have never killed a child..."
She looks down and stares at the dark and empty floor. "... you truly are blessed by mana, young child... That sleeping spell would've killed a normal infant due to its high concentration of mana..."
She closes her eyes and holds the baby tighter on her arm.
"But it's still a shame... it would've been easier for me if you just died without me using such undignified means." Her saddened expression continued on as tears formed under her eyes. "I... I just don't have the courage to kill you... not when you were just born..."
She lets go of one of her arms and places the baby in her remaining forearm.
She places her hand near the face of the still sleeping newborn. "But I... have already come this far... If… If I can complete this mission, then I can finally escape from that place with her..."
The woman began to mutter some inaudible words. She went as slowly as she could, trying to delay the death even by a few seconds for the pitiful child that was chosen as the victim.
A black mist emerged from her hand and began to engulf her whole hand. "I'm sorry child. I cannot atone for this sin, but I'll make sure to give you an instant death—"
But once she was about to finish her spell, the same man from the bedroom that time appeared behind her and slashed his sword at her.
"...?!"
The woman dispersed the magic she was casting and extended her hand in front of her. A new magic circle appeared and took the form of a blue-colored barrier that covered her frontal view in a sphere-like shape.
The rebound from the slash pushed the man and the woman away from each other.
The man who was in the bedroom earlier now draws his blade once more and hangs it from his hand, his blood-red eyes looking coldly at the woman who held his child...