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The concept of reincarnation is widely used in the Euro-Asia world religion, pertaining mostly to Buddhism and Hinduism.
During one's lifetime, a person gains karma by the actions that they have condoned, be it good or bad. And 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 regarding reincarnation was going to happen once I died.
I couldn't believe the situation that I was in, despite rethinking and rethinking every scenario that I had planned out.
I am still unable to move any muscles due to unexpectedly 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 solve the current situation...'
Following procedures to allocate confusion, I began to look at my surroundings. But there's not much detail to tell where exactly I am. At most I can tell that I'm currently residing in the medieval Europe era in modern earth, or I have travelled to another world in the same basic timeline.
As the newborn continued to think about the situation, the woman who was holding him was looking at her child's face.
Such discontented emotion can be seen on the face of the newborn. The woman holding the baby began to think on what the baby could have been displeased by to make him show such a face.
"I think he's hungry... let me try and breastfeed him."
The mother began removing part of her clothing to ease the baby's hunger. Elegant movement despite still recovering from the pain of labor.
After consistent thoughts I didn't notice the situation that was unfolding in front of me. As I opened my eyes, I see the breast of the unknown woman getting closer to me.
Wait... Getting closer?
Wait wait wait wait wait. Wait a minute!
Being breastfed by an unknown woman will only bring me shame...
But in such a situation, what can I do?
Slowly, the woman brought 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.
"Ah... there is one method..."
The newborn then began to cry as loudly as he could to escape the fate of being breast fed. The woman holding the baby got surprised and retracted from the action she was about to do.
"This... this is embarrassing..."
"Oh dear... Is the child in pain? Dear doctor, please check to see if there's anything wrong."
The doctor who was waiting silently on the side of the bed nodded before carrying me away to a nearby changing table.
She then placed me on top of the table and began inspecting me. Seeing if there was any visible injury and began poking me lightly to see any internal injury. After a while, the doctor looked somewhat confused as the baby didn't react.
"... There seems to be nothing-"
But just as she was about to finish her sentence, she looked directly into my eyes. We made a long minute eye contact before she got closer to see if what's in front of her is real.
She retracted her gaze and walked towards the two other people's direction quickly. She later stood in front of them and slightly bowed.
"Your grace, there seems to be something odd regarding the newborn-"
The man that was still on guard besides the woman slowly looked towards the doctor. He walked towards her and soon stood in front of the bowing doctor.
"Is there something that we should be worried about...?"
The tall man asked a question towards the doctor. No... his tone was clearly cold, as if he was asking an order. The woman slowly began to shiver at the sudden pressure.
Ah no... It wasn't pressure.
"What's that behind him...?"
A dark mist substance was surrounding the tall man, this eerie sensation continues to expand as the amount of mist continues to increase and spread throughout the room. The bigger it got the more it made my whole body shiver.
Ah... so this is fear...
An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
I don't like this feeling at all. Not even the scariest movie or haunted house made me feel as if I'm paralyzed. Even when I closed my eyes, I could still feel this horrible sensation emitting throughout my whole body.
The same fearful expression was inscribed on the doctor's face. But despite feeling such unimaginable fear, she kept her dignified manner so as to not unpleasant him even more.
"There's something regarding his right eye that needs the attention of your grace, but..."
After hearing the incomplete sentence from the doctor, the tall man walked away from the woman and began to walk towards me. The eerie mist behind him began to disappear. I can slowly feel more at ease now.
As he stood right in front me, he reached for my face and gently put his fingers on my cheek, staring directly into my eyes without blinking, just like the doctor did before. After a few seconds, he faced the doctor once again.
"Is the matter regarding the newborn due to the blindness on his right eye...?"
The doctor slowly nodded. "... Although his right eye looks to be blind, that doesn't seem to be the case..."
The man furrowed his eyebrows when hearing her response. "So, what seems to be the case regarding his right eye?"
The doctor began trembling. A gust of wind slowly hit the nearby window, as if a sign, and the doctor's blue eyes shimmered for a moment as she stopped trembling.
"Although his eye may look blind, 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 turned his head and looked towards me with widened eyes. "... The Blessing of the Mana... Is there any way to prove 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 is indeed blessed."
The man folded his arms and pondered for a bit as he analyzed the current situation. After a while of self-thinking, he quickly looked back at the doctor, his eyes narrowed with slight disdain.
"But isn't it fatal to expose large amounts of mana to a newborn...? If, by chance, the baby doesn't have the blessing of mana, he'll surely die..."
Again, a black mist starts to form on the sides of the man. The doctor begins to shiver at the pressure being emitted. I look at the woman on the bed. She's looking at the situation with discontent, but it looks like the pressure isn't affecting her in any way like me and the doctor. Surely, this is only specifically to the doctor and me.... But why would he exert such threatening convection on a baby?
He walks back towards the doctor and begins his instigating approach towards her.
"If some situations were to happen.... Then you'll surely know what will happen to you?"
The doctor suddenly began to gasp for air as the pressure increased in the room. What kind of father tries to kill their own children in the process...!?
Just like the doctor, I'm also experiencing the same symptoms of oppression. My sight is getting cloudy, my senses are being retracted as I begin to gasp for air. I will definitely die again if the pressure continues to engulf me.
The woman in the bed begins to notice the dire state of the baby. She quickly leans forward to the bed, even in her exhausted form, and calls out to the man with all her might.
Just like... a mothers instinct.
"Something wrong is happening to the baby!"
The man stops his threatening attitude towards the doctor and quickly faces me. He notices my condition and quickly runs towards me.
My breath continues to get unstable... I'll collapse at this rate...
The man urgently picks me up, still emitting strong pressure. As he continued to look at me with worry, he quickly faced the doctor.
"Do you know what's happening for him to suddenly start acting like this?!"
The doctor slowly raises her head up despite kneeling to the overgrowing pressure. She continues to shake but forces her mouth open to answer the question.
"... The aura that you are emitting is also considered as a formation of mana...! If he does have the blessing of mana... even if you target your bloodlust, magic, or aura to only one person specifically... He can still sense them... With the amount of pressure... you are releasing... can kill the baby...!"
After hearing those words, the man went into shock. The pressure immediately subsides. His eyes shadowed after hearing that he was the cause that the baby was recently suffering. He continues to hold me in his arms, despite knowing that he almost killed me.
The doctor started coughing and slowly got up on her feet. The woman in the bed had an angry expression on her face. She sighs and begins to open her mouth seriously.
"... Is what the doctor is saying true...?"
The man didn't respond. His head was still on the ground, thinking about what would've happened if not for the doctor's words.
She deeply sighs, rubbing her forehead with anger. "... I'll take that as a yes..."
Despite knowing that her baby almost died, she seems entirely calm. She opens her mouth one again, letting out a more condescending voice. "... Could you please bring the baby back to me. After you have, I'll like you to leave the room and leave me and the doctor alone to decide the name for the child..."
The man raised his head after hearing that sentence with an exasperated face. "I can't leave you alone, is not-"
"Can you please leave the room with me and the doctor after you safely deliver the baby to my arm? I am very discontented with you right now. It'll make me happy if you were to also reflect on the actions you have committed."
The man's face turned solemn. He carefully walks towards the woman and hands me down on her arm. He later walked towards the door and once he opened it, he excused himself and then gently shut the door.
The woman lets out a sigh as the doctor begins to recompose herself from the experience.
"I'm sorry... I know that my husband treated you horribly when you have done nothing wrong. 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."
"There's no need to worry! 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. So, I apologize that he gave you the wrong impression of who he is, I guess he just wanted the baby to be safe and healthy."
The woman looked at the doctor with a blushful expression. A smile so endearing that can make any man and woman fall for her.
"... Yes... I'll try and see the duke in a different way now."
"Like I said, there's no need to be polite with me."
After the cold atmosphere came a warm one. Despite being of the opposite archetype, the duke and duchess both have a strong feeling of affection towards each other.
She gently placed her hand on my head. Her warmth resonated with my skin as she caressed the hair in my head. The smile she showed me as she looked at me like I'm her one and only treasure.
She slowly got close to my face and kissed my forehead.
"May happiness follow you through your path, and guide you to a world of peace and tranquility..."
She began to sing an unknown lullaby while she kept caressing my head gently.
This... doesn't feel bad...
As she kept caressing my head, I felt my heavy eyes slowly closing. I don't necessarily feel tired, yet I still want to sleep for some reason... This body is quite needy with sleep it seems....
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 song and gently lift 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. Something that will make this child that she's holding feel unique and give him courage for the unknown.
"... Lysander..."
"Is that the name you wish to give my lady?"
"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 after talking with the doctor. Feeling happy with the name she chose for the baby.
The doctor looked at the woman coldly. Shortly, she closed her eyes and smiled sentimentally towards the woman.
A smile that looked true, but fake....
"Yes, it is quite a beautiful name indeed my lady."
"Yes... my husband said the same thing..."
The woman's face began to doze off, she yawned but didn't move an inch to not disturb the already sleeping baby.
The once smiling doctor's face turned emotionless once again. She stares at the sleepy woman. Her blue eyes then began to look at the baby with discontent. She faces the lady once again with an indifferent face.
"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."
The doctor smiled while uttering the words to her. Her blue eyes shimmered once again while looking at the woman, who began to be even more tired for some reason other than the recent labor.
Her train of thought began to deteriorate. "... 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."
The doctor carefully takes the baby away from her arm, soon after the lady fell asleep as if not a care in the world, still smiling even in her sleep.
"... Sleep well, my lady..."
The doctor looks sadly at the baby in her arms. Sleeping soundly 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, every step without a sound. No servants or guards around for some reason, and the baby is still sleeping in her arms.
She walks past the room that was prepared for the young child. She continues walking with no end, her face completely shunned by the dark hallway.
As she walks by a window, the shining full-moon caresses her whole body with pity. The woman stopped 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.
She soon stares at it with contempt, her eyes looking tired and slightly dead. "... quite a pitiful person I am..."
She slowly closes her eyes and stands motionlessly at the empty hallway for a long moment before waking 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 sad expression. Her footsteps become heavier as she looks at the child with grief.
She stopped once more and smiled 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 empty floor with nothing but a carpet.
"... you truly are blessed by the mana young child... That sleeping spell would've killed a normal infant due to its high concentration of mana..."
She closes her eyes and grabs 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 with small tears forming 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 I can complete this mission, I can finally escape from that place with her..."
The woman began to mutter some 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 came from her hand and started to appear and soon engulfed her whole hand.
"I'm sorry child. I cannot atone for this sin, but I'll 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 barrier. The barrier was blue in color and covered her frontal view in a sphere-like shape.
The rebound pushed the man and the woman back from each other.
The man who was in the bedroom earlier, draws his blade once more and hangs it from his hand. His red eyes looked coldly at the woman who had his child...