Birthday

It's dark... everything seems pitch black.

Everywhere I walked, there was nothing. There wasn't even a slight change. It was all the same darkness all over the place. When I stretched my hands or looked down at my feet, I couldn't see myself. It was as if the darkness swallowed me and I became one with it.

Where am I?

Why am I here?

More importantly... who am I?

Suddenly, a small light appeared and became blinding bright.

"Happy birthday, little Desmond."

Little Desmond?

Feeling a soft tug, I rubbed my eyes. The light felt too bright, but slowly, I managed to adapt and opened my eyes. When I finally regained full consciousness, a young woman greeted me with a smile.

She had lustrous blond hair and a pair of blue eyes. Paired with a small, but sharp nose, she had a soft look resembling a doll. Overall, she was a beautiful young woman.

"...mom?"

"Alright, it's time to wake up, Desmondeus. You don't want to miss your birthday, right?"

"Un..."

Desmondeus...

That's right, that's my name.

Desmondeus Eisenwaltz.

It's... a mouthful.

"Congratulations on turning six years old, baby!"

As she said this, she kissed my forehead.

...it's hard to get used to this

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It had been a while since the last time I arrived in this world called Altheim, a big world that resembled earth. Today marked the sixth year since my second birth.

"Second birth"

It sounded ridiculous to me at first, but I gradually accepted it. After living for quite a long time before, it was enough to know that this incident wasn't explainable. Maybe there was a divine intervention, but I wasn't a believer of the supernatural. I once even thought that instead of dying, I was dreaming instead. But, what kind of dream could you dream about that lasted long enough to see the development of your life?

I also accepted the fact that I was a child.

There was a time where I couldn't articulate a single word and only cried "Ahh!" whenever I got cranky and hungry.

But now, my current body has grown a lot.

Looking at the mirror, a reflection of a black-haired boy stood straight. Blinking now and then, behind the soft eyelids, there was a pair of bright blue eyes. Even though there were still signs of baby fat, the young figure reflected still looked sharp.

Right. There was no use thinking about it.

I was given a chance to live again. I want to enjoy it and live to the fullest.

"Come down, Desmond!" shouted a voice below. It was my mom, Helen.

"Coming!"

Going downstairs, I was met with two adults. One was my mom and the other was…

"Good afternoon, uncle Hett."

As I said that, a handsome adult man patted my head and ruffled my hair. He was wearing an expensive-looking overcoat and flashy attributes that seemed to shine at first glance. By his demeanor alone, he looked graceful and gave off the feeling of a noble.

"Happy birthday, little Desmond. Uncle Hett brought you a gift."

Putting down a box that was about the size of a small child, he unboxed and unwrapped the paper surrounding an item. After the packaging was fully removed, I immediately felt a rush of excitement.

"Here you go, Desmond. It's a staff."

"Isn't that great, Desmond? Don't forget to say thanks to uncle Hett."

"It's nothing," while he said this, I looked at him with shining eyes. He looked embarrassed. "I only bought a mini version of it since the original one is too big for a child."

"Don't worry. He always wanted one and I don't know how to find a good quality one either. It's great that he finally got one from a mage himself."

"Has little Desmond awakened his mana reserves, yet?"

Mana and mages. Those sounded like terms from fantasy novels that I read back on earth, now, it's common sense.

Everyone was blessed with the potential to channel magic. People were born with an inner "pocket" that could absorb and contain mana, a spiritual energy of this world, inside their body. They were called reserves. Drawing mana from their reserves, one could channel their magic.

"I haven't."

"It's okay. You'll learn someday if you keep practicing. After all, little Desmond is a genius," he said confidently.

Genius, he said. He probably got that from Helen.

"Listen carefully, Hett," Helen started. "Desmond, what's the word for 'croak croak' and oink oink'?"

"...onomatopoeia."

"Little Desmond is a genius!"

After he said that, I glanced at my mom who looked proud with her head raised high while laughing loudly.

"Speaking of geniuses, where's your daughter, Hett?"

"She's a bit of a shy one. Hold on," he said, laughing lightly before he continued, "Esca, come in!" Responded with silence, Hett went out and after a while, Hett carried a small girl in his arms, her hands draped over his shoulder while her head hid behind Hett's back.

"Come now, Esca. Introduce yourself."

Turning her neck slowly, it was clear that she was hesitant to do it. But under the urge of her father, she looked at me shyly.

"Hello, my name is Esca Grizia."