The Coincidence

Pain. Pain. Pain.

That was all Liam thought as he descended into the black abyss, Never did he think that self-mutilation would hurt as much as it did, yet it showed his resolve. The human mind is always oriented on one idea: self-preservation. To have the will to conquer his mind proved how much he refused to be brought down by the system he worked so hard for.

Yet in the end, all he could see was darkness.

'Is this where so many of my brothers have found themselves? Is this death?' For how long was he in the abyss for? One day he would 'know'. For the current Liam, one second or ten years, it all seemed the same when all that was surrounded him was darkness.

Suddenly, a golden orb shot towards him.

'It's fast!' was all he could think before it plunged into whatever he was at that moment. As it combined with him, he felt himself losing consciousness.

---

"daeh sih ees nac I ,redraH hsuP!"

'Ugh, what's happening?' Liam thought as he felt squished by something as he was being pushed. 'Hmm? Squeezed? Pushed?' Unable to comprehend what was happening, he felt a tingle so deep in himself, there was only one place he thought it could be, his soul. With that tingle, he instinctively 'knew' where he was.

'Am I in a woman's cave right now?'

---

The world is never a safe place. Whether it be night or day, hunters of different natures would be searching for prey. The weak would hide and scavenge while the strong would hunt and devour. This was the truth on Earth and even more so here. On this particular day though, it was different. A storm like none other raged throughout the world. The earth seemed to be trembling as the sky was filled with the sound of thunder. Hunters and Prey alike all hid, for whatever was happening, they were truly ants in comparison.

As if something unnatural was born, something that angered the world; every being that contained even a hint of consciousness felt unnerved for some reason. From the squirrels hiding to the trees all the way to the overlords of the world.

---

A random cave in the southern region

Those in the surrounding area never seemed to fight. Natural enemies would walk past each other with ease and if anything or anyone needed assistance with anything, those within the ecosystem would help. In the center of this anomaly was a cave. In this cave sat a man that was meditating. Once you entered the cave, you would find yourself so at peace, all hateful thoughts disappearing. Once you looked at him, you would give up your worldly desires and wish to live in peace.

The man that walked in though didn't seem to obey this.

"For an old man living in tranquility, time seems to flow neither fast or slow; so tell me Zaman, how can I help you?" The meditating man asked the uninvited guest.

"Do you not feel this, Shanti? The timing with this and the approaching culling, it cannot be a coincidence." 

"My friend, whether it be a coincidence or not, there's nothing much we can do. We have prepared all we can."

"What if this shortens the time we have left? Time is all I have but at the same time, I don't have enough." 

"Be at peace, Zaman. We shall move as planned. Would you care for some tea?"

"Tsk." Instead of wasting even more of his 'time', he left the same way he got in. If anyone were to look closely, they would notice that while that conversation was happening, the entirety of the cave and it's surroundings was still; as if time had stopped. As he left, time began to continue forward as if the conversation did not exist in the river of time. All Zaman could think about was how he poured out his emotions in the previous conversation as if he was an 8 year old talking to his father, if he went on he may have even thrown a tantrum.

""That man is dangerous."" Both Shanti and Zaman thought at the same time.

---

'Her hands are soft' 

Unaware of the turmoil he's caused, that was Liam's first thought. After that weird tingle he got, he instinctively 'knew' what was happening to him and what caused it. He 'knew' of the rock in space and how it was the cause of his current reincarnation. He 'knew' that the current lady that was holding him was not his birth mother, but someone else. For some reason, he was able to remain composed even after all that was happening to him. He attributed it as a component of the composure he's built up during all the fighting but was that all to it?

'Guess I have to adapt to the situation', searching the room for his mother seemed to be a good first step but he stopped before he could even begin.

'It's all blurry, must be my limit as a baby.' As he tried to focus on the lady holding him, he was suddenly turned upside down and spanked right on the bum.

"Ahh!" was the sound he made, not from pain but from surprise.

"Is my baby alright?"

'Why do I know the language all of a sudden? Assistance from the rock?' Leaving that question for another time, Liam attempted to grasp towards the voice.

"HOHOHOHO! Look at that! My boy is so smart, he knows who his mother is already!" A drunken voice shouted loudly within the room.

'One step at a time, let's focus on my birth mother.' It took all his effort to even motion towards her. As the lady handed him away, he left her soft hands to a rougher pair.

As he gazed upwards and caught sight of the woman, he knew deep in his heart that even though he had no deep emotional connection to her yet, he would care for her deeply.

Her soft eyes gazed downwards to the child and saw the intelligence in his eyes.

'Hah, here I thought I had enough cheeky men in my life.' 

"You're right, he's a smart lad. He will lead the family well."

"Did you decide on a name yet, my lady?" asked the maid, while cleaning up the mother's sweat.

"Hmmm, I think Solomon should do nicely?"