Chapter 3 - A New Life

The concept of reincarnation is widely used in the Eura-Asia world religion, pertaining mostly to Buddhism and Hinduism.

During one 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.

There was no solution to this dilemma.

'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 on modern earth, or I have traveled 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 about 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 saw the breast of the unknown woman getting closer to me.

Wait... Getting closer?

Wait wait wait wait wait. Wait a minute!

I have never been in such an obscene situation. Being breastfed by unknown women will only bring me shame...

But in such a situation, what should I do?

As the woman began putting me closer to her chest, such actions to prevent the tragedy did not come to my head.

'Ah... there is one method...'

The newborn then began to cry as loudly as he could to escape the fate of being breastfed. The woman holding the baby was 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 my baby to see if there's anything out of the ordinary."

The doctor who was waiting silently on the side of the bed came and carried me away from the woman.

She then placed me at a counter near the bed and began inspecting me. Seeing if there was any unknown injury and began poking me lightly to see any internal injury that wasn't visible. But no response was seen.

"There seems to be nothing-"

As she was about to say something, she looked directly into my eyes. We made a long minute of eye contact and she later got closer to see if what was in front of her was real.

"My goodness..."

She retracted her gaze and walked towards the two other people's direction quickly. She later stood in front of them and bowed, her right forearm pressing against her lower abdomen and left behind her back.

"I give my greetings towards the duke, there seems to be something odd regarding the newborn-."

The man who continued to be on guard beside the woman's bedside suddenly looked towards the doctor. He walked towards her and soon was in front of the bowing doctor. Shivers can be seen on the doctor's body as the man is suddenly in front of her.

"Is there something wrong that we should be worried about...?"

The tall man asked a question to the doctor. No, it was like an order was forced on her to answer the question with no dilated reasoning.

The women began to shiver at the pressure being emitted. Ah no... It wasn't pressure.

'What's that behind him...?'

A dark mist substance surrounded the tall man, this eerie sensation continued to expand as the amount of mist continued to increase and spread throughout the room. The bigger it got the more afraid it made me feel.

Fear.

An unpleasant emotion is 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 was paralyzed. Even when I closed my eyes, I could still feel this horrible sensation emitting throughout my whole body.

The same reaction was inscribed on the doctor's face. Despite being shown such an image, she kept her dignified manner so as not to make him unpleasant even more.

"There's something regarding his right eye that needs the attention of his duke, 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 still hasn't disappeared, the closer he got the more suffocating this feeling of fear went through my body.

He was standing right in front of me, he reached for my face and gently put his fingers on my cheek and then stared directly into my eyes without blinking. After a few seconds, the mist behind him began to fade away. He then faced the doctor who was still standing upright towards him.

"Is the matter regarding the newborn due to the blindness in his right eye...?"

"N-no! Although it does look like his right eye does look 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, her blue eyes shimmered a bit, and soon 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? 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... What can we do to rule out the possibility?"

"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 the mana in its natural state then we can surely entail that this child is blessed."

The man folded his arms and pondered for a bit. The eerie atmosphere seems to have faltered as he analyzed the situation. The woman in the bed never reacted as the doctor did... Was it only aimed at her and me?

The man who was thinking suddenly looked at the doctor with a serious expression.

"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 for 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 would 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 children in the process...!?

As the doctor is reacting, I'm also experiencing the same symptoms of oppression. My sight is getting cloudy, and my senses are being retracted as I begin to gasp for air. Surely, I will die again if this body continues to be pressured by the unknown substance in the air.

The woman in the bed begins to notice the state of the baby. Seeing the pain in her child takes the woman into a panic state.

Yes... a motherly instinct.

"Something wrong is happening to the baby!"

The man stops his demeanor attitude towards the doctor and faces the baby. He notices the condition of the baby and runs towards him. The newborn breath is getting unstable and will soon collapse if left unattended. Knowing this the pressure grew even more. While holding the baby to see if that'll calm him down, he faces the doctor with a worried expression.

"Do you know what's happening for him to suddenly start acting like this?"

The doctor raises her head despite suddenly kneeling to the pressure. She continues to shake but forces her mouth open to answer the question.

"... The aura that you are emitting is also considered a formation of mana! If he does have the blessing of mana then despite you targeting your bloodlust, magic, or aura to only one person specifically or as a group. Those who are blessed by mana can still sense them... With the amount of pressure, you are excruciatingly releasing can kill the baby if he is indeed blessed!"

After hearing those words, the man went into shock. The pressure immediately subsides. His eyes were shadowed after hearing that he was the cause of the baby was recent suffering. Though he's still holding me on his arm knowing that he almost killed me.

The doctor started coughing and began to get up on her feet. The woman in the bed had a profound expression on her face. She sighs and begins to open her mouth seriously.

"... Is what the doctor saying true...?"

The man didn't respond. His head was still on the ground, contemplating the consequences he could've done if not for the doctor's warning.

"... I'll take that as a yes..."

The woman facepalms her forehead and sighs. Despite knowing that her baby almost died she seems entirely calm for the moment.

"... Could you please bring the baby back to me? After you have, I'd 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 that my husband treated you horribly when you have done nothing wrong. As the Duchess of the Blakesty family, I offer you my sincere apologies to my husband instead.

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 me and the baby to be safe and healthy."

The woman looked at the doctor with a blushful expression. A smile is so endearing that can make any man and woman fall for her.

"... Yes... I'll try and see the duke differently 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 was her 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 eyes becoming forcibly heavy. 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 feel this feeling even if it's a dream...?

I just want to continue... feeling 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 lifted 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 while picking choices for the baby's name. 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 women look at the baby again after talking with the doctor. Her face showed quite content with the name and the baby.

The doctor looked at the woman coldly. Shortly, she closed her eyes and smiled sentimentally towards the women.

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 ocean pupil shimmered and dilated while looking at the women, 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, and soon after the lady fell asleep as if not a care in the world, still smiling even in her sleep.

"... sleep well, Your Grace..."

The doctor looks 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 situation has turned dire..."

The doctor walks towards the door hurriedly and exits the room without a sound. She enters the hallways that connect many different rooms, a red line carpet depicting a unique and elegant style of patterns.

She walks along the hallway. Every step without a sound. No servants or guards around for some reason. And a baby was still 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 walked by a window, the full, white moon shined towards her. The woman stopped briefly and stared at the moon.

The moon is so white and full of light. Oh, how it reminds her of that person's face.

She stares at it with contempt, her eyes look tired but as her blue eyes shimmer, the more she begins to reach a conclusion.

"... quite a pitiful person I am..."

She closes her eyes. Stands there for a minute, and soon turns her face right in the front and continues waking once again.

By now we can all tell that this woman wasn't just a mere doctor, but an assassin sent by a nobleman.

Yet the question remains. Who was the person who sent this assassin? And who was supposed to be the terrible victim of this?

It's been a 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 arm 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... noblemen 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. At the very least, I don't want to use any weapons..."

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.

'I have come this far... If I can complete this task with success. I can finally escape from that place with her...'

The women 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 from her hand 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 on the baby and put her hand in front of her. A magic circle soon 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 as he looks disgustingly at the woman who has his child.

His red eyes emit a heavy atmosphere once again, this time to kill.

To kill the woman that's in front of him and take back his child from the hands of the black magician.