Chapter 2: Abandoned... Together!

'It's so dark…' Castor thought as his consciousness stirred.

He could barely feel his body. Instinctively, he tried to move, but his arms felt heavy…

And short?

'Did I somehow survive? No, that definitely isn't possible…'

"Ah… Are you waking up, little one?"

'Little one? Who's talking?'

The unfamiliar voice had a soft tone. Their cadence was almost hypnotic. It made him feel… Comfortable.

"Don't worry, Ain. We'll be at our destination soon."

'A female's voice. What destination is she referring to? And who's Ain? Is she referring to the inheritor of Taurus?'

In the Celestial Clan from which Castor resided, it was customary to grant those who mastered the usage of a particular constellation after one of its stars. That was how he and his sister got the names of Castor And Pollux.

He began to open his eyes, becoming more aware of his surroundings. It was as if all of his senses were reactivating simultaneously.

He felt the wind brush against his head as its whistling filled his ears.

"Ah, you must be cold. Sevy, could you slow down?"

It was blurry at first, but as his eyes began to focus, he saw a beautiful woman. She had long white hair that fell to her waist and baby-blue eyes.

'Who is this woman? And how am I so close to her?'

As far as Castor could tell, the only way he could be so close to her face while looking directly upward was for her to be holding him like a baby.

'Baby…'

Gears in Castor's head began to turn as he realized the situation he was in.

The short arms, the inability to move his limbs how he wants, the young woman carrying him…

'Reincarnation?!' He questioned, his eyes widening in shock.

For some reason, his body began to cry involuntarily. Perhaps due to the sudden movement of his muscles? He didn't know, nor did he particularly care.

'But how? Gemini Gambit should have wholly erased my soul along with Leviathan. Was his soul so strong that it managed to offset the effects?'

Out of the 12 zodiacs, the Gemini had the greatest knowledge of souls and their workings, but even with that in mind, this outcome was an incalculable miracle.

Gemini Gambit was a spell that literally traded one's soul to erase someone else's.

Clearly, it didn't work as intended, and now he was here.

'Wait… Does that mean Leviathan also reincarnated? Did his soul end up here as well? Or maybe it got flung somewhere else.'

Even with his excellent knowledge of the matter, reincarnation was a topic that only the Gods had the pleasure of understanding completely.

Unfortunately, he was snapped out of his thoughts by something wet falling on his face.

When he zoned back in, the woman he assumed was his mother was tearing up as she rocked him.

"Ain, oh Ain… I'm so sorry about this?"

'I guess Ain is my name… It feels weird, but it is what it is. What is she sorry about?'

It didn't take long for Castor, or rather, Ain, to get his answer.

The wind that hit him settled as they stopped moving. He noticed they were in the sky but couldn't tell how high up when all he could see was his mother's face and the stars beyond.

The woman wrapped him in a blanket before placing him in a basket.

'Wait, what?'

His mother began to move away from her ride. As she did, Ain was greeted by a creature he had never seen in the thousands of worlds he had visited and explored.

It was a massive bird-like entity—a corvid—but instead of feathers, its skin was black, and it had seven crimson-red eyes. It was a terrifying creature. It was like trying to mimic a crow without ever seeing a real one. 

He wanted to know more about it, but unfortunately, he had more important things to worry about.

His mother placed the basket he was in on the ground with a note.

"I'm so sorry, little Ain. But my destination is too dangerous for you to come along. Grow up big and strong for Mom, okay?"

"OI! Am I being abandoned right now!?" He tried to shout, but it only made his cries louder.

"It's okay if you blame me. Just be safe."

"YEAH! I WILL BLAME YOU! DON'T DITCH ME! COME BACK!" He continued to try fruitlessly.

Before he could continue, the tall, silver-haired woman was already gone.

'Well, shit. What do I do now?' Ain wondered.

He was lucky the night wasn't particularly cold, but if nothing changed, he'd starve sooner rather than later.

Not long after his mother left, barely a minute he counted, footsteps started approaching.

'Someone's coming! I'm saved!'

The person who came around was cloaked, so Ain was unable to get a view of what they looked like aside from their tan, almost caramel skin. What he could see clearly was that she held a basket…

A basket which she placed on the ground.

"Oh my Annalise… Don't blame Mom for not bringing you into danger."

'You're fucking joking me, right? Am I in hell? Did I reincarnate into my own personal HELL?'

The person, most likely another female by their voice, looked at Ain and saw the note that was left with him.

As if that were a brilliant idea, she quickly pulled out a piece of paper and a pen and began scribbling something on it, leaving it with the child next to him before rushing off.

"Welp… Guess we're in this together, huh?" He tried to sigh, but not even that would come out.

He couldn't get a good view of the child next to him from the angle he was at, but they did have at least a single tuft of golden blond hair.

Despite the ruckus he caused because he could not stop crying, the other child seemed unbothered. Rather, she was giggling like a baby maniac.

The two of them combined seemed to get someone else's attention as he heard a door opening.

'OH BOY IS THERE ANOTHER ONE?! Three child abandonments in the same place at the same time have to be a record in the universe, right? At least with three separate unrelated people.'

"What's all this noise about…" A grumpy old lady questioned as she opened the door to her home.

She looked down at the two infants, the sources of the noise.

"Two of them? What irresponsible bastard left these brats in front of my house without even knocking to notify me?! If I ever find them, I'll make sure to beat them senseless!" She grumbled with a scowl.

'Yeah, you old bat! I'll come with you! Just pick us up, please!' Ain pleaded.

"Core. Bring them inside. We're gonna have two more mouths to feed."