02 Reborn and Knowing the Truth.

*"Aaa!".

'Hmm!? ' As he was regaining his consciousness after what seemed like a long period of rest, Jin found himself losing his freedom.

For some reason, his body felt heavy, and his eyesight, which should have been opened, was blurred; he couldn't clearly picture the sight in front of him. His ear buzzed with unfamiliar words, ringing loudly and making him dizzy.

*"How was it?". A weak and yet warm voice echoed in the place; it filled with anxiety and exhaustion as her body was drenched by sweat after the labor. 

'What is that sound? Woman, or what? Uh, I don't know, I can't hear it clearly'. Cursing his sudden deafness, Jin forces his limbs to move, but like earlier, he is suddenly enveloped by a sense of heaviness that gnaws at him. 'What is actually happening?'. 

*"Here, madam, it's a healthy baby boy."

Another unfamiliar female voice sounded happy by the occasion, shifting the little thing in her arms toward the one supposed to.

*"Ah, thank you for being born, My Son!?".

Jin felt his body floating before resting on something soft and warm. The inaudible joy and happiness he faintly heard from his side brought him a sense of comfort as if in his mother's embrace.

'What is this? This feels good'. Jin, who tried to understand his surroundings by forcing his undeveloped body, felt drowsiness hit him hard. 'Hwaaa!'.

*"Oh, he is yawning." The mother parted her lips happily to see that her baby had been born healthy, calm, and energetic.

"*Indeed it is". The wet nurses also faintly smile on this occasion for seeing something precious. 

*"Sleep, my son, and welcome to the family." The mother carefully patted the baby's thighs, letting the drowsiness hit Jin harder. 

'I don't know; I'm going to sleep for now.' As if the string had been cut from their body, both son and mother drew their soft and comfortable breath deep in their own happy sleep.

That day, unknown to the person in mention, Jin is reborn into another world. 

*****

Time flies, and Jin fully accepts his new life. Strangely, his name is the same as his previous one, Jin, but he has to shoulder the surname of Midnight as one of the nobles in the Eira Kingdom.

At first, he struggled to understand what was happening to him. Slowly but surely, along with his growth, he began to understand and reached five years of age just yesterday. 

At his current age, Jin can already write and read a complex book. Also, as someone who has memories from the previous world and attended an advanced school, Jin can do simple to complex arithmetic in his studies, hailing him as a genius. 

The world itself seems a bit lacking in terms of civilization. So, to fix that, there is something like a magical existence in this world, something that has never been seen in his previous world, and that is Magic. 

Jin is sitting on a hard wooden chair and a desk with many books scattered on it—the faint smell of wood. The pleasant ring of pen scribbling on the paper surface, accompanied by the sweet aroma of tea and cookies his maid had baked this morning, gives him strength to pursue knowledge about the world he lives in.

"I think it's enough for study. Next is…".

With a 'thud,' Jin closed his note and tidied the place; he put aside his learning book and placed a thick book covered by fine grey leather that looked old but still retained its firmness. 

"Well, let's see what this world contains for me".

The book Jin read is related to the creation of the world and history itself. He received the book on his fifth birthday, which was celebrated days ago, and not because someone gave it to him, but because he wanted it. 

Inside this room, there were bookshelves arranged in an orderly manner, even though they were filled to the brim with books. None of them contained history or even some fiction to pass the time. 

All these books came from his mother, who liked to collect Grimoires, books related to Magic, and some passionate BL novels. Unlike his mother, who has a hobby collecting those, his father is a knight or, should he say, a warrior type; he rather swings his sword, but that doesn't mean his father is a muscle-brained person. He had a pretty level head of himself if Jin could describe him.

While reading, he frowned because the story was similar to the one he knew from his previous world. 

"Wait a minute, is this basically Greek Mythology?". 

Although he held that concern, Jin kept resuming his reading and found himself absorbed. The premise is almost the same, but he noticed some differences in some parts, which made him nod in understanding.

His belly began to protest, informing him to intake some calories, but luckily, he also finished reading the book, so he closed it tight and stretched his stiff body.

"It's finished~!".

Jin sipped the tea that had been cold but enough to moisten his throat, so he began to treat himself with the cookies after the bitter yet aromatic tea. 

"Kuuh, that hit the spot".

One of the confectionaries he enjoys in this world is cookies baked by his mother. In his previous life, he rarely treats himself to sweets like this. But in this world, he could finally set free and live his second life to the fullest.

The only people he could call family in the previous one were none other than his deceased grandparents. His two cheating parents left him, and it gave him a lot of hard time trying to seek a partner in a relationship, but now it is different.

"Well, let's take it easy in this second chance. Besides, I was a third son and probably wouldn't qualify to rule the land, so I need to find something that suits me best… What kind is it, I wonder?".

He began envisioning the future he wanted to pursue, even though it was still too early for him, but having a goal sure makesmore motivation to approach tomorrow. 

Unconsciously, Jin bumped his hand toward the book he had just read and wondered why, but his attention was fixed on it for some reason. His finger traced along the sleek and bumpy texture of the book cover, which had the name of the book written on it. 

"Olympia, huh. …Wait, that name seemed familiar. Olympia, Olympia, hmmm?!".

Jin repeatedly thought of the name Olympia in his mind, but the more he tried to grasp the memories, the more they seemed to slip away like an eel. However, after he gulped the cookies in his mouth, tasting the sweet and soft doubt it had, he grasped the answer.

"That's right, it was the same name as the one inside the game I wanted to play. Man, that's nostalgic…".

His lips began to lose, bringing him a sense of nostalgia for what had happened back then. Jin cast his gaze down, feeling sorry that he couldn't have the opportunity to give back the disk or talk about it with his friend. 

"Fuuh, I wonder what he is doing right now? Did he cry when he found out I died? Or maybe he is mad because I took his disk? No kidding, he isn't like that, right? I hope so…".

However, his heart thumped loudly, and he was afraid it reached the outside world. Jin wondered what had happened, but he pushed aside the discomfort and drowned himself in his memories, leaning against the chair. 

"Well, he loved to brag about the game and spoil me because of it". 

As Jin dived deeper into his own memories, the discomfort in his chest widened like a fire burning a stack of dry hay. 

"Who was it again, Allen? Right, the protagonist's name, along with his harem members, journeys the thorny path of defeating an Evil God; I hope there is a console to play video games in this world…"

Cursing at himself, Jin leaned forward and wanted to treat him to some sweet once again. However, his hand halted in the air; his brain began to catch up with the warning that kept ringing in his chest. 

"...Wait a minute, in the story, he told me that there is a strong villain that takes him a couple of hours to defeat, right? What was his name again… hmm, right, his name is Jin Midnight; how can I forget something that even resembles my name? Haha, ha…".

His laugh turned shallow as he understood the current situation he was in. 'Jin, did I say Jin? Who is he? He is the Villain in the game I couldn't play, and Jin is my name. So, what is this implying?'. 

Dozens of questions began to invade his blank mind, causing it to cease functioning in a moment. Jin inhaled a deep breath before organizing his thoughts. 

"...".

The silence inside the library is so eerie that even someone could hear the beat of Jin's heart. But, the person in mention was deep in thought before he slammed his forehead to the desk in a pit of anger. 

"Damn, I am that Villain!".