Darkness.
Weightless.
Silent.
Eric wasn't sure how much time had passed.
Seconds?
Days?
Perhaps even years.
There was no way to tell.
His consciousness drifted aimlessly through the endless void.
Then...
"..."
A familiar fluffy face flashed through his fading thoughts.
The God of Death.
"..."
That little guy...
He really doesn't give people time to say goodbye.
The thought surfaced quietly before fading away just as quickly.
Somehow...
He couldn't even find the energy to be annoyed.
A gentle force wrapped around him.
Warm.
Almost comforting.
His consciousness was pulled forward.
Light exploded before his eyes.
Everything felt...
Heavy.
No.
Not heavy.
Small.
Very small.
He tried opening his eyes.
Bright light flooded his vision, forcing them shut again.
"..."
His fingers twitched.
Tiny.
Soft.
He tried lifting an arm.
It barely moved.
"..."
Looks like...
I've really been reincarnated.
Surprisingly...
The thought didn't shock him.
After everything that had happened, it almost felt natural.
Then...
An unfamiliar sensation spread through his stomach.
Empty.
Very empty.
"..."
Before he could even wonder what it was—
"Waaah...!"
A loud cry escaped his mouth.
"..."
He stopped.
Did...
Did I just do that?
The crying continued despite his confusion.
A few hurried footsteps echoed outside the room.
The door slid open.
A woman with long silver hair hurried inside, her expression filled with concern.
"There you are."
"My little Mio."
She gently lifted him into her arms.
Warm.
Her embrace was unbelievably warm.
She smiled as though seeing him alone had brightened her entire day.
"There, there..."
"Did you get hungry?"
A feeding bottle soon replaced the emptiness in his stomach.
The warmth returned.
His tiny body relaxed on its own.
"..."
Strange.
He couldn't remember...
The last time someone had held him like this.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the woman's face.
Silver hair.
Gentle blue-grey eyes.
A smile so soft it almost melted away every lingering trace of unease inside him.
Mother.
The word appeared naturally.
Not because he remembered it.
Because...
It simply felt right.
Without thinking, his tiny hand wrapped around one of her fingers.
She froze for a second.
Then laughed quietly.
"Oh?"
"You want to hold my hand?"
Her thumb gently stroked the back of his tiny fingers.
"My sweet Mio..."
Eric—
No.
Mio.
Slowly closed his eyes.
For the first time in what felt like forever...
He fell asleep without worrying about tomorrow.
The following morning...
The bedroom door opened just enough for a young boy to peek inside.
He looked to be around eight years old.
Silver hair, just like his mother's.
Though unlike her gentle expression, curiosity shone brightly in his purple eyes.
"Mom..."
"Is he awake?"
"He just finished drinking his milk."
The boy carefully walked over.
"So..."
"This is my little brother."
He stared at the sleeping baby for a long moment.
"...He's tiny."
His mother chuckled.
"You were tiny once too."
"I was?"
"You don't remember?"
"...No."
She smiled before gently lifting Mio from the crib.
"Would you like to hold him?"
The boy immediately straightened.
"...Really?"
After washing his hands for what felt like the third time, he carefully sat down.
His mother placed the baby into his arms.
Instantly...
His entire body froze.
"..."
"...Mom."
"Yes?"
"I can't move."
She laughed.
"You don't have to."
"What if I drop him?"
"You won't."
"..."
"...He's so small."
As if sensing the unfamiliar heartbeat beneath him...
Mio slowly opened his eyes.
The older boy gasped.
"H-He opened his eyes!"
Their gazes met.
Neither spoke.
Then...
Almost instinctively...
Mio's tiny fingers reached forward and wrapped around one of the boy's.
"..."
"...Mom."
"Yes?"
"I think..."
"...he knows it's me."
The woman smiled warmly.
"I'm sure he does."
The boy grinned from ear to ear.
"My name is Reo."
"I'm your big brother."
"I don't know how to be one yet..."
"...but I'll learn."
Mio stared at him quietly.
Somewhere deep inside...
A feeling he had almost forgotten stirred ever so slightly.
It wasn't excitement.
Nor surprise.
Just...
A quiet warmth.
One he had never truly experienced before.
And without realising it...
The exhausted office worker named Eric took one more step into the past.
Leaving it behind.