Suddenly, Dave felt himself being pushed forward.
'So those guys literally roughed me up until I lost consciousness. Now, what are they doing to me?' he thought indignantly.
'I still won't work for that bastard. I can't believe he actually had me beaten up by his henchmen for "borrowing" some drugs from him.' Dave, in self-justification, convinced himself that stealing wasn't a big deal.
'Wait… if I passed out, shouldn't I be unconscious? Why can I still think? And why can't I open my damn eyes!? Did they use some crazy drugs on me? Shit! I hope they didn't stoop that low. I'm too young to die of a drug overdose!' Panic surged through him as he imagined the worst-case scenario.
Meanwhile~
A beautiful woman lay on a bed, her face contorted in pain. Beside her sat a young man with an equally contorted expression, though his was due to the vice-like grip his wife had on his right hand. He gritted his teeth while staring at her swollen belly.
'Come out, you little brat, before my hand turns to meat paste!' he cursed inwardly.
He regretted his decision to hold her hand during childbirth. It felt like she was channeling all her pain into his poor, "not-so innocent" hand. Despite her agony, the woman tried her best not to crush his hand completely. It was a herculean effort, given the circumstances, but she managed, since only a few of his bones cracked in the process!
A few minutes later, after a final, muffled scream, the stubborn baby was finally born.
For Dave, everything happened in a blur. One moment, he was sliding through something warm and slippery, then next, he was caught firmly by someone else.
A woman in her late thirties—the midwife—gently held the newborn. Then, without warning, she gave him a light tap on the buttocks, eliciting a loud cry from the baby. Before she began to clean him.
'Who the hell just spanked me!? When I open my eyes, I'll make sure to repay that pervert tenfold!' Dave thought, seething with resentment.
'And whose baby is crying so close to my ears? Can't someone shut that kid up? Huh? Why… am I feeling so—drowsy all of a sudden?'
"It's a boy," the midwife announced with a warm smile, handing the baby to his exhausted mother.
The new mother lay silent, catching her breath as she cradled her child. Despite her exhaustion, a radiant smile spread across her face.
"Davin Bluemoon," she whispered faintly, her voice filled with love.
"Haha! I'm finally a father!" the man beside her exclaimed, his booming voice filling the room. All traces of pain vanished as he basked in the joy of fatherhood. Deep down, he was over the moon, his soulmate was safe, and he had a son. The only disappointment? He'd secretly hoped for a girl.
'Well, I guess she won the bet,' he thought, smiling as he gazed at the mother-son duo.
The midwife chuckled at his reaction, while his wife ignored him entirely, her attention fully on the sleeping baby in her arms.
"He fell asleep so quickly… why?" the new mother asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
"It's normal for some newborns to sleep right after birth, especially if they cry a lot during their first bath," the midwife explained with a gentle laugh. She understood the young mother's bewilderment, after all, this was her first child.
'You just had to get her pregnant this early,' the midwife thought, shooting a sharp stare at the young father. From what she knew, the couple had only recently settled in town. The father was twenty-one, and his wife was rumored to be even younger.
'How did these two even meet?' she wondered, her gaze shifting between the stunningly beautiful mother and the averagely handsome father. Their difference was like heaven and earth...
Later on~
"You should rest and recover your strength," the midwife advised after cleaning up and serving the young mother some relaxing tea. She had noticed the exhaustion creeping into Gaela's features and knew it was time for her to rest.
"Yeah, honey, you should rest. How about I hold Davin for now—" the father began, only to be cut off.
"No! You'll drop him," Gaela said with a pout.
"No, I won't!" he whined, sounding like a child denied candy.
"Do you even know how to hold a baby?" she spoke in a tone mocking.
"…Neither do y—" He started to retort but stopped short when he felt her icy glare. "Yeah, it's better if you stay with him," he conceded.
The midwife chuckled, enjoying the couple's playful bickering. "So it's settled then. Gaela will rest with her son." She smiled warmly, imagining the loving environment little Davin would grow up in.
'You're lucky, little one,' she thought, glancing at the sleeping baby who had no idea where—or who—he was.
After kissing his wife and son on their foreheads, Ray left the room with Jenny, the midwife.
"Here… thank you for everything. I'm truly grateful," Ray said, handing Jenny a small pouch of silver coins. He bowed his head slightly, to show his gratitude.
Jenny chuckled, amused by his earnestness. "It's all fate's doing. No need to thank me so earnestly. But I'll be visiting to help Gaela however I can," she said, accepting the pouch.
"Thanks again."
After a brief silence, Jenny hesitated before asking, "Forgive me for prying, but can you tell me how you two met?"
Ray smiled. "How I met Gaela? That's a long story. Let's sit down first." Jenny nodded, following him to the nearest seat.
~~~
Inside Davin's consciousness, Dave's former physical form stood in a pitch-black void. His body was now a translucent light blue, but he hadn't noticed yet.
'Huh? Where am I now?' he thought while looking around.
[So, this is where your soul is… Thank the heavens. I almost thought I'd accidentally destroyed it.]
'!?' Dave froze as he tried to pinpoint the source of the strange voice.
[Canceling soul materialization…]
[Process canceled successfully!]
[Beginning soul integration…]
'Um… is anyone out there? And why is it so dark here?'
[There is no one here apart from you, host.]
'Host?'
[Pardon me, host, but to fully integrate your soul into this new body, I'll have to knock you unconscious for a while.]
'…' Dave was speechless.
[I'll explain everything formally after you wake up. Have a good night, host.]