Alger lived deep within the city. With the constant haze of light and air pollution, the stars he could see were usually faint, blurry specks swallowed by the sky. But this one, this green star, was almost as bright as the moon.
"What the…?" he muttered.
He stood on his bed, allured by the strange celestial glow coming from the corner of his window.
"....what is that?"
Without wasting a moment, Alger rushed down the stairs and stepped into the parking lot that was in front of his apartment.
He looked up, his eyes were scanning the night sky. But the star... that green star... was gone.
Confused, he turned in place, trying to catch it from a different angle. But no matter where he looked, the sky remained starless, just dark and clouded like always.
"How the hell did it just disappear....."
After blindly staring into the night sky for a few minutes, he gave up. His stomach growled a little, but nobody was around to hear it.
"...maybe I should get some snacks as well."
He slowly walked out of the parking lot and went towards the local convenience store, but he noticed something weird.
The streets, which were usually lively and packed with traffic, were... empty. No cars. No pedestrians. Not a single soul.
"....did everyone make plans without me or something?"
Something was off....
Still, he continued walking toward the convenience store with cautious urgency.
When he arrived, the automatic glass doors opened with a soft whoosh. But inside, the place was deserted. No cashier behind the counter. No customers. No quiet hum of voices or footsteps. Just... silence.
Alger stepped inside hesitantly.
"Hello?" he called out, but heard no response.
His heart had started to race a little, and he went inside and looked everywhere, but failed to find a single person.
He took the rice and said,
"I'll just leave the money here.... alright?"
He turned to leave, the doors opening again, but froze the moment he stepped outside.
A deep chill crawled down his spine. Something... someone... was watching him.
And whoever it was… felt dangerous.
The world around him seemed to dim, the shadows stretching just a little longer, the air growing heavier.
Alger dropped the bag he was carrying the rice in... his heart was pounding.
He didn't know who... or what... was watching him, but every instinct screamed at him to run.
And so he did.
He sprinted home, running through the lonely roads, the suffocating presence trailing him, growing ever closer.
By the time he reached the parking lot, he could feel it almost touching him.
He rushed up the stairs, he started to pant, but knew he couldn't stop. He reached his floor, barely breathing, and looked for the key in his pocket while running towards his apartment.
But as he reached his door....
He stopped.
Not by choice.
He couldn't move.
He didn't even breathe.
The presence was right behind him now... close enough to feel its breath, if it had any.
A metallic whisper echoed behind him.
The sound of a sword being drawn.
Alger knew that if he moved even an inch, he would die.... but he still managed to glance down at his chest, just in time to see a pitch-black blade slowly pierce through him as if his body were made of paper.
Alger died.....
***
Alger felt like his head was about to explode.
It was as if he had been drowning for a long time... His lungs were burning, his eyes were stinging, and his vision was blurred. He tried to open his eyes and saw the hazy shape of a man hovering above him.
It was hard to breathe, and his limbs were numb.
Am I alive...?
He tried to remember what happened. But his memory was blurry...
The sword… the presence… I died, didn't I?
Wait... wasn't the Grim Reaper supposed to have a scythe?
Where the hell did the sword come from?
His thoughts were scattered. Disconnected. But when he looked down, he saw something that didn't belong.
A tiny hand.
His hand.
It was the hand of a newborn.
Did I… reincarnate?
The man holding him had a panicked expression on his face. Alger turned his head in the direction the man was looking, struggling to move. He saw a woman lying lifelessly on the bed...
It dawned on him.
If he had reincarnated, then the woman lying lifeless on the bed…
That's my mother, isn't it?
Alger wanted to stay awake, to understand what was happening, but the strain of existing... of breathing... was too much.
His eyes fluttered shut, and he slowly drifted into sleep....
***
When Alger woke again, he was in motion.
He was being carried... cradled in the arms of the man. They were inside some kind of vehicle. He glanced around, struggling to make sense of the cramped, shaking space.
he was now wrapped in a soft cotton cloth and had some sort of a diaper on his bottom.
A carriage?
No way. Who uses carriages in this day and age?
Oh God... no. Don't tell me I reincarnated into the past.
Please, not a time without toilet paper!
The man holding him was tall and blonde-haired; he looked to be in his forties.
So this is the child's father.... my father.
Outside, the world rolled by. He couldn't see much from how low he was being held, but eventually, the carriage stopped.
The man stepped out and was greeted by a woman dressed in black and white.
A maid? Alger guessed.
The woman and the father spoke, but Alger couldn't understand a word.
Soon, the man handed Alger to the maid.
She carried him inside a large building filled with children. Too many to be a home.
An orphanage…?
Why am I in an orphanage.... don't I have a father?
He realized that the guy who had been with him was not the father.
Damn it... then who the hell is that guy then?
The maid walked through corridors, stopping every so often to show the newborn to curious four-year-olds who poked and prodded at Alger's tiny body. He scowled internally.
Eventually, they arrived at a dark room with four cradles. Two were already occupied by sleeping infants.
The maid gently placed him in the third.
She then walked over to a nearby table, picked up a lamp filled with crystals, and placed a finger on one of them.
A spark ignited.
The lamp started to glow... soft, steady, and magical.
Alger's eyes widened.
Huh? No way, don't tell me....
The maid checked on the other two children and left the room.
This place... it isn't Earth.
Alger wanted to explore; curiosity was killing him. But his body was too small, and he could barely control it.
Damn it! It's going to take at least 2 more years until I can move properly.
I need to learn the language they were speaking.
I need to learn about magic....