The clear sky above the slopes of Mount Ida, where shepherds and village children ran about freely.
Unlike them, little Paris was playing with a lamb, gently stroking the animal's head.
"You are my new friend in this world full of strangeness," he said to the lamb.
He also observed the behavior of the animals around him with a systematic approach unusual for a child his age, who should be playing more carefree.
With his still-small body, Paris began to understand some of the sheep that always played with him.
After a while of playing with the lamb, his mother, Thalia, approached her little son.
"Paris, darling, why don't you play with the other children?" the woman asked gently, like the strands of her hair. "And you've been playing with this lamb all day?"
Paris shook his head lightly. "They're too childish, Mother..." He quickly covered his mouth with his small hands.
Thalia chuckled softly at her son's cute antics. "You're still a child too, sweetheart." She then folded her legs, gently stroking Paris's head warmly.
"Yes, of course, I'm still a child, Mother," his face flushed, but in his mind, *How should a normal child my age behave? And I almost got caught by Mother.*
Thalia laughed again, seeing what she thought was Paris's adorable behavior. "Alright then, play with the lamb, darling. But when you're hungry, come back to our house," she said with a beautiful smile.
Little Paris nodded in agreement with his mother.
"Yes, Mother."
Thalia then stood up from her spot and walked away, leaving her little son behind.
"Oof, that was close, I almost got found out by Mother," Paris murmured softly. "What if she finds out I'm not a child, but an adult from another world? Would she still see me as her son? Or would she think I'm strange?"
Paris continued thinking more deeply than a child his age should, when the lamb nibbled at the skin of his daydreaming hand.
Paris let out a soft yelp. "What's wrong, friend?" he asked the animal.
The lamb bared its white teeth as if laughing at Paris. "You..." Paris said with a slight smile.
But before Paris could catch the lamb, the animal had already run off quickly, away from him.
Paris then ran fast after it. "Yeah, why overthink it? Just don't know math, don't show strategic thinking, and don't comment on adult conversations. As simple as that to be a normal child in this world," he said, his mind now flowing smoothly after the recent incident.
The seasons began to change, time etching away the innocence from his face. At eight years old, Paris started to understand this ancient life.
"I'm beginning to appreciate this life. No quarterly reports, no board meetings, no backstabbing colleagues, truly far from the troublesome office world. But... I also feel something stirring inside me. A power I can't explain," he thought to himself.
When Paris was ten years old, he accidentally prevented a landslide by somehow sensing the geological instability on the village slopes.
The village was saved, but the people began whispering about the "child blessed by the gods."
In Agealus's sheepfold.
Thalia, now with her son, said, "Paris, whatever happens in the future, remember that you are loved by us."
Paris looked at his mother and asked, "Why do you speak as if I'm going to leave, Mother?"
Thalia replied to her son, "Sometimes Mother has feelings about it, child. You... you're different, Paris. But different doesn't mean bad."
"I understand, Mother."
"Smart boy."
Thalia then hugged her son warmly, like a mother who didn't want to lose him.
The wind began to blow as Paris turned twelve, and an incident occurred.
He successfully defeated a group of cattle thieves and returned the stolen livestock to the flock, earning him the nickname Alexander, meaning protector of men.
At that moment, Paris collapsed, blood streaming from his forehead.
His breath caught. In the next second, Paris's usually warm eyes turned sharp and cold.
A calm voice emerged from his lips Your footwork is poor. Now, allow me to count down your defeat. The soul of the CEO had awakened.
He pummeled the group mercilessly, as if transformed from the version of himself that had just fallen.
It was at this time that Alexander or Paris, met Oenone. She was a nymph from Mount Ida, specifically in Phrygia. Her father was Cebren, the river god.
She was skilled in prophecy and healing, taught to her by Rhea, the mother of the gods, and Apollo, the god of music.
Through her ability to see the future, she prophesied that "Alexander would leave her but still love her."
"Alexander, remember one thing: if you later leave me for Helen, I tell you now that if you are wounded on your journey to Sparta, you must come to me. Because I can heal any wound, even the most severe," Oenone said to Alexander.
"Helen? Sparta?" Alexander laughed loudly at Oenone's words. "You're mentioning such a strange and foreign woman's name!? And why would I get wounded for a woman?!"
The nymph didn't smile, only staring at the laughing Alexander. "I don't know, Alexander. But remember my words," she said firmly.
"We're just friends, Oenone," Alexander stopped laughing. "You don't need to worry about my future. Whatever I do in the future that you see now, it won't affect you, because we're just 'friends.'"
Alexander's words seemed to clarify their current relationship.
Oenone snorted. "Do as you please," she then left Alexander alone.
But in the nymph's mind, *Why must it be like this, Oenone? It would be good if Alexander never meets Helen in the future!? The worst is if he marries me and then leaves me!? What kind of prophecy is that?!"
Two years later, water flowed fiercely around the streams of Mount Ida, allowing the people to meet their daily needs.
Oenone, the river nymph, reappeared in Alexander's life after disappearing into the river at that time.
But she felt conflicted, he had an adult mind that understood the complexities of relationships.
The nymph walked toward Alexander, her gaze like that of old friends who could only meet after thousands of years had passed.
Oenone looked at her childhood friend. "You're different from the other shepherds in the village, Alexander. There's something ancient in your eyes."
Alexander replied to the nymph, "Ancient? I'm still a teenager, Oenone," he said with an awkward laugh.
Oenone stared into Alexander's eyes. "Eyes don't lie, Alexander. You've lived before, haven't you?"
Alexander laughed heartily. "What do you mean? Lived before? You're too immersed in your visions, Oenone. Don't follow those ancient gods too closely," he said, as if denying a fact.
"You're like this, if I tell you, you never listen, do you, Alexander?" Oenone snorted. "Remember what I said before."
"..." Alexander fell silent for a moment. "What is it?"
The nymph then walked away from Alexander with an annoyed feeling, even after not seeing each other for so long, Alexander was still the same, she thought.
Three years had passed since Paris chose to live in seclusion in a cave.
Silence became his companion, cold his blanket.
In that solitude, he honed his survival skills.
He could read the wind's direction, identify poisonous plants, and even hear an animal's footsteps from afar. Nature was no longer just a home but part of him.
Yet silence also brought shadows.
The deeper he connected with the forest and mountain, the clearer the voices in his head became.
Voices that uncovered old wounds.
In the midst of long meditation, he began to see flashes of lives that were not solely his own.
The face of the CEO he had once worn like a mask. Boardrooms, numbers, city lights.
Then, as if another veil tore, images of the Paris who should have been appeared, the original soul long buried.
He was trapped between two worlds.
One full of power and ambition.
The other silent, but honest.
And in that cave, Paris realized he wasn't just surviving. He was confronting his true self.
He realized he wasn't a simple reincarnation, but a fusion of three souls formed after birth and past events.
One incense stick later, in Alexander's mind, You're amazing, Oenone. You're the only one who guessed that I'm reincarnated, he murmured softly.
The soul of the CEO of XQO Holdings initiated the conversation. We need a plan for the future. We can't hide here forever.
Prince Paris soul said, We are a prince of Troy. We have a destiny to fulfill rather than living as a shepherd. He smiled as if fate awaited them.
The Alexander soul, caught between them, said, You two, we're happy here. Why complicate things? he asked calmly.
We can't keep doing this, Alexander. I've already told you about our future, haven't I!? the CEO soul replied bluntly.
Alexander fell silent, lowering his head in response.
Then what's your plan, oh soul from another world? Prince Paris soul said with a broad smile.
The CEO soul looked at the two souls before him. According to the book The Judgment of Paris, we'll be destroyed after abducting Helen. So we must not approach that woman in the future, he said calmly.
"I'm saying this because you could ruin everything we've built, Paris," he added.
He stared sharply at Prince Paris soul.
Very well, I promise not to do that, Prince Paris soul said.
The Alexander soul smiled faintly and nodded. Alright, if that's all. It sounds easy.
Meanwhile, Prince Paris soul laughed heartily after agreeing. She must be too dangerous that we have to avoid her!?
You're right, she's Zeus's daughter, the CEO soul said. You both know that self-indulgent king of the gods all too well.
Very well, let's decide to avoid both Helen and Zeus first, for a bright future for Father Agealus and Mother Thalia, Prince Paris soul said with a bright smile.
The Alexander soul nodded firmly. Of course, that's our shared goal.
Good, we three agree for now, the CEO soul said. Let's...
The three souls extended their hands, three right hands stacking like a mountain.
"For Father and Mother!"
"For Father and Mother!"
"For Father and Mother!"
The three souls within Paris had united, marking their harmony.
Paris's eyes opened. "Alright, we're heading back today."
He then stepped lightly out of the cave.
Upon arriving home, Paris was greeted by two figures with eyes full of affection.
The two figures ran toward Paris with mixed emotions.
"I'm back, Father, Mother," Paris said with a beautiful, longing smile.
Paris's parents then hugged their son warmly. "Welcome home, darling," they both said, tears of joy beginning to fall.
After a moment of emotion, Paris's parents released their embrace.
Paris's father, Agealus, spoke first to his son. "Paris... you've... you've changed so much, my child."
Paris looked at his father. "I've found out who I really am, Father," he replied steadily.
Thalia's body, Paris's mother, trembled slightly. "You're going to leave us again, aren't you?" she asked sadly.
Paris turned to his mother. "Not now. But someday... yes. I have a purpose to fulfill, Mother," he replied.
"You may pursue your purpose, child. But remember this: you are our son, and that will never change, no matter what."
Paris nodded in agreement, then hugged his mother back. "Of course, Mother."
Dark clouds began to gather, covering the village on the slopes of Mount Ida.
Stories of the golden shepherd spread to several regions around Mount Ida.
Merchants from outside the area visited the village on the slopes of Mount Ida several times, either to verify the truth of the stories or simply to meet the golden shepherd.
Some nobles also frequently came to visit, wanting to take the golden shepherd to their lands, though they were met with refusals from the shepherd.
Even foreign dignitaries were intrigued by the tales from Mount Ida about the golden shepherd.
Meanwhile, in the grand palace of Troy, news of a village becoming an economic hub thanks to the golden shepherd reached the king's ears.
"Is that news true?" Priam, the king of Troy, asked.
The man nodded slowly. "We investigated it first, Your Highness. We confirm the news of the golden shepherd from Mount Ida, who transformed a once-poor village into a prosperous place," he replied steadily.
The king scratched his beard. "Very well, bring him here. If he refuses, prepare to become enemies of Troy," he declared loudly.
The man bowed respectfully. "I understand, Your Highness," he replied.
"Set out now, and take some soldiers with you."
"As you command, Your Highness," he replied bluntly.
The man then left the room, immediately heading toward Mount Ida.
After several days' journey from Troy to the slopes of Mount Ida.
The king's messenger from Troy arrived at a house after asking some villagers about the golden shepherd's home.
The messenger said, "King Priam of Troy invites all outstanding young men to join the royal court."
Paris smiled. "I feel honored, but my place is here with all its beautiful memories," he replied.
The messenger tried to persuade him again. "But talent like yours is wasted on this mountain."
Paris bowed his head slightly. "No talent is wasted if it's used to help the community."
"Then prepare to become enemies of Troy, young man," the messenger said, his face red. "This is the last offer: will you come with us or not?"
Paris shook his head. "Forgive me, sir. My choice remains the same," he replied softly.
The messenger left Paris after the refusal, carrying a feeling that would lead to future disaster.
Paris only watched the messenger's back, a slight smile appearing as he recalled the recent event.
What did I say? We can't avoid our fate as a prince of Troy, Prince Paris soul said in a princely tone.
The Alexander soul looked at that soul. That's not something to be proud of. Today's events prove that avoiding fate is impossible, he said.
I disagree with you both, the CEO soul countered. If fate can't be changed, then why am I here?
The other two souls suddenly fell silent, as if a piece of fate's puzzle began to reveal its direction and purpose.
Nightfall halted all activities in the village on the slopes of Mount Ida.
To be continue.