Recently I had heard someone say that life abides no reason, for no one is born by their own consent. Likewise, death abides no reason, for it cannot be defied even by those who see it coming. To be honest, the first half perfectly suits my current predicament. I know I regretted my actions in my final moments, but I thought the other half of the saying would hold true too. I guess I am one of those who has defied death. It's not that I am unfamiliar with this situation, for these situations and stories were some of my only threads to keep going and look forward to a new day.
I had never liked the people who took a second chance for granted, so most of the time I would skip those stories and find new ones where the character actually decides to change themself for the better. Now, however, I kinda get what those who don't want to change feel like. They never had the courage to change on their first try, so how will they have courage in an unfamiliar world? They would hesitate at every turn, fearing they would make it worse somehow.
Now I face the same situation as them—worse, even. I am more pathetic than they are. At least they tried living with their wrong choices or decisions, but me? Heh, I just ran away from it, leaving behind people who didn't care about my wrong decisions—just me. So when I looked toward those big, sparkling eyes filled with the same feeling as those who loved and cared for me, I decided then and there I wouldn't disappoint those who loved me and would love me in my new life. This time, I would try my best without holding back like last time just to feel normal around my so-called peers. To do that, first I need to know my new world, and for that, I need to understand the language of this world.
The language sounds very similar to Japanese, but I can only understand some familiar phrases, as unfortunately, there are no subtitles for me to understand the people around me. Though I did hear my new parents say the word 'Kami-sama,' which, if I am not wrong, means God. So this lady must be a goddess or something close to a divine being. Though I am not too sure, I can still feel something special from her. So is this one of the worlds I know of or a completely new world altogether? I guess it doesn't matter much; I just have to do whatever I want to do with 100% effort all the time. Still, gods walking among mortals as if it's a normal thing—one particular world does come to mind, but it's too early to make such conclusions.
This new body of mine has a mind of its own. I can hardly control anything and can only hear and see some things, while it feels like my other senses are cut off for now. While it is a little uncomfortable not having control over my limbs and other body parts, at least I don't have to pretend to be like any other normal baby.
Ah! It seems my body is going offline now. Well, it seems it will take a lot of time to control my new body and regain access to all my senses. So I guess I should take a nap after all that has happened to me. Still, who the hell is 'Arcas-chan,' huh?
1 month later.
"Well, goodbye and take care while I'm gone," Agar said with concern while looking at his wife and daughter.
"Don't worry about me. Rather, you be careful. Roaming around the world doesn't suit you anymore," Callisto said with equal concern.
"Yeah, this will be the final time and is mostly just a quick check on the orphanage in Orario. You know, the goddess doesn't like going inside that city because it reeks of 'perverts,'" Agar said in a defeated voice.
He also didn't want to go, as he would be missing precious memories of his daughter growing up, but the goddess had told him this would be his final quest before he could retire. The goddess had chosen another bodyguard, just like how he had been chosen, who would now protect the goddess in her journey through the lower world.
"Well, to be honest, it's best that you're leaving. Otherwise, if my goddess sees you, she might just start another great hunt."
Hearing this made Agar sweat bullets because he remembered the first time he became the prey for Callisto's goddess's great hunt. Even though it was supposed to be a test to measure his worth as the husband to Callisto, in the end, he wasn't even supposed to fight back.
"Hehehe."
"Hehehe."
"Hmph."
Hearing both his child and wife laugh at his predicament made him speechless, so he decided to display mock anger toward them.
"Pa Pa!" Seeing her father being somewhat upset, Arcas decided to reach out to him while calling with what little vocabulary she had learned in a month.
"Hahaha! Yes, I need my Arcas energy recharge before my journey. Come here now!" Agar was more than happy to see his daughter cheering him up. It made him want to complete his quest as fast as possible. He picked her up and started to rub his cheeks with hers.
Agar had found out that his daughter was very smart, as she had started making sounds before she was even a month old. This also made him worry that he would miss other amazing milestones. Still, he couldn't just ignore the quest his goddess had given him, as tension in Orario was increasing due to the failure of the Zeus and Hera familias. The goddess wanted to ensure that the orphanage in Orario was not facing any issues, as the matron over there had said that they had recently gained a huge patron of unknown background. Agar's job was simple: he just had to make sure the recent patron wasn't someone shady with an even shadier background.
"Well, had your Arcas refill? Now go before the goddess shows up and starts firing arrows at you," Callisto said, taking a very reluctant Arcas from her equally reluctant father.
"Yeah, you're right. Well, bye, Arcas. And don't forget Papa," Agar waved at Arcas and saw his daughter waving back at him.
"Hmph. And where is my goodbye?" Callisto said with a pout.
"Here," Agar said, swiftly kissing Callisto's lips while shielding Arcas's eyes, then running away just as swiftly.
"Idiot," Callisto said softly while watching Agar's silhouette grow smaller as he made his way toward Orario, concern flickering in her eyes. She knew that current Orario was a bomb ready to explode at any moment, but she also knew that Agar could handle it if he was careful.
As she was thinking this, she felt her cheek being pecked by something small and soft. Turning her head, she saw her daughter smiling at her.
"Hehehe," Arcas laughed, seeing her mother dumbfounded twice in a row.
"You cheeky little cat," Callisto said, rapidly smooching Arcas's face. So what if she couldn't get back at Agar for his tricks? She would take her revenge on this little kitten who dared to copy her father.