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"So, this is what it feels like to die…?"
In the bottomless darkness, Ren scoffed in his mind. There was no sensation, no sound, only a vast, silent emptiness—as if the universe had swallowed him without a trace, leaving him adrift in boundless nothingness. His body felt light, yet hollow, like a leaf detached from a branch and carried by the wind without purpose.
He presumed this was the end of his life. A period at the terminus of his short, turbulent journey. The events following the shipwreck he was aboard, until he finally drowned, flashed back into his mind. But suddenly, something strange spread around his body—a sensation that should not exist in this realm of nonexistence.
"Huh? What is this?" he thought, his voice echoing in his fracturing consciousness. "Wasn't I drowning? But why… does it suddenly feel warm? Was I saved from that incident?"
His internal murmuring felt foreign, like someone else's voice whispering at the edge of his thoughts. The warmth was unnatural, yet real—like a bonfire burning in the midst of a snowstorm. The contradiction confused him. Shouldn't death be cold? Shouldn't nonexistence be… empty?
Suddenly, something pierced his consciousness. A soft light emerged, faint at first, then brighter, sweeping away the darkness like a dawn creeping over the horizon. The light was not merely bright. There was a warmth within it, gentle like the sun's rays lifting the dew, seeping into his blood and veins, until he felt as if his entire body was compelled to breathe for the first time.
"Where am I?" he thought. His consciousness was still hazy, enveloped in pressing confusion. He awaited an answer, hoping for a voice or a light to appear. But what manifested was not a sight, but a strange sensation spreading slowly.
The sensation felt alien and terrifying. His body seemed tightly locked, as if something was restraining it from within, restricting his every movement. "Wh-why can't I move my body?" he thought, panicked. He tried to command his fingers, yet nothing responded. Every fingertip felt numb, losing its own weight, as if it was no longer a part of him.
The more he tried, the clearer the strange distance between his mind and body became. He could hear a faint heartbeat, its sound weak, as if coming from a distance, yet the body still refused to obey his commands. He attempted to move his hands, tried to open his eyes, even just to change his body's position, but everything seemed frozen.
Frustration slowly accumulated, pressing against his chest, making him feel trapped within an invisible confinement.
He drew a small breath, or at least tried to, attempting to comprehend what was actually happening. "How strange," he murmured inwardly, his voice echoing in the chaotic space of his mind, as if he himself was difficult to recognize.
Amidst that suffocating silence, something began to creep into his ears. A sound, delicate and fragile, almost inaudible, yet enough to jolt his consciousness. It was the sound of a baby crying, soft yet sharp, piercing the space of his mind, slightly shaking the focus he was trying to maintain.
"Aaaah-uuaa…"
Ren paused. "Huh? What is that? A baby's voice? Why is there a baby near me?" he thought, bewildered. His mind raced for an answer, rejecting the reality that felt anomalous. He tried to vocalize, wanting to call out, or simply utter a word to ensure he could still speak.
But what came out of his mouth was not the language he knew, but a strange, high-pitched sound, a baby's cry.
"Aaaa… uuaa…!"
Ren froze. His consciousness was greatly shaken. "What is this…? That voice… is coming from me? Why do I sound like I'm crying?" Panic spread within him; the feeling was truly beyond reason, but the crying continued to flow from his own lips, further confirming the reality he did not want to believe.
Pure confusion overwhelmed him, like a storm tearing away every grip of logic he possessed. His body felt small, fragile, full of an entirely unfamiliar weakness, as if all the strength he once knew had been ripped out by the roots. He briefly refused to believe it.
Initially, he was certain there was another baby near him, something real and separate from himself. He imagined the space around him, hoping to find another form, searching for tangible proof to deny the horror that was beginning to grow.
But the memory came. Faint at first, like a blurry, fleeting shadow, then sharper, like a flash of light reflecting at the bottom of the water. The flashback of the ship tragedy that night reappeared.
His body, injured from the impact of the ship's steel after saving a child, the darkness of the sea which was like a giant mouth swallowing the light after he drowned due to losing his balance, and the bone-chilling cold of the water, as well as the crashing current that made his lungs feel as if they were burning as water forced its way in.
His hands flailed, no longer the decisive movements of a man, but desperate flapping, sinking to the deep, dark seabed. He knew he had died and could not possibly have been saved in such a condition, no matter how.
"That's right… if I'm not mistaken, I did drown at that time," he thought internally, the voice almost lost amidst the waves of memory. And as the faint flash subsided, his consciousness felt as if it had been electrocuted by a new reality. "Haaahhhhh…?"
That realization wiped out his denial. He was now aware: the sound of the baby crying that he had thought was external was actually coming from his own lips. He was no longer the Ren he knew in his previous life. He had truly died there. That cry, this small body, were all his. This was the true reason why he could not move his body at all. He had been reborn into another world as a baby.
"What? I… was reborn? As a small baby?" His mind screeched, rejecting a reality too absurd to accept. "I thought reincarnation was just fantasy, something that only existed in comics and novels. I never thought this would really happen…"
Before he could process that reality further, a gentle touch brushed his cheek. Its warmth was not merely warm, but a soothing warmth, like an embrace from the sun. The touch flowed into him, permeating the fragile little body, as if the world wanted to assure him that he was alive, that he truly existed.
"Look, darling! Our first child is born! We truly have a baby!" An unfamiliar voice, yet full of relief, echoed around him, followed by cheers of joy.
Another voice, soft and trembling, followed beside him, "The Sky God has blessed us! I am so happy to be granted a son."
His crying mixed with the joyful sobs of his two parents, filling the air with a foreign warmth that somehow made him feel safe for the first time since he left his old world.
"Who is that?" He wanted to open his eyes, to see the faces behind the voices, to understand the new world that welcomed him with joy and warmth. However, his eyelids felt heavy, his body weak, and his consciousness was still oscillating between death and rebirth.
After struggling intensely to open his eyes. Finally, his heavy eyelids lifted. The world shimmered in an unfamiliar light, but in the midst of that light were two faces leaning down toward him.
A woman with a gaze full of love, and a man with teary, excited eyes. Ren did not know them, yet his heart trembled, as if this soul was destined to love them both. For the first time, he saw his parents in the new world.
"That woman… is my mother in this world? How beautiful! Moreover, the man beside her, who seems to be my father, looks so dashing and cool. This is truly amazing!" Ren thought inwardly, his heart trembling between alienation and happiness.
"Look at this child. He looks so cute, doesn't he?"
His mother held him tightly, whispering words of affection to his father. Their small laughter mixed with Ren's cry, filling the air with warmth.
However, beneath the embrace, Ren felt something different. There was a faint pulsation in his chest, as if the warm light from his mother's touch was answered by a mysterious vibration from within him.
"…What is this? Why is something vibrating in my body?"
His consciousness slowly cleared. He opened his eyes wider, trying to absorb his new world. A wooden ceiling with simple carvings stretched above. Lamps in the corners of the room emitted a soft, slowly pulsing light. The scent of wet earth and spices filled the air, alien but soothing.
Then, precisely at that moment, another voice echoed. The voice did not originate from outside, but from within himself. But strangely, it seemed only he could hear it—his mother and father did not react at all. The voice sounded like that of an ancient, old man, a voice extremely foreign to his ears, as if it emerged from a place he had never known.
"What… who is that? Why can only I hear him?"
A deep voice of a mysterious old man answered from within him, resonating like an echo in an empty corridor:
"The human from another world… is reborn in a new form in this world. This world is your new world."
"You are not merely a reincarnated soul. You are the last heir to the ancient magic of a forgotten wise sorcerer."
"I summoned you here with the purpose of giving you a mission to reawaken both. Become the strongest sorcerer in this world, comprehend the truth of the world, and obtain the blue Sapphire."
"I shall grant you a portion of my power, the last remnants that remain. Use and hone this power well."
Ren's tiny body trembled. A faint, star-spiral light appeared on his chest, glistening briefly before vanishing without a trace. No one saw it… except for him.
"…What was that just now? That voice… an old man in a black hood? Is that a god? Or something
else of that sort? Why does it feel so real…?"
Inner silence seized him. The fleeting image of the light still imprinted in his mind, piercing deeper than a mere dream. He wished to contemplate it further—to seek an answer for what had just transpired.
However, just as his thoughts were about to sink deeper, a warm hand suddenly and gently stroked his head.
"Yosh… now let's give him a good name."
"Er, a good name is—hmm? Sakabe? No, too much like a delinquent. Satoru? Hm, too common. So, what is a good one…" His father muttered, his face looking serious as if pondering the most important matter in the world.
Ren, still reeling from his inner experience, could only listen to the chatter. "A name…? So they are going to give me a name in this world…"
"Darling," the mother smiled softly, "you do not need to think that hard to find him a name. I already have a suitable name for him."
"Oh? Is that so? So, what is it?" his father asked with eyes full of curiosity.
His mother looked at his small face with profound affection, then whispered tenderly,
"Your name is… Luciel. Hoshizura Luciel. That is the most fitting name for you."
His father was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly and nodded.
"Oh… Luciel, is it? Truly a beautiful name. In the ancient tongue, it means Little Light. This name is indeed worthy of you. May you grow strong one day… and become a light for this land."
"Ah… I am truly impressed. You always have a knack for choosing, Myel," he praised, gazing at her warmly.
His father's hand joined in stroking the small baby's head, merging with the affection of the mother who was holding him.
Amidst that moving atmosphere, a sudden knock on the door was heard. The repetitive sound of wood broke the silence of the house, causing the young couple to look at each other. When the door opened, a dashing man stood at the threshold.
"Hey, Luika! I heard your child was born today?" the man greeted with a wide smile.
His father immediately stood up, his face beaming. "Oh, Akaya! You came at just the right time. Our son was just safely born." He gestured toward the tiny baby in his wife's arms.
Akaya stepped in, bowing his head slightly, looking at Luciel with curiosity and awe. "Wow… what is his name?" he asked softly.
"His name is Luciel," his father answered proudly.
"What a wonderful name…" Akaya murmured softly, as if savoring it. "I hope he can be a good friend to my child one day." He then stood straight again.
"Oh, that's right! Your child is only a month old, isn't he? His name is… Akami, right?" his father said with a warm smile. "In that case, do not worry. One day, Luciel will surely be great friends with Akami."
"Hahaha, that's true!" Akaya replied, his hearty laughter echoing in the small room. His father also chuckled softly, as if the simple prophecy sounded genuinely delightful.
His mother merely smiled faintly, her gaze fixed on the small baby in her embrace. The little one squirmed gently, as if responding to the words about the future that had just been spoken. Slowly, the laughter of the two men subsided, leaving a soft stillness filled with warm familial feeling.
Within him, a distinct consciousness slowly awakened.
"Luciel, is it? So this is my name now." A whisper emerged in the baby's mind. "I truly have a new life… in this unfamiliar world, with a new name, identity, and even a new body and soul."
Ren—no, from now on he was Luciel. His tiny lips moved subtly, forming an arc that even his parents might not notice. That faint smile concealed the shadow of his past.
"It seems that living a new life here is far more promising… at least better than my dull former life. A life that revolved only around work, work, and work—without direction and without meaning."
Luciel closed his eyes slowly. The warmth of his parents' embrace enveloped his small body, wrapping him in a sense of security he had not felt again in his previous life. For the first time, he felt genuine peace.
And in his heart, a faint conviction grew that his new life would be much more beautiful than the one before.
However, beneath that tranquility, a strange anomaly crept into his mind—like a faint echo from his encounter with the mysterious old man earlier. "Blue Sapphire… what does that mean? And… what power did he actually grant me?"
The question spun briefly, before his consciousness slowly dissolved into drowsiness. Luciel then fell asleep, unaware that that small doubt would one day transform into a knot of destiny determining the course of his life.
The night outside the simple house appeared calm, yet the sky faintly trembled. Stars twinkled as if responding to the birth of a new light in the world.
And far, far behind a curtain unreachable by humans or sorcerers, an ancient eye slowly opened. Its gaze fell upon the baby who had just been named—a primeval gaze that marked the beginning of a great, untold destiny.