At the same time that Lith was being born in Lutia Village, another child came into the world a short distance away, inside the house of Zekell, the village blacksmith.
Zekell's wife, Sirma, was giving birth to their second child. Outside the room, Zekell waited anxiously with their eldest son, Senton, while the midwife assisted Sirma through the delivery.
After what felt like an eternity, a baby's cry finally broke the silence.
"Congratulations! It's a healthy boy!" the midwife announced.
Zekell's tense expression immediately relaxed, and a wide smile spread across his face. Beside him, Senton looked up eagerly, curious to see his new sibling.
However, neither of them could have imagined that this seemingly ordinary birth would bring something entirely new into the world.
The newborn was Mikhail.
Or, more accurately, the man who had once been Mikhail.
His last memory belonged to his previous life. Now, he found himself surrounded by darkness, warmth, and strange, muffled voices. His consciousness slowly returned, though he had no idea where he was or what had happened to him.
Before he could make sense of anything, he felt himself being pushed out of a confined space.
Then came the cold.
Then came the light.
Finally, he heard a woman's exhausted breathing and a man's excited voice.
"Congratulations! It's a healthy boy!"
What?
Mikhail tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt impossibly heavy. He struggled to move, only to discover that his body refused to respond the way he expected.
Wait a minute. Why can't I move properly? Why does my entire body feel so weak?
He tried to raise his hand.
A tiny hand appeared in front of his face.
His fingers were short and delicate, barely capable of moving. Even the simple act of lifting his arm felt like an exhausting task.
For a moment, Mikhail remained completely still.
Then a terrible realization struck him.
No way. Don't tell me...
Before he could finish the thought, a familiar mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.
[Super Cheat System initializing...]
[Host successfully transferred into the world of Supreme Magus.]
Mikhail froze.
Hold on. Supreme Magus?
The name immediately sent his thoughts into chaos.
The world of Supreme Magus? Are you serious?
He remembered the novel. He remembered Lith, the protagonist who had been born in Lutia Village and would eventually embark on a dangerous journey filled with magic, enemies, and countless struggles.
And now, somehow, Mikhail had been reborn in that very same world.
Not only that, but he had been born in the same village as the protagonist.
Wait... What year is it?
That question was important. Knowing which period of the story he had entered could make a considerable difference to his future.
Unfortunately, his newborn body was in no condition to help him investigate anything.
He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of his situation, but all that escaped his mouth was a weak, unintelligible sound.
Hah! This is insane!
He had died in his previous life, only to wake up as a newborn in a world he knew from a novel.
It was an unbelievable situation, but there was no denying the reality of it.
Mikhail was now a child of Supreme Magus.
And his new life had only just begun.
Outside the room, Zekell was still smiling as he listened to the midwife moving around inside. Senton, meanwhile, could barely contain his excitement.
He had always envied other children who had brothers or sisters to play with. Now, at last, he had a younger sibling of his own.
When the midwife finally brought the newborn over to Sirma, she carefully placed the baby in his mother's arms.
Sirma looked down at her son with a tired but affectionate smile.
"He's so small," she murmured.
The midwife chuckled.
"That's how newborns are, Sirma. Give him some time, and he'll grow before you know it."
Sirma gently adjusted the baby in her arms, making him comfortable against her chest.
Mikhail, who had been struggling to stay conscious, suddenly felt a warm sensation against his lips. Acting on instinct, his tiny body began to feed.
Wait... What am I doing?
His thoughts were filled with disbelief, but his body seemed to have its own priorities.
He was hungry, exhausted, and far too young to do anything about either problem.
Before long, the warmth and comfort began to overwhelm his returning consciousness. His eyelids grew heavier, and his thoughts gradually faded.
He fell asleep in his mother's arms.
He never even noticed when the system's message disappeared from his awareness.
Sirma continued to smile as she watched her newborn son sleep peacefully.
Outside the room, Zekell finally received permission to enter. He approached his wife carefully, his attention immediately drawn to the little bundle in her arms.
"How are you feeling?" he asked Sirma.
"Tired," she replied with a small smile, "but I'm fine."
Zekell let out a relieved breath. His wife was healthy, and their second child had been born without any apparent complications. For the moment, that was more than enough to make him happy.
He leaned closer to look at his newborn son.
"He's a strong little fellow, isn't he?"
"He's only just been born," Sirma replied with an amused look. "How can you possibly tell?"
"Well, he's my son. Of course, he's going to be strong!"
Sirma shook her head at her husband's confidence, but the smile on her face never disappeared.
Meanwhile, Senton had been standing nearby, impatiently waiting for his turn to see the baby.
"Mother, can I see him?"
"Of course, dear. Come closer."
Senton hurried to the bedside and carefully peered into his mother's arms.
For several seconds, he simply stared at the tiny face.
"He's so small!" he exclaimed.
Zekell laughed.
"Everyone starts small, son."
Senton ignored his father's teasing and continued studying his younger brother with fascination.
"What's his name?"
"Mikhail," Sirma answered.
"Mikhail..." Senton repeated, as if committing the name to memory.
He looked at the sleeping baby again, and his face brightened.
"I have a little brother now!"
He had often watched other children playing with their siblings and wondered what it would be like to have someone of his own age growing up beside him. Now, he finally had that chance.
Senton carefully reached out one finger and gently touched Mikhail's tiny hand.
The sleeping newborn's fingers curled instinctively around it.
Senton gasped.
"Father! Mother! He grabbed my finger!"
Zekell burst into laughter, while Sirma watched her two sons with a tender expression.
"Be gentle with him, Senton," she reminded him. "He's still very little."
"I will!" Senton promised immediately.
He stood beside the bed, looking at Mikhail as though he had just received the greatest gift in the world.
Zekell placed a hand on his eldest son's head before turning back toward his wife and newborn child.
His family had grown once again.
As he watched Sirma resting comfortably with Mikhail in her arms and Senton standing proudly beside them, a deep sense of happiness settled in his heart.
For now, there were no worries about the future, no concerns about the wider world, and no reason to think that anything unusual had happened.
To the people inside that modest home, this was simply the joyful birth of another son.
None of them knew that the child sleeping peacefully in Sirma's arms carried memories from a completely different life.
And none of them could have guessed how much his arrival would eventually change the course of events in Supreme Magus.
For the time being, however, Mikhail was content to sleep.
He had a new family, a new home, and an entirely unfamiliar world waiting for him.
His second life had begun.