In a tower that reaches the skies, as the sun sets, casting its crimson glow on it.
On the top floor, there is a man watching the city just below.
He watches as people and cars move through the streets.
Like blood flowing through veins, he thinks.
As he stands there, watching the city and it's people, his phone starts ringing, breaking the peaceful silence that built up until now.
As he picked up his phone, he wondered who could be disturbing him at work.
But when he saw the caller id, that question changed to why.
He picked up quickly and put the phone to his ear.
" Father is something wrong?".
As I asked the question, I could hear my father on the other end, and it sounds like he is sobbing.
My parents don't call at work, unless it's a big emergency that they can't solve themselves.
I started running to the door in this closed up office.
I reached there almost immediately and opened the door.
I then ran through the corridor of the floor to the elevator.
As I was running, I passed by people who passed who are delivering more paperwork to my office.
But I ignored them.
I reached the elevator, but I skipped it and rushed down the stairs.
As I skipped the elevator and started descending the stairs, my father spoke.
"Son, your mother is ...."
I hung up the phone before he could finish speaking.
I can feel the tears gathering at the corner of my eyes.
Don't panic, don't cry, don't feel sad.
Don't!
Until you see it with your own eyes, Adrian Veyne.
That's when he finished descending the stairs.
He ran to his car, with his keys in hand.
He opened it, entered, started it and drove through the street that leads to his parents home.
He is driving very fast, as he is rushing and there are not a lot of cars.
That's when his phone rang again.
It was his father again.
He picked up.
" Father don't worry, I am almost home".
I was about to hang up again , but father talks first.
" I am sorry".
Then father paused for a second.
" My son".
I froze for just a second.
Then a truck comes into my front view.
He tries everything he could in that short window of time.
But his car and the truck still end up colliding.
His car flips.
But as his car flipped , time seemed to slow down.
And because of that, he gets a glimpse of the driver's face.
His eyes widen.
"No,no,no,no,NO!".
It can't be.
Then his vision starts darkening as he died.
The last thing he saw was the front of the truck.
But he didn't feel much.
His eyes opened to find himself in an infinite darkness.
And a completely AI robotic voice echoed.
"You shall be reincarnated again".
And before he could ask anything.
He saw light.
And for a reason he didn't know , he felt that he was alive and kicking, but crying.
So I reincarnated.
That was his first thought.
As his he is crying and people are trying to make him stop, his mind is working.
Others who reincarnate might see this as a blessing, but I don't.
I read many novels like this when I was younger, in what they call my previous life.
In most of them, you would reincarnate in a very good family or a very poor one.
Doesn't really matter, you are special in some way.
Rise above the rest.
Become extra strong.
Sometimes become a polygamist.
And so on.
That's what I call the protagonist treatment.
But that's still fake in the end.
To me, another life equals more suffering.
Life is never that fair.
My goal in this life won't be anything like that.
My goal isn't to be loved.
Not to suffer.
Not to prove to anyone anything.
My goal is to go back.
He clenched his tiny hand hard.
No matter what.
He raised his hand.
I'll keep my distance from this new family when I am old enough.
Don't want to have attachments to keep me from my recently established goal.
I then look at the woman holding me.
She's a beautiful woman with flowing white hair, beautiful white skin and many other features that are beautiful beyond description.
And she looks to be in her 20s to 30s.
I sneer in my mind.
This is how it goes.
Beautiful mum.
For sure a handsome dad.
But wait.
I look at this woman closely.
Doesn't she look a lot like mom.
The woman and man who I haven't checked turn to the door as a 7 year old looking boy enters.
I heard them talk to the boy.
The boy nodded as he took out what looks to be a phone and spoke to it.
I used the opportunity to look at the man.
He looks to be in his 40s, has silver hair, well kept appearance, gentle expression.
Well, he looks to be a good father.
But, something about the woman, boy and man unnerve me a lot.
That's when the boy spoke.
Ad for the first time, it was something I understand.
" we'll call him Selarion".
The man and woman look like they don't like it.
Yeah boy, there's no way am I getting that stupid name.
But alas, the world is always against us.
"Fine".
The woman looked at me.
"Your name from today shall be Selarion Aetherion".
For some reason that crappy name resonates with me.
I don't know what to call it.
But the name resonates with me.
" What, no no no!".
I shake my head as fast as I can.
" It's such a crappy name".
I look at the phone in the boy's hand.
" For sure it's a stupid ai generated name!".
After I said that, that's when realization hits me hard.
My eyes go wide and my small mouth hangs open.
"Was..wa..w... wasn't I just born?".
The man and woman don't look like anything shocking is happening.
Not even the child is surprised.
" Of course you were just born my baby boy".
While holding me she walks to the window.
" Gaze down upon the world, my little boy".
I looked down outside the window and I just saw grass and like we are on the lowest floor.
And then the next second, we were up in the skies.
By we, I mean me,new mother ,newfather and boy.
I cling to my new mum as hard as I can.
"Mama can fly!".
"Mama, I have seen mama can fly!".
"So mama, can we go to the ground!".
Are you crazy!
Woman, you are trying to kill your new born child.
But instead of her taking me to the ground, she starts laughing and throwing me in the air.
As I fell into the comfortable arms of my new mother again, I decided to look at the ground.
And that's when I felt it.
The city below, the people moving through streets, everything.
It gives me the same feeling as when I was at the top of the tower.
It feels good to be at the top of almost everything you know, it feels great to look at it all from above.
The smile that appeared on my face disappeared.
But it also feels me with disgust.
I am disgusted with myself that it feels good.
I turn to my mother whose lap I am currently on.
And who is now sitting on a throne that came from nowhere.
" Mother, father and brother".
" Do you feel good looking down on everything?".
She smiled.
" Of course we do".
"But...."
She looks down.
" We don't enjoy looking down when there is no peace".
Okay, but what I am wondering now is when these clothes came on my body.
" Look down on the world again, my child".
I looked and saw it.
It's peaceful.
There's no fighting as far as I can see.
" It's very different from what I expected".
" You expected violence, fighting and death?".
She just continues looking down.
" Well, that's how it was before".
Now those words have picked my curiosity.
" Before what?".
" You'll know more when you are older"
She says with a laugh.
She stands up.
The man and boy who are enjoying tea and food hurriedly stand up too.
And I don't know how, but they are walking on nothing.
We reach my new home like that,where I am fed, put to bed and woke up later.
And for some reason unknown to me, my life becomes monochromatic for 3 years.
Today, I'm playing with my mother again.
"Baby boy, come to mommy!".
In these three years that have passed, I only ate, played and slept.
And the two people I played with the most are my mom and a little maid who doesn't look older than me by much.
And that's when my mother finally catches me.
She then spins and throws me up.
I laugh.
Ohhhh!
I don't know why, but this so damn fun.
But that's when my elder brother enters the room.
"Mother"
"What is it my child".
"There's a message for you".
She just glanced in that direction for a second.
She sighed.
" They want us to attend a party".
Me, who is in her arms looks at her.
"Mama, who are 'they'?".
The smile returns to her face.
" The one who are called gods and stronger".
"Wait, really!".
I drop to the ground on my feet.
" Mama, let's go!".
I run to my room.
Mother said gods and stronger.
For sure it's the primordials and others of such nature.
Let me change first.
" Space, can you please help me change?".
And that's when my messy appearance from playing and my simple clothes change to a very dignified, good looking suit and appearance.
"Thank you".
And then I went to mother.
"Mother, how do I look?"
"Ohh,my small cute little baby now has a touch of handsomeness".
She runs and catches me .
She then starts cuddling me.
"Mama can you stop".
She still continues.
" Don't worry my baby boy, Mama will make sure you aren't late".
So, I just have to survive for how long then?
I look at the message.
But when I saw the time on the message and the time now, my blood starts running cold.
"30 minutes".
When I say that, I hear the maid I play with a lot wishing me good luck.
Fast forward 29 minutes.
" It's time to go now my baby".
My appearance is already smoothed out by space.
"Mama, it's already too late".
She picks me up
"You underestimate your mother".
"But first, close your eyes".
I do as I am told.
Mama, we better....
" Now open them".
Before I can finish my thought, my eyes have to open.
I open my eyes to find that brother and father are with us at the bottom of stairs that are ascending to a palace that is beyond my knowledge of description at the moment.
There are people who are walking up the stairs.
I wish mother told me told me it is near home.
But what I want to is where I am.
"Mama, what is this place?".
She starts ascending the stairs with brother and father.
" This is the primordial King's palace".
As she says that, we reach the doors of emtry.
They are gigantic and majestic looking.
We enter and my mother puts me down.
" I'm sorry baby, mama can't play with you right now".
Her eyes look downcast.
Wow, is mama really that sad.
That's when her eyes regain light.
" But you can go play with the children of these people".
I look around and spot them doing something at a far corner of this place.
I turn back to mother.
"Okay".
I turn and leave.
His mother also goes and starts talking to the primordial goddesses and other such a beings.
I find the other children that are 20 years and below gathering at a specific place.
I go and check what they are doing.
But when I see, I wish I never check.
I puff my cheeks.
They are showing the level of energy efficiency they have already achieved at their young age.
But I haven't achieved anything, since I can't.
In the years that I have been with my mother, I know she has been making me avoid the methods of using energy.
Father once wanted to teach me how , but mother somehow got word of it .
She stormed into the training grounds and looked at father.
Father was genuinely terrified.
I didn't know he could be before that.
He was always so serious as long there's anyone other than me, mother and specific young girl I don't see much of, as well as brother.
But the fear could be seen.
Mother asked what he was doing.
And he said he is teaching me the principles I should have in life.
Mother smiled and asked if I could go to my room.
Me being ignorant, went to my room.
And I guess the same as many men, father couldn't go against mother.
And sometime later, I asked him the reason why.
And he said " like how some people say that if a boy hits a girl or a man hits a woman, that boy or man is a coward.
If I hit your mother, it's the same as screaming that I don't love her and you know how much I do.
He said that he is stronger, but not by much.
" Hahahaahaha".
I laugh when that thought comes.
Father, couldn't you teach me in secret.
I doubt space would snitch.
" Hey you".
I turn around to see who is being talked to like that.
Although I hope I don't get involved.
But, I find everyone here staring at me.
" Are you talking to me?".
I point at myself.
Most are staring at me with eyes like I stepped on their pride.
As for those with big pride, like I killed their parents.
But what did I do that can cause them to look at me like this.
"Yes".
" Okay,what is it?".
"Were you laughing at us?".
" Of course not".
I am offended guys.
Do you think I can even do use energy
But, hey I should at least tell a bit of the truth.
A smile appears on my face
" Do you think I would laugh at a bunch of idiots doing parlour tricks that anyone can do?".
They look like they are about to explode.
But I don't care.
You disturbed me.
But, hey it's sort of the truth.
But they don't do anything.
One guy just asks.
"What's your name?".
It is the guy who pointed at me.
Now you look like you are holding himself back.
For sure.
You are obviously scared of offending someone you shouldn't.
Those words stick in my throat.
I want to say more, but they have to ask about the most embarrassing thing in my life right now.
So I turn and start walking away without answering.
But that's when
" My brother's name is Selarion".
When I hear that, I freeze.
What type of foolish brother is this.
He even says it proudly.
SILENCE!
The whole place goes quiet.
Only after a second did he react.
He looks at everyone, even the adults.
And they look like they are trying to hold the urge to laugh in.
Like if they let it loose, any one of them would lose their life.
That's when he notices his mother standing right beside him with a smile on her face that is basically saying ' laugh if you dare'.
Huh, for sure they are scared of mama.
He looks at his mother with eyes that are about to water.
Without mama standing right here for sure, my pride would have been crushed like never before.
But someone laughed, just then and there.
" Haha....".
It was a primordial god.
But before he could finish laughing, he fell.
He fell on the ground as snow.
Pure white snow .
Well, what happened to his organs and blood for it to be pure white.
And, wasn't he a primordial.
I guess I overestimated primordials because of how cool novels and other such a things make them look.
I hold my mother's hand.
" Mama, I want to go to the library".
She picks me up.
" Of course my little baby, let's go".
As she goes, her footing clicks on the ground.
And the cold expression on her face turns to a loving smile.
For sure.
Mama knows how to scare people.
And after 1 minute or so, we reached the doors to the library.
I look at mama.
Shouldn't she talk to her friends.
I don't want because of this that mama doesn't have any afterwards.
" Mama, I think it's okay for me to go in the library myself, you should be with your friends right now".
"Are you sure?".
" Mama, you should talk to your friends.
So yes I am sure mama".
" Okay baby boy, mama will listen".
She puts me down.
" If someone comes to trouble you or you want mama just say 'mama' ".
I smile brightly.
"Okay!".
I turn and enter the library.
There are books upon books.
And it is empty as expected.
But, I see 5 girls with different hair colors and a boy.
And each one of these are very far from each other.
Well, I just look away and start searching for the books I have been denied for so long.
But I fail to find any one of them.
I continue searching, but even after 10 minutes, I fail to find anything.
I scratch my head.
How am I supposed to find anything in this place?.
I checked and checked but failed to find anything.
I found many different books, but not the ones I want.
The hell is the librarian.
I guess I should ask the person nearest to me.
I turn around.
And I find that I am closest to a girl who is staring at me.
" What book are you looking for?".
I blink.
How does she know I am about to ask about the books I want.