The moon shone brightly.
The silent night fell over all of Ashville. A cold mist covered the entire town, and darkness filled the place as its townspeople lay deep in slumber.
However, at the edge of town, near the wilderness of Crimsonmoon Forest, a house remained lit from within.
Arnulf paced back and forth, filled with worry and anxiety. For a tough man like him, there were only two things that could make him feel this way. The first was when he wished to marry his wife, and the second was when he awaited the birth of his child. And right now, it was the latter.
His wife, Irmine, had suffered multiple stillbirths before. That was why this pregnancy was so precious to them. They had prayed throughout the nine months, hoping this time their child would be born safe and healthy.
"Please, God, save my wife and my child." Arnulf kept praying nonstop.
"Uweee! Uweee! Uweee!"
The silence of the night was suddenly broken by the cries of a newborn. It was so loud that it startled Arnulf. Without hesitation, he rushed into the room. Inside, he saw his wife and the midwife. Irmine's face was tired and covered in sweat, yet she gave a weak smile as she saw her husband.
"Dear husband, our child..." Irmine cried in happiness as Arnulf came closer to her. Arnulf then turned his gaze to the midwife.
"Congratulations. It is a boy."
Arnulf's face brightened the moment he heard those words. He immediately kissed Irmine before gently taking the baby into his arms. The child was wrapped in cloth, looking up at him. He had fair skin and black hair like his mother, unlike Arnulf, who had blonde hair.
"Hello, I am your father. Your name is Oliver. Oliver Overheart."
The baby stirred, as if he understood what his father was saying.
"Ohh, you like that name! Look, Irmine, he is excited."
But, unknown to all of them, the boy they held was not an ordinary one.
"What the hell is this? Where am I?" Lucas thought inwardly. He tried to move and speak, but his body would not respond. Panic surged through him when a giant man suddenly lifted him, kissing him and smiling. For a brief moment, he thought the man was going to eat him.
Then he realized it. He was inside a baby's body.
"No way! No way! Did I actually get reborn?" He tried desperately to recall what had happened before everything went black.
"Heidi, why is my son so quiet? Is he alright?" Irmine grew worried as she saw her newborn frowning.
"Why don't you give him some milk? Maybe he is too hungry and does not even have the energy to cry," Heidi, the midwife, suggested. Arnulf had already gone to inform the others about his son's safe delivery.
Irmine gently adjusted her clothing, exposing her breast before guiding it toward her son's mouth.
"Hey! What are you doing? Didn't you see I was thinking, why you..."
The moment his mouth latched on, an instinctive reflex took over, and he began to drink. A wave of drowsiness soon followed.
"No... let me... remember..."
Oliver's consciousness slowly faded, swallowed by warmth and the soothing embrace of milk.
---
"Chase him! Don't let him go!"
A group of people chased a man through an alley. The man was bleeding from his forehead and hands. He had been running nonstop under the heavy rain.
Suddenly, he stumbled over trash and fell to the ground. He slowly turned his head, and a gun was right in front of his face. The one holding it was someone he knew very well.
His own love. His own girlfriend.
BANG!
"Huhh!"
Lucas, now Oliver, woke up from his sleep. His face was flushed red and covered in sweat. He held his face, trying to control his rapid breathing.
"That dream again... when will I stop dreaming about it?" Oliver muttered. It had been ten years since he reincarnated into this world. He had finally remembered his life before his death.
He had been part of a mafia group that controlled the underground world. He was one of the top men in the group. However, one day, their group was raided. All their members' locations and family members were exposed, and they were all executed. He suspected there had been a mole inside. And when he found out who it was, he was shocked and furious.
The culprit was his own girlfriend, the one he loved the most. It turned out she was the bastard daughter of a rival mafia group. But by the time he discovered the truth, it was already too late. He was hunted down, and his life was ended by the very person he loved.
"Well, I have no more people who care about me in that world. The last one who cared already betrayed me. Oh wait... did she really care about me?" Oliver slowly stood up and opened his closet. It was already dawn, as the sun slowly rose on the horizon.
"Let's just forget about that world. Right now, I am living in a new place, and I have a family who loves me. I will restart my life and not repeat the same mistakes as before." Oliver vowed as he clenched his fist.
Suddenly, his door was barged open by his father.
"Rise and shine, cutie pie! How was your sleep last night?"
"How many times have I told you, Father? Can you knock before entering my room? I will tell Mom about it."
"Yes, honey. As a father and leader of the family, you must show good manners." Irmine appeared from behind.
"Errr... sorry, cutie pie." Arnulf scratched his cheek.
Irmine then bent down and looked at Oliver.
"Are you ready for today, Oliver dear?"
"Yes, Mom. I am ready!"
Today would be the most important day for Oliver. Today was the day he would become a monster tamer.