"One more time. A strong one this time." said an old cracking voice.
The woman screamed harder than before at the shear pain that was radiating through her body.
"I can't anymore."
The room was barely lit, but somehow everybody knew what was happening and where they needed to be. Strange colors were hitting the walls without anyone noticing.
"One last time, honey. You can do this."
"Try doing this yourself." screamed the woman.
"Honey, maybe you shouldn't use this now." said the concerned man.
She didn't hear him. All she wanted was to get this over with.
[…]
A strange manifestation of light was piercing his closed eyelids. He couldn't understand what was happening. Voices were echoing to his ears, but he couldn't figure out where were they coming from.
He had no thoughts. He was just feeling. Confused, dizzy, sick. He felt like he didn't belong to the place he was currently inhabiting.
Light, in all its spectrum, emerged for him from every atom of his surroundings. It was curving through his reality, going behind him and then back in a circle.
Suddenly, he didn't feel anything. He didn't see anything. He didn't hear anything. Everything stopped. For a few short seconds, there was peace. But it was short-lived.
His head started hurting and his body was flooded with sensations. His pinkish body was lifted by a set of cold hands. He began crying.
"It's a noisy boy!" announced the proud woman, covering the mom and the newborn with a green glimmering light. "What's his name?"
"Levi." answered the mother and the father at the same time.
The mother and the baby felt a warm sensation easing their pain. At the same time, the pain in his body stopped. His head still hurt, but it wasn't as bad as before. The lights came back to a normal white color. The exhaustion sent them both to sleep.
"It's over honey. You did great." said the husband, kissing her softly on the forehead.
"You have a healthy boy, my lord."
Lord Clifton was a beam of joy. He looks at his son with pride in his eyes. He thinks of him as being the one to inherit his lands and become the next head of their family.
"Thank you, Fraya! Thank you for everything you've done! You may now leave."
"It was a pleasure, my lord!" said Fraya, presenting a short bow.
[…]
Shane opened his eyes and looked around him. He felt a beating heart echoing its sound in his ear.
'The bomb…'
He gazed at his hands, not understanding why they are so small. He tried to stand up, but his legs were failing him, and he crumbled under his own weight.
'My legs were shattered…'
He looks down at his legs, seeing them intact. They were now chubby and soft. His skin, no longer bearing the marks of war, was now free of wrinkles, hair and any scars. He touched his head, feeling a softer hair then before, not the short, military haircut, he used to have.
'I died…'
But above all, the one thing that puzzled him the most was that he was naked. No clothes, only a cotton blanket protecting his small body from the outside world.
'Am I a fucking baby again?!'
A man entered the room, closing the door slowly behind him. He stepped onto the floor with great precision and care. He didn't want to wake up the baby and the woman. He noticed that the baby's eyes were open.
"Are you awake, Levi?"
'What is he saying?' thought Shane, puzzled by the noises he couldn't understand.
"Shhh, careful. Don't wake up your mother." said the man in a soft low voice, lifting him up.
'Have I been reincarnated?!'
The man began rocking the baby in his arms. He walked through the room, showing him everything that was inside, stopping by the window.
"One day these will all be yours…"
'So, there's life after death. Maybe the Buddhists were right. Still, why does it look like I'm living in The Middle Ages?'
Shane looked at the sky through the window. He noticed the yellowish-white sun and felt his rays warming his skin. On a second inspection, he saw another orb of light, smaller than the first one and redder in color.
'Two suns?!! I'm not even on Earth anymore!'
He began giggling.
"Well aren't you a bundle of joy!"
'What on this planet's name is this man saying?'
The man caressed the baby's hair with a gentle touch.
'Okay, weirdo. You're either my father or a pervert and I don't know if there is a difference.'
The man put the baby back near the woman and headed to the door.
"Now, Levi, be good and don't wake up your mother."
'And this must be my mother. She looks nice. I must be stunning than. And judging by the looks of this house, they must be rich or something.'
His eyes felt heavy once again. He gave in to the temptation of tiredness and drifted off to sleep.
[…]
The chamber was barely lit by the fire. Playful shadows and orange lights were casted on the walls. The Cliftons were tucked in their bed, lady and lord Clifton on the sides and little baby Levi Clifton between them.
A gentle knock is heard on the door. It was Fraya, the kirin of the mansion.
"My lady, I'm afraid you aren't fully recovered yet."
"Thank you, Fraya. You are always a blessing for this family."
The baby's eyes opened at the sound of Fraya's cracking voice. He looked at her, puzzled by her appearance. She was a short old lady, with her back curved by the years that have passed. Her face was wrinkly, but still shined a feeling of hope and warmth.
'This must be grandma.'
Fraya started moving her hands through the air with such fluidity and elegance. Although random at first, her fingers' position and the length of the motions were executed with great precision.
Every movement was aimed towards lady Clifton. A string of soft green light emerged from her hands and followed a wavy trajectory through the air, until it reached the mother. Her body was surrounded by a green aura that brought relief to her face.
'What the actual fuck is that?'
The baby opened his eyes even wider and stared at the light show.
'Fuck off! This can't be real!'
His head started hurting at the thought of something like this existing.
'This world has magic! I'm starting to like this place.'
Fraya stopped her hands and the green light faded away. Lady Clifton was now sound asleep, exhausted by the process.
"Thank you, Fraya! She looks better now."
"It is always a pleasure, my lord."
'Grandma really does bring magic to the family.' The baby started giggling. Lord Clifton looked at him smiling.
"Did you like the show, Levi? Do you like bright colors?"
Fraya turned to the door and leaved, after wishing them a good sleep. Lord Clifton closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest.
The baby sat with his eyes opened between the two bodies that were surrounding him. He began thinking about the events of today, how the bomb fell over him, how he died and how he woke up on a different planet, in a different world.
'So, I'm reincarnated and there is magic in this place. The new family seem to be good people and they sure have enough resources to raise a child. How does this magic thing work? Can we all use it? How come it wasn't dad the one that healed mom? Why did it have to be grandma? I want to control this magic. This way, I won't feel powerless anymore. I'll have the strength to protect what's mine. One day, I'll reach the apex of this world.'
These were his last thoughts before surrendering to sleep.