Floating in space, weightless and surrounded by stars as far as the eye can see.
Phil looked down and saw a translucent silhouette of his body. He began turning his arms over and clenching and unclenching his fists, only to realize that all the pain and wear that his hands had taken from a lifetime of fighting was no longer there. All the sins and burdens of his past were washed away by the ocean of tears he'd shed on earth that were enough to last him ten lifetimes.
He became engulfed by the light of the stars and could feel his soul become lighter and cleaner with each passing second as they cleansed him of his past.
He had no idea how long he remained there, floating in this trance-like state. It felt to him as if one thousand seconds and one thousand years had all passed in tandem. 'Does time even exist here?' He thought.
He felt a slight tug on his soul. A strange feeling like a lasso on his heart that was no longer there.
Suddenly, the slight tug became the pull of a giant as he was whisked away at breakneck speed. All the lights blurred into a stream of colorful streaks as he warped through the cosmos for a time before eventually coming to a complete halt above a beautiful blue and green planet that reminded him of Earth.
Of course, he had never seen Earth from above, but even then, he somehow knew that this world before him was much grander in every sense of the word.
Just as he became lost in admiration, the tug continued, making him nosedive towards this beautiful foreign world.
However, right before he was about to splatter on the ground and become human meat paste, his world went black.
-----
Xerxes Meridius, the king of the Epirian Kingdom, was a very stern and calculating man. So if anyone saw the way he was currently pacing back and forth with a face full of concern, they would think the entire kingdom was being turned to ruin.
"Calm down, Xerxes, everything's going to be fine. Besides, there's nothing we can do, it's all up to the women now," remarked Ealhelm Farrar, head of the Farrar Dukedom and close friend to the king.
"Ah! I can't help it, Eal. I feel utterly helpless just standing here not being able to assist with anything. And what if it's not a boy? You know what the oracle said, this is my one chance and I need an heir."
"Ha Ha Ha! It's not every day we get to see the mighty Xerxes like this. I am going to enjoy it while I can," Ealhelm said as he gave a hearty laugh.
Xerxes gave a slight smirk, "Do not forget Eal. Jenna is due any minute now as well. I will remember what you said when that time comes"
Ealhelm's face paled ever so slightly as the two old friends made eye contact and broke into a pit of nervous laughter, fueled by anxiety that both men had rarely felt as of late.
-----
"Keep pushing, your majesty!" Said, Aaliyah.
Aaliyah was a beautiful woman with jet black hair and beautiful bronze skin that was complimented further by her deep green eyes that seemed to hide the secrets of the everglades within them.
Although currently the head caretaker of the Meridius family estate she was originally bought in as an orphan, raised in the estate by the other servants and caretakers, and served the royal family's every need since she was young. That being said, this was her first time playing the role of a midwife. She had to shoulder this responsibility due to the Queen unexpectedly giving birth earlier than they had anticipated, while the original midwife was still 3 days of travel away.
Beside her were two other women. Ealhelm's wife Jenna, whose concern for her friend and for herself, was very apparent on her face as she looked on. She kept repeating words of encouragement more than anything else to calm herself down, as she knew they were being drowned out by the screams that filled the room before they ever even reached her friend's ears.
The other woman was none other than Amestris Meridius, the stunning wife of Xerxes. However, stunning as she was, no man other than Xerxes dared approach her, for she was as cold as her icy blue eyes, whose gaze could freeze the fire of a red dragon. A gaze that looked kindly only upon the king.
At one glance, even in her disheveled state of exhaustion and even as her sweaty blonde hair was matted to her tan skin, one could recognize the beauty of a woman who could bring the downfall of a nation with just one sweet whisper.
"I can see the head, your majesty, you're almost there!" Aaliyah said.
Amestris screamed as she forced her exhausted body to keep pushing until finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the sound of a child's cries filled the room. Amestris finally laid back and closed her eyes as the exhaustion washed over her and serenaded her to sleep.
Aaliyah made sure the cord wasn't tangled before she cut it and cleaned off the baby as best as she could.
She then looked down and smiled as she imagined how happy the King would be after finding out he had a prince. 'I can't remember the last time I saw him smile', she thought.
As she held the baby in her arms, she noticed something was odd about this little boy. She noticed how quiet the room was and realized that he'd already stopped crying, and when she looked down at him, she found the Queen's ice-blue eyes staring right back at her. Although she knew it should usually take a couple of months for a baby to start making eye contact, she felt the adorable boy's wide blue eyes melt her heart and immediately dismissed the thought.
As she started poking his little nose and playing with his tiny, chubby fingers, the door flung open and Xerxes rushed into the room, followed by Ealhelm and Jenna, who Aaliyah had just now noticed had left the room.
"Congratulations, your highness, you now have an heir," Aaliyah said as she carefully handed the baby over to the king.
He took the baby into his arms and smiled as if he was holding the most priceless treasure in all of Nern.
"Finally, all my efforts will not be wasted. Our lineage shall always rule and only prosper henceforth"
The baby moved his arms and made baby sounds as if he was trying to speak. This made everyone but Xerxes and Amestris laugh in relief as the tension slowly dissipated from the room.
Ealhelm smiled, "What are you going to name him, my lord?" Although Aaliyah knew Ealhelm and Xerxes were close, Ealhelm still treated the king formally when they were in the presence of anybody who wasn't the two of them.
"I will name him Sito."
"Prince Sito Meridius, heir to the Epirian throne," Xerxes said as he became serious.
"A fine name indeed," Said Ealhelm as he smiled at his old friend.
Xerxes relaxed a bit and turned to him, "The pair of you need to hurry, so my son can meet his first friend."
Ealhelm and Jenna laughed as Jenna took nervous glances at the unconscious Amestris.
"Very well. Jenna and I should get going now. We will let you all have some family time with the boy."
"Are you sure you're not able to stay for dinner?"
"Regrettably, my lord, we will have to decline your offer. Jenna and I have some matters to attend to back home. However, if you require my service, send a messenger and I will return with haste"
"Thank you both for coming. I am sure my wife feels just as appreciative as I do for the support you've shown us the past couple of days"
"Of course, your majesty, you can always count on me as both your vassal and your friend"
Xerxes smirked, "Aaliyah, please attend to Duke and Duchess Farrar and assist with their departure"
"Yes, my lord"
"You two have a safe journey home. Make sure you come to visit again when the duo becomes a trio"
"Yes, your majesty." The couple said before exiting the room, followed by Aaliyah.
Xerxes sat next to his wife and stroked her hair while looking down at the baby in his arms. Now that he has an heir, he can finally set his plans in motion. He admired the baby as it kept fidgeting and screaming as if trying to talk.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING! PUT ME DOWN YOU OLD FART," Sito said, but all that came out of his mouth were baby noises.
-----
5 months later...
'I'll get past them this time for sure,' Sito thought to himself as he carefully made his way down from the crib and crawled as fast as he could.
To Sito, it seemed like he was crawling fast enough to give any track star a run for their money. However, if anyone were to see him, they would just see a baby crawling normally with a cute, determined expression on its face.
Sito crawled as fast as his little limbs would let him and, after several turns, his goal was finally in sight. 'Okay about a hundred more feet and we're in business baby, let's do this shit'.
He hardened his resolve and began the final stretch.
As he grew closer to the estate exit, memories of the handful of times Aaliyah had taken him outside flashed through his mind. Memories of how beautiful and vibrant the world looked for as far as he could see. Memories of how the sun shone down from the clear blue sky and enveloped him in its warmth while the crisp, cool wind caressed his face.
Just as he was about to breach clear of the final threshold, a pair of hands grabbed him from his sides and lifted him up in the air.
"And just where do you think you're going, my little prince?" Aaliyah said as she smiled.
"FFFUUUUUUCCCKKKKKK I WAS SO FUCKING CLOSE!!" Sito shouted in anger as he tried to break free. But of course, all that managed to come out of his mouth were babbling baby noises.
Aaliyah laughed at the adorable, chubby baby, who seemed to be shouting in protest.
Sito grew quiet and his ice-blue eyes widened as he saw her radiant laugh. Although he was currently a baby, he could still recognize that Aaliyah was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in either lifetime. Her laugh and smile always made his little heart pound in his chest.
He didn't know why, maybe it was his baby's instinct, but he reached out grabbed her nose as she laughed and tried to playfully dodge his grasp.
Aaliyah looked past him and saw the doors. "Would you like to go outside for a while?" She asked the baby. After receiving a mighty "A-GA!" In response, she laughed and made her way to the exit.
Sito had developed a pretty good grasp of the language as a result of being around all the caretakers and servants while they talked to each other. They enjoyed having Sito around and the sight of the chubby baby crawling and shouting at only 5 months was very amusing to them.
He held his breath in anticipation as they neared the exit door.
Finally, Aaliyah pulled open the massive doors and passed the guards stationed outside as she walked toward the cliff.
The warm sun and the cool wind both greeted him from the east as if calling for him to go venture into their embrace.
They took a moment to look over the massive city of Epiria. The capital of the Epirian Kingdom looked alive and seemed to take in a great breath as the wind rushed over its imposing walls that seemed insignificant in the distance.
The walls were deemed unbreachable due to their overwhelming size. Standing at atleast 100 yards high and 15 yards thick , these walls surrounded the entire capital.
Atop a massive hill at the center of the city was the place where Sito lived in the Meridius family estate. However, the estate was completely overshadowed by the monumental Royal Castle that lie on the same hilltop only half a mile away.
This is where the King and Queen spent most of their time, which made Sito pretty sad. He never got to experience parental love in his last life and was hoping things would be different this time around.
His gaze lingered on the castle. In the few moments he'd spent with his parents, they didn't seem to be very caring about him or about people in general. They weren't overtly rude, just very business oriented and professional in every aspect of their lives.
Although he could sense they had a love for him, it wasn't the same type of love that he shared with Aaliyah. His relationship with his parents felt more of what an employee would have with a good boss, versus with Aaliyah, he could truly feel her love for him with every action she did.
His stomach interrupted his thoughts, letting out a mighty growl.
"You just never stop eating, do you?" Aaliyah said as she laughed.
"Very well, let's go before you try biting my arm off again."