"Who are you—?"
"Bang...! Bang...! Bang...!"
Before I fell on my back, that's all I heard. I don't know where it was aimed, but I am pretty sure my body bore three holes now. It could be my heart, my skull, or even my chest. But what am I thinking in my last moments? I thought life's most precious memories would be replayed during this time.
Then my thoughts drifted away, re-enacting a scene of my family when I was a child. It was a lovely family. Me, my father, and my mother. We were living happily with whatever was available to us. But after my father's death, everything changed. I hated my mother. I blamed her for it. But now that I think about it, what was I angry at? Why did I keep her far away?
Maybe I was an ignorant kid at the beginning, but did I not change even after years passed? Was that simply ego? Ego for what?
Mother, I wanted to be a good son to you. But forgive this ungrateful child. I lacked the courage to face you as time went by, and you would never know this now. Maybe you did, and that's why you never stopped trying to talk to me. I shouldn't have ignored her call in the morning. My life is filled with regrets. Haah… I wish I had another chance at life. A meaningful and satisfying one.
The sense of pain came as a late realisation. Before I could shout out of agony, my consciousness drifted away, making me fall into an eternal slumber.
I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't gather any strength in my body. Everything felt so numb.
"Be strong, Circe!" "Get more warm water!"
I could hear some muddled voices. B-But it was so painful for my ears. I tried to reach them with my hand to cover them, but I couldn't. I am not breathing, but I am not suffocating either. Where am… I? What is this place where my movement seems to be limited? Why is it so dark? These questions bothered me. But… Am I alive? That was my biggest fear about the movement.
"Prepare a wet cloth!" "Stay with me, Circe! A little more!" The sounds grew sharper as my body struggled to move. Little by little, I was being pushed by something that was enveloping me. I tried to open my eyes, which were still closed. I couldn't open them completely, but with whatever vision I had left, all I could see was darkness enveloping me.
What is that? I saw a light at the end. The light became more dazzling as my body shook even more.
"Waah—Waah~"
"Congratulations, Edek, it's a boy!" Every sense in my body was overwhelmed as a realisation came to my mind.
I didn't know why I was crying. I didn't want to. But everything seemed new. Every sensation felt new.
As the air gushed through my nostrils, I cried, "Waah—Waah!" The sound echoed throughout the closed space. My sense of hot and cold was jumbled up. It felt warm, but it was chilling on the inside.
"A healthy boy indeed." The lady's face in front of me was filled with a wide smile. She wrapped me in a clean, dry towel and handed it over to a woman in bed.
She was sweating all over. She looked tired, yet the warm smile on her face was something I haven't seen in a long time.
"Waah—Waa… !" I cried again. But this time I wanted to.
A man came up to me and hugged me in his arms, along with the woman. This was a sensation I didn't know about, but I understood who they were and what was happening here. A wife and husband, celebrating their child's birth.
Where am I? That question bothered me again. But I didn't care at that moment. That was the day I knew… I was born again.
"Look at our baby, dear. It's our baby!" The woman let out tears of joy.
"Yeah." The man hugged us even tighter and kissed her on the forehead. The smile never left their faces.
"It is all thanks to the goddess Ishtar that you both have this wonderful child." The lady beside the bed said this while smiling happily. She wiped her wet hands with another towel and threw it on her shoulder.
"Lady Hilda is right. We couldn't be any happier than this. It's all thanks to the goddess of love." The woman, who must be my new mom, said. And the name of the lady who delivered me from my mother's womb must be Hilda.
It feels awkward to think of someone other than my actual mother as my mother, but technically speaking, I am this woman's flesh and blood now. I need to accept that fact sooner than later.
Why am I so calm in a situation as bizarre as this? I wonder. Moments ago, I was confronted with a near-death—a death—situation. So something like this, just after that, feels seemingly ordinary.
"So, Edek, don't forget to visit the church and offer your sincerity to the goddess. May the blessing of the goddess be with the child." She made some symbols in the air, closing her eyes, as if praying.
"May the blessing of the goddess be with my child." Even my parents prayed.
"How could we ever forget to do that? I will visit the church with Circe the day after tomorrow."
Circe... and Edek. My new mother and father.
Should I feel happy that I got someone to call my family right after I was born or sad that I won't be able to see my old one? I didn't have an answer for the time being.
"What will his name be, then?" A young girl beside Hilda said it with excitement. She must be an assistant to Hilda.
Edek and Circe looked at each other. Even I was curious. What will they come up with? It's my second life, so I want to start better even if it is something as insignificant as with a name.
"Madam Hilda, How about Imre Inal?" The young girl spoke.
"You should think of a better one, Elie."
"Then… Zareb? I read about him in a romance novel. He was a true romanticist who gave up on his love for his fated one's happiness. Or-Or, how about Alvaro? He was a knight who loved a princess." Hilda sighed at her childish enthusiasm.
"Wait, wait, I got a better one. How about Eason from a book called Eason of the east—" Hilda pinched out Eli's cheeks as if to discipline her.
"Ow-Ow-Ow, Mwdwm Hwda, pwease. Lwt gooo~"
"Eli, you should stop now. I see you skipping on your work to read romance literature. Should I punish you a little more?" She stretched Eli's cheeks even more.
"I will bwe Qwiet~"
"Please let her go, Lady Hilda. The kid was just trying to help." Edek said, smiling.
"I will let you go for now. But be prepared for extra hours of practice." She let go of her cheeks, which were as red as a plum.
"Ouch!" She rubbed her cheeks and went to one side.
They seemed more like a mother and daughter than a teacher and student.
"Hmm… He was born with the blessing of the goddess Ishtar. She is the goddess of love and war. A name should reflect his future accomplishments." Hilda suggested. Is this some mediaeval period where kings used to rule? I wonder. The names of these people don't sound modern. But to know that, I need to go see the outside world for myself.
"No!" Circe rebuked. "My son doesn't need to achieve anything big or show exceptional talent. We would be happy even if he just lived with us forever with a smile on his face."
"Circe…"
"I will not compromise on that. You know how hard it is for me too, right, dear? You understand me, right?" Her voice changed the expressions on others' faces. It was a kind of pity for the suffering. I experienced this kind of sympathetic look from people when my father died. They were a means to console the suffering, but it never worked.
"That…" Edek looked at Circe with concerned eyes. The surrounding air became heavy.
"I'm never going to leave you." Circe hugged me even tighter.
"So then, do you have something in mind?" Hilda asked, trying to change the mood.
"Rumble, rumble!" A loud rumbling noise welcomed my ears.
"What was that?" Everyone looked in the door's direction. Edek went outside to see what was happening.
"Rumble!" "Whizz! Whoosh!"
"I think it's going to rain outside. Lady Hilda and Eli stay here for the night. The wind is blowing pretty hard."
"Crack!" With my new senses, every sensation was at its peak. So I was sensitive—sensitive to everything around me.
"Pang!" Another thunderous sound. It was making my ears itch with pain. I now know why babies cry.
"I think I know." In all of this, Circe spoke.
"His name will be… Gale. It means wind and joy." She looked at me with her warm eyes.
"I want him to be happy even at his hardest times." Everyone nodded.
Gale, huh? Not bad. The crackling sounds of thunder were drowned out by the mood in the room.
This was how my new life started. A life full of opportunities. At least that's what I thought before the end came right after the beginning.