REvolt Chapter 3: Reborn
The hell?
Ark awoke, suddenly gaining consciousness with an intense headache. Light. So much light. It was blinding, all his senses going on overload as he attempted to gain his bearings.
Something was wrong. He couldn't feel his mana, couldn't feel his soul core, in fact he couldn't feel much of anything except….
Ark stopped, a woman's face filling his field of view.
She was young, no older than her early twenties at best, brown hair with a soft smile on her weary tanned face that was marred by tears and stress.
"I.. I think I'll name you… Lloyd." The woman smiled, a pleasant smile that made Ark feel guilty.
Liana?! Liana where are you?! Ark reached out, searching for his beloved yet she was nowhere, nowhere to be found as-
What the hell is going on?! Why are my arms so tiny?! My hands!
Because you have been reborn human. A familiar voice echoed in Ark's head. Now stop your shouting.
No…
Yes.
Ark's heart nearly stopped, his entire being shuddering as the Great Enslaver spoke in his mind.
IRELIEX?!!?
One in the same mongrel. Don't act so surprised, did you think my power wouldn't come alongside myself?
What? Ark drew a blank, confused at the dragon's words.
"What's wrong with him? Why isn't he crying?" A woman spoke, worry in her voice as Ark struggled internally with the enormity of the situation occurring inside himself.
Another woman appeared, one much older, her features as tanned as the beautiful lady but with cracked leathery skin almost as if she'd spent a lifetime in the sun.
Ark frowned. From the telltale features and shabby clothing, he immediately recognized the two for what they were.
Slaves.
He could see it in their worn eyes, in their calloused hands, hands he himself once possessed.
But now his fingers were smooth, his callouses gone, and his skin befitting that of a newborn baby, lightish and pink without a day in the sun.
Answer me Ireliex. What is going on? Why am I a baby?! You promised me resurrection!
I made no such claim mortal. The dragon replied, laughing as Ark scowled, making the two women holding him frown. I merely offered you a second chance. This is it.
What am I supposed to do as a child?! A child with no mana?! Ark roared inwardly, his frustration plastered on his face despite his mother holding him close.
****
Hours turned to days, days to months, time passing as Ark came to terms with his situation.
And these were the facts.
One. He was reborn, reincarnated thanks to his soul being bound to that of a dragon.
Two. He was bound to Ireliex, the Great Enslaver of mankind, or better yet, they were fused together. Conjoined at the soul, at least according to the dragon who was riding in the back seat of his consciousness.
Three. His mother was a slave. A plantation servant who was occasionally called to service the men that would arrive at the big house.
Four. According to the whispers and rumors, Ark was a bastard. A child created through said service that his mother provided, which consequently make him a slave as well.
And finally five, this was not his world. At least, not in the way he knew it. While the language remained the same, the banners that hung up around the plantation, and letters inscribed on them were not. They were unfamiliar, belonging to a house that didn't exist in Ark's time.
He was either in the future or he was in a different world altogether. The thought of which made Ark restless. What had happened after his fall? What had happened after the battle?
Ark didn't know, and he was stuck in the body of an infant.
Eventually, time seemed to fade away, until Ark couldn't keep track of it anymore as he remained in the care of an elderly woman.
The Caretaker, they called her, the woman who was there during his birth. The elderly crone was too feeble to work the fields so she was put to work tending to the children and newborns alongside the wetnurses. The group clustered in a rickety shake made of logs and hay.
Ark sighed inwardly as he sucked greedily on the teet of a woman's breast, demanding nutrients as he contemplated the actions that had led him up to this point.
"My… you're so hungry aren't you Lloyd?" The wetnurse cooed, stroking the black tufts of hair on his head. "He will grow up to be a fighter for sure."
"You think so? He never cries, always stares. I think he might be slow in the head." Another woman said, unaware that Ark understood them. Not that he cared, he was too busy feeding. Too busy bidding his time to restore his power.
"Nonsense." His wetnurse looked down, the young woman smiling at Ark. "He's got focus. You can see it in his eyes. Passionate fury."
And focus and fury Ark had. Every waking moment between crapping himself, laying in a bed of hay, and sucking on a wetnurse's titty was spent deep in thought, replaying the events of his last life over and over again.
He'd been betrayed.
Not just the backstab at the end of his life, and his spouse's death, but his entire friendship with the Imperial Prince had been a lie. A ruse to create a vessel to contain the Dragon Empress so that she could be disposed. The only problem was, it wasn't a permanent solution, something Jasper and Roland probably weren't aware of as the dragon explained the situation to Ark.
He tried to take it with a grain of salt.
After all, this was the enemy of mankind, his archfoe, the Great Enslaver, the dragon-
A foul smell hit his nose.
"Oi you little stinker!" The wetnurse shouted as the other babies began to cry in response to the pungent smell.
Crap… he'd crapped himself again. Not exactly the best feeling having no control over his bowel movements
"Sigh. Let's get you cleaned up Lloyd."
Disgusting. Ireliex hissed, the ancient being repulsed by what were natural human functions.
Believe me this isn't a joy ride for me either lizard. Ark shot back as the woman took him away to be changed.