"What?"
Alex was shocked at what Xymaris had just told him. "What do you mean I'll be reincarnated?"
"Exactly as I said, I will reincarnate you into my world." Xymaris said, still with her ever-bright smile.
"I'm going to need more detail than just that..." Alex said still trying to gather his thoughts.
"Okay, so basically, I will reincarnate you into a newborn baby, and you will live an entirely new life within my world. You will be born into a...certain family and raised as their son. I know that in your previous life, you didn't really have much of a family outside of your aunt, so I wanted you to have a chance at having a real family. So...tell me, how does that sound?" Xymaris asked Alex.
Alex sighed before saying "It sounds... too good to be true. What's the catch?"
Xymaris nervously scratched the back of her head before saying "Whatever could you mean...?"
"Xymaris, no offense, but I'm not a fool. I know better. You're giving me the best gift imaginable—an entirely new life with nothing to do with my old one. Nobody would offer such a gift without having another motive." Alex explained.
Xymaris sighed in response "You figured things out quickly...okay there is a minor-"
"Xymaris..." Alex interrupted.
"Okay, a major catch. So our world has a certain issue. Every couple hundred years, the demon king or queen rises to take over humanity, and to counteract that demon king or queen, usually a hero is chosen by us, the twelve gods and goddesses of the world, and typically our chosen hero beats the demon king or queen, and that creates a few more hundred years of peace."
Alex listened to the story and said "So it's the classic story of good vs. evil; the hero gets the glory and the girl type of thing? So what do you want me to be the hero?"
"Well...not really." Xymaris said in response.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked.
Xymaris sighed before saying "Well, the narrative we typically have is slightly changing. In short, it's time again for the demon king or queen to arise. The world is already experiencing the typical symptoms: red lightning in storm clouds, more active monsters, and a really general feeling of uneasiness. As well, we received prayers from the population of the planet, and a hero has been chosen, but there's a problem."
"What's the problem?" Alex asked curiously.
"The hero, if things go as expected...will lose, and the entire world will become dominated by the demons."
"Well, that's tragic, but where do I come in?" Alex asked.
Xymaris began her explanation "So here's the thing: if you agree to be reincarnated, you will be born into the Blackwood family as their secondborn son. The Blackwood family—well, it's not exactly the most functional family. If destiny stays as it is, the second son of the Blackwood family will be loved by his mother and sister tremendously, so he will live a good life with them for his childhood years, but things change as he gets older. Terrible things would happen to his mother and sister, and the second son would experience despair before eventually being killed without ever seeing his family again. That's where you come in, Alex. I want you to change the destiny of the second-born son of the Blackwood household and save your mother and sister from their fates."
"Okay, but you mentioned that the hero will fail; how will saving the mother and sister change anything?" Alex asked.
"It will change many things, Alex, all in due time. As you live your life, things will change, and you yourself will change. This is something we need to even have a chance at winning."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked.
"As I said all in due time, Alex. Firstly, before we burden you with everything we need from you, I want you to live your life with your mother and sister. I want you to experience what it really means to live with a loving family. Live your life, and eventually we will meet again." Xymaris explained before getting up from the couch that she and Alex were sitting on.
"What are you doing?" Alex asked Xymaris.
"Simple, I'm preparing you for your rebirth. C'mon, stand up." Xymaris said, motioning for Alex to stand up with her.
Alex did and followed Xymaris, who created a screen almost like a TV in front of Alex. On the screen was a young boy who looked eighteen at most and had medium-length black hair and bright purple eyes.
"Who's this?" Alex asked Xymaris.
"That will be you, Alex, or should I say Alex Blackwood." Xymaris responded.
"Alex Blackwood?" Alex asked.
"Yes, I figured it'd be easier to acclimate yourself to this world by giving you your old name, Alex; luckily, it's already one of the names that your mother was considering, so it didn't take much to make her deadset on naming you Alex." Xymaris explained, then she turned to the picture of the boy that Alex would become. "Now tell me, isn't your future self so handsome..."
"I'm not going to call my future self handsome; I'm not that conceited." Alex responded.
Xymaris smiled and said "Doesn't change the fact that you're handsome. Alex, I might even get jealous of the girls swooning over you."
"Could you come with me?" Alex said with a smile. He remembers an anime once where a main character actually forced the goddess who reincarnated him to come with him.
Xymaris laughed and said "Maybe one day, but not now. Anyway, it's time to begin the reincarnation ritual, Alex."
"Ritual?" Alex asked.
"Yes, you just stand here." Xymaris said before pointing at the ground, and suddenly a blue square appeared where she was pointing.
Alex stepped onto the squad and looked at Xymaris, who he could swear was starting to glow a white hue around her body.
Xymaris placed a finger on Alex's forehead and then placed the same thing down at his chest, where his heart was located. Alex looked at his body and saw himself starting to glow.
"What's going on?" Alex asked.
Xymaris smiled and said "I am currently blessing you, Ren; with this, your magic control will be extremely advanced, especially in comparison to your age group."
"How advanced?" Alex asked curiously as to how strong his magic would be.
"You see." Xymaris began explaining "There are various levels of magic talent starting at Stage 1, also known as beginners. Typically, this group is filled with children until they reach the age of 16. Your average 16-year-old will move into the next stage, also known as the intermediate level. Your average adult will typically stay at the intermediate level, with different levels of total magic. However, the next stage, which is made for more talented people, is known as the advanced stage. Then there's the genius level, aka the mastery of magic; very few people reach the level of mastery in their magic talents; and finally, there's the grand mastery stage, an extremely rare level to reach in magic studies; currently, there are only fifteen grandmaster-level mages alive in the world. You, Alex, will be born with intermediate level one stage magic, and hopefully, as you grow, you will reach the advanced stage, then the master stage, and then finally become a grand master."
"So I get a step up on everyone; that sounds good to me." Alex said.
Xymaris laughed and said "I thought you would; there are some other bonuses to come along with that, but you'll find out what those are as you grow older."
"Alright, so what now?" Alex asked.
"Simple, we have to complete the ritual." Xymaris said.
"And how do we do th-" Alex was about to say before being interrupted by a kiss by Xymaris on his lips. He felt the softness of her lips touch his own before quickly feeling a weird feeling in his head, and all he could see was darkness.
*Blackwood Mansion*
"Just breathe, ma'am; it should be coming any minute now." a older woman said.
The older woman was in her fifties. As she was talking, there was a woman in the room giving birth at this very moment.
"Is there a problem, doctor?" a middle-aged man said, watching from the side, saying that without emotion.
"No, things are going as planned; she just needs an extra push." the older lady said. "I see his head; keep pushing, Miss Anna."
The woman giving birth screamed again, with a maid next to her holding her hand.
"It's coming out. Last push." The lady said with one last scream following.
"I got it." the older lady said.
The older lady grabbed the newly born baby and wrapped it in a towel before patting its back. Soon afterwards, crying filled the entire room.
"Congratulations, Miss Anna; it's a beautiful baby boy."
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