The man was alone in endless darkness, facing what seemed to be a very familiar scene. His hand was still touching the door. However, there was a strange feeling. It felt like he had clicked on the same button a thousand times before. With a sigh, he pressed the "Y" button.
Suddenly, the man's consciousness was engulfed in a wave of searing pain as the door was slowly opened. It was as if the door was sucking him inside.
With a loud rumbling, the world faded from existence.
A barrage of sensations suddenly assaulted his mind. It was as if every single sensory receptor of his was being bombarded with information. Yet, the only thing the man could focus on was the strange voice of a female.
As the man tried to comprehend the situation, a comforting warmth enveloped him, akin to being submerged in a cup of hot chocolate. It was not a bad feeling at all; if he had to be honest, it was extremely pleasant.
There was also a foreign yet reassuringly steady beat... Just like a heartbeat. Each pulsing sent waves of calmness through his body.
The man tried to move his arms and legs but was unable to do so. He had no control over his body. It was as if his body had become as heavy as a boulder. But the man did not give up and kept trying. After a long period of time, he finally managed to move his hand, only to touch a soft and warm wall. Touching around, the man discovered that he was in a narrow space.
The man had no idea where he was or how long he had been there, but perhaps staying here wasn't so bad. He did not seem to have the need to breathe or to eat.
For a time, he drifted in a state of half-consciousness, lost in his thoughts. The man would often think about his previous life. There was sometimes a bit of regret. Perhaps he shouldn't have given up this early. But the man knew that it was the past now. There was no point in dwelling on it.
He resigned himself to the notion that his life was meaningless—or had it been? No, certainly not! He had emerged victorious in the game just moments before. Although nobody cared, it was still an achievement that no one had ever achieved.
He did not know how much time had passed, but the man was suddenly jolted awake by a woman's scream. It was the same voice he had heard so often, but this time, it was filled with pain.
The previously steady beat had become erratic, and the comforting warmth was rapidly cooling as a suction force began to drag the man from his current position.
He felt a powerful tugging sensation, and the man's body was forcefully ejected from its confined space.
Then, a sudden and absolute force crushed him. It was like he was being squeezed between the fingers of a giant. After a short struggle, the man realized that the suction force had carried him out of his small, safe space.
The man did not know how long the pain continued, but he did not panic at all. There was this odd force that calmed his mind. He did not feel fear or confusion.
The more the suction force dragged him across, the more he was subjected to pain. He felt like his whole body was going to be turned into mush.
Suddenly, the man felt that he was drowning in the liquid that enveloped his body. The suffocating liquid poured into his body, filling his lungs. It was a painful and terrifying experience, but the man did not struggle.
After a while, the man began to lose consciousness. He thought that his life was about to end, but something unexpected happened.
Just when he thought he was about to die once again, the pain stopped. It was the end. It was as if he had emerged from a dark, suffocating tunnel into a bright and wide space.
"AHHHHHH!"
Taking his first breath, he felt like his lungs were burning! The air has never been so cold. The man let out a blood-curdling scream. However, it was not his voice; rather, it was the voice of a newborn.
The man soon realized that he was not in his body but instead one of a newborn that was currently experiencing its first breaths.
He was a baby.
The baby tried to open his eyes but was not strong enough. He could not even raise his arm or leg. Even breathing was hard. He tried very hard to keep conscious but could not.
He was overwhelmed with fatigue. His body felt heavy, and his mind was hazy.
But before he fell asleep, a warm and soothing sensation covered him. He was being cradled in a woman's arms. In a language he did not know, the woman said with a voice as sweet and tender as honey,
"My... My baby."
It was the most beautiful voice the man had ever heard.
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When he woke up, he could feel a dull pain in his abdomen. He was also hungry and thirsty. He could not yet open his eyes, but his other senses were already working. The baby felt the warmth of someone else's skin and the softness of a bed.
There was a bloody smell, along with something similar to urine and hay.
By instinct, the baby moved his body and reached out his arm. He was met by another hand that gently wrapped around his tiny wrist. The baby moved his other arm and tried to find the hand's owner's breast.
The baby did not fight his instinct because he was actually starving.
A gentle and sweet voice spoke softly. He could not understand what the woman was saying, but her words were extremely tender, and the man could feel a hint of sorrow behind them.
"My baby... Are you awake? You must be hungry, right? Here, open your mouth."
The baby suddenly felt his mother's breast touching his lips. He instinctively opened his mouth and latched onto it, beginning to suckle.
The woman gently stroked the baby's cheek and then his belly.
"You were born just a few hours ago, but you seem to have starved..."
She spoke again, her voice a soft whisper.
"My baby, your name will be Elias. You will grow big and strong."
The baby, Elias, did not understand the words. However, he could feel his mother's love. As he greedily gulped down the milk, his mother's finger caressed his cheek.
"Elias Lawson, welcome to the world."
"I will protect you from any harm, I promise."
The woman's voice was trembling and had a deep tone of sadness.
Suddenly, his mother started to sing.
The song was a lullaby in a language the man had never heard before, but the melody was soothing and beautiful. The baby's eyelids started getting heavier, and he was soon fast asleep.
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A few days quickly passed, and the man gradually became used to his new life.
Elias was still unable to move his body and was reliant on his mother for everything. His mother would hold him in her arms, rocking him to sleep.
Although he could not understand the language his mother spoke, he could still understand the meaning behind some of her words.
From her tone and behavior, he understood that she loved him.
Elias had never received such affection before, and it was a very strange and foreign feeling to him. However, he could not feel anything for her. The same force that kept his mind calm was preventing him from feeling any emotions for his mother.
He could not feel sadness, happiness, or love.
He did not feel joy or sorrow.
He did not feel fear or anxiety.
But he felt hatred. Not anger but hatred.
Hatred consumes him, saturating every fiber of his being.
It was not hatred toward others but rather a hatred toward everything.
But this feeling was quickly suppressed. Perhaps living a peaceful life wouldn't be so bad, the baby thought. His previous life was already over, so maybe he could just live a quiet existence.
As the baby was lost in his thoughts, a sudden voice interrupted him.
"Elias, have you slept well?"
His mother's voice was as sweet and tender as ever. She had woken him up and was gently rocking him back and forth. It has been a few days already, and albeit a bit blurry, Elias could now see.
He slowly examined his surroundings with his blurry vision.
From what he could tell, he was in a small hut. The walls were made of crudely stacked rocks, and the floor was dirt. The ceiling was made of straw, and the only light came from the sun's rays through an animal skin that served as a door.
Aside from the bed of hay, there was also a small table and chair. A few simple farming tools were neatly placed on the table. The hut was extremely humble—perhaps a bit too humble.
But that did not puzzle him. What surprised him the most was his mother's appearance.
Elias could not see well due to his poor vision, but he could tell that his mother appeared to be quite young. She was wearing a rough dress made of coarse material.
Her hair was surprisingly long and black. It was a bit messy and dirty. Her eyes were dark green, and her skin was light olive. Her face was covered in bruises and scars. Surprisingly, the baby noticed that her ankles were chained together.
'Are we slaves?' wondered Elias. It was quite weird for him to see shackles.
"Oh, what am I thinking?" The mother said, noticing the baby staring at her. "It's time for your feeding, my sweet little child."
As the baby drank from her, the woman sang the same lullaby as before. All the baby did was to stare at her.
"Is your mother so beautiful you can't help but stare at her? " asked the mother jokingly. She smiled and stroked the baby's cheek.
"My baby is such a good boy. He did not even cry once! Wait- Now that I think about it, you have never cried once. Is that normal? " she wondered, looking at the baby in her arms.
The baby simply continued to stare at her with his dark blue eyes. The mother began to worry about her child. She could not help but think if there was something wrong with her child's mental development.
"Are you okay, baby? Is everything alright?"
The baby did not speak, but he seemed to be fine.
"Mommy is worried," said the mother as she stared at the baby.
After a long moment of silence, she finally continued.
"Oh, you are probably wondering why I'm chained... Well, it is because I'm a slave. Unfortunately, I lost my freedom... And I took yours by giving birth to you... You will probably grow to hate me."
The baby looked at her and did not respond.
With a sigh, she placed the baby back in the hay that served as a bed and affectionately covered him with a piece of cloth.
"I have to leave now. I have a lot of work to do. Sleep well, my baby. Mommy loves you."
And with those words, she left the hut, leaving the baby alone.
Elias lay in his bed and listened to his mother's footsteps fading into the distance.