[I am you!]
"Eh?" the man exclaimed as he squinted his eyes, confused by the voice's declaration. 'What does he mean by that?'
[Like I have said, I am you! Not you exactly, but your powers personified!]
The man was even more confused, "Didn't you say that my powers are sealed?" he asked; he clearly remembered saying that his powers had been sealed for his safety.
[Yes, I am sealed. But that doesn't mean I can't talk to you!]
"Oh!" the man exclaimed; although he didn't get it fully, he understood the gist of it.
[And I am responsible for making you lift the seal!]
The voice said, clearly stating its purpose of communicating with the man.
"How do I do that?" the man asked curiously, although a part of him was cautious as he didn't know the voice fully, 'I don't know what will happen if I lift the seal' He muttered to himself.
[You don't need to worry about me doing harm to you; like I have said, I am you. Harming you is the same as harming myself!]
The man's eyes widened in shock when he found out that the voice could hear him. "How did you do that? And why did you do that!?" the man asked, fury filling his heart as he glared at the air in front of him, making his mother, who was holding him, chuckle in response.
"Is my baby angry about something?" she asked as she kissed his forehead. "Tell me what it is; Mama will make it go away!" she whispered as she looked at her son with love and affection.
The man calmed down as he heard his mother; her presence quelled his fury like water poured on fire.
[Let me tell you again, I am you! So, whatever you think, I will think it too!]
The voice replied, stressing the 'I am you!' part. His voice sounded like he expected it, as it was laced with a hint of amusement at the man's confusion.
The man didn't reply but squinted his eyes further; he wanted to believe the vice but didn't know he could fully trust him yet.
[How about this! If you ever think that I am being dishonest, you can make me disappear!]
The voice said, reeling in the carrot. It knew the man's personality; it was him after all.
"But how can I make you disappear?" the man asked innocently, taking the carrot and gobbling it up whole.
[All you have to do is think. Just like how your presence had disappeared before, allowing people to stand up again, I will also disappear!]
The voice explained, playing the ball to his court; now all the man has to do is get caught in the hook.
"....Okay," the man mumbled, successfully taking the hook. 'Would I regret this?' he asked himself.
[No!]
"Stop trying to listen to my thoughts!" the man exclaimed in frustration as he furrowed his brows.
[Geez! Alright! It's not like you have any secrets!]
"...What's secrets?"
[.....Haaah! This is going to take a long time!]
............
A year has passed.
William (the man) is now a year old and is celebrating his first birthday. He was excited as this was the first time he was going to be a part of any celebrations.
'Are you sure that Mother would be surprised by that?' William asked the voice. In the past year, the voice had taught him many things, mostly about common sense and his relationships in this life.
[Yes, I am telling you that she will jump out in joy while happy tears flow from her eyes like rivers!]
The voice said, while exaggerating 'Rivers'.
William nodded his head and said, "Okay." He looked around and observed his room. This was not the room in which he was born in.
It was much more spacious and much more luxurious.
[I have to say this room is not half bad!]
The voice said as William looked around. It was a very luxurious room, with black velvet curtains that were smooth to the touch, hanging in the corner of the wide window that overlooked the bustling city.
Vases etched in delicate carvings of a woman dancing were filled with rare flowers that exuded a fresh fragrance that soothed William.
The light colors of the wall were nicely contrasted with the oil paintings that hung on them.
William's gaze was on the biggest painting in the room; it had the portrait of his mother, who was smiling playfully while William, who was in her arms, hugged her tightly. He was glaring at a man who stood quite close to her, his father.
"Hmph," William snorted at his father. Although he let go of his initial hostility, it still quite irked him whenever he tried to flirt with his mother in front of him.
He then turned toward the floor, which was draped with a soft and smooth bed. It was for William to learn to crawl and walk. His mother had arranged it so that no matter what, her son wouldn't be harmed.
A small smile bloomed on his face when he remembered how his mother had asked his father to cover the entire mansion with it.
It took a lot from his father to convince his mother. He still had the defeated look on his face when his wives had thrown him out of their room for not agreeing to their request.
[Yes, it was quite funny!]
William nodded in agreement at the voice's comment.
CLICK
As William was looking around his room, the door to his room opened, and from it walked a woman clad in red. She had bright red hair that burned like lava and bright red eyes like a blazing inferno. She wore a black robe with light armor on top of it.
A small smile blossomed on her face as she noticed William staring at her. "There you are, little William! Everyone's waiting for you!"
William's eyes softened as he noticed the love in her eyes, although not as much as her mother's. His father's other wives loved him deeply.
"Mmmh!" William hummed as he raised his hands, wanting her to be taken up in arms.
CHUCKLE
Aquila, the first wife of William's father, chuckled at his antics. She would remember her own son's mischief whenever she watched William.
"Look at you! All big and chubby! So cute!" she said as she tickled his belly while taking him into her arms.
GIGGLE
William giggled at her actions, hugged her neck, and looked at his surroundings as she walked out of the room.
The whole mansion was decorated with flowers and various trinkets. William watched in amazement as he noticed a trinket floating on it's own.
It had his face when he was laughing while looking at his mother. Not just that, various memories of William, spending his time with his family, that his mother and her sisters had captured, were showcased as Aquila walked down the hall.
[They are a good family! You have to cherish them!]
The voice said, making William nod his head in agreement, "I will! I will make them the happiest in the whole world!" he resolved while his amethyst eyes shone with determination.
Soon, they reached the hall where only his family—that is, his father, his mother, his second mother, and his first mother—was waiting for him.
His father had a total of three wives, and his mother was the third one. His first wife, Aquila, had a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. They were not there for some unknown reasons.
'Actually, I have never met them!' William mumbled to himself. 'I wonder why…?'
Aquila then handed over William to Ara, who had tears of happiness on her face. "My baby is one year old now!" she exclaimed as she shed a few tears. Her amethyst eyes shone with joy while her cheeks reddened due to the sheer happiness of this moment.
William extended his tiny hand and tried to wipe the tears off her face, making everyone in the room let out a chuckle.
SNIFF
Ara took a deep breath and held her tears; this was not a day for crying. Her son was now a year old; this was the time for celebrations!
"Let's cut the cake, William!" she said as she lowered herself to the table and handed him a small, blunt wooden knife.
'Should I do it now!?' William asked the voice; he was eager to show his mother and couldn't wait to see her reaction.
[Not now, after you cut the cake!]
The voice instructed, making William nod in response. William swung his hand to cut the cake, but the force behind it was too little, and the knife was too blunt for the cake to be cut.
SIGH
William's father sighed at this; at first, he told the maids to get a sharper knife, but his second wife scolded him out of it and ordered them to bring a much blunter knife, saying that William might accidentally cut his hand.
CLAP
The women clapped while Ara took the blunt knife from him and cut the cake on his behalf. She took a small piece of the cake and fed it to him.
William's mouth burst with flavors as he tasted a cake for the first time. 'It's so good!' he exclaimed inwardly as he savored the taste.
[You can think of the taste later; do it right now!]
The voice instructed, startling him, 'R-Right now?' He asked, 'But the cake is so good!' He mumbled inwardly.
[Do you want the cake or your mother to be happy?] the voice asked, making William look at the cake in sadness.
'Alright, let's do it!' William said resolutely and looked at his mother.
"Do you want some more, baby?" she asked, noticing his gaze.
"Mmmh!" William didn't answer her, but hummed loudly and suddenly began to flail his arms as if he wanted to get off her.
William's mother frowned as she watched his actions; she looked down at him with a sad expression on her face and watched him intently.
The rest of the group, too, watched William intently, curious to see what he was up to.
'Here I go!' William mumbled inwardly and rose to his two feet. 'This is so hard!' he exclaimed inwardly, although he was practicing in secret, 'It's really hard to walk!'
He took his first step; his leg wobbled like spaghetti, but he held himself. Then the next step, then the next.
He looked up to his mother, who was looking at him in shock. Her eyes went wide while her hands covered her gaping mouth.
[Now the final part!]
"Mama!"
GASP
Everyone in the room gasped with sheer shock at William's surprise and cuteness, but William, however, frowned after he said his first words, as the voice said something.
[It is time for your first mission!]