"Congratulations, sir, it's a boy!" a woman exclaimed. The voice was faint and distorted, but still comprehensible.
What? What's going on? I'm not dead? My eyelids twitched as I tried to open them, and after a few seconds, I was blessed with the sight of a beautiful woman gazing down at me. She had blonde hair tied up in a bun, eyes with yellow irises, a sharp nose, and long, pointy ears. She also wore a necklace that I couldn't quite make out.
Wait, a sharp nose and long, pointed ears. Was she cosplaying as an elf? And this elf was staring right at me.
I nervously raised my arm to wave, but my arm felt restricted. It felt like something was in the way, like, my body was in the way. I tried twisting my head to look around, but I couldn't.
It was then that I realized I was a baby.
"Honey, could I hold him?" a man, presumably my father, requested. I guess that means the blonde-haired woman was my mother.
She gently placed me into my father's arms. He held me close to his chest, but to be honest, it was uncomfortable. His body was cold, and his muscles felt as hard as metal. He had long, black hair that cascaded down to his ears, sharp eyes, and a straight nose. After analyzing my father's face, I began to take short glances around the room before I noticed another woman. She looked like a nurse, as she was wearing an extended brown cloth with gloves on her hands.
The room itself was dimly lit, with candle lamps hanging in each corner, but it was not big at all, just the lamps and a bed, almost as if the room was specifically designed for childbirth. It was only after observing my surroundings that I concluded I was reborn, though I was unsure of what time period.
As I continued to look around, I noticed an eye peering into the room through a crack in the door.
"Mom? Are you guys done?" a high-pitched yet shaky voice came from outside the room.
"Yes, dear, you can come in now," she responded.
A little girl began to slowly open the door and ease her way into the room.
"Take a look, Cilia, it's your new baby brother!" my father said proudly.
My sister began cautiously inching closer towards me until her eyes were hovering just inches away from my face, and her garlic breath followed. I tried to muster the strength to tell her to back off, but all I conjured was a small cry.
My sister flinched and took a step back. "Mom, why is he crying?"
"That's just how babies are, dear." She tapped her on the head.
There were bread crumbs all over her mouth. In terms of physical appearance, though, she had black hair like our father, except hers ran down to her lower back. Her eyes were yellow, and her facial features resembled our mother's.
"Now you be nice to your brother because starting today, the two of you will be living with each other," my mother chimed.
"Yes, Mama." My sister quickly nodded her head.
"Hey, Ansel, what should we name him?" my mother asked.
"We shall name him Zane," my father responded.
Zane? Am I in Greece or something? I thought. I had already concluded that there wasn't much technology in this world, but just how far back did I really end up?
"Oh, look at the time. Cilia, we have to get you to bed!"
The faint voice that I first heard was now a lot clearer. It was the nurse. After she took Cilia to bed, she took me to my crib, and not much happened after that.
For the next few months, I was kept inside a single room and was only ever given attention when I cried. My father would often come in to play this world's version of "peek-a-boo," and quite frankly, it was a moment I looked forward to. I guess being stuck in a room for the majority of the day really messes with a child's dopamine.
I also found out that the so-called nurse was actually a maid hired by my parents named Regina. She would come into my room to take care of me, but nothing else. She was also a bit of an airhead, constantly forgetting things like my diaper or to bathe me.
In my past life, a maid was only something the rich kept, so for that reason, I just assumed my parents were well off. I've always dreamt of being born into a rich family, but never had I expected it to actually happen. Perhaps this was compensation for the sacrifice I made in my previous life. Although unaware of what exactly happened, that was my best guess. I mean, why else would it be me, given another chance? I was the laziest man I knew in my previous life, working a dead-end job and, regrettably, perpetually single. Whatever the case was, I no longer wanted to end up the way I did in my previous life.
When I first learned to crawl, my parents decided it was time to let me explore beyond my enclosure. My mother, in particular, would carry me into the dining room, keeping me entertained with toys while she cooked.
One day, however, I wandered off to explore the surroundings, and that's when I started to grasp just how well-off my family was. In addition to a maid, we lived in a two-story house with five bedrooms and a library. As I stepped into the library, I was struck by the sight of three huge bookshelves, all much larger than I was. A small chandelier served as a lamp, which gave the room a cozy mood, but I was never much of a reader. I tried to look around a bit more, but my mother interrupted.
"Cilia, would you be a dear and find your brother?" she called from the kitchen.
"Yes, Mama!" Cilia responded, walking in my direction.
My sister was outgoing and full of energy. She also always followed instructions to the letter. Most days, she spent her time outside, though I never l knew where she went. I assumed it was some kind of school; after all, where else would a child go?