The first sensation Dark felt was warmth, a deep, comforting warmth that wrapped around him like a cocoon. But it wasn't the familiar warmth of his old life. There were no humming computers, no glowing monitors casting harsh blue light. Everything was different now.
Where am I? Dark's thoughts raced, sharp as ever, though his body felt strange, small and fragile. It was as if his limbs were made of jelly, unable to respond to the commands he tried to send them. Panic didn't rise within him, though. Dark had never been one to panic. His mind remained calm, analytical. He simply needed more information.
Sounds reached him first, muffled at first, then clearer. Voices, soft and gentle, speaking in a language he understood but had never heard spoken like this before. As his senses began to adjust, he realized that everything around him was unfamiliar. The dull rustling of fabrics, the steady rhythm of breathing. And beneath it all, a faint hum, something he had never felt before but could now sense all around him.
Magic.
Dark blinked, trying to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry. Vague shapes loomed above him, undefined and hazy. It took him a moment to realize that he was being held, cradled, in fact, by someone with soft, delicate hands.
"He's so small... so perfect," a woman's voice whispered.
Small? The voice was warm, full of love and wonder, and it took Dark a moment to understand. I'm a baby. It wasn't hard for his sharp mind to piece together what had happened. He had been reincarnated. He was no longer the man he had once been, Ethan, the top programmer in the world. No, that life was over. Now, he was something else.
His body, though weak and helpless, didn't bother him. It was temporary. His mind, his true self, was still intact. The realization brought a strange sense of peace. He would figure this out, as he always did.
The woman's face, though still blurry, moved closer to him. She was smiling, though the details of her features were lost in the haze. Beside her, a deeper voice spoke.
"He will be strong," the man said. "He has the blood of the Eldarion line."
Dark's sharp mind absorbed the information. He was part of the Eldarion family now, a noble house, judging by the richness of their voices, the quality of the fabrics surrounding him, and the soft light that filtered through the room. He could tell he was surrounded by wealth, power, and status.
But more than that, he could feel the faint pulse of something in the air. It wasn't like the energy of technology he was used to. It was something more primal, more alive. Magic. He could feel it, though his infant body couldn't interact with it yet.
This world runs on magic, Dark realized, his mind already racing with possibilities. He would have to learn the rules of this new world quickly, but he was confident. Magic, like everything else, would follow rules, rules he could learn, exploit, and master.
I'll master this world just like I mastered my old one.