What's happening?
Just what the hell is that?
Something's hitting me…
I instinctively tried to raise my hand to block whatever was hitting my face, but my hands wouldn't obey.
I could clearly feel them moving, but they weren't responding to my will.
Wait… didn't I die?
How am I feeling my limbs?
Hold on—what's been hitting my face… is it what I think it is?
Suddenly, my eyelids began to open, and then… I saw.
I saw light.
I can see… I can finally SEE!
So, this is what it feels like not to be blind. I can see light—actual light.
This is the first time I have ever seen it…
It's incredible to have sight…
What's happening? Just what in the world is going on? Have I been reborn?*
I can't believe it… have the gods finally answered my prayers?
Is this my second chance? They even gave me eyesight… I'm so grateful.
The last thing I remembered was being stabbed by a group of people—men who came to dump bodies, people who I assumed were their victims.
I lost consciousness after that.
But when I opened my eyes, I could feel my entire body, even if I couldn't control it.
My thoughts were slow, hazy, and disjointed.
I guess it's only natural… after all, I've been reborn as a newborn baby.
What the hell am I thinking?
The most important thing is that I can see now.
This means I don't have to depend on anyone anymore!
Wait... if I've been gifted with eyesight, what about my body? Do I still have the same frail body as before?
Well, I won't know until I grow a little and test it for myself.
But for now, where am I?
As I tried to come to terms with the overwhelming joy of finally having sight, I attempted to make sense of my surroundings.
By the way, I can't seem to keep my eyes open for more than a few minutes. Is that normal?
Just then, I felt my body being gently shifted, and several voices reached my ears.
"I could watch him like this all day," a woman's voice said softly.
"Mother, I want to hold him," another voice—higher and younger—chimed in.
"Yeah, I want to hold my brother too," a third voice echoed.
After a few moments, I managed to open my eyes again.
Three figures came into view.
So this is what women look like?
They're... beautiful.
This is the first time I've ever seen women.
So the rumors aren't true...
I had always heard from people that women were like notorious beings, always chasing after money and willing to do anything for it.
But looking at them now, they didn't seem like animals at all.
So they lied…
The tallest of the three women was holding me, gazing at me with gentle eyes.
I had a feeling she was my mother.
Mother?
I have a mother…
Judging by the resemblance between this woman and the other two, who were fussing and chattering around her, they must be my sisters.
It seems they are what people refer to as twins, identical in appearance except for the difference in hair length—one having longer hair than the other.
My mother cradled me tenderly in her arms as she carried me to another room.
There, she slowly began to undo her clothes.
What is she doing?
It didn't take long for me to understand.
It seems I really have been reborn—and I'm now a baby.
And babies, as I quickly realized, need their mother's milk to survive.
I have to say, she was incredibly attentive.
Even after I had my fill, she continued to feed me until I was completely full.
It seems, unlike in my previous life, in this one I have a truly wonderful and loving mother.
"Hmm, my baby, is that enough?" she asked in a gentle, soothing tone.
Her voice was so calming that it made me never want to leave her embrace.
"Uaahh," I attempted to respond, but only baby noises escaped my lips.
It seemed to delight her even more, as she showered my tiny face with kisses.
I loved seeing the joy on her face, so I made more baby noises just to hear her laugh again.
"Fufufu, my son is so cute," she chuckled warmly, her voice filled with affection as she continued kissing me.
She was so beautiful and loving that I could watch her all day, but I felt my eyelids growing heavy.
Slowly, they closed on their own, and I drifted back into sleep, safe in her embrace.
...
In one of the many luxurious rooms of a grand castle belonging to one of the Duke Households of the Astoria Kingdom, the Duchess sat in her royal chamber, cradling her newborn son in her arms.
She had long, curly crimson hair and eyes as green as emeralds.
Watching over her baby with a serene gaze, she gently placed a soft kiss on his forehead before carefully laying him in the cradle within her private chamber.
It was only then that she noticed another woman standing in the room—a woman who looked strikingly similar to the Duchess herself, albeit slightly younger.
Despite her youthful appearance, the Duchess was over two thousand years old, and this younger woman, her daughter, shared the same ethereal beauty.
The younger woman gave her mother a brief glance before walking over to the cradle, gently lifting the infant into her arms.
"Don't wake him up. He just had his first milk," the duchess warned, her voice carrying a hint of steel, as if she might unleash her wrath even on her own daughter if the child was disturbed.
"As if I'd disturb my baby brother…" the young woman muttered with a scoff, but her expression softened as she looked at the sleeping infant.
"He's so beautiful and... precious. Can I take him to my room?" she asked.
"No, it's only been an hour since he was born. He's still too weak, and moving him around too much isn't a good idea," the Duchess replied.
"Mm… How are you feeling, Mother? Are you alright?" the young woman inquired, her concern evident.
"Don't worry about me. I'm an Aura Master realm martial artist—this is nothing," the Duchess reassured her.
"But I must admit, giving birth to him took a considerable amount of energy. Then again, it's no surprise, considering he's been in my womb for over twenty years."
"It's completely worth it," her daughter responded, gently poking the baby's cheeks, unable to hide her adoration.
"It certainly is," the Duchess agreed, smiling warmly.
"Where are the twins?"
"They're training, of course. They were so eager for his birth, they could hardly sit still," her daughter replied.
"I just managed to get them back to their training," the Duchess sighed.
"They wouldn't leave his side if I hadn't insisted. But they're on the verge of breaking through to becoming 6th Circle mages, so I told them they could spend all the time they want with their brother once they achieve their breakthrough." She then glanced at her eldest daughter. "It seems you're close to a breakthrough yourself?"
"Mm… I'll reach the Aura Solidification Realm within a year," the eldest daughter affirmed confidently.
At that moment, the Duchess felt something unusual in the atmosphere and exchanged a knowing look with her daughter, who seemed to sense it as well.
Both turned their attention to the baby in her arms.
"Mother… is that mana I'm sensing coming from our baby?" the young woman asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.
"It's very faint, but yes… it is," the Duchess replied, equally astonished.
Mana seemed to be naturally drawn to the baby, an occurrence unheard of.
Typically, martial artists could only attract mana once they reached the Aura Perception Realm, and mages had to become 2nd Circle mages to even begin attracting mana.
Even more astonishing, the baby hadn't even begun absorbing mana; rather, mana seemed to gravitate towards him like a magnet.
This phenomenon defied the natural order, where children would only awaken their talents and begin cultivation after turning twelve.
"It appears you've given birth to a prodigy, Mother," her daughter whispered in awe.
"We mustn't be too hasty in our judgments," the Duchess cautioned, shaking her head.
"We'll have to wait until he turns fifteen and awakens his potential. Until then, I've decided not to announce his birth. I'll use this time to advance to the peak stage of the Aura Master Realm."
"I wonder what path he'll choose—will he become a martial artist like us or a mage like the twins?" her daughter mused, her fingers tracing the baby's delicate cheeks with loving care.
"That will depend entirely on the talents he awakens," the Duchess replied, her voice filled with a sense of both excitement and caution for what the future held.
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{Author's Note: If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote with some POWER STONES. It would also really help me if you could rate this book. Thank you for reading!}