"How long is this going to take?"
The soul questioned itself, surrounded by silence and darkness. Hours or even days had passed, and nothing had happened.
"Could I have been sent to the wrong place? Well, with my crappy luck, it wouldn't be surprising..."
Floating in the sea of darkness, Lucas could do nothing but wait.
"Hmm... If I remember correctly, the angel said I would have the gift of mana. Would it work here, or only when I have a body?"
Lucas began to concentrate. The darkness helped him focus; though there was nothing to distract him, he could still lose himself in random thoughts.
"Wait, I don't know what mana feels like or what it's supposed to be. How would I even know if I'm on the right track?"
After a few seconds of doubt, he made up his mind.
"Let's try! It's not like I have anything better to do right now."
The soul refocused, trying to find a way to sense mana.
Time passed. As a soul, he felt no hunger or thirst, nor any need to rest. Soon, Lucas was in a trance, his thoughts entirely focused on achieving some kind of sensation.
The floating soul remained still; silence and darkness engulfed him. Suddenly, tiny blue lights began to appear around him.
The lights started swirling around the soul, as if dancing. Lucas, in deep meditation, had yet to notice the spectacle surrounding him.
More and more lights appeared. Some changed colors as they swirled joyfully. Blue, red, green... every color of the rainbow seemed to compete for a chance to get closer to the soul.
Time kept flowing. Hours turned into days, which became weeks and months. Lucas remained in his trance.
Until one day, one of the lights spinning around the soul lost its rhythm and lightly touched the floating spirit, waking him from his meditative state.
"I think I felt something. This sensation is completely different from anything I've felt before!"
The lights around the soul had already disappeared. Darkness returned once again.
"How much time has passed? Why am I still here?" Coming back to himself, he wondered how much longer he would remain in that place.
While lost in thought, something suddenly appeared on the horizon: a light, small and faint, as if it might vanish at any moment.
"What is that?" Finally snapping out of his stupor, the soul began floating toward the light.
"It's getting stronger..." The closer he got, the brighter the light became, like a beacon in the midst of a stormy sea.
---
"Come on, ma'am! Just a little more, you're almost there!" At the foot of the bed, an elderly woman with white hair tried to calm the struggling woman lying down.
Screams of pain echoed through the walls of the room. The woman in labor was on the verge of passing out.
Moments later, a cry was heard. A new life had entered the world.
"Waaah! Waaah!" The newborn baby cried.
"Congratulations, my lord! It's a beautiful boy!" The white-haired woman held the child while her assistant cut the umbilical cord.
"A boy! The heavens still favor us, hahaha!" The man with partially white hair laughed heartily upon hearing the news.
Walking to the window, he opened it and shouted to the people below:
"Spread the word! The first heir of House Forscher has just been born! Hahaha!"
The man's laughter echoed through the room. The people outside hurried to spread the news to the newspapers and neighborhoods.
'Where am I?'
Lucas, now a baby, was in the arms of the midwife. His eyes were open, but his vision was blurry. His small ears picked up the sounds, but he couldn't understand the words.
'This sounds like another language... Wasn't I supposed to be on Earth?'
"Lady Hebamme, is there something wrong with my child? He's not crying anymore..." The mother, still lying on the bed, asked worriedly, despite being exhausted from the labor.
"Hmm... That is strange. He cried, but then he stopped." The midwife held the child up to inspect him closely.
"There's nothing wrong with him. Some newborns behave this way..." The old woman then gave the baby a light slap on his bottom.
"Ouch! That hurt!" Lucas tried to speak, but all that came out was a faint baby cry.
"Wuaaah! Wuaaah!"
"There we go, hahaha! He just needed a little stimulus! He's perfectly healthy." The midwife laughed as she held the little one in her arms.
"What a relief! Lady Hebamme, let me hold my little one..." said the mother in a soft voice, her strength drained after hours of labor.
"Hello, my dear. You have your father's eyes!"
Lucas, now in his mother's arms, could barely see her, but he managed to recognize her face.
"Mom!" He was in shock.
"Wuaaah! Wuaaah!"
"Mom, it's really you?!" The face in front of him was unmistakable. Caramel-toned skin, brown eyes, and curly black hair. He would recognize that face anywhere.
"Come, André, see your son."
The man, a bright smile on his face, approached the bed. His hands trembled as he tried to hold the child.
"Dad?!" Lucas was even more shocked. His late adoptive father, who had died in a car accident, was now standing before him, alive.
"My little Lucas, heir of House Forscher!" The man's eyes sparkled with paternal love.
The new world of the man who had died by mistake felt like a dream. His adoptive parents were alive, and once again, he was their son.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..." Lucas cried, grateful for this second chance.