A sharp voice pierced through the silence.
"Kael! Oh my god, Kael!"
The warlord—no, the boy—Kael?—barely had time to react before a pair of warm arms wrapped around him. He flinched. His body, already weak, couldn't resist the sudden embrace.
A woman.
Her hands trembled as they cupped his face, her eyes brimming with tears. She looked older than the women he knew in his time, yet there was something undeniably familiar in the way she held him—a mother's warmth.
"My baby… you're awake…"
Kael's mind reeled. Was she talking to him? Was this his mother?
He had never known a mother's love. He was a war orphan, raised by soldiers, hardened by war. And yet… the way she clung to him, the desperation in her voice, the relief in her eyes—it made his chest tighten in a way that no battlefield ever had.
Before he could process anything, she pulled away and called out.
"Doctor! Please, hurry!"
---
Minutes Later – Medical Examination
The doctor—a middle-aged man in a white coat—held up a small flashlight, shining it into Kael's eyes.
"Can you follow the light?"
Kael did as instructed, but his mind was elsewhere. This was not his body. This was not his world. The strange garments, the odd glowing devices, the unnatural stillness outside—where was the sound of battle? The scent of steel?
He should have been dead.
And yet, he lived.
"Hmm…" The doctor hummed, making some notes.
After a few more tests, he turned to the woman—his supposed mother.
"There's nothing physically wrong with him," the doctor said with a smile. "It's a miracle, really. After two years in a coma, I wasn't sure if he'd ever wake up."
Kael's breath hitched.
Two years?
His mind felt like a battlefield of chaos and confusion. He had been reborn into the body of a boy—a boy who had been unconscious for two years.
A perfect cover.
If he acted carefully, he wouldn't have to explain his strange behavior.
But the doctor's next words shattered that plan.
"Memory loss is common after long-term comas," he said. "You might experience confusion, forget certain details, even struggle with speech or movement."
The woman's face paled. "You… remember me, don't you?"
Kael stiffened.
This was dangerous. If he said no, she might suspect something was wrong. But if he said yes, and she asked questions he didn't know how to answer—
Think, warlord. Think.
After a moment, he lowered his gaze, forcing his expression into one of quiet uncertainty.
"I… don't know."
The woman covered her mouth, eyes welling up with tears. The doctor gave a small nod.
"That's expected. Give him time."
The woman sniffled but nodded, forcing a smile. "It's okay, Kael. We'll help you remember everything."
Kael said nothing. That's what I'm afraid of.
Because no matter how much they told him about this life, he was not their Kael.
He was a warlord from a past long forgotten.
And he needed to figure out why he was here—before it was too late.
---
To Be Continued…