I can feel my body? Am I back to physical form? What is this odd feeling? I feel hopeless for some reason. I can't see anything, I feel helpless, weak, tiny and insignificant.
Woah... I think I pissed myself .
That made me cry for whatever reason. I don't know if I cried because of peeing myself or because of hunger. But soon after, someone picked me up and rubbed my back.
What is this warm feeling? Maybe this isn't that bad afterall. I think... I think I can live like this.
It took me several months to realize that I'm a new born baby. Actually, I don't even know how many weeks or months passed by since being reborn. Considering the fact that my vision isn't clear yet would mean I'm not even 2 months old. The passing of time felt cruel, sometimes it felt like being paralysed for years. But whenever my parents pick me up for a hug, I forget all my frustration.
I'll make sure to throw a tantrum when they put me down again.
--- 1 YEAR AFTER REINCARNATION ---
Not gonna lie. I wish my parents in my previous life looked atleast half as good looking as my parents in this life. My previous parents weren't ugly- just saying, y'know. Hopefully my genetics secured me a handsome face.
Speaking of parents. I didn't know how to think of my new parents at first. But they are who they are- my parents. It didn't take long for me to accept them. Also, I seem to have two elder brothers and sisters. The eldest brother who looked about 9 years old doesn't seem very fond of me. The other three of my siblings were triplets. I think they are 5 years old.
It was a loving noble family characterized by their signature dark red hair, almost black. Everyone had sharp facial features, making them look cold, calculative but beautiful. A fitting look for a family of rulers. They did run an entire city afterall.
---2 YEARS AFTER REINCARNATION---
My parents were talking about me being special or something, but I couldn't understand what exactly they were saying. My tiny brain finds it difficult to keep up with my heavy thinking. I still have a lot to learn about this world, bed time stories aren't enough, huh? Before I knew it, I was in a carriage -I probably fell asleep- with my mother, her personal maid and my eldest brother. I think his name is Herac or something. I already forgot the reason as to why we're travelling. I'm only a baby afterall.
"Lian? I wonder what he's looking at with an expression as serious as that?"
Oh crap! I forgot to act like a baby. Crying would fix everything. How convenient it is to be a baby.
"Waaah! Mamaaaa!"
"It's okay. It's okay. Don't cry. Mommy is here."
Before I knew it, I fell asleep in my mother's embrace. The way my mother frames her sentences sounds very different. That's because she's a nobility from another nation, her mother-tongue is a language different from the one the people of my nation speak. I don't know the name of my language but I can fully understand it. I wasn't sure of it at first but now that my competence has grown, I can say for sure that my mother has a lot of secrets. One thing I do know is that her hair color isn't really dark red. My clumsy mother told it to me as a secret believing that it would stop my tantrum. Funny. It worked.
One thing I know for sure is that we are heading to the typical 'holy kingdome' in fantasy fiction. It's placed at the dead centre of the continent, I believe it's called 'The Kingdome of Centore' or something.
"You're already awake?" Asked my elder brother. His words reminded me of a certain rpg game's opening.
I already forgot his name. He's that one person who's attention I really want. He seemed like a chill dude. I used to be the elder brother of 4 in my previous life, so naturally, I got little to no attention. Instead, I was the one who constantly had to take care. But in my life after reincarnation, people around me always gave me all their attention and care, except for my eldest brother, the person I admire. He is only 10 years old, yet he was as competent and responsible as me when I was a high-schooler.
"You're so weird, Liandro. I dont like you." Announced my elder brother Herac. "They never let me take care of you. All because you don't have a shadow, just like the guy from Centore's prophecy."
What the heck? That's news to me. Is that why we're going to Centore? Before that, you held a grudge against me just because they didn't let you hold me?
"What a pain." Complained elder brother Herac. "Why do we have to travel halfway across the continent because of some crazy folk lore?"
You're saying all that now because mom is asleep. She'd have given you an earful if she was awake.
Mom's maid who's seated opposite to me is starting to scare me. She always looked scary to me. She's smart, too smart, sometimes I suspect her to be an assassin. Maybe that's just me. I used to consume a lot of fantasy fiction after all.
"Bandits!" Someone from the front yelled, "Large group of bandits ahead! Defend the main carriage!"
Bandits? Taking care of Bandits should be a walk in the park even for the maids who serve my family. I doubt the guards would even break a sweat.
A minute or two passed by. My mother woke up, she was calm and composed. All of us waited for the guards to wipe out those bandits. But something unexpected happened.
"The bandits aren't here to fight!"
"They're running away!"
"Why are they not even trying!?"
"Don't let them escape!"
Knock! Knock!
"Excuse my intrusion, madam", a voice came from outside the carriage.
"What is it?" My mother asked.
The maid reached for the door, behind it was the head guard who's in charge of the escort. His expression looked complicated.
"Ma'am, the bandits didn't put up a fight, they never intended to fight in the first place."
"Why didn't they bother running away in some other direction?" My mother enquired.
"About that, ma'am..." the head guard clenched his fist. "They were running away from something. I advise we turn back, ma'am. Please!"
"Do you know who you're talking to Mr. Bluuger!?" Spat the maid.
"Quiet, woman! I'm not talking to you."
Just as my mother's personal maid was about to argue against the head guard, my mother raised her hand, commanding silence. Just as she was about to say something- a from the front broke the bad news to us.
"Raptors! Raptors are heading our way!"
"Run! Run for your life! You can't fight those!"
"No... There are too many. I can't do this!"
Raptors? Are there prehistoric creatures in this world?
The head guards hand started shivering, "R-R-Raptors? I can't- I have a family! What will my sons and daughter do if I die here!?"
The head guard called quits and ran away. My mother didn't say a word against it. I heard that the head guard was pretty strong, are raptors that much of a force to be reckoned with? I don't have a lick of idea about the power dynamics of this world.
"Aaaaa!"
"Noooo! We can't win against those things!"
"Run for your life!"
"Don't fight! Set the path on fire and ruuuun!"
Slowly but surely, the number of voices were reducing. My mother looked serious, very serious. The maid stood up, stepped outside the carriage and glanced back at my mother.
My mother looked like she was against it. But she just sat there with her teeth clenched, she couldn't say a word. She knew that nothing would change even if she commanded her maid to stand down. That's the kind of person that maid was.
"I finally get to repay my debt to you, ma'am." She forced herself to sound cheerful, but with tears flowing from her eyes, her expression told a different story. "Please get out of this place, ma'am."
She rushed towards the raptors. The whole place was on fire. I could still hear some guards fighting, and also the sound of the rest of them being chomped up by the raptors.
"We can't outrun them... what would be the best way out... ?" mumbled Herac.
My elder brother-- Herac --started thinking about the best possible way out. My mother on the other hand looked pale. She then pulled a long, sharp needle out of her hair. Her hairstyle came undone. The weapon in her hand, her pale expression and the way she behaved made her look like death itself. It made me scared. This person in front of me had no resemblance to the mother I knew.
She kicked the door open before saying "Herac, take Liandro and get out of this place- now."
She left the carriage. Herac was scared. It took a while for him to comprehended mother's words. Then he hurriedly picked me up, however, something unexpected awaited us.
Crash!
Thud!
The carriage turned sideways and rolled around from the impact of something crashing into it. It was my mother's unconscious body- with a missing leg. The roof of the carriage was obliterated from the impact. The situation outside looked worse than I thought. From what I could see, we were smack in the middle of a jungle, there was a big line if carriages- all of them were there just to guard us. But now, all of them were either burning, destroyed or upside down on the side of the road. I started crying- actually, I was crying the entire time.
My elder brother was still conscious, he was desperately trying to crawl out of the carriage, but his legs were stuck under the debris of the carriage. I fell outside the carriage.
"Kheh! Stupid carriage! I can't lift it, it's too damn heavy!" My elder brother was at his limit, "Mom! Mom! Wake up. Please wake up already!"
I barely got on all fours. The situation outside had me perplexed. I had no idea what was happening. I don't know what to do anymore- couldn't cry or think.
I could hear the raptors scream. I could only see vague silhouettes of the raptors and a few humans projected by the devouring fire. And I could hear a tongue that I have never heard before. They sounded human but I couldn't understand their speech. From what I could see and hear, those people were hunting the raptors, like savages.