Chapter 2: Chapter 1 - Wide Awake
When you fall asleep, usually you don't feel like time has passed once you wake up. It's one of those 'blink and you'll miss it' kind of things, where one moment it's yesterday and the next it's tomorrow.
But somehow, I feel like I've been asleep for a long time.
Wait a moment. It's all coming back to me.
I should definitely be dead. That car was going way too fast for any human to survive that.
Could modern medicine have really advanced this far already? I guess I must be in a hospital.
Slowly, so as not to overexert myself, I try to move my arms and feel out the area. I still haven't found the energy to open my eyes.
'My body feels different. Were my arms always so short?', I think to myself, still groggy after my recent awakening and what I presume are the aftereffects of the miracle medicine the doctors had prescribed.
'Hold on, when have I ever been able to think this clearly?' A sense of curiosity washed over me. Did they manage to cure my autism while they were saving me from the crash? If so then I wonder what happened to my body.
I need to open my eyes. But since when has it ever been this hard?
I struggle, and finally, light. Just a sliver.
I can practically hear my eyelids creaking like hinges that need oiling, but I can't stop here.
My eyes snap open, yet what I'm seeing definitely isn't what I expected. Instead of a white ceiling and bright lights, what I'm seeing now is a giant woman with a long blonde braid looking down at me with glossy blue eyes, carrying a gaze filled with warmth.
Seeing those eyes that remind me so much of her, I can't help but let out a wail of sorrow.
Instantly I try to calm myself down. I'm a grown man! I can't embarrass myself like this.
As soon as the giantess hears my cries she panics, signalling to another giantess with short brown hair in a language I don't understand.
It looks like the brunette is giving her instructions as the blonde-haired one extends her hands towards me.
Uh-oh.
What is she planning on doing to me?
Am I going to die here after narrowly avoiding death?
My questions were soon answered as she picks me up and holds me in a warm embrace, gently whispering into my ear.
I must've spent a lot of energy as I'm starting to feel drowsy.
Even though I can't understand what she's saying, somehow I get the feeling that I'm safe.
Without even noticing, I fall asleep.
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It's been three months and I've slowly learnt a bit about this place.
It seems I'm in another world. Something that I could only dream of in my past life.
That's right, I do mean past life. Because I've been reincarnated.
One of the perks is that I'm able to think much faster than I was in my previous life.
Could it be this body just has very high specs?
But then, a child's brain shouldn't be capable of this, which leaves me to believe it must be something to do with the soul. Unfortunately I have no way of confirming or denying that.
The blonde woman I saw when I first opened my eyes is my new mother, a commoner called Clarissa. Or she was a commoner, before she married my father.
And my father? He's a baron by the name of Abraham Dubois. It seems that I have the same name as the one in my previous life, so here I'm know as Cain Dubois, eldest son of the Dubois family. He was originally a commoner too, but he managed to climb his way up into the nobility with his service in the military as a knight.
The brunette that was with Clarissa when I first woke up is called Annette, one of her maids and also the one Clarissa assigned to be in charge of looking after me.
Ever since I reincarnated, I've been stuck in this crib 24/7. Back in my previous life I probably wouldn't have minded, being able to amuse myself in my mind for hours, but right now it's more like torture.
There's so much that I have to learn about this world, and yet I'm stuck here. Trapped.
In the beginning it was the worst, being unable to understand anything that was being said, but gradually I was able to figure out this new language and I can confidently say that if I had working vocal chords I'd be able to communicate with everyone just fine.
But even if I did it would be strange for a three-month-old to start talking fluently.
They might even think I was some kind of demon and have me exorcised or killed.
Do they even have the concept of demons in this world?
And for that matter, do they know how to exorcise them?
Argh! So many questions! If only I could find some answers.
It looks like I'll have to wait until I can at least walk. Or even crawl. Then I'll be able to leave this damn prison and find some answers.
I can't wait to grow up.
But then again, it's not all bad. In fact, it's so great that I'm conflicted on whether I want to grow up at all.
At first I was scared of Clarissa. Or rather, of losing her.
What if she starts hating me like the one in my past life? Would I ever be lucky enough to get a third chance at life?
But over time, my fears proved to be false. Every morning when I woke up she would be there smiling at me with what I can only describe as motherly love. Something I sorely lacked. Was this what all the other children got to experience?
Most of the days were spent with either her or Annette. While Clarissa would often smother me with her love, Annette was more reserved. If Clarissa was the helicopter mom type, Annette was the watch from afar type, but I could tell that she loved me as much as Clarissa did. At night one of them, usually Clarissa, would even tell me a story to help me sleep.
Perhaps I'm too sentimental but I couldn't help crying when it first happened, which worried Clarissa so much that I was scared she might decide to stop, leaving me no choice but to try and force myself to hold these overwhelming emotions back.
Could it be as payment for not having a mother in my past life I was given two?
When I grow up will I be able to get pampered like this again?
Speaking of which right now should be time for dinner.
And what does a three month old baby eat? Breast milk.
I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this.
---------------------------------------------------
One month later and I'm now four months old.
This world has magic. One time, during the night, Clarissa had forgotten to latch the window shut while she was telling me a bedtime story. The candle she was using was snuffed out by a gust of wind and we were both engulfed by darkness.
There was no silence because as soon as the darkness had set in, worried I might get scared, Clarissa rushed to soothe me and showed me magic for the first time. She pulled a small stone out and seemed like she was concentrating. Cradled in her arms, I could feel a strange flow being channeled through her into the stone.
*CRACK*
The stone disintegrated and what happened next made me speechless. A flame appeared out of nowhere and lit the candle! I audibly gasped and Clarissa looked at me smugly, with an expression saying "Aren't I the coolest?". I was too busy, and too young, to give her an answer. All I could think was, 'I need to examine that stone.'
This was magic! The power to invoke miracles! Ahah!
In the hopes of getting her to show me again I cheered, waving my arms around as well as a baby can, begging with my eyes to see it one more time, but Clarissa's next words doused my enthusiasm.
"Sorry honey, that was the only runestone I brought with me"
Though disappointed, at least I now knew of the source of magic.
Runes. Words of power.
Over the next few days I grew more and more frustrated as every time the door to my room opened, it was Annette and not Clarissa who appeared. Apparently my mother was busy and had to leave the manor for a while.
When Clarissa finally got back I was practically panting in excitement.
I pointed to an unlit candle on a shelf and tried to cheer the same way I did when she first showed me her magic, hoping she would get the message. She grinned and said to me in a proud voice,
"Hehe, I knew you would ask me for that. Just watch, Cain."
As soon as she finished her sentence, Clarissa started concentrating and I could once more feel the strange flow pass into the runestone, and from there onto the candle which was set aflame.
I was no longer as excited as the first time I'd seen it, but I still cheered for Clarissa as she looked at me asking for praise. Unfortunately I still had no idea how it worked.
Pointing at the runestone fragments, I hoped she would understand my message and let me have a look at an intact one, but she ignored my pleas and said,
"You're too young to be handling runestones right now. Once you're older mommy will get you all the runestones you want."
Dammit.
I really can't wait to grow up.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone