Kapitel 2: 2: Reincarnation!
Caleb didn't know how much time had passed. Around him was the never-changing vast expanse of darkness, an endless one at that. The good thing is, he didn't know why, but he didn't feel a bit of boredom even though he was the type of person to get impatient easily once left alone on the side without doing anything. Contrary to it, he felt weirdly at peace.
'This might be better than going to hell,' Caleb scoffed at the idea.
After all, he was pretty damn sure that he would land to hell if ever it was real. Everything he did in his life, he did them for his best interest. Is he evil? If you ask the people around him in his life, they would definitely nod their heads without hesitation.
Yet Caleb didn't think so. Evil? No! But he wasn't a hypocrite to claim that he was a good person... 'Still, I'm at least a law-abiding citizen.'
'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
Just like that, seconds, days, weeks, months, or even years... He completely lost track of time. At first, he resolves himself to count in seconds as much as he can. But after he reached counting from one to one thousand seconds, he got distracted. In the end, he helplessly decided against such an impossible task.
While Caleb stared at the lightless void, although he didn't have eyes to begin with. He felt a sudden tug on his soul. A call, so bizarre, but it felt natural. Suddenly, a sphere of light emerged in the direction where his gaze was. Rays upon rays of light that pushed the darkness away appeared.
'What the?' The sphere got bigger and bigger. Caleb almost took a step back when he remembered that he didn't even have feet. Caleb felt that a strange force pulling him. What's more, he couldn't even resist. Helpless, he can only give up. 'If you can't fight it, enjoy it? What's the worst that could happen, right?'
Of course not! Caleb struggled with all his might. He didn't know what was on the other side of the sphere. Fear is an instinct of humans and the oldest fear that has existed since ancient times was the fear of the unknown!
Just like that, the immovable met the unstoppable force. 'No!!!'
...
"No!!!" A shriek similar to that of a pig resounded to his ears.
'Uh? Wait what? Since when can I hear?'
"Jacob, what's wrong?" A gentle voice filled with worry sounded yet again. This time, Caleb knew that it wasn't his illusion. He could really hear! But what's up with Jacob?
Out of wonder, Caleb opened his eyes. Only to see three pairs of eyes staring at him with a mix of confusion, distress, and concern.
'Crap? Where am I? Who am I? What is happening!?' Weirded by the circumstances he finds himself in. Caleb swallowed and scanned the place. Wooden ceiling filled with tiny holes, water containers lined up below a dirty kitchen, and an unfamiliar musty smell.
Aside from him, there are three people: a middle-aged woman wearing a simple plain cotton dress that didn't have patterns at all. She has brown eyes, lusterless black hair with the length reaching her neck, a high nose, sunken cheeks, unhealthy pale skin, and there's a hint of weariness, a shadow of exhaustion that speaks of the toll it takes on her spirit.
Beside her, there's also a middle-aged man whose appearance perfectly portrays what a farmer looks like in Caleb's mind.
His weathered face, etched with lines that map the years of labor and the ever-present sun, carries the stories of seasons past. His eyes, weather-worn yet sharp, hold a depth of knowledge that only comes from years of tending to the land.
A worn hat sits atop his head—a faithful companion through rain and shine. His clothing, though practical, bears the signs of hard work—a patch here, a stain there—each mark a badge of honor earned through toil. The faded denim and worn flannel speak of a uniform chosen not for fashion, but for functionality, a reflection of a life spent in the fields.
His hands, calloused and strong, bear witness to the labor that defines him. They've sown seeds and reaped harvests, dug trenches, and mended fences, shaping the land as surely as they've shaped his destiny. His fingers, weathered by the soil's embrace, hold a touch that can nurture life from the earth itself.
Lastly, a little girl, whom Caleb thinks to be eight years above. She has big eyes which were currently glued to his face. A small delicate nose, pinkish cheeks, and white skin. The little girl wore ragged white clothes, and a pair of wooden slippers, and her hair, supple hair reached her small shoulders. In Caleb's eyes, she looks weak and brittle.
"Jacob, did you dream of something bad?" The middle-aged man sat on the ground to face Caleb and patted him gently on the back.
Feeling the strong hand, Caleb pushed his miscellaneous thoughts to the back of his head. "Umm..."' Caleb responded with a nod of his head.
Since he didn't know what was going on or how he was supposed to behave, Caleb decided to take a careful approach. Do less, talk less. It was the old routine to avoid making mistakes.
The middle-aged man stared at Caleb for a moment before giving him a gentle smile. "Well, don't move around much. Rest well, understood?"
Beside him, the middle-aged woman breathed a sigh of relief and went to the kitchen to clean. She carefully walks around past a red, square mark on the floor.
Caleb, once again, responded with a nod of his head. But deep inside, he was already complaining. 'Damn, stop talking to me!'
"Brother, do you want this?"
'Huh? Brother? Does this mean I got reincarnated? Yet I can still remember my past life. Seems my damned wish actually came true!' Caleb eyed the piece of bread on a small palm. Two pairs of big brown pupils stared at him in the eyes. In the corner of the little girl's mouth, Caleb notices crumbs of bread.
For some reason, Caleb felt warmth in his heart. He could see that the little girl was obviously hungry, and it wasn't enough to satiate her. Yet she was offering it to him. 'Umm? What am I even thinking?'
Kapitel 3: 3: Memories
Inside the wooden house, Caleb leaned on a small window and stared at the thick-white ground covered with white crystals and at the calm rain of snow. 'I'm really not in my world. Or am I? Did I get reincarnated in the North Pole or something? Am I still on Earth?'
Caleb turns around and looks at the three people with him. Then scanned the surroundings again, but this time more carefully. He took in every detail that he could see.
'Well, to think that I will be reincarnated with such a humble background. Doesn't matter...' A smirk formed from his mouth and he couldn't help but grin. 'With the knowledge of my past life, I will at least have a decent life this time!'
Then, Caleb froze and realized that his goal wasn't ambitious enough. 'No, I will become filthy rich this time! To hell with a decent life!'
Suddenly, Caleb felt a piercing pain in his temples, and then the surroundings in his vision doubled. The kitchen, the ceiling, and even the floor. Light-headed, Caleb immediately held the wood in the window to support himself. A massive headache followed, and a prickling sensation like thousands of needles assaulted his senses. 'W-what?'
Unfamiliar scenes and knowledge flooded his mind. He saw the little girl and the two middle-aged people in the memories. He received a flood of memories that came from the body he was in. Fortunately, the memories weren't rich enough to make him faint. After all, the body he was in was just a child and hadn't lived long enough yet.
Slowly, the pain receded, and Caleb felt a relaxing sensation afterward. 'So that is the legendary receiving memory that other reincarnators feel.'
The good thing is, he finally understood the situation he found himself in. The young boy or his current identity is Jacob. Caleb saw the young boy's whole childhood as a story in the form of memories. He only knew the summary, but not every detail. The child helps his parents with the daily chores in the house. From tending the chickens, and helping his father on the farm, to playing with his little sister. His father's name was Eduardo, his mother's Erica, and the little girl was Patricia.
Caleb didn't know why he replaced the consciousness of the child. No clue or anything about the strange event. He only knew that his name was Caleb, not Jacob. He died in a landslide, appeared in a lightless void, and got forcefully pulled from a terrifying sphere of light.
'What the? It actually reincarnated me to the body of a child?' Caleb scratched his head. 'Actually, this is more like a transmigration than reincarnation, right?'
After all, reincarnation and transmigration are two entirely different concepts. How does he know? Because he spends most of his free time reading web novels!
'If it's reincarnation, I should be born in a womb or as a baby!' Caleb sighed and looked at his two short hands. 'I won't get used to it anytime soon.' He didn't know what to feel. He can't even control his body properly because of unfamiliarity. Living most of his life as an adult, strong and burly, and suddenly becoming a child again doesn't make it better. 'So this is how Conan feels when his body shrunk to a child again,' Caleb lamented.
"Erica, take Patricia to the bed..." Eduardo's gruffy voice echoed in the wooden house as he instructed his wife.
Erica put down the water container in her hands and, with a final wipe on the rough walls made of wood, she walked beside Patricia and embraced her as carefully as she could. "She really knows how to sleep." Then Erica carried Patricia to the medium-sized bed crafted from Turkese woods.
Erica positioned the quilt on top of Patricia and stared at her peaceful face for a second, then sat beside her.
Seeing his wife chuckling, Eduardo smiled. Their daughter had been fragile since birth. She had an emaciated physique and an unhealthy complexion when she was a baby. Thankfully, it slowly got better growing up. That's why Patricia gets easily tired and sleeps frequently.
"Eduardo, you forgot to keep the ice pick and the knife from the children's reach." Erica pointed her fingers at the kitchen where a knife and short-pointed metal that gave a dangerous gleam were lying.
"Oh..." "I'm still using them. I'm not done breaking the ice on the outside just yet." Eduardo paused for a moment and looked at Jacob, who was staring dazedly outside. 'What's up with this kid? He's been staring at the snow straight for a minute now.'
"Hey son, what are you doing?"
"Nothing..." Jacob, no... Caleb answered with a smile and shook his head. Now, he has finally got himself together and arranged his thoughts in an orderly manner.
By now, he has a good understanding of how the original Jacob behaves. Just like other young boys... Jacob was pretty energetic and cheerful. However, he doesn't behave as troublesome as other brats, since he wasn't spoiled and has a good upbringing.
'I don't need to act as carefully now. Not saying anything might even make it even more abnormal.' Caleb mused.
"How much sashimi powder do we still have?" Seeing his son finally back to his usual self, Eduardo didn't pay attention to Jacob any longer and asked his wife.
'That's right. Don't talk to me...' Caleb breathes a sigh of relief. 'I don't know how to fucking treat you guys. Both of you are only seven years older than my original age.'
Caleb doesn't feel an attachment to Eduardo or Erica. He has a decent family, a loving mother, and a strict father in his past life. His mother died due to old age and his father followed. Still, they gave him all he needed, his father taught him how to stand by himself while his mother gave him the warmth of love. For Caleb, they are his only parents that cannot be replaced.
He wasn't about to suddenly act warmly with Eduardo and Erica, right? That would be strange. Still, he can give them time and if they treat him well, then all he can do is give them respect and reciprocate in his own way. But they won't be his mother and father anytime soon...
"There are still three packs on the table to last us for three months. Why?" Erica caressed Patricia's baby hair and answered.
"I'm about to fry fish and cook stew soap. It won't taste the same without the seasoning of sashimi powder." A chuckle escaped from Eduardo's mouth.
"Then be careful. As always, don't let your eyes get exposed to the powder." Erica stood up from the floor, went to the table, took one pack of powder from it, and gave it to Eduardo.
'Sashimi powder?' Caleb took note of this. For him, food is one of the joys life has to offer. He was curious about how it would make his foods in the future taste.
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
200+ Power-
Rangliste 
2 Power-
Stein Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen
Kommentar absatzweise anzeigen