章 1: Chapter One: Rebirth?
winter of 1790, and the sky was softly snowing. A figure was racing down the road. He had been at work when someone told him that his son had fallen seriously ill, so he quickly took leave to rush home.
Due to the snow, the city streets were in terrible condition, full of potholes and extremely muddy, making the entire city look somewhat rundown. This was a true reflection of France in the late 18th century. France was far from the idyllic place it would become in later years. Years of constant warfare had led to a gradual decline.
At that moment, a speeding carriage drove past Louis, splashing him with dirty water, instantly soiling his new coat. The people in the carriage didn't seem to notice, driving off without a second thought.
"Damn it! What kind of uncultured jerk does that? This is my new coat!" Louis angrily glared at the retreating carriage and then looked down at his coat, now stained with mud, and couldn't help but curse. However, he did nothing else.
He knew that the carriage was incredibly luxurious, indicating that its owner was someone far above his station as a commoner. If he caused a scene, he could lose his hard-earned job. So Louis could only accept his misfortune, regretting that his new coat had been ruined. It had taken him three months of wages to afford it.
However, Louis secretly vowed that he would one day ride in an even more luxurious carriage, become wealthy, and put these high-and-mighty people in their place. This was just Louis's imagination at work. He could never have guessed that within a few decades, his words would become a reality. His family would rise to the pinnacle of French power, and he would become the King of Holland.
Because his name was "Louis Bonaparte," the younger brother of the renowned European military strategist "Napoleon Bonaparte."
"Ugh! What am I doing? Now is not the time for daydreaming."
Louis quickly snapped out of his fantasy, realizing that his immediate priority was to return home. His son was gravely ill, and as a father, he was deeply worried.
...
Shortly thereafter, Louis reached his home. A middle-aged woman was anxiously pacing outside the front door—it was his mother, Maria Letizia Ramolino.
When she saw Louis return, she rushed over, visibly anxious.
"Oh, thank God! Louis, you're finally back! Don't you know that Roland is gravely ill?"
"I'm sorry, Mother. I came as quickly as I could. How is Roland now?" Confronted by his mother's reprimand, Louis could only bow his head in apology. At the same time, he urgently inquired about his son Roland's condition.
"I don't know. Roland has been feverish and unconscious since this morning, and he hasn't woken up yet. Doctor John has been here for quite a while, but there's still no sign of improvement," Maria said to Louis, her face filled with worry.
"Damn it! How could this happen? My poor child." Hearing this terrible news, Louis couldn't help but turn pale. He couldn't understand how such a thing could happen to his beloved son.
But at this point, there wasn't much they could do—they weren't doctors, after all. So the two of them could only wait anxiously outside.
While they stood there in anxious anticipation, they didn't notice that the sky in the distance had suddenly changed color. Huge, dark clouds were gathering over the city, their thick layers seeming to press down with oppressive weight.
Meanwhile, in a nearby church, an elderly priest looked up at the ominous clouds and murmured, "This isn't good. It's a sign of evil; the devil is about to descend upon the world. This will have a huge impact."
The priest's murmurs were filled with urgency, but no one could hear him. Even if they did, they would probably think he was just an eccentric old man. With the rise of the European Renaissance, the church's influence had declined significantly.
"Boom!" Suddenly, a clap of thunder echoed from the horizon, shaking the entire city. With the dark clouds rolling in, it felt like the end of the world.
Meanwhile, on his sickbed, Roland was at a critical moment, and Doctor Joseph was doing his best to care for the young boy.
It was hard to say how much time had passed before Roland slowly regained consciousness.
"Wh-where am I?" Roland struggled to open his eyes, his voice weak from his frail condition. It took all his strength just to speak.
Roland's eyes flickered open, and he looked around, but soon he became alarmed. He realized he was no longer in his familiar surroundings, and his face had transformed into someone else's.
Roland was terrified. He screamed and tried to swing his arms to push the two people in front of him away, but he realized he had no strength at all. His body was just too weak.
As he tried to move his arms, Roland noticed something strange about his body. He looked down at his hands.
"Oh my God! Is this me?"
Roland stared at his smooth, tender hands, utterly bewildered. His body hadn't just shrunk—it seemed to have become younger. He now looked like a ten-year-old child.
He had transformed from a middle-aged man into a child.
"Doctor John, how is my son? Is he okay?" Seeing Roland regain consciousness, Louis quickly stepped forward to ask.
"Rest assured, sir! I stand by my medical skills. Your son is no longer in danger. Now he just needs rest and proper care to fully recover," Doctor John said confidently, adjusting his glasses.
"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you so much! I can't imagine what I'd do if something happened to my son."
Louis gratefully gripped Doctor John's hand. Roland was his only son, and Louis couldn't fathom what he'd do without him.
"You're welcome. It's my job. Now that his condition is under control, I'll take my leave."
Doctor John said this and turned to leave, with Louis and his mother following behind him to see him off.
Meanwhile, Roland, lying on the sickbed, couldn't take his eyes off what was happening because he had noticed something crucial. Who was this middle-aged stranger who claimed to be his father? The realization sent Roland into a panic. He quickly threw off the covers to inspect his body, discovering that he had indeed changed; he was younger.
"What the heck is going on?"
Roland exclaimed, his confusion turning into utter disbelief.
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