I opened my eyes.
Wooden ceiling. The smell of warm milk. And a soft voice of a woman whispering gently, "Sweetheart… are you awake?"
I tried to move my body. I couldn't. Tiny arms. A small, fragile body. My brain reflexively processed the only impossible conclusion.
> Am I… a baby?
Then, a face appeared before me. Long golden hair, bright blue eyes, a gentle smile.
> No way…
It was the face of **my own birth mother**.
Memories came rushing in like a storm. The final battle. The Holy Hero with his blade of light. The last cry of a curse. And the end of everything.
I, **Kaiser von Zerath**, the Demon King feared by the entire world, was dead.
And now, I have been reborn—inside the body of my own son.
> …This has to be a nightmare.
But the pain in my back is real. The scent of warm milk being spooned into my mouth is real. The soft sound of my mother's voice as she calls me "Leo" is also real.
> Leo.
My new name. The name I personally chose for my son when I was still alive as the Demon King. I wanted him to become the world's new hope. But instead, it's *me* who now lives inside him.
> What kind of irony is this?
I don't even have hands to slap my forehead. No voice to protest. Only the uncontrollable wailing of a baby escapes my lips.
"Aww, is my little one tired?" my mother says, cradling me in her arms.
If I could speak, I'd say, *"Yeah, I'm tired. Tired because you once believed my words that I could bring peace through power."*
But all that comes out are tiny whimpers and drool.
> Absolutely humiliating.
I, the former leader of demon legions, a legendary sorcerer, the author of war doctrines studied by generals, am now nothing more than a baby drooling and peeing in its own diaper.
The world truly is cruel.
Still, despite how pathetic this all is, one thing is certain:
> I will not repeat my past mistakes.
I never want to be the Demon King again. I'm sick of ambition, bloodshed, and a throne that brought nothing but loneliness.
This time, I'll live a different life.
> I will learn what it means to be human.
And if possible…
> I will learn how to be a good father… to myself.