'Where am I?'
"Dear! Come here, the baby was born."
As he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a woman; she didn't seem old nor young, in her early thirties, maybe. She had piercing blue eyes that seemed less like a color and more like a storm, as well as brown, almost black, hair.
As Ikuto began to regain control of his senses, he returned to what the lady had said: 'The baby was born.'
'The baby was born? Wait a minu-!'
"Cass has been born!"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off by a man; his face was chiseled, with brown eyes and medium-length brown hair, his ears jutting slightly from the sides of his head, noticeable but not unkind to his features, as well as a thick, not big, masculine nose.
Moving on to the body, it was quite lean; you could tell he had been doing manual labor, although not enough muscle to be considered a bodybuilder.
'Am I in some fantasy land? Did I really turn into a baby? I can't believe it!'
Still doubting whether he was a toddler, Ikuto reached out to touch the woman's face, who was carrying him, to see if he was in some weird dream, or maybe even in the pits of hell.
The woman, thinking he was a normal newborn baby, started tugging at his lips. It was a wholesome and sweet moment, just like how a mother would play with their children.
"Aww, Cassius is so cute, he has such chubby cheeks." She said while touching the baby's face.
Ikuto, who had been overwhelmed with all the things going on, was frozen, completely unfazed.
He had just attempted suicide, and now... he is a baby?!'
Was it reincarnation? Or did he take control of this baby just as he was born?
"Congratulations, ma'am, you have just birthed a healthy baby." A doctor wearing gloves and a white coat commented
"Thank you, doctor." The woman replied in thankfulness.
'I don't recall seeing a doctor.' He thought, staring at him in suspicion.
"Well, I'd better get going. Goodbye!" He exclaimed, as if he were in a hurry, maybe to attend to another patient?
"Goodbye!" The newly turned mother and father replied in unison.
Their focus shifted to the infant.
Both of them huddled.
The parents smiled softly as they played with their newborn. The mother gently touched the baby's ear, laughing at every little movement. They whispered and cooed, making funny faces and soft sounds, amazed at how small and perfect the baby was. Every blink and twitch from the child filled their hearts with joy. In those quiet moments, they felt a deep love and wonder for the new life in front of them.
Ikuto also sensed it, from their soft smiles to their wild laughter; he sensed their affection and care.
It was not something he was familiar with.
'This might not be as bad as I thought.' He realized, with a great big grin on his tiny little face.
"Alright, let's get you upstairs. Hareth, please take him." Signaling to her husband.
"Sure." Replying with enthusiasm.
As Iku... as Cassius was picked up by Hareth, he noticed many details in the house, some were usual, like basic furniture, tables, windows, mirrors, and drawers; however, there were some out-of-the-ordinary items, such as a painting in the hallway.
What's so unusual about the painting?
Four god-like figures were seen, their faces had an eerie look to them, elongated faces, and weird features, as if they were in pain. They seemed to gesture with their hands, as if preaching something, like messiahs. The godly trait about them was their orange aura, embodying them.
However, an even stranger detail about this painting was the man right in the middle. He seemed to be in some sort of chains, chains that looked like they would be used in slavery.
He looked even creepier than the rest, his face more elongated, some features not having the normal proportions, his hands also doing that gesture, however, it was bloodied and bruised. His aura was different than the others, it had a light green color to it. The best way to describe it would be the color of nature.
As Cassius was put down into the little cage-like crib, his father smiled.
"Goodnight, my little Cassius." Before closing the door.
'So, my new name is Cassius,' He thought in the dim light of his new compact room.
The room held a small bed, just large enough for a child to curl up on. A window above it was framed by soft orange curtains that filtered the light into a warm glow. Beside the bed stood a modest cupboard with four drawers, perfect for storing clothes, trinkets, or little treasures.
On the right side of the room, there was a horse-like figure, probably made of wood, placed there; however, this horse wasn't the usual horses Aelric was used to.
It wasn't smooth; it was very rigid, a lot of bumps were very visible, like a terrible craftsman tried to make it, in fact, it resembled more of a pig.
The room wasn't spacious, but not small either, more like cozy.
Cassius felt warm and snug, as well as tired. His new baby's body wasn't exactly great for endurance.
'This body needs some rest, I should probably go to sleep.' He said, before yawning and getting comfy.
Cassius hasn't grasped the reality of his knew life.
Everything he had tried and achieved in his previous life had all been in the past now.
He was still in disbelief, not being able to grasp the reality, however this is what he wanted.
A new beginning.