Mushoku Tensei: A Journey

I am scared, I don't know what's happening.

Moments before I lost consciousness, I found myself in a very cramped place, with some kind of liquid on my body.

I could feel things attached to my back and tube like things attached to my belly button, I never felt that way, it's like I am… a baby in the womb? In that case, the thing attached to my belly should be an umbilical cord, but what are the things on my back then? 

I tried to feel them and… they moved! 

What the fuck is happening to me? I could hear breathing that was not far from me, I am really in the womb then? 

This…

Did I get transmigrated? No that's not possible, no, this makes no sense.

I could now hear some steps, someone was approaching me. I then heard a voice, it sounded like an old lady, is she speaking to me?

I was obviously wrong, she spoke to who I assume was my mother who answered her with a tired voice. I assumed it was my mother because the voice was extremely close and I could feel some vibrations around me when the voice came.

Then out of nowhere, I felt some kind of energy coming from afar that surrounded me.

I felt dizzy at the moment, and with the already weird feeling I had, I passed out.

— — —

The Old lady's POV

This baby is not normal.

From the tests I have done for the past nine months, I realized that he will have unparalleled magic capabilities. His mana pool is already as big as a normal 15 year old, and he wasn't even born yet.

I think it has something to do with his father being a demon, but I am not entirely sure.

"Ah… lady Vida, what was that spell you just used? It made me feel relaxed all of a sudden."

"Don't worry child, I used this spell to make your baby relax and still for a second, I plan on using a spell to check on the baby's state, but don't worry everything is fine, this is mainly done to know the baby's gender."

"Oh, alright then, I trust you, Lady Vida." 

This poor woman, she's still so young and she's already having a child. How good looking was that demon for her to have a child at 260 years of age? 

Ah, who am I to judge though? I lied to her after all, the spell isn't for the spell to go well, I just did it for her to relax.

Can't tell her that of course, a pregnant woman shouldn't be allowed to experience more stress than she already does.

All right then, let's see the gender of this baby.

"Through the veil of life, I seek to see, The hidden gift of what's to be. Through flesh and skin, grant me sight." 

I recited a spell that I used many times by now, making my eyes burn a little. In return, I could see what was inside the womb. And I wish I didn't.

In all my 400 years of existence, I was never this scared before.

"L-Laplace!" I screamed, running away without even looking at the poor mother who was very scared and confused at my sudden outburst.

But I couldn't bother myself with calming her down, that wasn't important right now. I have to tell lord Perugius about that baby!

— — —

Mc's POV

I woke up in an empty white world of nothingness, this time I was in my actual body.

Was I in a dream? No this feels similar to what I have read, could this be…

My train of thought was disrupted by a white figure that had a blank face and a grin that eluded my memory.

"Ha, and here I thought you were Laplace for a second, turns out you somehow got to this world, weird." 

Hearing and seeing the manner the figure spoke, I understood everything. This was the self proclaimed Human God: Hitogami. I wasn't in the womb anymore, or rather my consciousness had been transferred to another realm.

The Void World.

Well, I am fucked.

"You know a lot for someone who was supposed to be stillborn ey?" Hitogami spoke, and his way of talking made me hate him even more than I did in the novel after I found out what he did to Roxy.

"Anyway, you're losing your human identity very fast, so I better speak before your soul completely matches your body."

Huh? What does that mean? Am I not a human anymore? 

"Listen, the moment you wake up, recite the following incantation three times to free yourself, otherwise you will die: Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball"

For some reason I memorized the whole thing without any control, it almost felt like that happened forcefully for some reason.

The words seemed very familiar to me. I know I heard those words before. But I just couldn't place my finger on where it was from.

"When you reach 20, leave your place and seek Beethove Tovetha and learn, when you are 50, search for Atoferatofe Rybak and become her soldier, when you are 100 years old, betray her and go to the divine continent, or your whole race will come to an end."

The words were drilled into my head, making me feel like I had a brain tumor.

Before I could curse the so-called God, I started disappearing.

"Times up, well, if you survive, do me a favor and split just like what Laplace did, hahaha."

That's the last thing I heard before returning to the Human World.

— — —

I woke up, still in the womb I presume.

I could hear a commotion, men yelling while a woman who felt the closest to me was saying something in a pleading tone.

I remembered what Hitogami said, I didn't want to trust him, but the commotion was only getting louder, and I could even hear weapons being drawn out. So, I tried to speak the Incantation.

I couldn't do it.

Who am I kidding? I am a damn infant, a fetus probably, how could I speak? Being able to think like this is in itself a miracle. I tried to do something else.

This darkness was scaring me, but I don't think I am supposed to see darkness as a child unless I am blind, or maybe I couldn't either way. I tried to move my eyes, only to realize that they were closed the entire time.

I was about to ridicule myself, the sound of the weapons however made me open my eyes instinctively.

The right eye was blurry, all I could see was some red.

My left eye however granted me the ability to see life beyond my mother's womb.

I saw multiple human looking people with wings on their backs holding spears and looking at me with killing intent.

Oh no.

They want to kill me. I can't let that happen, I won't let them take my second chance!

I tried very hard to speak, but I couldn't. There was no air around for me to make a voice, how am I this dumb? At this rate, I will die! What should I do? 

Wait, what if I recite the spell in my head instead of saying it?

I am not sure if that was done in the series, but it should be possible, right? I mean a mage can't lose their job just because they are mute.

There is only one way to find out.

I emptied my mind, then recited.

'Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. Water Ball!'

I resisted it as fast as I could, my life depended on it after all. Just as I finished, someone threw a spear at my mother's womb, attempting to end my life.

Luckily, a big water ball formed in front of me just in time.

Now I remember, this is the first spell Rudeus ever used.

I could feel the space around me get wider, now, I could even feel my whole body, especially the things on my back.

They were wings. Wings!

The womb, unable to withstand the pressure of the water ball, exploded at that moment, letting me free.

I feel bad for being directly responsible for my mother's death, but If I didn't do that I would have died.

She would have died anyway.

So without thinking any longer, I flew up. That's the only thing I can do, go up, up and up!

— — —

Vida's POV

I have to kill this kid, there is no other way about it.

Lord Perugius is still hurt from the war with Laplace, he will be late.I should kill this child right here and there.

"Please Lady Vida's! My child has done nothing! He's not Laplace! There is no way!" She pleaded with me, but I couldn't change my mind.

Laplace is a Demon God, his magic is unmatched in this world, if someone can reincarnate after death using magic, it's him. That also explains the huge mana pool.

My race had never fought in the war, but we owe Lord Perugius, we can't let this happen.

"You evil woman!"

"You worked with Laplace didn't you!"

"After everything Lord Perugius had done for us!"

The soldiers I called over kept spewing nonsense, this poor woman has nothing to do with this.

We can't let her live though, Laplace is too crafty, who knows what he can do just with her body?

"Take this!" One of the men screamed, throwing his spear at the woman.

Suddenly!

The woman's stomach became larger and larger, before the spear could hit her, it.. Exploded! Blood and water with other bodily fluids spread around, and in the middle of it all was the demon, spreading his green wings around.

Before I could digest what happened, the child flew up at an incredible speed, leaving the blood and other fluids that were covering his body to fly off from him. 

The mother herself was flabbergasted at the sight, unable to process what just happened. It happened so fast that she didn't even process the pain that was likely about to hit her any minute now. 

She likely sees the child for what he is now: Laplace himself.

When she started feeling the pain, the spear pierced her, putting her out of her misery.

I returned my sight to the child, who had already flown out of a window to the sky, with multiple soldiers trying their best to chase after him, but none could catch up to him.

This is bad, really bad.

I flew to the window myself, needing to see what was happening. There were no soldiers around, I looked and looked at the sky, yet there was no one to be seen. What happened? Could Laplace have done something to them?

"Lady Vida!" I heard a soldier scream, the sound wasn't from the sky, it was from the ground below.

I looked down, seeing all of the soldiers standing on the ground. What are they doing? They should be tracking the…

"Don't worry Vida, they are following my orders."

My thoughts were cut by a familiar voice that made me instinctively fly to the ground, getting on one knee without daring to look up.

The soldiers did the same, chanting with me at the same time.

"These humble servants greet Lord Perugius!"

Lord Perugius sighed, tiredly speaking to us. "You shouldn't have killed the mother, she did nothing wrong." 

I disagreed with what Lord Perugius said, but I couldn't dare voice my thoughts.

"Now we are left with another orphan on top of the many others who suffered in the war." Wait, an orphan..? Is he talking about Laplace, why didn't Lord Perugius kill him already?

As if he read my thoughts, the Lord answered. "This child isn't Laplace, I can see why you were confused though, he is the closest thing to him currently."

Hearing that I looked up at Lord Perugius who didn't seem to mind. He was holding in his arms that demon child, who seemed to be in deep sleep.

"Lord! There is no way that demon isn't-"

"Silence! I know what I am saying, this child is not Laplace." 

I looked down again, scared for my life.

Seeing that Lord Perugius sighed, before walking to one of the soldiers, giving him some orders then flying to what I assume is the Tomb of the town.

Just.. just what is happening?

— — —

Hitogami's POV

Hahaha, to think someone will be born with a Laplace factor only 7 years after the demon god's death, it seems I underestimated the guy.

At this rate, he will be reborn in less than 600 years.

This Demon hybrid isn't simple either, to think that he would have a Laplace factor so strong that he even tricked someone like me into thinking that he was the actual Laplace.

"This is going to be quite the show, hahaha.."