Reincarnated As The Villainess's Son

The world burned brighter as I walked inside the door.

Part of me that I had never been able to feel before came crashing down back at me.

The feelings that I currently had were completely washed away.

Instead, my entire being was turned into a being brimming with happiness.

'…What is happening?'

I couldn't help but wonder as I looked around.

There was nothing but darkness all around me.

'…Did something go wrong?'

As I felt panic bubbling inside me, I began to look around the place.

It wasn't long before I found a way out of the place.

A light came from the other side of the darkness that I was drawn to.

When I crossed the light the world around me changed.

I wasn't at the top of the mountain but back in the main palace of the royal elves.

Well, not quite the same as the World Tree was brimming with light.

There was nothing like the war-inflicted kingdom that I had come to know.

I blinked and instantly my body was drawn away.

When the world stilled, I heard a lullaby.

A gentle, soothing song sung by a voice that always had venom for me.

I blinked as I looked in front of me where an elf sat on a reclining chair.

Her long greenish-blonde hair fell behind her back, her eyes closed.

In her hand was a child, whom she was breastfeeding.

A child with short purple hair who wore a cute dress.

"....."

The child in talk was me.

I just stood there, frozen, staring at the scene.

The woman sitting in the reclining chair… she wasn't the cold, venom-laced figure I knew.

Her face was calm, serene even, as she rocked the infant gently in her arms.

My eyes lingered on the baby.

On me.

Tiny hands curled against the fabric of the dress, lips pressed against her skin as she hummed.

"…Is this real?" I whispered.

The world around me shimmered, as if it was both a memory and a dream.

The lullaby stopped as she slowly opened her eyes.

"…Nymeria," she said quietly, almost lovingly.

I turned back as I found a small child hiding behind a door.

When she heard Nerissa calling her she quickly rushed towards her mother.

Nymeria leaned forward as Nerissa placed me in front of her.

"You see him?" Nerissa asked with a bright smile. "Isn't he cute?"

Nymeria nodded in response as she gently touched the child's face.

"…He is." Nymeria replied, giggling as the child grabbed her finger.

"He will stay with us for a while." Nerissa replied gently. "You will love him, right?"

Nymeria nodded with a bright smile. "Yes!"

The world around me stretched and pulled as the scene changed once again.

I was now in a different place.

A child Nymeria was playing with that purple-haired, stupid-looking child.

'....'

This is going to take a long time.

**

Time works differently in this dreamlike place.

A day here felt like a day in the real world and a month also felt like a day.

I was witnessing and living my childhood.

All the important events that happened played right before my eyes.

And I don't like how it's affecting my mind.

Though I still don't understand why I am not seeing all this from my younger self's perspective.

"Yenna."

"Yes?"

"What is this?"

Right now, I was only a one-year-old toddler who was walking around with Yennefer.

She had been with me since day one… just like Nerissa.

Yennefer looked at the statue that I was pointing at.

"That?" She asked. "That's the statue of Goddess Anastasia."

"Who is she?"

"She is a Primordial Goddess." Yennefer replied, scooping me up in her arms. "She is the one who helped the elves grow."

The child me tilted his head. "Why?"

Man, I was an annoying toddler.

Why ask so many questions?

"Because gods need followers." She replied, kissing my cheek. "A follower is what keeps them attached to this world."

I cleaned my cheek as I asked. "Why would they want to attach themselves to the world?"

"That I don't know." She replied, kissing me again. "Maybe because they like this world."

"What if a God dies, what about those who worship them?" I asked, giving her an annoyed look for the kisses. "What will happen then?"

"They will die."

A voice made my younger self look back at Nerissa.

She was walking while holding the hand of young Nymeria.

My younger self tilted his head in response. "…How do you know?"

"Well, there is a saying in elves." Nerissa replied as she took me from Yennefer. "Thou who follows Sun and Seer will end up with death."

'…Hm, that's something new.'

This is my first time hearing it and so was my child self.

Yennefer took Nymeria in her arms as I poked Nerissa's face. "…What does that mean?"

"You see, there was a time when some elves were worshiping Sun and Time." Nerissa replied, not minding the child.

The child me blinked up at Nerissa, tiny face scrunching in curiosity.

"The Sun and Time?" I asked. "But… what's wrong with that?"

Nerissa's gaze lingered on the statue, her hand gently patting my back.

"They thought the Sun would give them endless light, and Time would grant them eternal life," she said softly.

"But they were wrong. The Sun burns, and Time consumes. Those who clung to them… disappeared."

Nymeria tilted her head, hugging her doll tighter. "Disappeared where?"

Yennefer spoke this time, her tone calm. "Gone. Like ash in the wind."

She looked at Nerissa, almost as if waiting for her to add more.

"Do you know why that happened?" She asked the child me.

"Because their God is dead?" I replied, unsure if that's the answer.

"That's right." She replied with a smile. "They died because they followed a dead god."

Nerissa then looked at me with a small smile.

"But maybe that's not the real reason." She said. "Because how could a dead god bless you?"

'…Ah.'

Now that I think about it, Amun-Ra blessed me when I was born.

They both should know about it but the child me didn't seem to understand that.

"Is everyone of them dead?" The child asked with curiosity.

"Well, there was one who was first to vanish while fighting the Aljanah." She replied. "His name was Dakarai. Worshiper of Sun and Time."

The child me nodded as he seemed lost in his own thoughts.

Nerissa and Yennefer brought us to a garden where a maid was looking after another child.

She looked a year older than the younger me.

The child smiled brighter as she looked at Yennefer. "Mama!"

The little one was Zenith.

'….She is dumb.'

Even though she is almost two years old, she can't speak properly.

"Aw. My baby." Yennefer smiled as she picked up her child. "Wait, are you eating crayons again?"

Yennefer immediately began to lecture her daughter who only giggled more.

Nerissa put me down as well as I sat on the floor.

Nymeria hugged me from behind, putting her whole weight on me.

"Az!" She said. "What… What are you doing?"

I didn't reply as I picked a crayon and began to draw something.

Nerissa and Yennefer sat down beside me as they looked at my drawing.

Nerissa patted my head as she smiled softly.

"Even though he was born manaless." She said gently. "He sure is smart."

Her voice carried warmth I had never thought possible from her.

Yennefer chuckled beside her, bouncing a giggling Zenith on her lap. "Yeah, I wish my child was this smart."

Nerissa looked at me with love as she whispered. "I hope the world is kinder to him."

"..."

I felt a stinging pain as I drew in a deep breath.

The world….

…It wasn't kind to me.

---

Another year and a half passed as I kept on looking at my memories.

A lot happened in the time period.

Like Zenith getting smarter and Nymeria slowly showing signs of her OCD.

She wasn't at the point of concern but it was still there.

Other than that, there were other things that happened.

My child self met with Roselle, Pasithea, Elife and a lot more.

The most thing that bothered me was how I never saw Ragnar.

"Az, catch it!" Zenith yelled again, tossing a ball made of cloth in my direction.

It pulled me out of my thoughts as I saw my child self playing with Nymeria, Zenith and Pasithea.

I never noticed when playing with them became my daily activity.

On the other shades of a tree sat both Yennefer and Nerissa who were talking to themselves.

My child self wasn't focused on them so I couldn't hear it as well.

'Hmm?'

Just as I was about to catch the ball, a figure loomed over me.

'I' looked up as I found a purple-haired man, holding the ball in his hand.

The man smiled softly. "Hello, Azariah."

Yennefer quickly rushed in as she pulled me away.

"What are you doing here, Jones?" She asked, her eyes wary.

Uncle Jones raised his hand in response. "Don't be alarmed." He replied. "I was called here."

Nerissa quickly moved to protect the other children.

She didn't lose her composure. "And who might allow a Vessel of a Primordial God in my kingdom?"

"I did."

A voice echoed from behind making everyone look at the man.

"...."

His long red hair floated behind him like a mane while his golden eyes filled with spirals remained cold.

'…Ragnar.'

But more than him something else took my attention.

Beside Ragnar a man also stood with his hand folded.

He was staring at me with keen interest.

'…Why is Samyaza here?'