NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: The beginning after..revenge?
A soft fabric brushed gently against my skin, light and warm,even to an extent strangely comforting. It wrapped around my small body like a familiar bedsheet, as if its only purpose was to ease my passage into this strange new world.
For the first time, I felt sensations beyond the womb.
The air, something I could now breathe and smell, touched my skin gently as it passed.
Then came the after taste: blood, mucus, and a fluid strong, metallic, and salty flavor bombarded my tongue.
It was nothing like I had imagined.
All these new stimulations continuously fed into my brain.
My ears, nose, and skin were the first to awaken my first tools in this strange new world. After all the talks, all the fears, all the chaos about death hanging over me, I had braced myself for something far more dramatic. Maybe I'd exaggerated the expected reality of it in my mind, but still…
I thought I'd hear the splatter of blood against walls.
Smell the raw stink of iron and rot.
Screams. Begging. The sound of someone being torn apart.
A monster.
A ghostly figure.
Doing Something terrible, hunting us down.
But no.
None of that came.
It was peaceful.
Like the silence that follows a thunderstorm.
My ears, now fully emerged and attuned to the world around me, twitched at the sudden sharpness of sound. The first thing I heard wasn't my own cry, but the loud, piercing wail of another baby. It cut through the air like an alarm, making my tiny fists clench and my face twist into a grimace of pure irritation. My body moved on instinct. I wasn't hurt, but something stirred inside me, a strange pressure in my chest, as if I might cry too. I didn't understand it then, but later I'd learn this was a reflex buried deep in the body. Newborns respond to the cries of other babies, even without knowing why. Our brains aren't fully formed yet and for me, this was a reminder of the beginning of a very long fight to survive was still far ahead.
But before I could burst into a sea of tears like my twin, a gentle hand brushed my cheek. The touch was soft and careful almost afraid, its trembling betraying the emotion behind it. My oversensitive skin picked up every small shake.
With my eyes still closed, my focus shifted to the warmth of the person holding me.
"Don't cry, Astraga… Mommy's here for you, my son," she whispered.
Then, a warm droplet landed on my face. Her tears. It slid down my cheek, a soft pat.
*pat*
warm and wet. That small gesture somehow silenced the cry building inside me. Instead of wailing, I stayed still curious. Awestruck. And then, as if on cue, she giggled down at me. A reaction so tender that even as my eyes closed I couldn't help but respond.
Finally, I decided to open my eyes. Suddenly, light bright and blinding burst across my vision, and I saw her face for the very first time.
My retinas burned as if a thousand stars had erupted in front of me. But as the brightness settled, shapes and colors emerged. And there she was.
Eyes the color of molten amber or deepest crimson met mine glowing with awe and emotion. Her dark, flowing hair framed a face both elegant and strong. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks, and yet, there was a quiet pride in her trembling smile.
I reached out instinctively, stretching my tiny fingers toward her. I didn't want her to cry, I wanted her to know I was here. I wanted to tell her she looked beautiful, but the muscles needed for speech hadn't quite developed, and my brain hadn't yet synced with my thoughts.
"Heh… ehh… owh… eair," my mouth stammered soft, senseless sounds, the best I could manage.
She let out a shaky laugh and brought my hand to her lips, kissing it as though it were something sacred.
Then I turned my gaze.
Beside her stood a tall, formidable man. In his arms, he held the source of the earlier cries another baby, wrapped in equally luxurious fabric. My twin.
"Easy now… there we go, girl. Daddy's here. Oh, my honey, she sure cries a lot. Let's swap take Astraya, and let me hold Astraga for a bit," he said, his voice filled with excitement, though slightly clumsy.
Instinctively, I gripped the fabric tighter whether by reflex or sheer will, I wasn't sure. All I knew was, of all the people in the room, the last one I wanted to carry me… was him. Tsk.
The swap between my mother and father happened after a few small struggles arms fumbling and careful adjustments but eventually, I found myself in his hold, finally able to see my twin sister more clearly.
Her hair was pale, nearly white, and her eyes were a deep brown like his. She definitely looked bigger than me. Could it be she had eaten more than her fair share while we were there? Sigh.
Her tiny fists flailed as she cried, her voice small but surprisingly strong. Yet, the moment she was back in our mother's arms, all the crying stopped.
That seemed to rattle Father a bit. For a second, he looked unsure maybe even worried he wasn't good at comforting. And now, I was next.
My father was the embodiment of command. His posture was regal, upright, exuding presence. His white hair was swept back, styled with an elegance that spoke of age, power, and experience. And yet, the moment I was nestled in his arms, a strange sense of safety washed over me.
His brown eyes were a far contrast to mothers ember eyes.
"Astraga is much smaller than his sister," he said with a soft chuckle. "Aww… he has your hair and eyes, Ashley. And look he's not crying. Hahaha! Astraga, can you say 'dada'?"
He looked like a man well-versed in politics and the affairs of the ruling class. And yet, in that moment, he was simply a father.
All around us, women of all ages stood in a wide circle, some young, others old. They were clearly the midwives and maids, their attires reminiscent of something I'd seen in anime. If this was truly a parallel world, then it was already giving off the classic medieval fantasy vibe.
The room where I had been born didn't resemble anything from a modern electric world. There were no light switches on the walls, no hum of machines only glowing stones, embedded like lamps, illuminating the space. They weren't just placed randomly either; the stones had a deliberate, almost architectural design to them, shaped like crystal shards, their tips glowing with an inner light. It felt like magic. Or perhaps, a more advanced, unfamiliar kind of technology.
At the center of them all stood a woman whose very presence commanded reverence. Her gray hair was braided down her back like a river of silver. Her hands weathered and strong and giving the impression it had clearly delivered hundreds of children. Now, those same hands were raised slightly in front of her, facing my mother.
Grand Midwife Anaya.
Her voice, when it finally came, was calm yet commanding, directed toward my mother.
"I must take my leave now, Mrs. Fula."
My mother, sounding grateful, replied softly, "Anaya… Thank you. For this, I owe you a great deal."
Anaya remained professional, her face never cracking a smile. "Unfortunately, I didn't do much. I merely delayed their deaths. Sadly, it's impossible to keep an Authority away for long."
My father tightened his grip on me as he looked at her, concern clouding his expression. "Anaya… you won't speak of this to anyone?"
"We midwives are sworn to secrecy. No one will hear of this from me. But I strongly advise you to leave this town and move somewhere more secluded, Mr. Vulgabread," she warned. "Even if the Authority has been pushed back for now, there are always those seeking favor or reward for reporting this kind of taboo."
Relief softened my father's shoulders. "Thank you… truly."
Then my mother, still cradling my twin sister tightly in her arms, asked the question neither of them wanted to ask but needed to. Her voice trembled just slightly.
"How long do they have before… it comes again?"
Anaya looked her directly in the eyes. "Until they are sixteen. The danger will only grow stronger with time. The Authority's sole purpose is to fulfill the will of its creator. It has no sense of self. No morality. It only takes."
My mother's grip on my sister tightened. Her eyes flickered to my father and then back to Anaya. "What must they do to defeat this… monster?"
Anaya answered plainly. "They must grow stronger strong enough to fight it, maybe even defeat it. It will never attack someone more powerful than itself. It will keep coming until either one of them is dead… or both."
"I see," my mother murmured. "That's why it no longer comes after you."
"We weren't able to fight it off," Anaya admitted quietly. "My sister sacrificed herself so I could live. I did all this for one reason to give your twins a fighting chance. That day will come. They must be ready."
Then, from around her neck, Anaya removed a strange pendant shaped like a black koi fish. From her golden-white midwife attire, she produced another: a twin pendant, this time a white koi.
"They're the same fish," she explained. "But one is black, the other white."
She handed the white one to my father, and the black one to my mother.
"Let them wear these. They'll protect your children on their journey warding off spiritual attacks and interfering presences, at least for a time."
My parents, still standing together with my mother on the bed, holding Astraya; my father beside her, holding me bowed their heads in quiet gratitude.
So this was it. My journey into this new world… and not even the courtesy of a peaceful slice-of-life reincarnation. Sigh.But if there was one thing I could hold onto, it was the resolve to face the one responsible for placing such a heavy burden on my parents and on my twin.
Now, with the knowledge of my past life, I will do everything in my power to grow stronger. To protect them all. To defeat the Authority.
I will never forget your name "Drogan".
The thought echoed in my mind, but somehow, the beginning of it slipped past my lips:
"Dro…"
My father, mistaking it for something else, chuckled and corrected me gently,
"No, no, Astraga—say Dada."