Darkness.Nothing but darkness.
There was no sound. No touch.Only cold.
It felt like he was submerged in water… yet that water gave him a strange sense of comfort.He didn't want to leave.
It was… peaceful.
Staying here is better. I feel like I'm floating on clouds…
A soft, carefree laugh escaped him.
Then—
Something pierced the darkness.
A faint yellow light appeared… taking the shape of a woman.
That figure…
It looked incredibly similar to someone he knew.
His eyes widened. He turned his body, trying to get closer.
The woman began to run—smiling.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
"R-Runa! W-Wait!" he called out, reaching his hand toward her.
The light grew stronger.
Brighter.
Until it swallowed everything.
Voices.
Two people talking.
Air rushed into his lungs—his first breath.
A warm sensation spread across his back.
And then—
A baby was crying.
He opened his eyes.
"Look, Poul! Our boy opened his eyes!" said a woman with black hair and brown eyes.
"Maria… why did he suddenly stop crying?" Poul asked, confused.
Maria rolled her eyes and sighed."Maybe not all babies cry nonstop."
"Uh… right." Poul nodded awkwardly.
He tried to speak.
Nothing came out.
He tried to move.
Nothing worked.
Then, after all that…
So I… became a baby?
This is amazing!
Inside, he was jumping with joy.
Meanwhile, his parents looked at him with warmth and happiness.
A sudden urge to reach out to them arose—but he held himself back.
Maria tapped her finger against her lip, thinking.
"Hmmm… what should we name him, Poul?"
Poul shrugged.
"I don't know… how about… uh… Hyou Jay?"
Maria's eyes sparkled.
"I… I love it."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
Poul placed a hand over the spot proudly."I'm never washing my face again."
Maria blushed slightly and covered her smile."Eww… that's gross."
She started laughing.
Poul's cheeks slowly turned red. Avoiding her gaze, he stood up.
"I-I'll go buy something… do you want anything?"
Maria shook her head."No, go ahead."
The door closed.
Maria turned back to her son.
And then—
Jay felt a sudden fear.
Her eyes were shining.
No… she wouldn't do that… right?
She placed her fingers on his belly—
Tickle. Tickle.
Jay burst into laughter.
NO!!! She found my weakness!
Months passed.
Jay enjoyed his peaceful life as a baby.
Now this is living…
Being fed, sleeping most of the day, and doing absolutely nothing.
Perfect.
Until one day—
After being fed, Maria gently sang him a lullaby.
From over her shoulder, Jay saw something.
A child slipped on a puddle and scraped his knee.
The boy's mother rushed over.
She placed her hand on the wound—
A soft green light appeared.
Moments later, the boy stood up as if nothing had happened, hugged his mother, and ran back to play.
Jay's eyes widened.
W-Was that magic?
This is a magic world?! No way…
Then his gaze shifted to a bookshelf.
Books.
If I could read those…
But I don't know the language!
Then—
An idea.
What if she reads to me?
A mischievous smile formed.
Time to use my special baby skill.
He stretched his arms and made small whining sounds.
Maria tried to ignore him.
But failed.
Sighing, she picked him up and held him away slightly.
"What is it, you little troublemaker?"
Jay pointed at the bookshelf.
Maria raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?" She followed his gaze."…You want a book?"
The baby's lips curved into a smile.
Please tell me this is normal.
"Stay here. I'll get something appropriate for you," she said, heading toward the door.
Appropriate…?
His heart skipped a beat.
There was only one option.
Jay started crying loudly.
What a troublesome child… Maria thought.
"Which one do you want?"
With his small, chubby finger, he pointed at a specific book.
Maria picked it up—
And froze.
A history book?!
And not just any… it's about our world!
Did I give birth to a genius?!
Excited, she returned, sat down, and placed him on her lap before opening the book.
Jay's eyes sparkled.
Maria even felt a bit nervous seeing his intense focus.
Look how excited he is…
A drop of sweat ran down her face.
She began:
"In an era known as the Age of Gods, there was nothing but emptiness. One day, tired of endless darkness, the divine being Genesis—also known as the Goddess of Life—created the sun, the planets, and everything we know."
Interesting… very interesting. Similar to Earth's origin… just different names.
"Then she created humans, elves, animals, and giants. After that, the Goddess of Darkness, Nox, created the night and new variants of humans—beings who could manipulate blood to form weapons and creatures. Among them were wolf-human hybrids… and many other beings."
Jay listened carefully.
"Time passed, and an era known as the Age of Purity began… but it ended when the God of Chaos, Vaelos, created death, desire for power, dragons, and dwarves."
So dragons were born from chaos…
His curiosity grew stronger.
"Later, the God of Spirits created elemental spirits and guides for the dead. Eventually, these spirits rebelled against the gods… but were defeated by humans, elves, dwarves, giants, and dragons."
She's probably going to stop reading now…
Maria closed the book—
But continued speaking.
"These spirits were sealed within certain bloodlines: Hyou, Hi, Mizu, Fū, Kaminari, and Tsuchi. The Tsuchi family became the royal line of the dwarves, and the Hi family, the royal line of humans."
She smiled.
Jay relaxed.
She's going to put me to sleep now…
"Alright!" she suddenly said, lifting him into the air."Time for bed, Hyou Jay. Let's go to sleep!"