The air was war and a small figure curled up in this empty space floats in the warm emptiness. There’s no struggle for air or for a structure to hold onto for support, it merely floats and seems to be at peace but a thought echos through the empty space.
What’s this feeling? I’m cold…where am I? What happened?
Images of life pulsate through the figure; of buildings, strange shadowy figures rushing past, loud sounds and flashing lights bleed and blur in the figure's mind.
I…I remember…Hyun-Joo…
My name was Hyun-Joo, I was just about to turn 30 and was considered to be a jack of all trades; though not by choice. My family kicked me out once I turned eighteen and considered me to be an adult, basically saying “good luck” and leaving me with nothing. No money, only the clothes on my back and what little hope I had of surviving alone.
Thankfully, I pick up skills faster than someone finding 500 won on the ground for a vending machine, maybe even faster. For eleven years I’ve done nearly every job I could, slept in cafes eaten at convenience stores and street vendors, and was good at it all; some would say I was adaptable but I just wanted to survive. I’ve worked fixing things, breaking things, delivering things, writing, cooking; you name it, I’ve done the legal parts of it. It got to the point at 25 years old, I had earned and saved enough to buy a nice bike so I could work more. The year I was about to turn 30, I had a small but nice apartment and two new jobs. I worked as a food delivery driver and as a Professor’s aide/tutor at a cram school.
And…I’m dead…but how…?
I…
I fell…I was on the stairs to head to a delivery job and I fell…
So, I’m dead…no…NO! I don’t want this! …I don’t want to be dead! I don’t…
“Push my lady!”
What? Who’s that?
“Push!”
What is…
A sudden bright blinding light embraced the small figure, hands began grabbing at it, and a sudden splash of soothing cold and wet hit its flesh, followed by being enveloped by a warm fabric.
What? HUH??
Soon the figure’s eyes opened taking in the blurry setting and even blurrier moving objects that towered and swayed around them.
“Let me see…” a soft weakened voice called out, and a fuzzy figure briskly moved through the cloudy space, supporting the figure and moving through the air towards a larger blobby figure.
What? Wait! Wait! Hang on!
As the figure swung through the air, a sound managed to be released from the tiny body; a shrill wailing of a newborn infant exploded and pulsed as the air was inhaled and exhaled.
Huh? Is that coming from me? I’m…
Secured arms embarrassed the small frame as it wailed. “Hush little one. Mother’s here. Hush,” the voice cooed and the wailing slowly began to calm as the warmth of this new figure wrapped around the tiny thing.
Mother? But I died, how can my mom…wait…don’t tell me I’ve been…
The figure embraced by its new mother opened its eyes and glanced around its blurry surroundings. Making out the room was grey fog, the mother appeared to be on a large brown blob and there were at least four other figures, three, with white and red spots on them, were moving towards and disappearing against a vertical brown swaying hole across the grey space.
I’ve been reborn as a baby? What the hell?! I don’t want to be reborn to those people!
“She’s lovely, my lady,” one voice spoke sweetly, “and she has already opened her eyes…”
“Yes, Margret. She’s perfect,” the mother’s voice answered. A small trailing warmed crossed the infant's cheek as the mother stroked the tear reminisce away.
“Your Highness, Empress Hailwic is here,” a gruff and weathered voice echoed. Startling the infant to glance in that direction.
Empress Hailwic…who…wait…why is that name familiar…
“Blaithin, my dear, I came as soon as I heard,” an elegant voice of someone with years of wisdom and life called and grew closer. A loving sigh and a small warm touch met the small infant’s hands. “She looks just like you, Bay. Have you thought of a name?”
“Yes, but where is His Majesty?” the mother’s voice became anxious with the sound of searching.
A bursting sound of wooden doors striking stone echoed through the once calm space, startling the figure into wailing and screaming again with more strength than its previous outburst. And shouting followed the abrupt thundering of sound that echoed in the empty space the infant and the mother were residing in.
What the hell! Why is it so loud?!
“Your Highnesses! Please refrain from such acts!” a loud booming voice of a large man echoed, preceded by giggling and scampering feet across stone floors.
“We want to see!” one child screeched.
“Yes, we want to see our new sister,” another voice echoed.
“Sista! Sista!” a third, younger voice chirped.
“Rowlan! Willard! Lykos!” the elegant voice was raised and firm with the chirping of the young voices, and the scurrying of feet halted, “your sister is still not used to loud sounds. Please…” her voice returned to its soft tone.
“Yes, mother,” the three voices responded in their individual tones, and the sound of slow steps made their way to the two figures. The mother cooed and hushed the newborn to calm the child, who softly continued to cry after the new sounds had startled them.
“She’s so small,” one voice said, followed by the echoing of the young chirping voice “small. Small.”
After several minutes of young voices commenting on the size of the newborn, who at this point had calmed down after being cooed at by the mother, another loud voice reverberated throughout the room causing the infant to begin crying again. “His Royal Majesty, Emperor Lucilius Dassar! And His Highness, Crown Prince Lucius Dassar!”
What?! Lucilius? No way!
As the realization of the figure’s circumstances began to be brought into the light, two sets of footsteps began to echo in the room; one set, heavy and wide in the stride of the steps, like a bear stomping through its territory, and the second was similar in its wide stride but lighter in the weight of the steps.
“Blaithin, my dear,” a deep rumbling voice softly cooed and the sound of a soft kiss reached the newborn’s ears.
“Greetings to the Queen Consort Blaithin,” a young voice of a boy entering manhood followed the rumbling voice.
“Darling. Your Highness,” the soft motherly voice whispered with the sound of a smile, then the infant felt itself shift and move to face the blurry figures running in a towering mass of black followed by the decreasing size of smaller figures. “Everyone,” a hush echoed through the air as the figures seemed to merge together in front of the infant, “this…is Inanna. Your younger sister and first princess.”
Cheering rose throughout the room when the name was announced among the youngest of the voices and congratulatory among the older sounding voices. The newborn, after a moment like an eternity, came to the realization of the situation in their mind of another being concluded.
I’ve been reincarnated into a book?!
The newborn began to wail as the cheering and celebration continued.
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