Ancient Pasts - Tbate

Family

I was always interested in the whole "light at the end of the tunnel" folly where people, after experiencing near-death experiences, would startle awake in a cold sweat exclaiming, "I saw the light!"

But here I am currently at this so-called "tunnel" facing a glaring light, when the last thing I remember was the memories of my life surfacing, my mentor always scolded me for it, saying it's all crazy talk.

Sometimes he would go as far as killing the people who spoke of the light at the end of the tunnel, if he was in a bad mood he would even kill their families, it wasn't as if anyone could've stopped him, he was a king after all.

While most thought he was cold and heartless I thought otherwise, I thought he was kind and caring even if he did not show it in public, he didn't care when others belittled him for taking me as his disciple.

Why would they not? After all, the most powerful duellist taking in an orphan nobody like me as his disciple would be seen as a joke, king Grey's origins were always kept hidden from every one, no one would dare tell anyone without his permission.

I met him when I was five, I'm not sure what he saw in me, but I suppose the council trusted his judgment, he trained me every day personally wanting to make me stronger, for what purpose? I didn't care, the only time I felt happy is when I was around him, he always treated me like his younger brother.

I would do anything to feel that happiness once more, I didn't care if I had to be tortured every day if I could feel that happiness once more, his training was anything but easy, training me in both dueling and socializing.

He didn't care or like anything related to being a king after all the council ran everything, he was merely a popularized soldier, although he was at the forefront of everything the council would always seek his help in more than just fighting.

When I became twenty-one he told me about his origin, while most would fear him after hearing that, I looked up to him even more, even after losing his mother figure he kept fighting, even when he lost his childhood friend he kept fighting.

It was also the time when I was considered to be the second most powerful duellist, with only Grey being able to beat me. My one regret in this life was failing to protect him, it was also my only thought even as I drifted into the abyss of the dead if only I was strong enough to protect him...

All of my thoughts and regrets were quickly cut off by a bunch of muffled voices coming from the light I was slowly drifting towards. The journey seemed to take an eternity; I half expected a choir of children to be singing an angelic hymn, beckoning me towards what I hoped would be heaven.

Instead, my vision of everything around me turned into a blur of bright red as sounds assaulted my ears. When I tried to say something, the only sound that came out seemed to be a cry. The muffled voices became clearer and I made out a: "Congratulations Sir and Madam, they're healthy boys."Wait

I guess normally, I should be thinking along the lines of "Shit, was I just born? Am I a baby now?" but I was mainly thinking about whether Grey is okay or not, or if I have a family now.

Next, after slowly and painfully opening my eyes, my retinas were bombarded with different colors and figures. It took a bit of time for my infant eyes to get used to the light. The doctor, or so it seemed, in front of me had a not-so-appealing face with long, greying hair on both head and chin. I swear his glasses were thick enough to be bulletproof. The strange thing was, he wasn't wearing a doctor's gown nor were we even in a hospital room.

After studying the doctor I started to look around a bit more, seeing another baby with auburn hair and azure blue eyes, his eyes seemed to be studying the room as well, not something you would expect from a normal human baby. Guessing from how he also seemed to be just born he is my brother.

I seemed to have been born from some satanic summoning ritual because this room was lit only by a couple of candles and we were on the floor over a bed of straw.

I looked around and saw the female who seemed to be my mother. Calling her mother should be fair. Taking a few more seconds to see what she looked like, I'd have to admit she's a beauty, but that might have been caused by my half blurry eyes. Rather than a glamorous beauty, I would better describe her as lovely, in a very kind and gentle sense, with distinct auburn hair and brown eyes. I couldn't help but notice her long eyelashes and perky nose that made me want to just cling to her. She just permeated this motherly feel. Is this why babies were attracted to their mothers?

I peeled my face away and turned right to barely make out the person who I assumed was my father by the idiotic grin and teary eyes he gazed at me with. Immediately he said, "Hi little Cathan, I'm your daddy, can you say dada?" I glanced around to see both my mother and the house doctor, roll their eyes as my mother managed to scoff, "Honey, they was just born."

I took a closer look at my father and I can see why my lovely mother was attracted to him. Besides the few loose screws he seemed to have by expecting a newborn to articulate a two-syllable word (I'm just going to give him the benefit of the doubt and think he said that out of the joy of becoming a father), he was a very charismatic-looking man with a cleanly shaven square jawline that complimented his features. His hair, a very ashy brown color, seemed to be kept trim, while his eyebrows were strong and fierce, extending in a sword-like fashion meeting to a V shape. Yet, his eyes held a gentle quality, whether it was from the way his eyes drooped a bit at the end or from the deep blue, almost sapphire, a hue that radiated from his irises.

"Hmm, they aren't crying. Doctor, I thought newborns were supposed to cry when they are born." I heard my mother's voice.

By the time I finished checking out I mean observing my parents; the wannabe doctor simply excused himself saying, "There are cases where the infant does not cry. Please continue resting for a couple of days Mrs. Leywin, and let me know if anything happens to Arthur and Cathan, Mr. Leywin."

The following couple of weeks after my rebirth was a new kind of torture for me. I had little to no motor control over my limbs except being able to wave them around, and even that got tiring quickly. I realized all too grudgingly that babies don't really get to control their fingers all that much.

I don't know how to break it to you guys, but when you place your finger on a baby's palm, they don't grab it because they like you, they grab it because it's like getting hit in the funny bone; it's a reflex. Forget motor control, I can't even excrete my wastes at my discretion. I was not yet the master of my own bladder. It just came out. Haa

The Satanic demon-summoning place seemed to be my parent's room and from what I figured, the place that I was currently stuck in was, hopefully, a place in my world from the past, when electricity hadn't yet been invented.

My mother quickly proved my hopes wrong as, one day, she healed a scratch on Art's leg from when my idiotic father bumped Art against a drawer while swinging him around. not like, band-aid and a kiss heal, but a full-blown, shining light with a faint hum from her freaking hands type of healing.

My mother, named Alice Leywin, and my father, named Reynolds Leywin, at least seemed to be good people, hell if not the best. I suspected my mother was an angel because I've never met such a kindhearted, warm person. While being carried on her back by a baby cradle-strap of some sort, we went with her to what she called a town. This town of Ashber was more of a glorified outpost, seeing that there were no roads or buildings. We walked on the main dirt trail where there were tents on both sides with various merchants and salesmen selling all sorts of things—from common, everyday necessities to things I couldn't help but raise a brow at, like weapons, armor, and rocks shining rocks!

The strangest thing that I couldn't seem to get used to was the people carrying weapons like it was a luxury designer bag. I witnessed a man of around 170cm carrying a gigantic war axe that was larger than him! Anyway, mother kept talking to us, probably to try to get us to learn the language faster while shopping for the day's groceries, exchanging pleasantries with various people passing by or working in the booths. Meanwhile, my body turned against me once again, and I fell asleep damn this useless body.

My brother who I learned was named Arthur seemed to be extremely intelligent and curious, I'm curious to learn more about my brother, as he seemed more intelligent than a human baby in both my previous world and this one. From the way, he eyed me it seemed he was also curious about me.