Chapter 0 - Prologue: Reincarnation

He lamented as the world began to fade to black. A familiar jolt sent a shockwave through his body as the darkness receded, replaced by a blinding light. He felt himself being pulled from his physical form and into an abyss of pure energy, where he floated for another eternity. This time, he tried to comprehend the swirls of color and light that danced around him, forming shapes and images he hoped to understand.

Suddenly, the chaos faded away. He felt himself slowly descending, and walls squeezed and collapsed around him. Gradually, he became aware of his body and the liberating sensation of being alive, but a wave of mental fatigue instantly made him fall asleep.

Waking up, the first thing he felt was the warmth of a soft surface beneath him. He realized he was lying on something soft and cushioned, which overwhelmed his tiny body with delight. He began to get a feel for his body, his limbs twitching and moving as if controlled by someone else.

Soon, he opened his eyes and was bombarded with a cluster of lights similar to the incomprehensible swirls of color. As his vision cleared, and the lights disappeared, he saw his new world for the first time. Excitement and anxiety filled him at the strange yet wondrous sight. Unlike his previous life, everything here looked clean, new, and futuristic.

His head could only move so much, so he studied the patterns and colors of the ceiling before turning to study the room. Hearing a sound to his left, he turned his head to the side, with a struggle, and gazed at the blurred figure of a woman beside him. He instantly knew who it was and confirmed that he had once again reincarnated.

Suddenly, he heard a voice, but not from his mother or anyone in the room. The voice came from his head. "[Hello]," the feminine voice said with uncertainty. "[Is anyone there? I don't know where I'm at. I can't move my body]." The voice stuttered with fear and helplessness.

He didn't respond. He was suspicious of the voice, and he didn't know how to respond either. The voice continued to speak, to the point he started to feel bad as it sounded like the girl might cry. As he thought about responding, he heard a cry from beside him.

Though his vision wasn't clear, he could see his mother panic and quickly run toward his crib, where she reached in and lifted what appeared to be a crying baby. "[Who are you? How are you picking me up? Let me go!]" The feminine voice screamed in protest, but slowly he could sense that she was starting to calm down as his mother fed her.

"[Finally, you shut up. I don't know how much more of that I could take]," another voice said, this one sounding masculine.

"[Who is there? Who are you?]" The feminine voice asked, trying to sound threatening, but it failed. The euphoria she must've felt from being fed soothed her temper, making her sound cute in comparison.

"[Adonis, apparently]," the masculine voice said. "[Since you sound like the only girl, I'm assuming you're Athena]."

"[What?]" Athena said, confused. "[I don't know who Athena is. My name is Mia]."

"[Not anymore].'" He finally spoke up, realizing speaking in his mind was how he could communicate with the others. "[I'm going to guess you both died and found yourselves in infant bodies. All I can say is welcome to the cycle of life and death. You're both now reincarnates]."

"[What?!]" Athena said, coughing out milk.

"[That makes sense]," Adonis said, surprisingly unbothered.

"[Though that doesn't explain why we're able to communicate with each other with our minds]," he thought, accidentally communicating it with the others.

"[I don't know much about reincarnation, but it's probably because we're triplets. I only felt the connection after Athena was born]," Adonis said.

"[Interesting]," Atlas replied. This was his third reincarnation, and he had never dealt with or encountered something similar. The rules of this world must be different. He loved how, despite his three previous lives, he could still learn new things.

"[Does that mean I'm the youngest?]" Athena asked.

"[Yes, and Atlas is the oldest]," Adonis replied.

"[How do I know you're not lying? Maybe you're the youngest and trying to hide it]," Athena accused.

"[I couldn't care about being the youngest, and if that was the case, I would've said I was the oldest. I didn't because when I came out, Atlas was already here]," Adonis scoffed.

"[You were up the entire time?]" Atlas asked.

"[Yeah. I don't like surprises, so I forced myself to watch and understand everything that happened. Which is also why I know everyone's names and other stuff]," Adonis said, and Atlas didn't miss the hidden pride.

"[What other stuff?]" Athena asked while being placed back in the crib.

"[Goodnight, I'm tired]," Adonis ignored her, and cute snores came from his body.

"[Idiot. It's the middle of the day!]" Athena said exasperated. Atlas chuckled until it was his turn to be fed. It was still weird, but he had gotten used to being breastfed, so it didn't bother him. His main priority now was to figure out the rules and regulations of this world so he could make progress toward his goal.

A few months passed since his reincarnation, and Atlas gained some knowledge about his situation. The world he lived in was vastly more advanced than any of his previous ones. TV existed, but instead of a screen, it was a hologram. His family also had a car that could fly, though only a few feet above the ground.

His new family consisted of seven. His gentle mother, stringent father, hilarious grandmother, grumpy one-armed grandfather, cold little brother, and cheerfully annoying little sister.

Atlas didn't get out much. There were occasional doctor appointments and one visit to the park, which his mother agreed to never do again since he, Donnie, and Thea hated it. There wasn't much to see. They lived in a fairly small town with beautiful trees and polite people. He couldn't complain much; it was a peaceful place, and he was satisfied with his body.

He possessed black hair with some random strands of hidden white hair, and his eyes were red (left eye) and blue (right eye), giving him a unique and captivating appearance. His eyes, with their distinct colors, were the focal point of his face. The right eye sparkled with a mesmerizing mixture of blue, reminiscent of a tranquil sky or a shimmering pool of water. It held a certain depth and calmness, exuding a sense of wisdom beyond his age.

Contrastingly, his left eye roared with its fiery hue of crimson red. It emanated a passionate, intense energy, akin to a burning flame or vibrant sunset. It added an element of danger and fierceness that would only increase as his face matured.

His brother Adonis, with his darker black hair, had eyes that mirrored the intensity of a smoldering flame. Their crimson hue possessed a piercing quality, capable of capturing the attention of anyone who dared to meet his gaze. When looking at him, Atlas could see a hint of depth in his emotions, veiled with a sense of determination and a touch of mystery, similar to his own.

In contrast, his little sister Athena possessed a mesmerizing innocence that radiated from her enchantingly cute appearance. Her beautiful white hair cascaded down in soft waves, framing her cherubic face. It was her light blue eyes that truly captured the essence of her innocence. Like clear skies on a sunny day, they held a sparkling curiosity, brimming with wonder and a genuine desire to explore the world around them.

The thing Atlas loved about his third reincarnation was that he had siblings. They were the first he'd ever had, and for once, he shared a similarity with people as they were all reincarnates. It was Adonis and Athena's first time reincarnating, and Atlas didn't know if it would happen again for them, but he enjoyed being the eldest brother and sharing his experience with them.

Besides that, they had nothing in common and often bumped heads. What made it even worse was that they had a special mental connection in their heads that they could use to annoy each other, especially Athena, the most childish of them all. Even so, Atlas still loved them and got to know them.

Though mostly annoying, Atlas pitied Athena after learning she annoyed them for attention and fear of being alone. She revealed she was an orphan previously and an outcast in school, only having friends in her orphanage. When her orphanage shut down, she was forced into the streets where she barely survived for a month before dying.

Atlas could only describe Adonis as standoffish yet reliable. He was dealing with his demons and wasn't comfortable with opening up. Though he had become more comfortable with the two since they had to be talking partners until they could understand the language of the new world they lived in.

"[Atlas]," Adonis called. "[Did you notice grandma's ears are unusually pointy?]"

Atlas followed his gaze to their grandmother, who was playing peekaboo with a giggling Athena. "[I did now]."

"[You've been to three worlds, including your original one, right? Have you ever come across a world with elves? Wait, do you even know what elves are?]" Adonis asked.

"[Yes, I know what elves are. They existed in fantasy books from my original world. I never came across one before, but I've met some creatures that weren't human before]," Atlas responded.

"[Wait! You think grandma's an el- Ouch]," Athena's excitement got the best of her as she jumped back and hit her head on the chair. She went silent as tears welled up in her eyes.

"[Please don't cry. Please don't cry]," Adonis started reciting as if it was a chant.

Grandma said something in a foreign language and kissed Athena on her head. Her hands started to glow in a light green hue, and Athena's face slowly morphed from pain to satisfaction.

Atlas was the first to speak after Grandma continued to play peekaboo in front of the amazed Athena. "[So, magic exists. That is new]."