Chapter 1: "Back to Square One"

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Huh…? Where… where am I…? What happened? I think I'm going to throw up…

Unconsciously, I tried to look around me, but all my gaze found was complete and simple darkness. To top it off, I felt that my movements were restricted, as if I were submerged in a warm, thick liquid.

What the hell is going on? I've been kidnapped?! Wait, how am I breathing?

For some reason, I felt as if control over my body was almost nonexistent; in fact, I could barely feel it.

Maybe… Was I drugged? Am I drugged? This headache and weird sensations… Huh… I've never taken drugs before, but I expected them to affect my thought process.

As time went on, I came to the conclusion that my life was not in danger at the moment; at least it didn't seem so.

I still don't understand how I can breathe or what is happening. But… let's not lose rationality; I've never been the type of person to do that. Let's try to start by seeing what's wrong with my body; maybe I can regain control. I can only get an answer if I try!

All my concentration went into my body, but I certainly couldn't move small parts like my fingers. But, after trying for some time, I managed to move my left leg!

It was a weak and slow kick; in fact, it could not even be considered a kick.

Hum… Wait, but this is not right. My leg couldn't go any further… Hum… Did I hit something?

While pondering this strange result, I kicked again, but the same thing happened… Huh….

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I don't know how much time passed, but the darkness had begun to corrode my mind.

It was something I had come to expect; after all, sensory deprivation is considered a type of torture. No matter how calm I managed to keep myself, and no matter how rational I was, there was no way I could endure this… At least for long periods of time.

But then, I had a strange sensation in my body; it was barely perceptible due to my lack of control over it, but it was something noticeable…

Suddenly, a color appeared besides black; my eyes started to see a reddish hue!

What is it? It's coming from in front of me… The color also gets fainter as it moves away from the center. Is this what I've been hitting all along?

I still don't know what it is. My vision is very blurry, but it looks like some kind of wall.

I kept theorizing about everything that was going on around me, but then something else happened.

I started to hear something. Or, rather, a noise that I had overlooked due to its weakness began to get louder; if not for this, I probably wouldn't have noticed it for quite a while.

It was a rhythmic sound; it quickly became louder and faster; after some time, it also became fainter and slower, but it was still much more perceptible than when I was surrounded by darkness.

This sound… An idea had appeared in my mind from the first moment I heard it because of its strange similarity: it sounded like a heartbeat.

That's clearly impossible! But then… what would explain this situation? That I was devoured by a mythological creature? Ha ha ha ha! That's nonsense. Humans see faces where there are none and always look for similarities with ourselves; it's probably just a sign that I'm starting to go crazy inside this strange place…

Well… Put like that, it's lost all the fun…

As time went on, the light on the wall in front of me sometimes got stronger, sometimes dimmer, and the sound kept changing as well. But suddenly my mind began to feel tired, and, unable to resist, my eyes closed.

Huh… Why do I feel so tired…? It's as if my consciousness is fading…

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After waking up, I continued to pass the time the same way, trying to figure out what was going on and trying not to go crazy for hours, only to be forced to sleep and repeat the process once again.

Unfortunately, it seemed that my methods were not working at all. I was starting to hear some strange noises from time to time; they were faint but audible, and I couldn't make them out, but, when I concentrated on them, they sounded like… human voices…

That was really creepy, but, still, I kept holding on. After all, there was no other option.

Another thing worth mentioning was that I didn't feel hungry, and I still hadn't figured out how I was breathing. Also, my control over my body and senses was increasing over time.

I continued to experiment and found that, now that my kicks were somewhat stronger, the strange wall would shake slightly, and, when it did so often, another of those human-voiced sounds would appear.

It was like a moan of pain…

Was it real, or was my imagination making it up? The situation itself was obviously real, but probably those strange noises, lights, and sensations were a mix between reality and my own imagination playing tricks on me…

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Time continued to pass while I was living this dull existence, when suddenly a great change occurred. The world seemed to tremble as the thick liquid around me began to fade.

At such a sudden change, I was filled with anxiety, but this was quickly replaced by excitement.

Maybe this was a chance to escape from this place!

After the liquid disappeared, something began to glow behind my head, and then a huge force began to suck me in.

I tried to move on my own, but I couldn't fight this strange force. It ended up dragging me to—I don't know where—without me even being able to see the path where it was taking me.

Then, an intense light irradiated the world, forcing me to close my eyes and be blinded by it.

Tons of sensations flooded my mind: the cold wind brushing against my skin and gravity trying to pull me to the ground, among many others.

But there was one that quickly overcame the others: the need to breathe! I felt like I was suffocating!

I tried to breathe in, but my lungs were filled with the same strange liquid that had disappeared a few moments before. So I started coughing as best I could. It was a somewhat strange cough, but it worked, as the liquid was expelled and the air began to expand my lungs.

The air felt extremely unpleasant. I was used to the warmth of the liquid, but the air was freezing in comparison; it was a horrible contrast!

Now that I was breathing, I tried to open my eyes. The light that had dazzled me was not so bright now; it seemed my eyes were getting used to it.

I concentrated to make out what was happening in front of me, as my vision was too blurry, until I finally managed to make out what I was seeing.

It was a face—a human face—and its size was simply enormous!

What the hell, it's a giant girl?!

Thoughts raced through my mind as the giant girl flashed a faint, warm smile. My gaze lowered to my body, and then I finally understood what was going on.

The girl… wasn't giant; it was me who was too small. I had become a baby—a newborn baby.

My head couldn't move much, as gravity was pulling on it, and my neck was too weak to hold it properly. But I managed to see that I was wrapped in a wool blanket and that my umbilical cord had already been cut, which was probably the cause of my suffocation. Now that I was more calm, I noticed that the cold I was feeling had greatly reduced. I was too focused on trying to breathe to notice it before.

I remained silent. My mind was trying to process the absurd and unreasonable situation.

I guess, as of now, this girl is… my new mother…?

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"Hey! Brother, what are you doing? Don't tell me you're lost in your thoughts again… Really, how do you plan to become a great knight in the future?" A childish voice with signs of irritation brought me back to reality.

Oh… it seems I got distracted again. Hum… maybe it's happening to me too often.

For some reason, I can't remember anything before that event. I remember my previous life completely, but when I try to remember my last days… everything becomes blurry and filled with gaps. But, before I came to this world, I was 32 years old; of that, I was sure.

Without further ado, I looked in the direction of the voice, and there he was, a 13-year-old boy, who was somewhat tall for his age. His scowling face clearly showed the exasperation he felt. This was my older brother, being 2 years older than me.

Ugh… It's him again… And surely he'll want to play knights as usual. Couldn't he just go away and play with anyone else?

"I don't feel like playing today, brother… Can't you leave me alone?", I said coldly, my ebony eyes revealing some annoyance in addition to the usual indifference.

My brother closed his eyes and shook his head as he folded his arms. "If I wasn't your big brother, I would have punched you by now," he said as he sighed again. "Brother, you may be a genius, but your body is as weak as an old man's! As our father's firstborn son, my duty is to protect you and make sure you're well, as well as guide you on the right path, but I won't always be able to be by your side! No matter how smart you are, others will end up making fun of you if you're not powerful, let alone with such an eccentric and apathetic attitude! You'll have a hard time finding friends or a reliable right-hand man as long as you keep this up."

… Who am I kidding? His words had a point, we both agree that this body is terrible. Hum... okay, I should listen to him.

This is a medieval world full of knights and, probably, hardships. It wouldn't hurt me to try to get a good body… Yes, from now on, besides my studies, I will focus more attention on improving myself physically; that will be my plan for now.

"On second thought… okay, I'll go with you, okay?", I said in the indifferent tone that characterized me in this world.

My brother only nodded in response, flashing a triumphant smile before grabbing my hand and dragging me away.

This maniac! At least give me time to get up from my desk! Auch... this brute doesn't know how to control himself.....

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Ah, another day on guard duty… Couldn't I get a less boring job? All my life serving in the army and training, only to end up here.

Despite my thoughts, my body stood firm as a board. My hand firmly holding my trusty spear, a fierce visage graced my face, while my height, sun-tanned skin, and scars from numerous battles made it apparent that I was not just anyone.

Still, this small courtyard was surrounded by people like me, plus the castle's high stone walls that seemed to be impenetrable.

Deep down, I preferred to go to the battlefield and feel like a real warrior again. But, seen from another side, at least here there is no risk, and I am assured that I will see my beloved and my children again.

The sound of footsteps alerted me, but I quickly found out to whom they belonged to.

The footsteps were light, but very continuous and full of vigor, and I could also distinguish another series of much weaker footsteps.

Then, two young lads appeared on my left, passing through the archway leading to the castle courtyard and quickly leaving me behind as they ran.

The older one, a young lad of 13, had a sharp face was framed by his tousled black hair; his skin was slightly tanned by the sun, showing his fondness for playing outdoors, while his dark brown eyes showed a gleam of fun and innocence, the likes of which only childhood inhabits. This was Crown Prince Dýnalo, someone brave and excelling in physical prowess; he was a young man of pure heart, something in short supply in this world.

Behind him was another 11-year-old boy; he was barely keeping up and was being dragged along by the prince. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath; his jet-colored hair, which normally reached the middle of his back, fluttered in the wind; the young man's eyes appeared to be completely black; his other facial features were sharper and sharper than his brother's; and his skin was quite a bit whiter, remaining a healthy pale. This was Prince Társalo, considered one of the great geniuses of the kingdom. His maturity, for his age, has always been impressive. After learning to read and write at an early age, he will probably end up being a great scholar in the future.

Both wore luxurious clothes, full of embroidery and ornaments; these details, together with the vivid color of the dye, made clear the princely status of the duo.

Finally, the crown prince stopped in the middle of the lawn that filled the heart of the courtyard, where he had previously placed several wooden weapons on the ground.

"Come on! Choose your weapon, brother. This is an important choice, as it will decide your future as a knight! Before, we only used wooden swords, but today I managed to get hold of the royal guard's training weapons. I'm amazing, right?" Said the young prince with a proud smile from ear to ear.

Prince Társalo remained silent, without bothering to answer; his eyes remained fixed on the ground.

I could not see exactly what weapons were there due to the distance, but I could notice some short swords, a greatsword, daggers, a bow, and a spear. It was clear that everything was tailor-made for children of his age, plus the weapons were completely blunt and made of wood, including the arrows that ended in a cork ball and could not achieve sufficient speed to cause damage.

Prince Dýnalo, seeing that his brother was taking a long time to think about it, spoke impatiently, "Hey! Forget what I said; it's not such an important decision! It was just to make it sound better... We can change weapons at any time! And these practice weapons, we'll have them in the next few days!", clearly the prince was trying to urge him to choose a weapon to start playing as soon as possible.

Ah... The youth...

I stopped looking at the youth as I thought of my own son and even my childhood.

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2,492 words.