Chapter 2 - Rebirth

Lind, his new name was Lind. Lind was unsure how he understood language so quickly, but he did. His birth was a bit traumatic, but he retained his old memories. Even so, his body dictated his capabilities. He could only cry and wail for his needs.

His mother was gorgeous. Her skin was like smooth jade, black back length hair, and dark eyes full of love. His formative years were full of love and song from her. His father was not there, but no one mentioned him, so Lind did not know if he had died or was otherwise unable to come home. His mother made up in droves for that.

His old parents were loving, but Mira, his new mother, did not lose out to them at all. She was clearly overjoyed at having him and relished holding him as much as she could. He saw her working over a pot often as acrid odors filled the air. His mother was some kind of medicine woman and they were living in a structure owned by the Frey Clan.

Lind noted that neither he nor his mother had that name attached to them, but as he was a newborn, nothing could be done. The next few years were spent learning to speak and walk again, but he had done it before so it was not so bad a second time around. Mira had been overjoyed when he was walking just past 7 months old.

Lind learned a few things that pediatrics in his old world would have loved to know. A baby could start talking only after the first 10 months at best and it was hard. The vocal cords were not fully formed and thus speaking was impossible, but Lind at least got 'Ma-ma' out early to his mother's delight. He learned to read during his second year. The characters were complicated, similar to eastern countries in his old world rather than the Roman alphabet he was used to, but he had the time.

"Lind, you are doing so well!" His mother complimented his pronunciation and reading skills. Writing was still beyond him. His hands were not coordinated enough. Still, simple things could be drawn out. He felt true affection for his mother as she was clearly trying her hardest living in this clan. Many questions were in Lind, but he could only observe for now.

This world was starkly different in a few ways Lind noticed. Technology was lower for instance. His mother used a wood fire, not even coal seemed to exist to them here but that could be a limit of their location. While the firm wooden supports were signs of good construction, there was no electricity or other modern convenience here. The walls were also for a climate that had mild winters with open doorways to courtyards Lind had yet to see.

Visitors were wearing silk clothing, but it was much simpler than any modern clothing he had seen. Women wore wrapped gowns for the most part with the men wearing open vests with pants. Lind noticed almost all were in great shape and he heard some kind of yelling faintly but could not make out the words yet.

His mother made several kinds of medicine as well that were strange. She made ointments and creams he could assume were medicinal based on the conversations of her customers, but she also used the brewing pot to make strange liquids she then formed into pills. They looked so close to modern counterparts that Lind was astonished. He was unsure how she accomplished this but the most common word he heard was 'concocted' so it must be a process he would learn in the future.

Aside from that, his life was simply content. His mother would sing to him often and they were pleasant to fall asleep to or simply enjoy. She would smile back at him as he smiled at her. His early years were enlightening in so many ways in how the bodies of babies limit what they can do. Lind was so happy to be able to walk around again but balance was difficult.

His second year was spent expanding his mind more than his body but his mother continued to love him and make his life very nice. Lind learned more about the Frey Clan as well.

The Frey Clan was 1 of 3 clans holding most of the power in the Southern District of the Lotus Empire. Lind did not get much reference beyond that, but the mild winters gave him an idea that they were in the equator or something close to it as some of the traveling members spoke of snow in the north. It would also explain why they had a courtyard in the middle of their rooms exposed to open sunlight.

The snippets of information were confusing to Lind, but his time with his mother was as loving as he hoped. His old memories were just as cherished, but he was finding that being a small child was stronger than his adult senses his memories held. His personality was still much as it was previously, but he could see changes now and again. The lack of technology would likely make him a bit more active than his old life was.

His mother was a pill maker for the clan, a doctor perhaps? She had a separate area from the kitchen strictly for making pills, but she also made creams and other medicinal things Lind could at least recognize. The ingredients, though, were like nothing he knew off. Most of it was herbs taken from a nearby garden, but none of the names matched anything his surface level knowledge of his old world could remember.

Firebloom, water root, and so forth all seemed to be plants the clan grew for people like his mother to use. They also referred to her as a Grade 2 alchemist, but Lind did not find a reference in the books he was allowed to read. He only knew the people that came for her services were respectful to her, but they seemed to ignore Lind himself.

At first, he put it down to simply he was a small child and they were too busy to be bothered aside from a glance, but quite a few mothers brought their own small children and even these ignored him. Lind did not let it bother him, but he occasionally saw his mother's eyes tighten and he would stumble over to hug her leg.

It was all he could think to do, but it made her smile and the worry disappeared. Lind's adult memories told him she likely was hiding it, but he did his best to let her see he did not care what others thought of him. After 3 years at age, his mother seemed to accept that her son was fine. Lind was still curious, but now he could get around better and wanted to do more.

His previous life allowed him to avoid aggravating his mother by grabbing sharp objects or entering her pill concocting room without permission, but there was still so much he wanted to see. Namely, he wanted to leave their courtyard but his mother was unusually strict about this save one place, the herb garden.

Lind's small hands were ideal for learning and picking many of the herbs. After a few months of watching and testing, Lind was doing moderately well. He enjoyed helping his mother and eventually could be sent to gather what she needed for simpler medicines or the complicated pills. Lind greatly enjoyed watching her work too.

Cooking was limited, but Lind was learning. He already enjoyed this activity, but again he was limited by the coordination of his small body. It was interesting that having an advanced wisdom could not force the toddler body to obey how Lind remembered being able to move. The only other oddity was when his mother seemed to meditate every few days.

At first, when he was very young, he could interrupt without issue and she would smile and simply play with him, but now she taught him to let her be until she came out of it. Given how much care she gave him, it was nothing to quickly learn to leave her be but she let him wander the herb garden as he proved he could be trusted.

Lind found wonder at some of the plants as even his surface knowledge of Earth told him these were very different. Simple colors were everywhere but a few seemed to almost glow to his eyes. His child body greatly influenced him. He was having fun! He was only 4 when his mother taught him how to correctly pick the various herbs and collect the loose bark from the small trees in the garden.

He did not do well at first, but he quickly figured out the tricks she taught him to her enjoyment. It was more time they could spend together, even if the picking was done only to her gentle humming.

When he turned 5, he was entrusted to pick the herbs on his own and Lind found time to simply enjoy the nature of the vast garden. It was the only place he could go so far and the bright sunlight and floating clouds were often a great distraction from the limited world he lived in. The thing that did not occur to him until he was on his own so much was the complete lack of people in the garden.

His mother and he often gathered herbs at the times best for each. Flowers were plucked at midday but most other herbs were early in the morning or late at night. The trees were wholly dependent on the season, but if he noticed a loose piece of bark or the leaves she wanted, he would gather them as well. Even so, no one ever came to the garden.

Lind knew this was wrong. His mother was not the only pill maker based on the few conversations he had overheard. The adults did not know he comprehended far more than a normal child would, but Lind also knew there might be gardens for those alchemists as well. He got the impression this compound was massive. The courtyard he and his mother occupied was larger than most luxury apartments back on Earth!

Thus, while his mother was meditating once again, Lind took the vials and baskets to gather some herbs from the list his mother gave him. She was always practicing her craft aside from her requests from other members of the clan. Thus, she always needed new supplies. His help was one less thing for her to do when she came out of her meditations.

He noted the bulging bag made with love from his mother also. Her cooking was god tier in Lind's mind. Even his old memories were hard pressed to find better food! The meat source was not recognized, but very tasty with the spices she used. The food was also what looked like rice and some other vegetables he was sure he avoided like the plague back on Earth. It seemed very balanced as Lind would expect from a medical expert like his mother.

The wide smile was something that made his face light up if anyone was there to see it. He tucked the lunch into one of the baskets he carried and then made sure his robes were in order. The deep crimson color complemented his dark hair and dark eyes. His complexion had started to darken a bit while working in the garden, but not so much like a tan as a simple darkening of his skin.

Lind quickly glanced at the clouds as he looked up through the open sky above the garden. He breathed in the air and always felt invigorated. He was unsure when he noticed, but lately, it seemed like doing the simple chores was going much easier. His body was much more coordinated compared to before but even his memories of his old life seemed clumsy compared to his new 5 year old form.

Smiling again, Lind started with the aqua roots and dark gum of the small trees near the entrance. It was coming to the rainy season soon, so the dark trees were ready for the harvest of a semi-solid dark substance that would be collected by squeezing a branch or two that seemed to bulge. The roots were from the light blue blades of grass like growths near the base of the trees. Compared to the firebloom or laughingly named thunder flower, it was very easy to get these 2 items.

The thunder flower always made Lind giggle because its name clearly came from the short life of the flower that could only be harvested in the short window it bloomed. It would 'flash' a vibrant yellow in a field of green for only the length of incense to burn as his mother put it. Thus its name came from the rush to harvest it causing people to rush to get it by running to it. The thunder of stomping feet caused by the lightning flash of color.

His mother knew a trick though to know when they would bloom and she had always been right. Lind wondered if all alchemists knew but given the pills that could be made from them and the demand from her, he suspected it was a trade secret. Lind gently squeezed the dark gum into a few vials before gently prying the roots beneath the blue blades of the plants. They were chock full of liquid when his mother strained them, but even that was useful.

The things aside from pills his mother made, he could help with. The aqua root was a common base for many of the creams and salve medicine she made. Lind was careful to gather more of the root than the gum for that very reason, but left enough behind to nurture the next session of gathering.

Lind then went on to spend his morning checking a few beds and gathering the herbs listed or a few he knew his mother might need that were ready. It was simple but complicated work with some of the plants. Lind had to take his time with those, but he was now much more confident as he disturbed the earth around them to get to roots or subterranean herbs.

The sun was now high in the sky as Lind took a break near his favorite spot. It was an oddity in a garden mainly used for herbs and pill ingredients. A small semicircular bush had been grown with purely decorative flowers on it. Depending on the time of year, the colors changed and Lind had yet to learn how that worked. At first, he thought various plants had been woven together somehow, but his mother had confirmed it was a single bush.

The colors changed due to the seasons, but how it changed eluded him. Neither his current knowledge, nor the knowledge of Earth gave him an answer but it was quite pretty. His mother just smiled and told him he would one day understand but Lind wanted to know sooner!

Today, though, something was different. Lind walked towards his favorite spot inside the curve of the bush and heard a noise. At first, he thought it might be simply an echo reaching from somewhere nearby, but as he got closer, he saw a silhouette of an older woman. In the 5 years he had been alive, no one had been in this garden to his knowledge. Aside from the customers that came to his mother, Lind had never actually gotten to talk to anyone aside from his mother.

A tremor of fear, curiosity, and eagerness quickly spread through his small body, but all of it flew out of his mind as he identified the noise he heard earlier. She was crying as she sat on the simple stone stool in the middle of the area surrounded by the bush.

Why is she crying? Lind looked on and wondered what to do.