6. Old man (Not yet Edited)
Months have passed since Steven was reborn in this world. It was winter, as indicated by the chilling drafts that somehow found their way into the subterranean dwelling and the longer periods his mother spent in the mines.
The change of season above ground didn't significantly alter the temperature in the underground mining, but a perceptible coldness lingered in the air. Steven's new body managed to adjust to the slight drop in temperature with ease, another testament to the resilience he was developing in this alien world even though he was just a newborn a few months ago.
'There is seriously something weird about this world, how the hell am I okay with not eating for a few days? For a baby at that, it doesn't make sense. And what about this chill? If this were on earth, this cold could even kill an adult human!'
In spite of the peculiarities, he acknowledged that these anomalies were helping him survive this harsh environment. His body wasn't just enduring, it was adapting.
While in these months, Steven has successfully learned the language of this world, though it was not to the point of proficiency, but at least it can serve him better to understand what his mother and the other people say.
He learned that his mother's name was Lily Regina Henituse, a name that echoed in his mind like a beautiful melody. Lily, the woman who had taken him in, cared for him, loved him, despite the harshness of their lives. 'Lily, a symbol of purity and grace. You live up to your name, mother,'.
'Though, Regina Henituse, huh? Why does this name sound like royalty? Well, whatever, ain't no way that a royalty become a miner in a decaprate place like this.' Steven mused.
Also within these months, Steven had come to know the name of their dwelling place—a harsh, iron-rich region known as Ironwhisper. Tucked away in a secluded corner of the small kingdom of Argentdale, on the rugged continent of Bellatoris, the name of the place was as hard and unyielding as the life it offered.
While some of the miners here were from the lowest rung of life, others were slaves, forced to toil in the unforgiving caverns of Ironwhisper. Despite the stark differences in their origin, they all shared the same fate—a life dictated by the rhythm of pickaxes against rocks.
Steven found it curious that amidst this crowd of hardened men and women, he and his mother seemed to be an exception. They were always safe, their presence hardly provoked any trouble. 'Why is that?' Steven wondered. 'We are but two defenseless beings in this harsh world.'
'There is also this one time that an old man come bringing something over in wooden basket, I don't know what's inside, but it's look pretty and shiny, that old man looking at my mom with an eyes of fear and reference, though I don't know why.'
His thoughts then drifted to his mother's unusual strength. The way she could effortlessly lift the heavy stone door was nothing short of miraculous. 'Could her strength be the reason we're safe? Do they fear her?' Steven pondered, his infant mind trying to make sense of the world around him.
Yet, another question was always nagged in his mind. 'Why hasn't she given me a name yet?' He was nothing but a baby, but never had a name of his own. It puzzled him, especially when he know that the people around here has the name of their own, for example his mom, Lily Regina Henituse.
Was there a special reason, a custom of this world that he was yet to understand, or was it something more personal?
As Steven grappled with these questions, the heavy stone door suddenly groaned open. The old man who had previously brought the wooden basket filled with shimmering items was back, his eyes darting around their dwelling anxiously. He seemed to be looking for something, his hands quickly rummaging through the sparse belongings scattered around the room.
"That bitch," he grumbled under his breath, his voice filled with scorn, "Just how lucky can a fallen royalty get?" He then turned his gaze towards Steven, a sneer curling his lips. "And you, you little brat," he spat out, "If it weren't for your whore of a mother opening up her legs and letting her hole be used, you'd already be dead."
**********
Author Nore:
I have some good news, though it was for me.
So, my last monthly salary just entered my account this morning, Happy? Kinda. Sad? Very... With this, I can cut my debt down to 1400$, though Next week I need to struggle again, hopefully it's not back to 1500.... So I will still save my plea down bellow till my debt is completely paid!
Sup guys,
Just want to ask for your help, please donate to me in PayPal... Alright, before that I think I need to tell you a little about me, I guess? And why I'm literally begging you to help me.
So, I've entered a hospital because of an accident, long story short, I don't have any money, so my only choice is debt, I hope my recovery is fast, but shit happened, and I'm 1 month in the hospital with piled up debt... Added to how I got fired from my work...
Yeah, I'm miserable af... Now I'm discharged, To pay for a fraction of the debt, I sell everything I have, and leave with my laptop which I use to write a novel here... I just don't know what I should do... I want to look for a work, but there is no way I can get it fast
My debt is about 1890$ well maybe next week it's already 2k... I want to die actually... But I also don't want to
So I hope you can help me... Whatever it is, it means a lot to me :')
paypal.me/DimLightNeedMoney
And you can join my discord
https://discord.gg/qcCBJV5u