Chapter 1: Shocked! Becoming a mother

Packed with trees, large trunks branching out their various-shaped roots piercing across the soil, the whole ground was filled with green grass, from leaves and branches, thickening layer after layer along the sturdy trees' torso; even in the hot weather, only a slight cool breeze would be felt. From underneath looking toward the top, one would've thought the whole forest glistened like diamonds, caressing warmth from several piercing sunlight uncovered by leaves. In a regular and irregular manner, leaves swayed gently and sometimes harshly whenever a wind came.

Rustle, rustle.

It seemed as if the whole forest was communicating, chanting their peaceful and soothing nature. Viewed from above, the uneven mold brought by the lush canopies seemed similar to several hills propped up across the whole grassland, except those trees waved like small grasses. Sweet and beautiful birds of different kinds lingered along the green forest, chirping celestial songs which brought warmth to the listener. Amidst the forest, somewhere deep inside laid a chasm, a line separating different groups among the trees; a river flowed peacefully and forcefully between the two sides, brushing the shores and bringing the sand along. A single stream would separate into branches of several streams due to the formation of rocks, affecting the current to surge around the obstacles, drifting upward, and splashing small ripples. One could appreciate the splendor underneath the river where beautiful diamond pebbles of various sizes shone through a reflection of lights.

Following the watercourse where the gap between the two shores was smaller, there existed a bridge; its exquisiteness was unparallel enough to be regarded as made by non-humans; its magnificence told the myths and ascetic of the builders; its decoration and materials constructed simply by rocks and woods, yet the bridge outlined ancient and soothing aura. Sculptures were formed on the sides together with wooden vines entangling any given spot, without destroying the beautiful scenery.

The bridge had a length of around 20 meters, 4 meters in width, and was an arch. Across its skin laid miniature works of art, tiny shapes drawn as if describing stories. The bridge connected the roads across the river, which could not be found when gazed from above, because the trees' trunks bent outward creating space for a pathway while their blossoming canopies acted as an umbrella, only allowing a slight simmer of light to cross through. The path was not made of dirt but carefully manufactured by marble decoration. All these breathtaking features accounted for someone living nearby, possessing a huge amount of wealth and high demand for ascetics.

Somewhere in the middle of the forest, where trees started to become scarce, showed signs of manor-like buildings and fields, connected through a pathway from the previous bridge several miles away. Several constructed structures were built in a pattern inside the manor's 100,000 square meters, the highest of which only had three to four floors. Most of these structures were built in spherical perimeters, either completely a circle or an elliptical oval, always with round edges; there existed no rectangular structure as if the sharp end would destroy the beauty such as some huge complex buildings composed of many semicircles bonded together. The pillars, the foundation of any building, were also cylindrical, with rings on top and bottom like in ancient Greece; even the bases of the pillars linked with the other structures were carved into arches. Their spherical roofs enshrouded the whole buildings like domes similar albeit not absolutely to those in ancient Arabic empires. Each whole building seemed to be completely sculpted out of rocks, smooth textures, and bright sacred feelings.

In contrast to the dazzling lustrous luxury of the manors and the magnificent, serene wonder of the tranquil forest, residents inside the manor exuded a depressing atmosphere. There were maids trotting around in panic, some guards who couldn't concentrate on their duty, and leaders amongst the servant whispering to each other. Without all exceptions, all the residents inside the manor were solely females. Inside one of the biggest buildings, in the living rooms, two guards stood on both sides of the doorway, their faces showing some worry; there were four people: three women and one child, sitting on the purple sofas, arranged in a circle formation with a table in the center, all of which without exceptions were spherical seats.

Three women's faces showed sadness and extreme grievance, while the child who looked 3 years old, was also a girl, and seemingly didn't know anything. Although their figures were similar to humans, they were not. Despite having similar physical appearances, their ears were elongated, eyebrows thicker and longer. Their appearances were all strikingly stunning, from perfect ratio bodies to beautiful attractive faces. They were the legendary long-lived elves, whose beauties were always at the pinnacle, both for men and women. The three girls would from time to time, look toward the room with anxiousness. Soon, they heard a voice: "Lady Lireesa is awake. Praise the Sunwell."

The three immediately ran straight to the room, while a 3-year-old girl wobbled toward them. They heard a woman groan and saw a slight movement of her fingers, conveying her lack of energy. She was muttering unknown syllables, her eyelids fluttering slowly several times.

....

Jones felt sad, his life hadn't even reached the pinnacles of his life yet. He was an outstanding student among others in the university, where almost all the professors would know who Jones was and how he endeavored in his studies, achieving a full scholarship. He was from an ordinary American family of four full of warmth: father, mother, and his younger sister. His parents worked in a company, earning wages monthly; in spite of slight financial difficulties, they were able to afford living expenses and their children's studies. They were not rich, but life was fulfilled. Even though he studied hard, he felt unhappy until he found himself enjoying European swordsmanship. He attended fencing class and practiced hardcore every day. Longsword was his favorite weapon, dexterous, agile, and simple.

Unfortunately, one day, like in all states, a shootout occurred at his university unexpectedly. People never cared about what was happening around them until the moment the circumstances hit their faces. The US had a hard time addressing this issue. Like now, Jones panicked and all he could manage was to take his crush's hand and moved toward hiding, particularly in one of the rooms. Spraying automatic rifle sounded loud across the hallway and he was able to enter one of the rooms with several classmates inside. Gunshots came nearer and nearer.

Crack! Crack! Like some firecrackers' noise. Afterward, absolute silence until a footstep thudded next to the door. Jones looked around and met fear in his classmates' eyes, utter shock from disbelief at the crisis. His crush, Jessica held his hand tightly with all her strength, with her eyes closed and tears rolling down. All of a sudden, seeing Jessica's frightened expression, he felt his fear drift away and courage sprung out from his heart. His heart had already shown him the way. He reluctantly released her grip and smiled at her, mouthing a sentence: "I love you, Jess."

In her reluctant and surprised eyes, Jones sprang into action. She subconsciously felt a dreadful premonition of what he was going to do next. Jones pushed the heavy cupboard half the size of his height toward the door to barricade for protection. Sure enough, the assailant tried to open the doorknob; although it was locked, it would never be safe, and extra security was necessary. While he was shoving the barricade onward, gunshots sounded, bursting the doorknob. He had no time to waste, using more energy to ram it to the side of the doorknob. Not unexpectedly, the door was forced open, but it was stuck by the cupboard forming a T-shape. Jones shouted at the other male classmates to also push the huge cupboard of more than 2 meters alongside the wall toward the door. At the same moment, John heard a burst of gunfire across the door, splinters and pieces rupturing sporadically. Soon, he sensed a thud across his chest and many more afterward. It looked like the process was slow, but all of it happen in a second.

The blockade was successful, his classmates were able to push a huge cupboard in time blocking the vision and the door; even if the door was minced into several small pockets, the shooter wouldn't be able to see inside neither could the shooter enter. All that remained was to wait for the emergency response team to rescue them. Jones caressed himself and found himself relieved of all of his strength. He fell down to the floor and was dragged away from the fatal funnel by his classmates. Jessica came and knelt next to him, hugging and crying at a loss. Jones discovered himself getting colder with every second and each movement required enormous strength. He knew he had little time.

He said to Jessica holding her hand tightly, "Jess, please tell my family I love them all and tell my parents I am being unfilial. Tell them, Jess, I'm sorry but I'd never regretted my action. Also, though I'm unwilling, I really love you, Jess, if only I'd been braver to confess earlier." Then, his eyelids became heavier and heavier, babbling incomplete sentences which he had no knowledge of anymore. Before his vision went completely dark, he seemed to hear Jessica's sad voice: "Don't worry, I'll watch over your family. I love you too, Jones. I've always loved you." Soon the voice became like a whisper as he knew nothing onward.

....

Darkness enveloped Jones, but he didn't shiver from coldness, it was unexpectedly a soothing yet ambivalent sensation for a long period of time. Moments later, he felt dizzy as if like a magnet being drawn toward something and knew he could move a little bit. He tried to open his eyes albeit with much difficulty. He tried to speak out but couldn't. Then, He saw a bright light, adjusting to the change after getting used to the darkness, and noticed his surrounding while lying on the bed, moving his eyes around. He could hear some whispers as if they were afraid to disturb him and struggled to rise half of his body yet no energy.

Something is indeed wrong with my body, he thought, maybe because of a bullet wound.

It was right then, someone helped him lift up. He was surprised to look at the beautiful woman who helped him and found strangely this woman was full of great strength. Before he had time to mouth "thank you", the woman called him: "Mother, you got us. You are never alone. We will always be with you. Together."

Only now did he realize, this wasn't the hospital nor the place he was familiar with, because he recognized the woman had long ears. The woman's face was extremely attractive, with long blonde eyelashes with an invitation for a kiss, emerald eyes which surely could suck a person's soul emanating gentleness yet also firmness, a straight petite yet strong nose looking for a pamper, and her gorgeous mouth neither thick nor thin sparkled attraction so that viewers would always be under the illusion of the mystic spell of her mouth curvature. He couldn't imagine what her body would look like, but he was sure, she would be sexy because she half-knelt beside the bed and hid her figure. For sure, she would be stunning. And her skin was alluring and smooth as silk.

However, it took a moment to realize, what this woman called her.

She called him: Mother. Crap, he thought, this enchanting lady mistook me for someone else, even the wrong gender.

He immediately replied, "What? I'm not…" Only then, his voice was that of a female. A real woman and the tone even brought goosebumps as you could already know this person's character well enough just after hearing it once. He couldn't focus on this now, but looked around and discovered two other women, similar in physical appearance and attire to the first woman. They were definitely surely sisters. Besides then, a young cute girl, aged around 4-5 years old, tilted her head and stared at him, blinking her eyes playfully.

He or she was dumbfounded, couldn't mouth a single word to argue, and became speechless. Awestruck! No, her brain completely shut down and went blank. The three women looked into each other, showing anxiousness not understanding why their mother was so sensitive that she went into a coma again. They were puzzled.

Jones or She now roamed around the blank space, filled with whiteness. It shone as if a person had done humongous merits for the whole and the universe was cheering for him. She's upset, exclaiming once every few minutes, why life transformed her into a woman, not to mention having her own children. As a male in the past life, having not even graduated from virginity and straightaway becoming a parent with immense responsibilities, her complexion was hurt and very frightened, imagined as a man's soul, being ridden by so-called her husband, even though she knew not where he went. She fancied ready-mate items, but that didn't apply to her love and marriage.

She cried out in her heart, Please God! Or any divine being, don't make my life harsh. I haven't even enjoyed my past life completely.

Inside this colossal white space universe, she wandered alone floating and flying around like a free bird albeit shackles of the unknown. She sensed a calling, an urgent yet familiar; her heart urged immediate search. Flying toward her summoning, a woman came into view, she wondered her identity. Before she could see her clearly, a voice, which directly pissed me off up to heaven sounded directly in her mind, I'm not you, yet you are me.

Fuck! So, you are the source of everything. Give me back my body or I'll never end with you!