A New Beginning

"He's alive! I did it! I managed to save your boy's life," the midwife exclaimed with triumphant words. The room erupted in a chorus of cheers and tears of joy. People embraced one another and took turns showering the exhausted mother with affection.

Meanwhile, Jet lay limp in the midwife's arms, his eyes darting around as he tried to make sense of his peculiar situation.

"Hmm, what's happening here? The woman on the bed must be this body's mother. She's had quite an ordeal, judging by the state of these sheets. And that teary-eyed man over there, well, he's probably the father. I wonder if he's crying for my sake or simply out of fear of losing his wife. My bet's on the latter. Now, those two little ones rushing in must be my siblings. This just got a whole lot more complicated."

Just then, another woman entered the room, bringing along a young boy and girl who eagerly raced to their mother's side.

"Oh, great. This is even more complicated than I thought. At this rate, I only have two options: Option one, navigate the challenges of growing up in this bustling family, fighting for every available resource. Malnourishment is almost guaranteed. Then, when I'm old enough, join in the family business with my father and siblings, get married, have children, and so on. Option two, bide my time until I'm tall enough to reach sharp objects, put myself out of my misery, and hope for a better roll of the dice next time. I'm leaning toward option number two."

In the room, silence had settled. The midwife had finished cleaning the newborn and swathed him in a fresh cloth. During all this time, Jet remained still, neither moving nor crying.

"Nana, what's wrong with the baby? Why isn't he crying? We've never seen this before!" The mother's concern pushed her to ignore the pain, attempting to rise.

"Hush, child, don't you dare move. I still need to tend to your healing," the midwife admonished sternly. "I've delivered dozens of babies, and while a silent one is rare, it's nothing extraordinary. Do you want to see how strong he is? Watch this!"

With delicate care, she unwrapped the baby from his swaddle and, holding him gently, gave a little pat to encourage a cry.

Jet let out a tiny grunt, gazing at her with dismay.

"Want to play rough, old hag?" he mused. "Alright, you've triggered my trap card! Twin Flood, activate!" And suddenly, he let loose both his bowels and bladder.

A surprise attack from the rear splattered all over her feet, while the front door flood struck her on the face and chest.

Jet started giggling uncontrollably.

"Well, this wasn't quite what I had in mind, but as you can hear for yourself, this little troublemaker is breathing just fine," the midwife declared, passing the baby to another woman for a thorough cleaning.

Jet continued to giggle, thoroughly pleased with his mischief. After washing her face with warm water and a cloth, the old hag traced a circle in the air with her left index finger and then crossed it through the middle from right to left. Then she spoke a single word.

"Ekidu!"

A dark energy materialized on the old midwife's fingertip. She aimed it at her soiled dress and then her shoes. In an instant, the pungent stench of feces and urine vanished, along with their sources.

Jet's jaw dropped in sheer astonishment as he witnessed his bodily excretions transform into dust, almost like a time-lapse video of a seed blossoming into a flower.

"Heisenberg's beard! She's not just an ordinary midwife; she's a bona fide magician, on the spot! I've never been happier to be so utterly wrong in all my three lives!"

Jet's excitement knew no bounds. It wasn't just the fact that magic existed in this world; it was the profound connection he felt when he heard the word "Ekidu."

It was as if something deep inside him had taken root, becoming an integral part of this strange reality. He obsessively repeated the magic word in his mind, etching into his memory every intricate detail of the circular finger movement.

"Now that I'm clean, let me tend to that wound, dear," the healer said as she approached the mother, her hands hovering over the woman's lower region.

"Is it time for more magic? Show me, please!" Jet pleaded inwardly.

Nana extended her fingers wide, then began a graceful circular motion, her arms rising above her head before opening wide and finally joining her hands, palm against backhand, at her navel's height.

"Vinire Lakhat!"

Jet, wrapped up like a baby, tried to mimic every motion, step by step, searing every nuance into his memory, no matter how minute.

A radiant sphere enveloped Derek's mother's lower body, and her complexion quickly shifted from pallid to a rosy hue. All signs of pain and fatigue vanished from her face.

Once again, something clicked deep within Jet. After the dark magic experience, he could unmistakably sense a connection to light magic just by hearing the power word. He couldn't stop grinning.

"If, and I emphasize 'if,' I have enough magical talent, it means there's actually a third option hidden here," he thought. "I could become a magician and finally experience true freedom for the first time in my life. No shackles, no burdens! But let's not get too carried away. With my luck, I could have meager talent or..."

His musings came to an abrupt halt as the woman who had been holding him handed him over to his mother.

"Nana, are you sure he's alright? He hasn't cried yet, and as delightful as his giggles are, he's strangely quiet. Given everything that's happened, I'm really worried that something might be wrong with him."

The once jubilant room suddenly grew somber. Concerned that he might have played a part in this unease and eager to explore the possibilities of option number three, Jet did his best baby impersonation—giggling, smiling, and blowing raspberries.

Nana felt a pang of wounded professional pride, but she had encountered anxious mothers before. She had known Elina since she was a child and had delivered all her babies. Nana couldn't deny that this had been one of the most challenging deliveries of her career.

The labor had stretched on for hours, and she had cast multiple healing spells to staunch the bleeding. When she had finally seen the baby's head, she had known something was amiss.

Elina had been giving her all, but the baby had appeared limp. Acting quickly, Nana had used her hands to hasten the delivery, only to discover that the infant was entangled in his own umbilical cord, choking him.

After delicately cutting and removing the umbilical cord, Nana had tried all her most potent spells, but to her despair, they seemed ineffective. For one agonizing minute, Nana feared that the child was beyond saving.

Then, as if responding to her fervent plea, the healing light finally activated, prompting the baby to expel whatever was obstructing his airway. Only then did Nana allow herself a sigh of relief.

Healing magic, she knew, was no miracle worker. It could amplify a patient's life force, making it easier for them to recover from illness or injury, but it couldn't create life.

Nana, sensing Elina's anxiety more than her need for a magical lecture, decided to reassure her about her child's well-being.

"Don't fret, my dear. I can show you that all is well." She offered a reassuring smile as she gently took Derek from Elina's arms, unveiling him from the cloth as though revealing a precious gem.

With utmost care, Nana nestled Derek into the crook of her left arm and extended her right hand, palm open, encircling it around him. She uttered, "Vinire Rad Tu!"

A delicate wisp of light emanated from her hand, danced gracefully around the baby, and then permeated his chest.

The soft light gradually enveloped him, casting a gentle glow from head to toe.

"See? If there was even a scratch on his body, my injury-detecting spell would leave that area bleak. Your little sun is perfectly fine." Nana's voice brimmed with reassurance.

The energy coursing through Derek's tiny body made him feel invigorated. In his previous life, such empowerment had been rare. It had surged when he earned his degrees, when he finally moved away from his parents' home, and when he stood up to bullies. But these moments were always fleeting, lasting mere seconds at best.

This, however, was different. It wasn't just an adrenaline rush. True magic, authentic power, flowed through every fiber of his being, rendering him nearly invincible.

Reluctantly, as the spell began to fade, Derek pleaded inwardly, "No! Stay with me! Give me back my strength!"

He focused intently on the lingering strands of energy, willing them to remain. While he couldn't cast the spell on his own, he could sense the residual power and began nurturing it with his own resolve.

As a result, Derek's radiant aura didn't diminish; instead, it grew more potent with each passing moment.

Nana was left utterly perplexed. She had never witnessed anything like this before. This was not how her spell was supposed to function.

Derek was determined to hold onto this newfound strength, but a moment later, exhaustion overcame him, and he drifted into slumber, the magical light fading quickly.

Nana gently rewrapped the baby and placed him back into his mother's arms.

"Nana, what was that?" Elina asked in awe.

The aged healer found herself at a loss for words. Numerous explanations crossed her mind, but all of them would necessitate lengthy discussions that would only serve to distress Elina and might even require repeating the mysterious spell.

It had been an exhausting day, and Nana had no desire to prolong it a moment further than necessary. So, she borrowed a line from her favorite childhood fairy tale.

"My dear, I believe the newborn may be blessed by the light. There is no need to worry, only to celebrate."