Prologue

|Gary|

It was a peculiar feeling that defied description, but if one were to press a gun to my forehead and force me to choose a word, "calm" would be my answer.

My body floated in a vast abyss of darkness, all alone. The darkness had a soothing effect on my frayed nerves, a sensation I hadn't experienced since the war against the demons began.

Darkness typically evoked fear, with negative connotations since the dawn of humanity. Perhaps some primal instinct to tremble in the darkness. But this darkness was different. It was plain and calming, and my thoughts blended in as I pushed my painful memories away, hoping never to relive them.

'Is this the afterlife?' I wondered, remembering my death. 'And if so, where am I? Is this some sort of void that all souls pass through?'

But it couldn't have been a void. The space was confined, and I could sense the passage of time.

Suddenly, a bright light pierced the darkness like a hot knife slicing through butter. I felt my numb body jerk forward, as if something were pushing me out. My sensory organs became acutely sensitive, taking in all the information around me with such velocity that I was momentarily stunned.

Moans and cries of pain from a woman interrupted my thoughts. 'Where am I?' I wondered.

As I opened my eyes, a plethora of colors flooded my vision, and the bright light gradually receded. My pupils dilated and contracted, struggling to adjust to the new sight. My gaze settled on a bespectacled man who wore a look of excitement on his face.

He scanned my body with his eyes before proclaiming, "Congratulations, ma'am, it's a healthy baby boy."

'I've been reincarnated as a baby,' I thought dispassionately, coming to terms with my new reality.

I tried to move my arms, but they only flailed helplessly, highlighting the lack of motor control in a baby's body.

"Doctor, may I hold my child now?" a female voice inquired. The doctor nodded, then carried me to my new mother.

As she hugged me, I saw my mother's face up close for the first time. Her features were delicately chiseled, reminiscent of a pristine doll, with just the right amount of fat on her cheeks to make her look cute. Silver hair, unlike any I had ever seen, flowed past her shoulders. Her blue eyes, which would have ordinarily been simply beautiful, filled me with a strange sense of excitement.

'Is this what maternal love feels like?' I pondered, observing her as she gazed at me with affection.

Suddenly, the door opened, and a tall man strode in. He possessed a handsome face with a chiseled jawline and flawless skin. He wore an expensive, high-quality coat that draped over his lean yet muscular physique.

The man glanced at me and my mother before stating, "It's good to see that the heir to the Whiteborn family has been delivered safely."

With that, he turned and left the room, paying no heed to his wife or child.

It was then that I realized I could effortlessly comprehend the language of this world. It shouldn't have been possible, given that the lip movements indicated it was not a language I knew.

Using all my strength, I moved my body around to scan the room. The room was lavishly appointed, yet the objects were not technologically advanced.

'A medieval noble household?' I surmised.

As drowsiness overtook me, I fell asleep in my mother's arms.

______________________________________________

Several months had passed since my birth, but I found myself lacking in emotions. I had a theory that Monarch's Indifference, a characteristic from my previous life, had somehow melded into my brain, causing my cold outlook to be switched on at all times. My father rarely visited me, while my mother spent almost all her waking hours with me. Their contrast was both strange and amusing.

My mother was concerned about my lack of emotions, but she thought I had inherited them from my father. Despite my cold demeanor, I learned a great deal about this world from overhearing the maids' conversations. They didn't put much filter on their words in front of a newborn, after all. They would never have imagined that the heir to the Whiteborn family had reincarnated from another universe.

My father was a powerful man at the mid-silver stage and the head of the most influential noble family in the kingdom. My mother was also a gifted conjurer who married my father for political reasons. As a result, there wasn't much love between them.

As my muscles developed, I learned how to crawl, which allowed me to move around and see myself for the first time. Sitting in front of the mirror in my room, I gazed at my reflection while ignoring the giggles and whispers from my mother and the maids.

I had sparkling grey hair, a mix of my father's jet black hair and my mother's platinum silver hair. My exotic purple eyes were likely the result of the red and blue eyes of my parents, and I possessed strong facial features for a baby. It seemed that I was going to be quite a looker in the future.

My name is Gary Whiteborn, and I've embarked on my second journey, this time in a new world.