New Life

Aiden blinked, his vision blurry and unfocused, struggling to process the sensations overwhelming his tiny, fragile body.

He felt warmth— soft and comforting— surrounding him, and something large, no, giant, was holding him.

It took him a moment, but as his sight sharpened, he realized he was staring up at a colossal woman with long, black hair and striking dark purple eyes..

A baby-sized gasp escaped his lips as the realization hit him.

'Wait… Did I just get reincarnated as a baby?!' Aiden asked himself.

His brain scrambled to make sense of his surroundings.

They were in a brightly lit room, sterile and filled with the soft beeps and hums of medical equipment. 'A hospital room' he concluded.

And the woman, who held him close with a smile so tender, could only be his… mother.

'Is she my new mom?' Aiden guessed.

'She's… beautiful,' Aiden thought, observing her long black hair cascading over her shoulders. He took in her delicate features, her smooth skin, and her striking purple eyes.

As he shifted his gaze, a man stood beside her, leaning in close with an affectionate smile.

Unlike the woman, the man was more… ordinary, but still striking in his own way.

He had light grey hair and pale red eyes, his frame solid and well-built, suggesting a life of hard work or training. 

'Is he my new Dad?' Aiden assumed.

'This is wild.' Aiden thought, still trying to process everything.

'I don't know how I should feel about them.'

'I still love my parents from my previous life and they will always be my parents, that'll never change.'

He looked back at his new parents and noticed their soft gaze filled with love.

Aiden sighed, 'For them, I am their son and It won't be fair for them if I disregard that fact.'

'I won't be replacing my parents, but for now, I'll call these two, my parents.'

'It will take time, but I hope I can eventually return that love.'

Just as he was starting to absorb it all, a soft ding echoed in his mind.

*DING*

Startled, Aiden's eyes widened. 'Oh, right. The system, I completely forgot about it.'

Suddenly, a floating screen appeared before him, semi-transparent and emitting a soft blue glow, hanging in the air like something straight out of an RPG game.

'Wait, can they see this?' he panicked, darting a glance back toward his new parents, but they didn't react.

Neither of them seemed to notice the screen hovering in front of their newborn son.

'Whew, Guess I'm the only one who can see it.'

Turning his attention back to the screen, he read the message:

[ Through consistent observations, you have learned the skill <Observe > ]

Aiden's heartbeat quickened, 'I got a skill? Already?!'

Feeling a surge of excitement, he decided to try it out immediately.

His eyes flickered to his mother, who was still smiling down at him. 'Let's see what this Observe skill can do…'

<Observe >

[ Name: Mom? ]

[ Age: Late 20s - Early 30s ]

[ Defining Features: Beautiful, Black Hair, Purple Eyes ]

Aiden stared at the screen, feeling a mix of disbelief and amusement. 

'What the hell is this?' He thought, baffled by the vague details.

'What's up with the uncertain information? I could've figured that out myself just by looking at her!'

But a thought appeared in his mind, curiosity got the better of him, and he shifted his gaze to his father. 'Let's test this theory…'

<Observe >

[ Name: Dad? ]

[ Age: Late 20s - Early 30s ]

[ Defining Features: Average Face, Fit Body, Light Grey Hair, Pale Red Eyes ]

Reading the text, Aiden confirmed his theory, 'Yup, just as I thought.'

'It only shows information I already know.' He sighed internally but then perked up again.

'But wait… does that mean it'll update as I learn more?'

Aiden's mind raced with possibilities, 'If it keeps track of stuff I've forgotten, this could actually be useful! I could use it to remember names, faces, anything!'

His thoughts tumbled forward, imagining all the potential. 'If I play this right, I could be an amazing detective or something!'

*DING*

[ Through consistent use logical reasoning, you have gained 1 INT ]

Aiden froze as the notification appeared, 'Wait… I can gain intelligence points just by thinking logically?'

A smile tugged at his tiny lips as excitement built inside him.

'This really does remind me of the gamer manhwa and all the other gamer fanfics I've read.'

'If I keep analyzing things and using my brain, I'll become a genius in no time!'

His excitement skyrocketed. 'This is going to be fun.'.

He was entirely lost in the excitement.

But then, something unexpected happened.

A small figure appeared next to him, someone he hadn't noticed until now.

Startled, Aiden quickly turned his head to see a toddler— probably around two or three years old— peering curiously at him.

'What the hell?' He hadn't noticed the kid's presence at all.

'How did I not notice a whole other person in the room?!'

The child was adorable, with black hair and the same purple eyes as their mother.

'This must be my older brother?' Aiden guessed.

Out of sheer curiosity, he used his skill again.

<Observe >

[ Name: Older Brother? ]

[ Age: 2-3 ]

[ Defining Features: Cute, Black Hair, Purple Eyes ]

'Yup, sounds about right.' Aiden thought with a mental shrug.

'I had siblings in my previous life, but I've always been the oldest. Being the younger one for once might be fun.' he smiled at the thought.

He was starting to feel excited about this new life, about everything he could learn and do.

But then, something threw him off.

His brother said something, and their parents replied, voices warm and full of love, but…

'Shit. I can't understand a word they're saying.'

It dawned on him like a cold bucket of water. 'I don't know Japanese.'

'Fuck! I have to learn a whole new language from scratch.'

Aiden groaned internally, the weight of that realization sinking in.

His excitement dimmed just a little as the overwhelming task of babyhood and learning a new language settled on his tiny shoulders.

Lying snug in his mother's arms, Aiden decided to focus on his new family.

He could hear the murmur of voices from his family, their words flowing over him like a soothing river.

Yet, despite listening intently, he couldn't make out anything recognizable.

But just as he was about to fully concentrate, a soft ding echoed his mind, and a familiar translucent screen appeared before him.

*DING*

<[ New Quest Generated ]>

[ Quest: Language Comprehension ]

[ Objective: Obtain the Language Comprehension Skill ]

[ Reward: Linguistic Talent ]

[ Penalty: None ]

[ Time Limit: Must be completed as a newborn ]

< Accept > < Decline>

Aiden stared at the screen for a moment, taking it all in.

'A language comprehension skill? And a talent too? This is perfect and there is no penalty for failing, so why not.'

Aiden accepted it, feeling a rush of determination settle over him. 'I've got this. I'm going to nail this quest, no problem.'

He turned his attention back to his new family, his ears straining to pick up any recognizable words.

His father said something soft to his mother.

Their tones were gentle, affectionate, but Aiden couldn't make out a single word. Not one.

His brows furrowed in concentration. 'C'mon, I've got to know some of this!'

For the next hour, he tried again and again to catch familiar phrases, clinging to any hope that his memory of anime dialogue would come through for him.

But it was no use. The words blurred together, sounding foreign and unintelligible.

'Seriously? Not even a single phrase?' Aiden's frustration grew, but his determination never wavered.

'It's fine, I'll keep at it.' he reassured himself. 

'The system's gotta give me that skill eventually, right?' He convinced himself.

The voices continued, and Aiden tried harder, focusing on every syllable.

As if answering his prayer, a soft chime echoed in his mind, and a notification flashed before his eyes.

*DING*

[ Due to persisting in your unwise actions after an hour of failed attempts, you have lost 1 WIS. ]

Aiden stared blankly at the screen.

For a moment, he was utterly speechless. The only coherent thought in his mind was, 'Fuck.'

It was as if the universe itself had splashed cold water over his hopes, then slapped him in the face for good measure.

He let out a mental sigh, staring up at the ceiling from his mother's arms. 'Seriously? How can I lose wisdom for trying to learn a language?'

He couldn't believe it. 'Don't you get skills through continuous actions?' he thought, his frustration bubbling up again.

'I continuously listened and tried to understand Japanese. Why did this not only fail, but also backfire?'

Aiden groaned internally, feeling a mix of disbelief and embarrassment.

'Was it all just a waste of time?' Aiden wondered, feeling a wave of frustration, but then he paused.

'Wait, no. It wasn't completely useless.'

Aiden's thoughts rewound through the past hour, focusing on a word he'd heard repeated several times.

Especially when his parents and brother looked at him. 'Kai… They kept saying Kai when they were looking at me.'

'Is Kai my new name? Of course, I'll get a new name. Why did I assume they'll call me by the same name?'

'Kai…' Aiden smiled a little at the thought.

'I like it. It's simple, but has a nice ring to it.'

Still, he wasn't completely sure yet.

There was always the chance it was just a word they used for something else.

As he mulled it over, another chime echoed in his mind, pulling his attention back to the system screen.

*DING*

<[ New Quest Generated ]>

[ Quest: New Name? ]

[ Objective: Confirm if "Kai" is your new name. ]

[ Reward: +1 Stat Point ]

[ Penalty: None ]

[ Time Limit: Must be completed before gaining the language comprehension skill. ]

< Accept > < Decline>

Aiden couldn't help but grin a little.

'Well, if I can't get the language down just yet, at least I can solve this mystery.'

He quickly accepted it. 'Now, he just had to confirm if Kai was really his new name.'

'But how?' he wondered.

He laid there, thinking for a moment, his newborn mind working overtime.

Finally, an idea sparked.

'What if I just ignore them when they look at me. If they're really calling me Kai to get my attention, they'll say it again, right?'

Determined to test his theory, Aiden waited for the next time someone addressed him.

When his mother leaned over with a soft smile, saying something in Japanese.

He deliberately didn't react, keeping his tiny gaze focused at the ceiling.

Sure enough, a moment later, she gently called, "Kai."

'There it is again!' Kai resisted the urge to react too quickly, waiting for the third confirmation.

His father chimed in this time, looking at him with a slight chuckle, and once again, "Kai" was spoken.

It was too consistent to be a coincidence, 'That seals it.'

As if responding to his realization, the system screen flickered to life once more:

*DING*

<[ Quest Completed ]>

[ Quest: New Name? ]

[ Objective: Confirm your new name. ]

[ Reward: +1 Stat Point ]

[ Bonus: +1 INT; Due to using your intellect to complete the quest at the same hour it was created ]

Aiden- No, Kai smiled internally as he stared at the screen from completing the quest and getting a bonus reward.

'Guess that confirms it. I'm Kai now.'

He took a moment to savor his small victory, feeling a sense of satisfaction from completing the quest.

'I may not have cracked the language yet, but I will eventually. And in the meantime, at least I've got my new name down.'

Lying there in his mother's arms, Kai allowed himself to relax, his mind buzzing with possibilities for what would come next.