The End After the Beginning

"That's a nice name, Ms. Circe," Eli said from behind her.

"It sounds good. Gale… little Gale." Edek cherished it, as did everyone.

"My dear Gale, grow up to be a bright young man. Enchant!" She kissed me on the forehead.

I felt a warm sensation. It felt like my body was filled with some unknown energy as my spine ached a little. It was strange—indescribable. What was that?

"Circe, what did you do?" Hilda asked, surprised. Yeah, I want to know too.

"That's fi-fifth circle, isn't it?" Eli was surprised, too. What is a fifth circle?

"It's my vow to my little one." She said this while pinching my nose. Damn! It's already hard enough to breathe, and when you do it like that, "Achoo!"

"""How cute~""" Everyone exclaimed.

She pinched my cheeks this time. I now know why babies hate adults. What's cute for them is a nuisance for us.

I think this is a good start. I am learning new things already.

"Mam…" the young girl called out. "Why isn't the baby crying?" It was a thoughtful question. I must be crying or asleep by now. That's what babies do. But here I am with my twinkling eyes fluttering.

"What happened, Lady Hilda? Is my baby all right?" Circe looked concerned. Please, don't be. I am fine.

"Gale…" Edek had a worried look in his eyes, too.

"He looks healthy, though…" Hilda came to me and started examining me with her hand.

I told you I was fine.

"Circe, give him to me once." I was handed over to Hilda. What was she going to do? I was curious.

"When a baby doesn't show any movement or cry after their birth, we need to do this." But I had already cried.

She held my legs with her palm. They were so tiny. It was amusing to see my grown body turn into a baby.

"Bam!" The sound came after the pain.

"Bam!" Another slap on my butt sent the pain signals straight to my brain.

Wh-What is this woman doing? Damn! I said I already cried, you thuggish woman! Can't you see I'm still alive and well? I screamed internally.

"Bam!" Another slap. I-I thought you were a doctor. Are you trying to kill an innocent baby or what? She was hitting me like I was some musical instrument.

"It should work though..." It is working, alright! I'm telling you, it's working! It's painful, goddammit!

The tears of an adult in a child's body came streaming down my cheeks.

"See, I told you it works. He is a healthy kid, I'm telling you." She handed me over to Circe once again.

I was saying the same damn thing myself, woman! However, the words of a newborn child are like a broken machine nearing retirement. This instrument, called 'me', could only produce unpleasant screaming sounds. But everyone was satisfied with that.

To escape the situation, I closed my eyes to sleep. "Crack!" The sound of thunder was now bearable.

"I should have fed the cattle."

"It's too late now, dear. The rain will stop in the morning, then you can do that."

"Listen to your wife, Edek. Stay by her side for the next few days, and why don't we have a drink on this occasion? You are not so cheap to not even treat me, are you?" I could hear their voices. And I became accustomed to their tones so I could discern who was speaking even with my eyes closed.

"H-How could I do such a thing in front of Gale, Lady Hilda?" You can Edek. A man should never abstain from alcohol.

"Tch! You're already making excuses for your child? Just agree that you are not a drinker, will you? You can't even hold your alcohol, unlike a tender woman like me?" More like a demon, woman. Poor Edek.

"Th-That's not—" I can already imagine his sweating face.

"Gale is asleep, dear. You don't have to worry about drinking with Lady Hilda." What a supportive wife.

"That's my girl! Now, Edek, have a seat here. Eli, bring the wine from the kitchen drawer!" How does she know where the wine is in my house? But Edek can't escape this situation, can he?

"Yes, Madam~" Let me sleep already, people!

"Clink!" The sound of the glass and the fermented smell of wine tickled my nose.

"Are you going back to town tomorrow?" Hilda asked.

"Yeah, I need to sell the crop and buy some things for the metalwork."

"The market is running wild, isn't it? I heard it's because of those people."

"You mean the people that came from the kingdom of Windrium? Yeah, there are too many of them. Most of them are doing odd jobs to get shelter and food. I had hoped our business would run smoothly, but it is becoming more of a hassle to handle lately."

"Isn't our government doing anything to manage? I don't know why even the king is not responding. If the influx of war refugees increases, then it will become a bother to the people in our kingdom. Wouldn't it damage Icemere's economy if it continues?"

"More like it already has. And don't call them refugees, Lady Hilda. The war hasn't even started yet. If it had, they would have become prisoners by now. They are more like immigrants in the eyes of the government. They are suffering too, losing their homes just to struggle on the streets, but they need to take care of themselves. And maybe... the king is thinking of a strategy, scheming behind our backs?"

"Scheming my ass! Everyone called him the wise one, but he is ignoring the country he is ruling for the pleasure of the ladies. There was once talk that he even assassinated the previous king, his father. I don't believe that bastard at all!"

"Now, now, calm down, lady Hilda. You know you can't go around saying those things in public. And Eli is watching too." Does she even dare to say it outside? And you, woman, don't spoil the girl.

"Eli, are you listening to us?" Hilda called out to her.

"No, madam Hilda~" Eli replied.

"See, she isn't even listening." Am I dumb, or is she high on alcohol?

"Ahem!"

"And Edek, you are as naïve as ever. I see why Circe has married you, even going so far as to discard her status. You are a humble guy." I could almost feel their glances towards Circe.

"We indeed love each other, but sometimes I still think about what her life would have been if she had made a different choice that day. I feel guilty sometimes." Circe's grip on me tightened.

"You, mister, don't be. We all know how much you love each other. If she really would have made a different choice that day, maybe she would have had everything at her disposal, but she wouldn't have been happy. That's something I can guarantee."

"I... truly hope so." It sounds like some dramatic love story.

"Here, have another glass. I want you to forget all your worries and just focus on being happy, hic!"

"Let's stop drinking for now, shall we? You are at your limit."

"Who said I was at my limit? Hic!"

"Eli, take Lady Hilda to the room!"

"I can't hear you, Mr. Edek~" Eli is so pure.

"I don't want to. Let's hic! Have another one, hic! Eli, bring another bottle, hic!" She was bluffing when she was teasing Edek, huh?

"Eli, take her to the room upstairs. And I won't complain about you to Lady Hilda."

"All right, Mr. Edek~" This girl...

"Thud!" "So-Sorry Madam!" I heard another few sounds while Eli went to take Hilda to the room upstairs. It's going to be pretty painful when she wakes up. I smiled inside at the karma she received for slapping my butt.

"Maybe I should have carried her myself." Edek regretted the choice he made as he sat beside Circe on the bed.

"Is our little Gale sleeping?" He asked as he took me into his hands.

I opened my eyes as if I had just woken up from all the sleep. I could become a great actor with these skills.

"Dear, see, you woke him up." Circe pouted at Edek.

"Sorry, honey, I didn't mean to. I just want to look at our son a bit more."

"Isn't our son just like you? So handsome." Circe commented.

"It's been a while since you called me handsome, honey."

"I am talking about our son, dear." She took me into her hands again.

"Am I not handsome then?"

"Hahaha, just stop teasing me already." Her cheeks were flushed red. They were acting cosily because no one was looking at them.

Two faces of happiness dawned on me. I didn't know how to react, so I just smiled. As they looked at me with love and happiness, I could only bluntly smile at them. I closed my eyes to go to sleep again. My body felt weak, even tired. How could a newborn child have fatigue, I wonder?

"Gawh!"

A chilling sound woke me up. Edek's joyful expression was contorted. The face of Circe beside him was filled with shock. I didn't get what was happening. Not until something blurted out of my father's mouth and covered my face. It was blood; I was sure of it. It masked my eyes, making me close them. As soon as I opened them to take another look, I found something piercing my father's skull, and I could feel my mother's hands trembling beneath me.

It was a spear that pierced his skull. There was no sound of it piercing him. It took a second for me to process the situation before me. But it was too late. As Circe looked in the direction the spear came from, she was shot with a similar metal object, piercing her straight through the heart.

Her white clothes became tainted with red as the blood gushed out. She spurted out blood from her mouth. She looked at me with eyes of disbelief.

With little time, the shouts of people came from the outside. I looked in that direction only to find two clean holes in the wooden door.

"Snap!" It was broken the next second, with multiple figures dressed in dark cloaks entering the house.

The only thought that crossed my mind in the chaos is—Am I going to die?