Born in Blood

'It's dark.'

Darius felt weightless, like air.

His body was devoid of feelings, and his thoughts seemed slow and dull.

All the while, his senses were muted.

'...Didn't I just kill myself? Why can I still think?'

Darius grew more confused the more he thought about his situation.

However, he had heavy drowsiness looming over his consciousness, forcing him to sleep.

Slowly, time started to blur.

Darius had no clue how long had passed, but he always drifted between a state of semi-awareness.

Over time, his feelings had returned, giving him a weak sense of touch.

At the same time, he realized that he still had limbs, as he could kick and punch, albeit slowly and weakly.

Soon, something started to press rhythmically against his body.

At the same time, a dim light appeared opposite him.

'Wha–?!'

A firm grip seized his legs and yanked him towards the light.

The brightness temporarily blinded him, and a moment later, his vision and hearing returned and adjusted.

The first thing he saw was an old woman's face with a particularly long nose.

From Darius' perspective, the woman was a giant!

Her wrinkled face expressed indifference, while her giant hands wrapped around his tiny waist held him still.

'No... she's not a giant.' Darius realized, then creaked his neck to look below.

He had become a baby, a warm air wafting over his buttcheeks as his wet body was completely naked.

'I've been reborn.'

With that shocking realization, he instantly started to look around and inspect his surroundings.

He was in a simple wooden shack, devoid of any luxury.

Tools like rakes and straw brooms were huddled in the corner, indicating a medieval age, while moonlight entered through a glass window towards the furthest wall.

'Is this still earth? Have I gone back in time?'

Bright candles illuminated the space, casting an orange hue over the room.

Besides that, an oval-faced young lady rested on a bed to Darius' right, panting heavily with a pained expression.

Her plain dress was drenched with warm sweat. Silky brown hair fell over her shoulders, and her irises were hazel.

'That should be my mother.'

The old woman's gaze fell on the member between Darius' nether regions.

"It's a boy, Eve." She uttered, before handing him to the young lady. "I don't know why he didn't cry, though."

Darius couldn't understand her tongue, nor link it to any language on earth.

'Maybe this is another world...'

Eve's panting had calmed down at that point, allowing her to gaze at his features.

Her lips curved upwards to form a loving smile, yet warm tears streamed down her pale face.

'Why is she the one crying?'

A moment later, she wiped her tears away and kissed Darius on his forehead, speaking what seemed like words of warmth.

"I'll call you... Liam. May you grow strong-willed, just like your name." She uttered, before unfurling her dress and forcing 'Liam' to swallow mouthfuls of breast milk.

Liam didn't understand a word she said, reluctantly drinking his fill to satiate the void in his stomach.

'Judging by the tattered rags these people wear, I don't suppose we're rich. If this really is medieval earth, I won't make it past a few winters.'

He didn't fail to notice the lack of a father figure either, or any other figure for that matter.

'I guess there's a silver lining, but this works against me too.'

After an hour's rest, Eve finished breastfeeding and cleaned herself, before wrapping Liam in a tight cloth and leaving-- ignoring the pain assaulting her body.

As they left the shack, Liam's expression turned sour.

A damp, putrid smell entered his tiny nose while his disappointed eyes reflected a destitute scene.

The dirt roads were lit by tall posts with dim lamplights at the top.

Small favelas made from clay and wood were built on the sides, and the streets bustled with penurious peasants.

They wore plain tattered rags and bore skinny features. Although the townsfolk were visibly poor, they didn't have an empty look on their face.

Unlike Liam, of course.

'Did I really have to be reborn here, of all places? As if my luck wasn't already horrible.'

As Eve continued to walk, more of the town revealed itself.

Like any society, Liam spotted plenty of businesses the fortunate owned. The most common & popular of which were bars and brothels.

Now and again, flush-faced drunkards could be seen tripped over themselves and loudly guffawing.

Liam couldn't find any differences from his first life.

In truth, there was a part of him that wished for a fantastical world, yet his present circumstances were far worse than before.

'Maybe it's not too late to kill myself. If I reincarnate again, technically It'll be reroll.' Liam thought with a bitter snort.

Suddenly, the night sky rumbled.

The surrounding townsfolk raised their brows in confusion, a slight fear growing in their expression.

Liam himself felt Eve's hands tremble as she held him.

'What is happeni--'

Over the horizon, where the houses and shops didn't block the view, a large shadow grew larger amidst the gray clouds.

Bright flares of orange accompanied the huge figure, which caused flickers of light to illuminate the heavens.

The rumbling sounds grew louder too, shaking the air.

The surrounding townsfolk instantly started to run for shelter, screams of pure fear echoing throughout the region.

Eve clutched Liam tighter as she ran through the hectic crowd, holding him over her shoulder.

Liam's awed eyes reflected the giant figure as it burst through the clouds, flying over them like a plane.

It was a dragon!

Eve was forced to crouch, yet Liam still had a clear view of the sky.

The giant beast was covered with sharp crimson scales, each one the size of a riot shield. Its massive wings stretched out on either side of its body, casting a shadow that darkened the surrounding landscape even more.

Its reptilian eyes-- glowing like molten gold-- surveyed its surroundings with a prideful gaze, as though the sky was its domain.

Although it was a long distance away, its mighty wings sent powerful gales of wind over the town.

Liam watched as it flew past, growing distant by the second.

The scene didn't end there.

From a far distance, a blazing figure rapidly shot towards the dragon, leaving behind a trail of smoke and flames.

It appeared as though a meteorite had shot from earth towards the sky. More precisely, towards the dragon.

Upon a closer look, Liam realized the tiny dot was a human!

The beast bellowed, its roar shaking the sky and earth alike, while its blinding flames were directed towards the human.

Eve didn't waste a second and began to run, but Liam's awed eyes were fixed to the distant sky.

The blazing figure flew past the flurry of fire and collided with the dragon's stomach.

BOOM!

One after the other, bright and deafening explosions caused the night to appear like day, while its vibrative shockwaves echoed through the air.

The clash was short lived.

Liam witnessed the dragon's distant figure going limp, falling towards the earth. Yet before it did so, the human held it by its tail, slowly bringing it back to the ground.

Eve's ears bled and her body ached horribly, but she finally entered her lodge and slammed the door shut.

Panting heavily, she shifted her anxious gaze to her baby, who hadn't made a single noise from the beginning, except an inaudible giggle now and again.

Eve sucked in a cold breath as she saw her son's expression.

Streams of warm tears ran down Liam's face, all the while, he grinned maniacally with a toothless mouth.