Where am I? Why are my hands so small? Who are these people, and what do they want? Cedric! Cedric!!!!!! Wait, where is Cedric? He was always by my side and responded immediately to my calls, but where is he now, when I need him the most"
"Looks like he's hungry; how about you feed him something?" a strange, dark-haired man said, looking towards a woman who was lying on the bed beside him.
"Okay, come here, my little baby boy. Mama's going to feed you now. I know you're hungry, right?" The man gently lifted the small, swaddled infant from the cradle—Zarel—and placed him in the woman's arms.
She opened her eyes slowly, exhaustion clear in her expression, but a soft smile formed on her lips as she reached out.
"Okay… come here, my little baby boy. Mama's going to feed you now. I know you're hungry, right?"
Zarel stared up at her in confusion, his mind racing. Why can't I speak? Why can't I move properly? His body felt foreign, weak… helpless.
The woman cradled him close, her warmth soothing yet unfamiliar. "You're such a quiet one today," she whispered lovingly, brushing her lips against his forehead.
Zarel tried to resist, to scream, to move—but his infant body betrayed him. He could only blink, helpless, as the two strangers doted over him.
What is this? he thought. Why am I… a baby?
And then it hit him.
This isn't just a dream.
He'd been reborn.
As he was about to be breastfed Zarel cried even more, trying to uphold his remaining dignity as tears falling from his eyes,
"Wait, wait, take that thing away from my face this instant! I'm the Demon Lord; I'm going to kill you all. Please don't do this to me; please, Cedric, Cedric, save me! Noooooooooooooo!!!" Zarel said, ,
"Why is it so warm and tasty? Why is this body not listening to me? I can't be seen like this; if not, I will forever be a laughing stock!" Zarel said, his lips tightly firm on the nipples, not even taking the time to let go, as he drifted off to sleep.
****
It's been three years now, and I still don't know why I came back. I suspect it has something to do with the voice I heard when I died. Probably that so-called "goddess" everyone worships… That wretched being must've done this. Maybe watching me suffer for 311 years in the Abyss wasn't enough—maybe she wants a front-row seat to my misery all over again.
But whatever her twisted reasons, she's not here now—and for that, I'm grateful.
For the past three years, I've lived a quiet life in a small countryside village. Compared to the endless bloodshed of the Abyss and the deafening cries of war on the battlefield, this place feels like a dream. No screaming souls, no betrayal, no cursed blades—just the wind in the trees, the soft bleating of goats, and the smell of fresh bread in the morning.
It's the paradise I always dreamed of but never believed I deserved.
Also, by the way, I forgot to say, but it's been 1000 years since I was killed by the hero. I don't know why it took so long; it felt like it was just yesterday that I was on the battlefield, fighting against the hero and his party.
Also, guys, I forgot to tell you, but I have a new name: Arin, Arin Vexar, the son of a commoner family in the countryside.
"Arin! Arin! Where are you?"
"I'm coming, Mum!" as he went towards a woman in rough, commoner clothes. One could easily tell she was someone who worked on the fields, a farmer.
"Mum, you were looking for me," Arin said, appearing behind his mum.
"Ahhh... where have you been? I told you to learn the alphabet. We might be a commoner family, but you have to be educated if you want to live a better life."
"But, Mum... I don't want to read. I'm okay like this, and I just want to stay in the countryside and live my life in peace," Arin said, his face looking dull.
"Arin, don't be like that. The city is full of many opportunities. With just a little education, you could potentially become a merchant," Arin's father, Marcos, said, walking in on the mother-son conversation.
"Mum, Dad, let's just forget about this. I promise I will read my books later," Arin said, having a convincing look on his face.
"Promise?" Marcos asked.
"Promise, Dad," Arin said, with a convincingly innocent tone.
"Okay, then, since that's the case, who's up for a grilled rabbit?" Marcos asked, bringing out a rabbit he had hunted that day.
"I am!" the mother-son combo responded in unison.
****
Two years later—today, I finally turned five, and I was finally allowed to accompany my dad to the nearby city to sell some of the remaining harvest from this year's spring.
Even though it was my birthday, nothing particularly eventful happened. I simply woke up, ate, and had dinner with my family. Still, it was one of the best days of my life.
I had started to settle into this peaceful life—one free from heroes, demons, and all the chaos that once defined my existence. Just living quietly for my family and myself… simple and fulfilling.
"Arin, are you ready? As this is your first trip to a city, I hope you're as excited as I am," Marcos said, smiling so much that one could immediately sense how excited he was, as he carried Arin into the carriage with his mom looking at them, waving, and greeting them goodbye.
The journey to the city since a thousand years... what could possibly be different? And what could possibly go wrong?
To be continued...