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Rinn was fed up with life.
Especially this second life.
He hadn't asked for it, so why the hell did he have to be reborn again?
He lay there for several minutes, staring at the dull ceiling that only seemed to worsen his headache — even though he didn't actually have a headache, the faded gray color somehow hurt his eyes and gave off that effect, as if mocking him.
When he got tired of looking at that crap — and because there wasn't really anything else to look at — he decided, against his own will, to accept what was happening.
He forced himself to sit up, leaning against the bars of the crib, and began organizing his thoughts.
He went through everything in chronological order in his mind, from the moment he died in his old world to his new birth.
He grabbed his head with both hands and tried to push the pain away and focus on what really mattered — the previous events, when he was with Sarah and his father.
But for some reason, Sarah was no longer there.
In the end, he didn't know a damn thing.
At that moment, he was simply useless.
Was he still on Earth?
But how the hell could he explain that weird place where he and Sarah had been while running away? It looked like… in the best and still illogical guess, a spaceship or something resembling one.
Rinn sighed, annoyed.
What a pain.
It was pretty clear something was wrong.
Another thing bothering him was his heart beating way too hard — and it wasn't because of his thoughts or anger.
It was that same feeling he'd had before, as if he were connected to something far away, like an invisible thread tying him to something beyond.
He closed his eyes, trying to find that thread. And every time he focused on it, his anxiety eased, and his heartbeat slowed.
Crack!
Before he could understand that connection better, a strange sound echoed from outside the door.
He immediately turned his head, focusing on the noise.
The door was still there, intact. But, a second later, it simply rose, sliding up like an automatic entrance.
Just that detail caught him off guard.
However, what really confused him were the two women standing just a few meters away as the door opened. They were motionless, their eyes seemingly scanning every inch of his body from a distance.
There was a figure in the middle of them — a figure made of metals and strange gray materials, but with a green marking in the center and two antennas moving on its head. The closest thing Rinn could describe it as was a robot.
Although its shape was peculiarly strange, its belly was round, floating near the two women, and moving in sync with their steps.
Both women were dressed in dark navy blue military uniforms, with golden metallic details on their shoulder pads and cuffs. A leather belt with a large buckle marked their waists, and knee-high boots completed their attire.
They looked like high-ranking officers.
— Jaisele! Jaisele! Isn't it him?
The blonde woman with completely dark eyes, purple skin, and an excited smile called out, looking at her companion next to her.
Jaisele, however, only furrowed her brow in response and answered coldly:
— How dare you shout, Layne? Shut up. Do you want to wake everyone else up too?
The impatience in her voice was evident.
Rinn quickly realized that Jaisele not only had an authoritative tone but was also incredibly beautiful.
She couldn't have been more than thirty, with long black hair carefully pulled back, leaving a delicate fringe over her forehead. Her eyes, equally dark, held a sharp gleam. But what really stood out was her cold expression, flawless, without cracks.
On the other hand, the woman beside her, Layne, had completely dark purple skin, with fully black eyes — something truly peculiar, and maybe it was just...
A cosplay, or something like that?
Rinn couldn't answer.
Layne shuddered when she noticed her companion's sour mood.
— Who would have thought it was this kid.
Jaisele's voice sounded icy as she stared at Rinn.
He felt a shiver running down his spine.
Those eyes… they weren't just cold.
It was more than just disdain.
They carried some kind of anger or sadness, something strange compared to everything he'd ever seen — not even the assassins from Rinn's past life had this kind of look and expression.
While she stayed silent, staring at Rinn from a distance with her arms crossed, her companion let out a sigh and opened her mouth to ask:
— Doesn't this seem strange to you? The recruitment deadline ended months ago. There are no exceptions, so how did this baby end up here? Is he the child of a noble or someone influential?
At that moment, Layne pressed a button on the side of the floating robot that accompanied them. The machine's metallic plates automatically opened, revealing an interior filled with wires and complex mechanisms. Right in the center was a transparent compartment containing a thick white liquid inside a small bottle.
— You might be right. Especially considering it was the director himself who placed this child here out of nowhere.
Layne smiled at Jaisele's response, but her satisfied expression didn't last long.
— However, don't be insubordinate. Be more careful with what you say, the walls have ears. Don't you remember what happened to the last caretaker who dared to talk too much?
Layne's smile disappeared instantly.
Her face paled as dark memories resurfaced. Months ago, a woman responsible for looking after the recruits was executed before their eyes for a single mistake.
She shuddered from head to toe. There was no doubt that Jaisele was merely reaffirming a rule, showing no hint of concern.
— Give me that.
Without delay, Jaisele stepped forward and snatched the bottle from Layne's hands, staring at her with the same cold and uninterested look. Layne wouldn't have been able to feed the child while trembling like that, and, in the worst case, would have only made a mess.
Here, the rules were simple: failure meant punishment. Punishment led to infractions. Infractions led to expulsion. And expulsion… well, everyone knew what happened after that — even if messing up a simple baby's outfit was a minor mistake, that slip, in the eyes of anyone watching, could be considered, at worst, execution.
Jaisele approached Rinn without hesitation, taking him in her arms with her usual coldness. Without wasting time, she pressed the bottle to his lips, forcing him to drink.
Rinn didn't want to swallow that thick liquid, but he knew that, for now, he had to stay alive — and if that meant enduring this treatment, so be it. Especially when he could absorb information just by listening to the gossip from the two of them.
— What a strange baby.
Jaisele's comment came with disdain, and the vein in Rinn's forehead pulsed with irritation. He might be a baby now, but he still had his pride.
— He really is a bit weird… But look at this, the few strands of his hair have two colors. One part is black, and the other is turning white. Why?
Leaning against the wall, Layne watched her companion feed him with almost professional calm, avoiding any mistake that could cause choking or unnecessary mess.
— Hmm…
Jaisele tilted her head, analyzing more closely. Her sharp eyes fixed on the bluish color of Rinn's eyes, which had an almost hypnotic gleam.
— There are certainly things we don't know. But we can't rule out any possibility. It could just be a side effect of magic.
Magic?
Hearing that, Rinn choked and spat some of the milk out immediately.
— Uhhg!!!
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