"Reincarnation? Seriously? Is that even possible?!"
I wanted to scream, but all that came out was a pathetic baby cry.
So wait... am I dead? Like, actually dead in my original world?
I thought maybe I had merged with some alternate version of myself and become some all-powerful divine being or something. You know, the whole "Almighty God" package—glowing aura, booming voice, control over time and space?
Nope.
Turns out, I got reincarnated. As a baby.
A real, squishy, freshly-smacked-on-the-butt-by-a-stranger baby.
Yes, that's how this new journey began—screaming my lungs out while a complete stranger in scrubs gave me my first spanking like I owed her money.
"Congratulations!" the doctor announced, turning around with a wide grin. "Sylvia, it's a boy!"
I was gently handed over to a woman—no, the woman. She was stunning. Long golden hair that shimmered like sunlight, eyes as radiant as twin suns, and skin so smooth and pale it made ivory look like dirty laundry. Honestly, she looked like a goddess who had just descended from a divine Pinterest board.
Sylvia took me in her arms with the confidence of someone who'd read every parenting book and still had time to critique them. She narrowed her golden eyes at the doctor.
"I know he's a boy, Martha. I was there for the entire nine months, remember?"
The doctor—Martha—just shrugged. "Hey, protocol. Also, you'd be surprised how many people push out a gremlin and expect a unicorn."
Sylvia rolled her eyes and cradled me tighter. Her touch was warm and... familiar. Too familiar.
And then it hit me like a truck.
Her face.
She was the sorrowful woman from my dreams. The one I saw countless times in my past life, weeping under that ethereal tree of light. I used to call her "Mother" in those dreams, even though I never truly knew her. And now...
Now, she really was my mother.
My tiny, newborn heart nearly stopped. I would've fainted, but I was pretty sure my neck couldn't support the drama yet.
Before I could process this cosmic plot twist, Martha stepped forward, her smile fading into a grim line.
"Sylvia... you don't have much time left. Your life force—it's fading fast."
Wait.
WHAT?
Sylvia looked down at me, her expression soft but resolute. "I know," she whispered, brushing a strand of golden hair from her face. "But I had to meet him. Just once. To hold him... to hold Ruh-Ul-Arsh."
Wait… WHAT?!
My name is still Ruh-Ul-Arsh?!
They didn't even change it? No cool new fantasy name like Azran the Flameborn or something? Just... Arsh. Again. Like some cosmic intern copy-pasted my resume into a new life and forgot to hit "randomize."
I died, got reincarnated, spanked by a stranger, and now my beautiful dream-mom is about to die... all before I even get a diaper change.
Reincarnation is WILD.
Sylvia clutched me tighter, her body trembling. "Martha… how much time do I have?"
Martha's eyes dropped, her voice soft as falling snow. "About twelve hours."
Sylvia gasped, her composure cracking. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she pressed her forehead against mine, her sobs muffled against my squishy baby face.
"I'm sorry, my little star," she whispered, voice breaking. "I wanted to stay longer. I wanted to watch you grow."
Then, with trembling hands, she pulled out a delicate pendant—an elegant crystal encased in silver, glowing faintly—and fastened it around my neck.
"This will protect you," she said, her hands lingering on the charm. "That's all I can give you now."
She turned to Martha, her voice shaking but firm. "Call him. Call Marshal."
Martha raised an eyebrow. "The Marshal? Are you sure? You know what that could mean."
Sylvia nodded, her golden eyes blazing with resolve even through the tears. "He's the only one I trust to protect my son."
My son?! Lady, I'm still mentally thirty and recovering from spiritual whiplash!
But no one cared about the reincarnated baby's opinion. I just lay there, pendant glowing against my chest, trying not to cry again because let's be honest—this was a lot.
And thus began my new life. Screaming, crying, cursed with the same name, and already part of some dramatic, possibly world-ending prophecy.
Fantastic