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— Senator, I saved your baby. Now, it would be right to get my reward, understand?
After the old man with staff in hand, a rough appearance and a long beard said these words, the room fell silent for a few seconds.
All that could be heard were the people around crying and the sound of women hugging each other nearby. Everyone's focus was diverted from the blood on the bed, which dripped between the covers, soaked the sheets and formed a puddle on the floor.
In that chaotic moment, the baby's consciousness began to tremble. Wyn heard distant voices confused in an aggressive dialog as he opened his eyes for the first time.
As soon as he woke up, all he could feel was extreme cold, as if he had been thrown from a quiet, warm region he should never have left — into an area unfit for survival.
He didn't have time to comprehend anything, only to struggle and squirm in panic as a whirlwind of feelings and memories from his past life persistently invaded him.
The disconcerting sensation of feeling like he was being strangled by his own oxygen, while unconsciously trying to breathe and avoid the danger of the atmosphere.
He could feel his heart beating uncontrollably.
It was as if the cold and fire were slowly becoming stronger and stronger inside his tiny body.
At that moment he was just a newborn baby getting fresh air outside his dead mother's womb.
Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.
What is this?
His vision was completely blurred as he tried to determine how bad his current situation was.
He tried to keep his thinking rational, even though his body was screaming in pain and anguish at the pressure of the atmosphere around him.
Most of all, he could only sob and cry over and over again, as if his own body was activating its natural defenses.
— Take the money, but you won't get the full amount. You failed to save them both, such is your incompetence.
The man next to the bed commented at that moment, looking at the old man in a wave of frustration and anger, and moments later, he opened his mouth again:
— Get out of here, immediately.
In short, Wyn didn't understand what was going on around him, or what the central point of the conversation was. Everything else seemed like tiny noises compared to the pain and the intoxicating sensation that was coming over him.
However, he could superficially understand from the timbre of the man's voice next to him that it was about money, it was quite clear, wasn't it?
Raising his head and looking around, he noticed that the figure next to him was an elegant red-haired man, wearing fine, impeccable white clothes. It wouldn't be wrong to say that his appearance was quite striking, but with the clothes he was wearing, he looked more like a politician, and he probably was.
In contrast to the man, his surroundings weren't exactly dirty, but they couldn't be called clean either. The room was more reminiscent of European style, with furniture made of a material that looked like a mixture of sand and wood, it was confusing to say for sure.
After listening to him, the old wizard suddenly arched his eyebrows, the thought overwhelming him.
If he could, he would have killed that nobleman as quickly as he breathed, but he didn't have the power to do it.
He could even think: How did I end up in the middle of this mess? I should finish without arguing, I don't want to get into trouble with the people who are coming.
— I hope your son can grow up strong and healthy, he has great stamina, not everyone can return without serious problems after the ritual.
The rude old man's words dripped with a cloying molasses of feigned sympathy that tested the man's patience. Seeing those eyes blazing with anger, he turned his attention to the floor.
— Well, I appreciate that. In that case, I'll be going — he added at last.
The old man then lowered his hood over his head and stood up, feeling that nothing good would come of staying there any longer. In one step, he walked with some difficulty and the aid of his staff, dragging it across the marble floor next to his defective leg, until he reached the doors of the room, closing them as he left.
After he had left, Wyn felt his body suddenly lifted upwards, the touch of skin in contrast was soft, while he felt an icy sensation run through part of his stomach.
— Don't worry, Rinn. Everything will be fine.
The nobleman murmured, holding him gently as he wrapped his small body in warm towels, protecting him from the cold and possible wind currents. The rough hand made him think of the hands of someone exhausted, bringing a trace of comfort to the gesture.
In this sense, Wyn, who was now Rinn, came to an understanding.
It took him a few minutes to really accept the reality, but it was quite clear when he noticed how everyone around him looked at him as if he were a harmless creature.
He couldn't stop crying, his body didn't respond to his own mental commands and, to make matters worse, his angle of vision was significantly reduced.
In addition to these factors, his vision seemed completely blurred, almost as if he needed prescription glasses to see.
Honestly, isn't this reincarnation?
He thought back for a moment to his past life — remembering that a psychic in his town had once said that sometimes, although it was very rare, people could be reincarnated with memories of being other people.
But, of course, it was a myth told by old people who didn't follow a rational line of thought, with unfounded myths and crazy theories that could easily be mistaken for supernatural fables.
Again, the concept was too irrational to be true.
Where does your soul go after death?
So that was the answer?
Kind of disappointing, taking into account all the rational and logical parts preached by humanity.
While he was being patted on the back by his father to stop him crying, he felt that the concentration of oxygen was disturbing and, as if that weren't enough, his body temperature was very low.
At this point, he heard the words of the man nearby clearly in his ear.
— I'm sorry, we don't have more time together, Rinn. Dad would like to stay with you longer, but I need to make sure you get away safely.
He proclaimed, patting him on the head, while his lips were curved in a nervous smile, trying to preserve what little joy remained.
For some reason, that squeezed Rinn's chest.
Rinn couldn't say exactly what that feeling meant — perhaps it was just an instinctive reaction of the body — but he couldn't shake the sense of comfort he felt at being close to that man.
Based on his past life experience as an orphan, it seemed surreal that someone would be so concerned about his safety.
Even more disturbing was the fact that the mother of the owner of his body was dead, but remained with a smile on her face even in her final moments.
— Sarah, take him away and hide him. We don't have much time.
The room fell silent.
And all the other maids were frowning, aware of what would happen from that moment on.
— Yes, sir.
The voice belonging to the gray-haired woman, Sarah, answered next, bending down to pick up the baby wrapped in rags, and then quickly taking him into her arms.
Rinn tried to resist, hitting Sarah with his small hands, but the impact was only a soft touch, as weak as that of a pillow. Even he wasn't sure why he was doing it — all he knew was that the last thing he wanted was to get away from that man.
If he was rich, that meant a stable and peaceful life in the future, so he obviously didn't want to walk away and have to run away.
It wasn't fair!
When he finally managed to be reincarnated into a wealthy family, he had to run away leaving all his parents' wealth behind.
— Now go!
At that point, after noticing the nobleman's hand gestures, Sarah nodded, responding to his signal. She dashed towards the back door, walking quickly while holding Rinn in her arms.
The other maids in the area began to move quickly, running towards the front door. They pulled pistols from their belts and set up computers and small boxes to block the entrance.
They were determined to help as best they could within their capabilities, with serious, focused expressions on their faces.
Rinn could only see the nobleman's figure slowly disappearing from his limited vision as he left the room, becoming just a blur of distant memory from one moment to the next.
— Agrh!
He felt a lump in his throat as he was carried away.
His senses were fuzzy, his breathing was interrupted by involuntary sobs.
Rinn could barely keep his consciousness straight, let alone think about anything when the world was swaying rapidly in front of his eyes.
Just then, for a moment, he felt that something was heating up inside him.
It was as if something had exploded inside him, a confusing sensation, difficult even to understand or classify.
What was most similar to the feeling he had was that of an invisible thread pulling his attention to another point, but somehow the sensation was not uncomfortable, but familiar.
This feeling only lasted a few seconds before his mind went blank and he slowly began to lose consciousness.
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