Darkness. Endless Darkness.
That was all Johnathan could perceive. Or perhaps he couldn't perceive anything at all. He could not feel his body, nor his senses. All he felt was that he existed somewhere vast, somewhere unknown.
"Is this the afterlife?" he wondered, feeling a flicker of relief.
He wouldn't have to struggle anymore. He was finally free.
But no, it seemed he was wrong.
He suddenly felt as if he had passed through a slimy, confining membrane.
He could feel his body parts again. But why did they feel so fragile? Why did he have the distinct feeling he was stuck in a fetus?
'Could it be?' he thought to himself, his mind spinning. 'There's no way... I mean, I always used to write stuff like this, but even I never believed in those things at all. How could reincarnation be real?'
The last of his doubt cleared away when he heard some people speak in an unknown tongue, a language that sounded profound and ancient.
And yet, impossibly so, he could understand them. His mind, still John's but now sharp and focused, instantly translated the lyrical cadence.
"Oh dear, my son is really lively today. Do you want to meet your momma that badly?"
It was a female voice, full of overwhelming maternal affection.
However, she wasn't alone.
"Thanks the gods. I was really worried when you slipped off the stairs. Fortunately, none of us got hurt, dear. Nurse Achia said you'd be fine in a week, and will be able to successfully give birth. I am so happy..."
"That might be so, Edmund, but don't get so clingy all day. You have your Knight's duty to do."
"Ah, yes, yes. You don't need to nag about it, my dear Wife. Your husband has sharper wits than you think."
'Yes. That confirms it. I have been reincarnated. As a Knight's Son,' John thought.
He gradually accepted the reality. The impossible had happened to him. Truthfully, he was a little happy inside.
He could now live happily and freely. But he wasn't so ignorant as to think he was thrown into a peaceful world.
His father (He found it a little awkward to call him that) was a Knight. That could mean he was either sent to the past in medieval times, or maybe into a entirely world where magic and sorcery truly existed.
Finding the truth became his utmost priority.
So, while remaining in his mother's womb, he noted every word they spoke.
As days turned into weeks, John gleaned notable information about his new family and world. He learned he had an older sister named Lucienne Noiré Delacroix, or Lucia for short. She sounded about five or six years old, full of cute, naive energy.
His supposed mother was Luminaire Delacroix, and his father, Edmund Delacroix. Edmund was revealed to be a Low Ranking Knight, working for a local Baron.
But the truly shocking revelation was the casual mention of Soul Books. Those very mystical Soul Books that could turn an ordinary person into a Sorcerer. The details were eerily similar to the core premise of the novel he had written.
Could such a coincidence exist? Or was he just overthinking things?
There was no logical way he had been reincarnated into his own unpublished novel, was there?
But if it's true, then it's very bad news. He wasn't the protagonist, nor had he received any exceptional cheat yet.
What was even worse: none of his parents possessed Grimoires. Their background seemed extraordinarily ordinary, placing them among countless other background characters.
So, the chance of him awakening a Soul Book was very low.
But still, they were just his assumption. He didn't have any substantial proof that this was the same world from his novel. So he could be wrong as well. There was still some chance for the future.
Now, all he could do was wait to see the world by himself.
Currently, he was still inside his mother's belly, enjoying the rich nutrients from his mother. He could now move his arms and legs.
It should be the time for his birth.
"Ooh mommy mommy, he hit me... My little brother hit me," Lucia's cute voice, along with excited clapping, reached his newly developed ears.
"Hehe," his mother Lumina giggled alongside her daughter. Her laughter, though pained, held only love and tenderness. "It seems your brother is really impatient in there. You might see him soon."
"Really, mommy? I can see my little brother?"
"Yes, of course, honey."
Hearing her mother's affirmation, little Lucia immediately jumped around in joy.
"That's incredible! I am going to have my very own little brother. I am going to be a big sister. I will feed him, I will carry him, I will play with him... Ooh, ooh, I am going to have so much fun!"
"Calm down, Lucia. You'll get hurt."
She tried to stop Lucia by standing up from the wooden chair, that's when suddenly, she felt it.
Her water broke. Her face immediately contorted with a gasp of pain she failed to suppress.
"Aghh!"
After hearing her mother's painful groan, Lucia paused.
When she looked back, she saw her mother lying on the polished floor, spasming from the sudden pain.
"Mommy, what's wrong? What happened to you?" she asked, immediately breaking down in tears of anxiety and fear.
Nonetheless, Luminaire was a strong woman. Having experience with previous time, she handled the situation like a pro.
"Argh... Lucia, honey. Call Aunt Selene from downstairs. Don't panic. Everything is alright. I'm fine."
Lucia calmed down somewhat, reassured by her mother's calm words.
She immediately did as she was told. She called the midwife in waiting from downstairs.
The midwife, a woman named Selene who was an expert in this kind of stuff, quickly started the delivery procedure.
From the looks of things, they were all prepared for the delivery. All thanks to Edmund's thoughtfulness.
"Push, Lady Delacroix, push. You have done this before. Just don't lose consciousness..."
Meanwhile, the news quickly reached Knight Edmund's ears.
He rushed toward home with lightning speed, earning curious glances from his colleagues, who wondered what had happened to him.
"What's wrong with him? Why is he in such a hurry as if his house caught fire?" one asked, resting his sword on his chin.
"It's much more important than that, Geoffrey," another added, laughing. "Edmund is going to have a son."
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"It's much more important than that, Geoffrey. Our Edmund is going to have a son," another added, laughiJohna