The white sheet from the bedrock of reality finished enveloping my body, and when I opened my eyes, light blinded me. I squinted to let them adjust.

“What’s wrong? Why isn’t he crying?”

Who had that been?

“Don’t worry, my dear. He’s perfectly fine. Just quiet.”

Having given my eyes time to adjust, I cracked them open more fully, wondering where Ele had dropped me, and gazed upon a woman, looking down at me with a radiant smile.

O… k… this was awkward. How did I-?

“He’s beautiful!” the woman said. “Look at those eyes! He has an old soul.”

She brushed my cheek with her knuckles, and I froze. What. the. hell. was going on?

Glancing around, I found another woman nearby, but this only escalated my already pounding heart because her hands were covered in blood. I had to help!

“She’s fine, Eriadren. Please, calm down. No one’s in danger here.”

Who’d said that?

When I located the speaker, I tried to jerk away, tried to warn the women of the anomaly in their midst, but this only ended with me squirming in place, screaming my head off.

“There it is,” one of the women crooned.

What…? No. This madness needed to stop. I needed to get control now, needed to get up…

“Welcome to your new body, Eriadren.”

That was the second time the anomaly had said my name. Gradually, I slowed down my breathing rate so I could take them in.

Roughly humanoid in shape, they were made of white light, standing with their arms folded behind their back, and at my stare, they cocked their head.

“You have questions, I’m sure,” they said.

Of fucking course I had questions!

Clicking their tongue, the anomaly said, “There’s no need to curse.”

And again, I could only stare.

Leaning over, the woman with bloodied hands lifted me single-handedly out of the other woman’s lap.

“I’ll get him waddled for you, my dear. Shall I send your husband in?

“He’ll want to see his son…”

“And he will! Let me clean him up first.”

Realization hit me.

A baby? Ele, primal force of creation, needed to give me a body so I could carry out its purpose, and I got stuck as a fucking baby again?

“Is that not how new Esela are created?” the anomaly asked. “A male and female come together to exchange genetic matter. The resulting zygote gestates for nine months, forming a body that can survive outside the womb, and once that’s finished, it’s expelled into the world. That’s correct, yes?”

Technically, yes, that was where babies came from, although I was unfamiliar with some of the terms the anomaly had spoken. What did that have to do with-?

“We inserted you into this body as late as possible,” the anomaly continued. “Keeping one alive without a sustaining essence is extraordinarily difficult. Given that, you should be grateful. You could just as easily have spent months inside the mother.”

Ugh. That was a disgusting concept to consider.

But wait. Did this mean I’d have to learn how to walk and talk again? By the stars, I’d be treated like a child. I’d go through puberty again. Hell.

“You’re assuming this cycle will last long enough for you to grow up,” the anomaly said. “If we find the enemy whole’s avatar quickly enough, then the backlash will destroy this body long before then.”

So, this being had been responding to me.

Who are you? I snapped, intent on getting answers.

Shifting in place, the anomaly said, “My name is Creation.”

… How informative.

WHAT are you? I asked, wishing I could roll my eyes.

“I am a piece of my whole, splintered off to ensure you keep to our purpose,” Creation said. “I’m here to make sure you destroy your friend.”

So… you’re basically my babysitter, I said.

“In essence, yes.”

Well, that wouldn’t be annoying at all.

I was still fuming about this when I was returned to the other woman’s arms, although… given the context, perhaps I should start thinking of her as ‘mother’. I’d have to do that if I was to blend in here.

I refused to think of my true mother, massacred with my hometown years ago.

Soon enough, a man stepped into view, and when his face lit up on looking at me, I assumed he was ‘father’. That would be interesting. I’d never had a real father, just a man who’d abandoned me to a life in the slums.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” ‘mother’ said, glancing at the man.

As he gazed at me, ‘father’s’ eyes held nothing but wonder.

“Yes, he is,” he said.

Maybe… maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

“Have you decided what we’ll call him?” ‘mother’ asked.

After a moment’s consideration, ‘father’ said, “His name is Gaelen.”

Gaelen. I liked it. A new life with a new name and a new family. When thinking about it like that, I realized what I had here.

If I kept my tragedies buried, I could become a different person now. Managed properly, I might even lead a happy life.

“Don’t forget why you’re here, Eriadren,” Creation said.

Except for that. Given enough time, that nuisance might become a problem.