Waking up again I find myself able to open my eyes now. I have slept four or five times since the time I tried to open my eyes by force.

I take a look at the ceiling, or perhaps it's better to call it a dirty yellow-brown surface with a brown line.

Unfortunately my vision is blurry, I still have yet to really see what my parents look like due to this. It's somewhat novel looking around at the world and trying to guess what things are but frustrating at the same time.

This is tediously boring, being a baby. I seem to vacate my bowels and urinate endlessly, I can only pity the ones looking after me.

I have made a concerted effort not to cry but I felt feelings of worry and concern from my parents when I stayed quiet for too long, so now I make sure to cry whenever I need something like being changed or when I feel hungry.

Oddly the fact I only cry when I need something, my parents both seem joyous and coo at me every time. 

I have tried to understand their thoughts using telepathy but the thoughts come in as vague emotions rather than anything discernibly lucid. Though I can make use of this ability to tell their direction and distance from me as a sort of radar.

I've been incredibly tempted to use my powers to alleviate the boredom but one time when I tried to float a spoon on the table it fell and my mother spent a few minutes praying that our house wasn't haunted. Baffling to me. Surely an adult should have overcome silly superstition by now?

I want to sigh but I can't, it just ends up being an ever so slightly bigger breath. This is so boring. I'm bored. My grand second life is so boring. But I must bide my time. I must grow. 

Oh she's coming to pick me up again. Lovely. I mean it. There's a comfort in the warmth that makes me feel safer than I've ever felt. I love it. And I'm falling asleep again.. send.. hel-

---

 

"You're such a good girl, yes you are. So smart and well behaved."

Wyla couldn't be happier with her baby, she would only ever cry when she needed something and it made looking after her so much easier than women in the village had told her it would be.

Brom was watching this usual exchange as his wife changed their baby.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that she only cries when she needs something? She's quiet as the wind otherwise."

Brom took another mouthful of Pentum, a starchy root vegetable that grew in groups of five and was simple to grow and could be found growing wild away from the village proper.

Wyla looked at Brom after she was done changing the baby, she threw the cloth out of the back door; scavengers and weather would clean most of it and then in a few days she would clean it proper.

"Brom, please. You only complain when something is wrong, why would it be any different for a baby? If anything it just goes to show how smart our little girl is. She's going to grow up to be a smart beauty, I know it."

Brom continued eating, trying to ignore the smell that had wafted over.

"Well your brains and my beauty, I don't doubt it. Ha."

Wyla chuckled back and threw a sock at him from the floor, she was now picking up stray clothing to be washed at their well later.

"You mean my brains AND my beauty, correct?"

Brom was silent for a moment and looked up at his wife, she was putting on a stern look.

"Right you are, wife of mine. Right you are. I've got to go to the village and buy some more supplies before leaving today. The Elder wants us to go further out for the last hunt before the Nightfrost."

Wyla took a deep breath.

"FURTHER? You're already stretching deeper into the forest than ever! That's madness!"

"I agree but the forest has been bare this year, even the Thorn Deer we found were half-starved. We need to move deeper just to make up the quantity."

Brom let out a huff and Wyla sat at the edge of their bed watching their baby fling her arms around and make faces at the ceiling whilst licking her lips in her sleep.

"But, deeper in, the mana is higher right? What if you come across mana beasts?"

"It's a risk I and a few others have to take, we'll only make it past halfway into the Nightfrost before we need to eat smaller amounts. This last trip will give us what we need and we can survive comfortably through the Nightfrost."

Wyla was silent, she stood up and took the now cleared plate from in front of Brom and took it to her wash basin.

Brom came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, no matter what I'll return."

Wyla felt her eyes tear up.

".. I'm sure that's what every Hunter has said when they never returned."

"Well I'm not every Hunter, I'm Brom, your Husband. Plus Darmun's going."

Wyla held in her tears, dropped the plate and turned around to embrace her husband.

"You'd better come back or I won't let you hear the end of it."

Brom laughed.

"How can you punish me if I'm already dead? Silly woman."

Wyla pinched his side but didn't move out from the hug when Brom flinched.

"When I die of old age and our souls are with the Gods, I'll find you and the saying "rest in peace" won't apply."

Brom felt his smirk fade as his mind had images of an eternity of being nagged.

"That's incentive enough, don't say anymore- you'll make me want to live forever."

Wyla let out a snort.

"You'd better, you're stubborn with just about everything else."

She let him go and gave him a kiss.

"I love you. Come back to me. Or else."

Brom smiled again and made for the door, making sure his coin purse was on his belt as he went.

"Alright woman, I'll be going then."

Brom spoke on his way out still loud enough for Wyla to hear.

"I love you too."

Wyla smiled and mumbled when the door closed, as she always did when he would do something she didn't like but knew she either couldn't stop him or that he had to do it no matter what.

"Stubborn man."

---

 

Finara was looking at her right hand with a curious expression until her front door was opened by her apprentice Rona, a Tet'Mai girl of only fourteen years, she came in with a bag that smelled strongly of herbs and a handful of flowers.

"Teacher, I've got the herbs you wanted."

Finara chuckled.

"And those flowers, are they for me?"

Rona blushed and stammered but couldn't say what she wanted to.

"Oh to be young, from a suitor then? Or just a potential lover?"

Rona looked mortified and tried to hide the flowers behind her back.

"It's.. It's not like that.. He's just nice that's all."

Finara bellowed out laughter not fitting her elderly frame.

"Yes and being just nice is how many a woman ends up with a baby in her belly. So naive. It seems there are other things I have to teach you besides the healing arts."

Rona stomped her foot but couldn't argue and wouldn't have anyway- no one wins an argument against Lady Finara. She moved to the cabinets at the side of the main living room and hung the herbs below the cabinets on a nail.

"Little Rona, fifteen is marriage age in our clan. Why do you think so many are giving you gifts now? You're a future healer, a pillar of the community and respected person no matter which village you go to. Any man would want you as his wife if only to make his own life better."

Rona got angry at this.

"I don't want someone who only thinks about advantages or money!"

Finara sighed.

"My dear girl, you are the Chief Elder's daughter, it's only natural you've been sheltered. You haven't felt the hunger that gnaws at you during the Nightfrost or the sting of the wind when your clothes are full of holes. These 'advantages' as you see them can be a safety net that prevents their future children and themselves from ever going hungry."

Rona felt her eyes go wet.

"I know but.. it hurts my heart that all those people think about that before love."

Finara opened her arms and ushered the girl over for a hug, Rona complied and hugged her tightly. Finara brushed her hair with her left hand.

"Love is a maiden's dream but as with all dreams we must wake up eventually. I know you hate it but such things as love are stories told to brighten the world, to blind one to the darkness. Rather than love, aim for a good man instead. One that cares and will provide for you. If you're feeling adventurous, just pick a good looking one and you'll be assured of beautiful children."

Rona stiffened in Finara's arms.

"Ch-Children? That's too far away!"

"It's not as far as you think dear girl, time passes before you know it. Today you're here learning, tomorrow you'll be an old woman like me spending her final days bringing healing to those who need it."

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Rona thought about what she was told. Finara was again looking at her right hand, again someone knocked at the door and spoke loudly from outside.

"Esteemed Healer, we've come to collect some Beastbane for the hunting trip!"

"Alright, hold your arrows, I'll be there in a minute."

Finara let go and Rona took the hint to do the same. Rona ran to the cabinets and took out a large bundle of dried herbs. Beastbane wrapped up and soaked in oil to make them flammable before being dried. The smoke would ward off weaker mana beasts. She handed it to Finara as Finara made her way to the door.

"Watch and learn girl, they'll try to haggle me down. These are life saving herbs, I won't let them be cheap about it. Maybe in future they'll think twice before going into the forest so they don't have to buy these things from me. Then we'll all be better off."

Rona was always in awe of Finara's wisdom. Finara would often play the cards she needed to and always thought long term to prevent people getting hurt, it didn't matter to Finara if she was the bad guy or the good guy. It was both fascinating and frustrating for Rona to hear people speak ill of her teacher privately for things, only for Finara to later always be correct and the gossip would stop for a while.

---

 

The Elder Hunter was leading the team of six through the forest, the undergrowth was becoming more wild and cumbersome to traverse whilst the trees grew taller and thicker.

Everyone had their head on a swivel and were being utmost vigilant, the forest was getting darker and the atmosphere was getting thicker.

Suddenly one of the men on the right whispered.

"Elder, tracks."

Holding his fist up to stop the advance, the Elder moved over to take a look, crouching down with his dagger to move the leaves around.

"Day old. Multiple tracks by the looks of it. It's Bristle Boar and something else followed."

The hunter next to him was listening to every word.

"See this? Tork dung. The dark colour shows it's a meat eater and by the size of it this one's bigger than any I've ever seen."

Standing up he waved his hand in a circle before making it a fist, the sign for everyone to huddle up.

When everyone was gathered around the Elder resumed speaking.

"Torks are beyond our little group here, we'll move to the south-west, the tracks head north-west. With any luck we'll avoid trouble. Get your Beastbane handy, we'll light it when we reach another thousand paces."

With a small shuffling the Hunters brought the Beastbane out and wrapped it around the metal tips at the top of their bows, so it can be lit easily.

When everyone was finished doing this the Elder waved everyone on again in formation one, the default. Each man spread five paces apart and walked quietly.

As the group moved forward at around eight-hundred paces they heard twigs or branches snapping further ahead and the Elder gave everyone a hand motion where he raised his hand and curled his fingers like fire; the sign to light the beastbane.

The Elder kept looking forward along with five of the other men as the man in the middle struck flint and lit each of the Beastbane bundles.

There was the sound of something running on all fours to their left but it was running away from them, despite how heavy it sounded.

The Elder felt a bad premonition as he peered into the dim forest ahead. He began to advance slowly and crouched, the men behind him followed suit.

Making their way forwards another fifty paces there were two scaled creatures, standing on two powerful legs eating a third one that was covered in white fur, side-by-side, nudging and snapping at one another with their dagger-length teeth every time they got too close.

The Elder had come across these before, but not usually this far out. He was debating what to do when both beasts stood and stretched upright and began smelling the air.

The Hunters looked at one another with pale faces as the Elder's face bore a hard grimace. He whispered to the others.

"We've stood in steed shit. Back to back. We're lucky there's only tw-"

As he was speaking a third and then a fourth came from their sides. The group had moved into a ring as the two in front turned around, their mouths open and covered with blood, their eyes almost looked like they were smiling. The reptilian mana beasts inched closer with hisses and flicking tongues.

"Fuck."

---

 

Brom and Darmun were running, there was a single Tork on their trail. They had been running for their lives for over twenty minutes now and they were back in forest that they knew.

The fighting had been brutal, two of the Torks were slain but they paid the price of three deaths, one being the Elder who had killed both Torks.

Survival looked unlikely and Brom made a promise to return, he was the first to bolt. People would understand why he ran, he thought. What did they think he could do against a Mana Beast on his own? He was a farmer not a seasoned hunter. In his mind it was better to run and live than die in a pointless slaughter.

Darmun saw him go and whilst he felt angry and somewhat betrayed he was a pragmatic man, he understood it was the only reasonable choice.

The pair were breathing hard and the one Tork, though injured, was catching up and Brom was behind. Darmun was the son of the village Butcher, he didn't go hunting nearly half as much as Brom did, so to Brom, Darmun's physical fitness was a surprise.

Brom was terrified, he could practically feel the thing breathing down his neck.

This was when Darmun missed his foot placement on a mossy rock and slipped forwards.

Brom felt terrified but it was quickly replaced with ecstasy and guilt as he kept running.

As he passed by Darmun was reaching his hand out to Brom, to help him up so they could keep running, but Brom ignored it, thoughts of escape and his family clouding his mind.

He felt so guilty but desperate to live he couldn't turn back. 

"BROM!"

He shouted back as Darmun shouted his name.

"I'M SORRY!"

Brom clenched his teeth and tears fell from his eyes as he ran.

Darmun was crying also and felt betrayed by the man he thought of as a true friend, his arm went limp but before it fell back to the floor, the Tork was already crushing his head in its jaws.

Brom heard the muffled scream followed by the crunching, his heart was in such pain but he kept running, he kept running until he was out of the forest. 

He kept running until he'd passed over the river. 

He kept running until he ran all the way to his home where he flung the door open, closed it behind him, then fell to his knees and began weeping in a ball on the floor, he didn't even notice when his wife had run to his side and was calling his name in a panic, he stayed like that for hours and scared his wife out of her wits, all she could do was hold him and cry.

---

 

Wyla had finished her chores and Brom wasn't expected back until tomorrow.

Over the past half-week she had felt her eyes and mind wander to that beautiful jewel Brom had shown her.

There was just something about it that compelled her to look at it and touch it. She felt herself being drawn towards it, at first just a glance now and then, but now she's already moving the firewood before catching herself and realising what she's doing. 

Wyla kept fighting the urge, scared that Brom would come back and catch her while she was holding it. She didn't want Brom to distrust her but it would be okay right? Just looking at it would be fine. She could get it out and put it back in less than ten minutes, there's no way she'd get caught.

Getting up from her chair and placing her sleeping baby down on the bed, she moved over to the firewood stack and began moving the firewood. Every few tens of seconds she would have a moment of hesitation before continuing. It's fine, she thought. No one will know.

Prying at the floorboard Wyla lifted it up and saw the box, she reached in and walked back to the bed with the box in hand. She sat down and with a bated breath she opened it.

It was as beautiful as before only at this time of day when the sun was in the late afternoon the light came in through the windows just right and caused the already beautiful jewel to take on an orange hue, she was engrossed in the beauty and was slowly turning it in hand.

Before she knew it, the Jewel had gotten darker and there was a knock at her front door, pulling her back to herself. Noticing how much time had passed Wyla was shocked, it was early evening now and the sun was setting.

There was another set of knocks at the door and she realised someone must be there, she quickly hid the Jewel and the box in the cloth blanket that the baby had kicked off itself sometime during its sleep.

"Coming!" 

Wyla made her way to the door and opened it, she found Finara's apprentice, Rona, at the door.

"Hi Wyla! Teacher sent me to check the cattle? Brom dropped by earlier and told her the female was carrying."

Wyla smiled.

"That's right, do you know which one it is?

Rona laughed.

"I don't. First time seeing cows actually. I'm excited! You only learn so much from books and a teacher."

"I wouldn't know, I can't read."

Rona raised her eyebrows and Wyla continued smiling, slightly forced this time.

"Really? That's a shame."

There was a brief and slightly awkward silence before Wyla looked back at her baby then at Rona.

"Laila is sleeping, so now's the best time for me to show you which one it is. I'm sure you know we had a scare the other night. I still don't feel comfortable leaving her alone for too long but it'll be okay for a few minutes, let's go."

Nervously Wyla glanced back at her sleeping baby and then shut the door, heading to the barn with Rona.

---

 

I stirred and opened my eyes as I felt a strange presence close to me.

What is this? It feels familiar somehow and yet alien.

I felt around with my consciousness and there it was, hidden to my side beneath my blankie. 

Attempting to reach it I moved my stubby weak arms. This simply won't do.

Feeling around for others I feel no one nearby so I use telekinesis to pull the gem into the air in front of me, I must bring it close to see because otherwise it's all blurry.

It's a jewel of some kind, cleanly cut with a deep purple hue. What is this black dot in the center? Interesting, the dot itself is trying to coerce me into touching it. A force that overrides my own control, I have something similar but this feels nefarious, dominating, powerful.

As I sat and observed the slowly spinning jewel only inches above me, resisting the temptation to touch it that kept washing at me in waves, the door opened and my mother entered, catching me by surprise.

I lost focus and the Jewel fell, landing on my chest I grazed it with my hand in a pitiful attempt to get it away, perhaps a response caused by my previous life.

Touching the gem the world froze and my sight went dark. I, my mind, was travelling somewhere far away. I have no way to fight this now, so I'm a helpless passenger moving towards some unknown destination.

The blackness is speckled with motes of light, some large, some small and with all different colours. I came to a stop in front of a middle-sized ball of violet light through which I entered.

I found myself floating in a violet abyss, ruins and chunks of land floating aimlessly, colliding from time to time. The chunks were various sizes from the size of my body to the size of a mountain. I could see people moving on some of them.

Where am I?

As I was thinking this, a deep purple light was moving towards me. I could feel it, even at this distance, it was power incarnate.

The light grew closer and took on the shape of a man riding a golden chariot pulled by two golden horses with violet flames instead of haired manes, every breath the horses would emit purple smoke from their nostrils. 

The man himself had blonde hair with violet eyes and his transport came to a side in front of me. The man held a look of mild befuddlement on his face which was filled in with a look of disgust.

"Hoh~ so you are the descendant I was warned of so long ago? Dead mana circuits. No aura seed. Not a hint of divinity. What could a weak thing like you possibly do.. The babbling thing is half-senile but I won't doubt her revelations."

"Who are you?"

The man grew angry.

"Who I am is irrelevant to the likes of you. You are fated to die. Now begone with you! I have no time for a wastrel."

I felt a force both pull and push me out of this place, the last thing I saw was the man turning around, a somewhat pleased look upon his face as he urged the horses back in the direction he came from.

I was moving backwards, towards my body again.

That was strange.

Plunging back into my body, I felt It.

---

 

Wyla was showing Rona to the cow that was pregnant.

"Can I touch them Wyla?"

Wyla laughed.

"Aren't you here to do just that Rona?"

Rona flushed slightly, she was right.

Stepping forward Rona looked at the cow in the barn and walked around it.

"Careful walking behind them, these animals can be skittish sometimes, you wouldn't want to take a kick from one."

"Right."

Wyla was getting increasingly uncomfortable being away from Laila, her daughter.

"The pregnant one is this one."

She pointed to the slightly more rotund cow on the side that was licking a rock.

"I'm going to go back now, I'll boil some water for tea when you're finished."

Rona beamed at Wyla and went back to touching the plump cow with a glowing hand.

"Thanks Wyla, it won't take long."

Wyla turned and walked back towards the house at a brisk pace, for some reason something felt off.

Arriving back at the house she pushed the door open, lifting the latch with a metal clink.

She began to push the door open and there was a moment of wrongness, her mind went hazy for a fraction of a second and she caught herself to retain her balance.

"What was that?"

Wyla asked.

She looked up and saw Laila's arms moving followed by her small gasp. Wyla thought she might be having trouble breathing so she practically ran to the baby. Cursing herself for leaving her alone. Laila was delicate and she needed to be cared for properly.

When Wyla reached the baby she saw the Jewel sitting to the baby's side on the bed, but it looked different somehow.

The baby was fine and Wyla relaxed, she looked at the Jewel again.

"Strange.. I'm sure there was a black dot in the middle of it before? Was it dirt?"

The Jewel was clear now. The black dot was gone and the Jewel itself seemed less interesting and beautiful than it did before. It was basically coloured glass, sure it looked nice but was this the same Jewel she couldn't help but go behind her Husband's back to see it?

"Look at that Laila, you make the most beautiful Jewel I've ever seen seem like just a trinket when it's placed next to you."

Smiling Wyla nuzzled her baby and put the Jewel back in the box before rushing to store it in the hiding place.

---

 

My mind was shocked. I'd just narrowly escaped death.

Whatever that Jewel was, it just tried to kill me.

And whoever that man was, he just made a mortal enemy.

He would die by my hand, I swear. What kind of sick bastard would kill a baby?! A cowardly bastard!

I don't quite know what happened. I felt the jewel land on my stomach, I brushed it and then my mind went elsewhere. When I returned something entered through my hand and traveled up to my heart.

When it reached there it went to my stomach, then my navel before returning to my heart, where it stopped my heart.

From there I had to use telekinesis to pump my heart manually, which is incredibly difficult when you can barely move anything and your power is still weak.

With a gasp my little body came back to life for the second time and then I heard someone running to me and felt the presence of concern and self-hatred.

I saw my mother lean over me with worried eyes. I made a desperate attempt to control my breathing using telekinesis. It felt like I was barely able to breath but I had to keep up the pretense that everything is fine. She smiled and I felt her worry fade to be replaced with curiosity and then joy when she spoke to me in her patronising way. 

Damn it, why am I laughing as she rubs her nose against mine? This body just doesn't listen!

She took the jewel and walked away, I felt her presence move to the corner of the room and after a few minutes I felt hungry and in need of changing. 

Here we go again. I cried.