"You say that, but you can't turn me down. You have no say in this."

My father had come in by breaking down the door. Aunty Ven had shifted my position, so I could observe everything better, allowing me to see the annoyed expression on Dad's face.

"That I don't have a say? Anven, this is my daughter we're talking about." Dad yells, with a voice full of suppressed anger.

"It doesn't matter if she's your daughter or whatever. She's a Revant." Aunty Ven responded with complete confidence. She didn't seem affected in any way by Dad's complaints.

"And that gives you the right to do whatever you want!?"

Aunty Ven frowned in annoyance. She then responded with a tone similar to that of a mother scolding her son. "No. It's MY duty under family law. Something even you can't ignore or change."

"..."

Dad was silent, staring with very clear anger at my Aunty. She just kept calm letting out a snort, as if mocking him, daring him to make a move. A strange tension was beginning to form in the place, it seemed that at any moment a fight would break out.

After a while of looking at each other in silence, Dad did not attempt to back down from his attitude. "It doesn't matter if it's family laws, I'm not going to let you take her away from me."

"Take her away?" Aunty Ven raised an eyebrow at the question. My father didn't notice that and he just continued talking.

"Anven, I don't know what the hell you all do with Revant girls, bu-"

"Exactly, you don't. So can you stop acting like a spoiled brat and shut the hell up?" Aunty Ven responded, cutting off his words and mocking him. Something that made Dad even angrier.

"Anven!" Dad shouted; his voice furious. He took a step forward but stopped when he heard a voice behind him.

"Sister Anven, please forgive him. I think he is doing this for me."

"Iri!"

Mom calmly walked into the room and stopped next to Dad. She wore a sad and resigned expression. Whatever the reason for all this, it seemed like Mom had concluded that it was inevitable, no matter how much it hurt her.

"Honey, no. This is..."

“Leave it, Hal. There’s nothing you can do about it.” Mom put her hands on Dad's face. She placed a kiss on his lips, hoping to calm him down a little, and then she walked away, moving closer to us.

Aunty Ven sat back down on the couch, moving me to her lap. She placed one of her hands around my stomach to support me, and let the other rest on the armrest of the couch. Mom came in front of her and sat between Makila and Sarka.

“I was told that you were pretty bad after giving birth. I wanted to come earlier, but…” Aunty Ven spoke with a much softer tone than before, expressing true regret in that last sentence. Mom gave her a wry smile, before sighing and answering her.

"It was... a difficult birth, yes. But everything went well thanks to the Goddess. Still, I appreciate the concern, Sister Ven."

"I wasn't..." Ven replied in a tone that sounded like a typical tsundere, before stopping completely and taking a long gulp of air, letting it out in a deep sigh. "No, I was worried. I tried to run back as soon as I found out, but... too many things happened."

There was a strange silence. Everyone present stared at Aunty Ven as if they were seeing a strange animal.

"What?" She asked, confused by everyone's attitude.

"N-nothing. It's just, I didn't expect that level of... sincerity from you." My mother responded, not knowing what to say in the face of my aunt's honesty.

"Sincerity... maybe you're right. I didn't used to be like this. But... too much has happened these past 3 years." Said in a rather melancholy tone, which caused Mom and the rest to make worried expressions towards her. Something she quickly dismissed by waving her hand and returning to the previous topic. "Let's forget about that for now. You know why I came today, don't you?"

"...Is it really necessary?"

“Only if you don't want her to develop mana problems in the future.”

Mana problems?

I turned to Ven, worried by her words. Something that, once again, made her raise an eyebrow in response, giving me a suspicious look at my action. It was the second time it happened, and from her expression, she was beginning to suspect that I understood what they were talking about.

"Anven, I won't let you take the girl. I'll find another solution."

"Halfred, I already told you to stop acting like a spoiled child. Besides, when have I ever said anything about taking the girl?"

At those words, Dad froze, realizing that, in fact, Aunty Ven never said anything about taking me anywhere. I had to stop myself from laughing at the silly face he was making at that moment. A much better one than the ones he's tried to do when he plays with me.

“I can't believe you'd actually think I was going to take a girl who hasn't even had her first birthday.”

“…” Dad looked at the ground in silence, embarrassed.

“Now, my little brother, I need to give this girl a little mana test, which is one of the reasons I came here. So don’t interrupt me anymore.”

Aunty Ven got up, carefully handed me to Mom, and went over to what I assumed were her things on a bag at the side of the couch. She took out a glass bottle from inside, one of those classic potion bottles.

Aunty Ven approached me, uncorked the bottle; whose liquid was a deep blue, and after soaking two of her fingers she smeared it on my forehead while uttering some words I couldn't recognize or understand.

*Bzz*

Something similar to a short circuit resounded in the room, causing Aunty Ven to pull her hand away immediately with her eyes wide open, surprised by the unexpected reaction. She looked at me for a long moment with a very serious expression. I could feel her analyzing me, looking for some kind of action on my part. Then she took me in her arms and with a firm voice said, "I need to be alone with her, is there another room I can use?"

Everyone seemed surprised by what happened, and even more so with the strange request. Mom was the first to ask what happened, but Aunty Ven immediately told her that she needed to confirm something, but that what she needed to do was something secret that only the Revants were allowed to know. It took her a while to convince my parents, but soon, we were on our way to a slightly secluded room.

Before entering, Aunty Ven ordered that no one was allowed to approach no matter what. She was not to be disturbed. Then we went inside and she locked the door.

Inside, it was just a normal room, with a medium-sized bed, a desk with its chair, a closet, and a few other pieces of furniture and decorations. Aunty Ven laid me down on the bed and, from her bag, took out a strange crystal ball. She placed it on the floor and, pressing her hand on it, a bluish glow began to come out, spreading across the room and covering it completely.

"That should do it. Now..."

Something wasn't right. That feeling I had before; the anxiety, the panic... I could feel those feelings welling up again. Everything was calm, without that suffocating pressure, but again there was a fear of dying. Ven turned to me, sword in hand. I had no idea where she pulled that from, but I could see her draw it and point it at me.

"Who are you and what are you looking for in this family? Depending on your answer, I may give you a quick death." She asked with a cold tone. Once again, I found myself trapped by her gaze, which made me feel like a rat before a powerful snake.

What, quick death... why!? Why did I do!?

I started to "speak" straining to ask her what was going on, but obviously, my mouth and tongue weren't able to pronounce the words properly, so only meaningless babble came out. I was just starting to practice how to speak a few days ago and had made no progress at all, how did she expect me to tell her anything when I couldn't even do it calmly?

"If you're not going to talk, then I'll go cutting you piece by piece until you do."

Her voice had turned cold and sharp as the weapon she wielded against me, hiding the anger that could only be seen reflected in her reptilian eyes. I was completely terrified.

What had I done to suddenly have her treat me that way? I could feel my tears streaming down my cheeks, I was shaking like I had never done it before. Why did she suddenly want to kill me?

Anven approached me, clearly intending to use her sword against me. I could only gasp in terror and curl up into a ball as I cried in terror.

"Stop pretending and start talk-"

Anven stopped mid-sentence. I don't know what made her stop, but at least I would live a little longer because of it.

She looked at my one eye that was not hidden by my position for a long moment and, as if she had realized something, she closed her eyes took a deep breath, and then she put her sword at the side of her hip and stepped back.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?"

I nodded slowly, trembling in fear.

"Can you speak?"

I shook my head, eliciting a disappointed sigh from her.

"I'm going to ask you some questions, nod or shake your head to answer, got it?"

I nodded.

"Okay. I won't try to hurt you anymore.” Then, she made her sword disappear and raised her arms to shoulder height. Trying to look less threatening. “But I need to understand what's going on, can you sit down?"

I nodded again, slowly pulling myself back up. I didn't really trust her, but I was a baby and completely at her mercy...it's not like I had any other options.

"Alright. First question, are you really my niece Orinthya?"

I nodded immediately. Why was she doubting that? Did she think I stole her niece's body or something?

"Really?"

I nodded more emphatically. She looked at me squinting suspiciously, but decided to accept my answer for now.

"Were you born this way or did this happen recently?"

I tilted my head to the side, unsure how to answer that question. Seeing that I didn't know how to answer, Ven decided to rephrase.

"From what I remember, you were born in the middle of spring... We're in late fall... so that would be almost 7 months ago. Do you understand about days, months, and years?"

I nodded.

"Right. Do you remember your birth?"

I shook my head. I'm not quite sure from what time I remember... I calculated that I was born at about the beginning of summer, so I wasn't that far off the actual date.

"Do you remember the flare?"

Again, I tilted my head. I didn't know what the flare was.

"Ah, the flare was when the weather was dangerously hot to go outside. I guess they kept you in a room for several days to protect you from the weather."

Ah, that. Well, I guess she meant when I woke up in that room for the first time. I nodded while maintaining my expression of surprise at the sudden realization.

“Any memories before that?”

I shook my head. Nothing before that.

"I see. If you remember from that time, then it was shortly after you were born. Damn, it gets difficult and ambiguous from here on how to get information."

I could understand that. How do I make her understand that I don't represent a danger? I crossed my arms, trying to think of some solution. Strangely I calmed down at some point, perhaps thanks to the distraction of “talking”. Although, I was still shaking a little... just a little.

"It's hard not to be suspicious of you when you look like that."

Ven snapped me out of my thoughts with those words, what was she referring to?

"Yeah, just that. Those expressions that don't match your age, the way you move or respond. Are you an adult who turned into a baby or something?"

I nodded immediately. Although somewhat involuntary. I knew she'd meant it as a joke, a fleeting thought that couldn't possibly be real… but it's funny that she was mostly right.

"...Really?"

I nodded again.

Ven pinched the bridge of her nose. It seemed that she was starting to get a headache. I can understand that feeling.

"How the fuck...? I need an explanation of how that would happen."

I nodded agreeing with that. I wish there was a way for me to do it.

Or… maybe there is one way. Although... it's going to be complicated

I got her attention by waving my hands, hoping that my simple idea would somehow be effective.

"What, did you come up with something?"

I nodded somewhat enthusiastically.

"Well, let's see what you've got."

I started by gesturing to myself, I needed her to understand what I wanted to do before I started to...well, tell my story this way.

"You? You what?"

I nodded. Then I put both hands open in front of me, showing all my fingers. I closed them, and a second later I opened them again. I repeated that action until I completed 34... The age at which I died.

"34? What does that mean?"

I pointed to myself again.

"You again? Wait... that's your age?"

I nodded in relief. She picked up on it.

"I get it. Let's do it this way then. Okay, you're 34...too young, ironically. But how did you end up this way?"

That question was tricky, how to explain to her that I died and reincarnated?

I thought about how to answer that for a moment until I remembered the globally accepted sign to indicate that someone was dead. I put my thumb on one side of my neck and moved it to the other side.

"What does that mean, decapitation?"

I shook my head hard. I thought about it for a second and then nodded. Then I didn't know how to answer again.

"Make up your mind, yes, or no?"

Again, a tricky spot. I tried to make the sign once more, but this time I dropped on my back on the bed, hoping that something this simple would help. Ven looked confused for a moment until something seemed to click in her mind.

"Dead?"

I nodded vigorously after sitting back up. I managed to make her understand that I had died, that was already major progress.

"You died? But you're alive, I'm not understanding you."

I stopped, lost in thought. I didn't want to remember that. Especially now that I had been so scared, twice, feeling like I was going to be killed. At least, for now, Ven was much, much calmer and willing to listen, but who could assure me it would stay that way later?

Without much choice, I tried to take off my clothes. I could feel my diaper soaking wet, but... let's not focus on that. Ven looked confused for a moment until I managed to expose my chest. Thus, I showed her my birthmark.

"What the...? That looks strangely familiar."

I can imagine. If you carry a sword, you're used to seeing slash and stab wounds. I took that as an opportunity to point to her sword, hoping that it would help her understand the resemblance.

"What, my sword, you got stabbed with a sword?"

I shook my head and immediately put my hands at some distance from each other to let her know that it was something shorter.

"Shorter? A dagger?"

Technically yes, so I nodded. Ven kept silent for a moment.

"So that's why you had that look, how did it happen?"

I see. That's what saved me before... maybe it was that she saw in my eyes that fear at the sight of her sword... maybe the way I hid from her, covering my chest, made her understand something and that's why she stopped. How ironic that the cause of my death is what was keeping me alive now.

Not wanting to keep her waiting, I pointed to the sword again, then put my hand as if holding a knife and... I hesitated for a second to mimic that action. This was becoming a kind of mental torture for me.

I didn't want to remember it, not when things were going so well for me in this world. I was getting used to my new family, they were treating me with love and respect. I began to love them myself, to see them as my real family. But, remembering my past felt like taking one step forward and two steps back.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath for a moment, then with my imaginary knife, I stabbed the bed again and again and again. Without realizing it, I was increasing the force with which I was doing it until Ven stopped my hand.

At some point tears fell down my face, my hand trembling inside Ven's hand. The look she gave me was one of pity and compassion. I could see that she understood what I wanted to tell her.

"Who did that to you?"

A question I didn't want to answer. Not only because it would be difficult, but because maybe she would think it was Irlana, my current mother.

I hesitated for a moment but made up my mind. I hoped she could understand the one word I could say to her.

"Mah..."

"Mah?"

I nodded. It took her a while, but when I saw her expression, she was mad... furious.

"Your mother?" she asked. Contained anger in her voice.

I nodded.

"Irlana?"

I immediately denied it.

"So... the mother you had, before you became a baby again?"

I nodded again. Relieved that she hadn't stuck believing it was my current mother.

"Why, why would a mother kill her daughter? And worse, in that way so..." She asked into nothingness... her expression was bitter, gritting her teeth. I could tell that she really hated to imagine that someone could commit such an act.

I shook my head, telling her that even I didn't understand it myself.

Really, what kind of mother lashes out, knife in hand, at her son? What kind of mother hates her son so much that she would murder him that way? Even though I did nothing more than be born.

Or perhaps it was precisely because I was born.

The thought made me feel disgusted and... hurt. I was already aware that this witch did not love me in the least. Her gaze towards me was always one of genuine hatred. And now that I think about it, it was reasonable to think that being alive was the reason. She hated me because I was born.

As if that had been the trigger, I began to cry. Crying with anger and pain. Louder and louder with each passing second.

If you hated me that much, why the fuck did you keep me with you!? why not give me up for adoption or just abort me!? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GIVE BIRTH TO ME AND MAKE ME GO THROUGH ALL THAT SHIT!?

 

…

 

…

 

I don't know how long I was like that, but at some point, Aunt Ven sat down next to me and started stroking my head.

Just like before, she wiped the tears on my face very carefully, wiped my nose, and combed my tousled hair.

"I don't know what kind of life you had, but that's over. They can't hurt you again. Not here."

I looked at her, somewhat incredulous at her words. Does she believe me? But as if this time she had understood what I was thinking, she responded.

"I still don't quite believe you. But... it takes a terrible person not to realize that what I saw was real. There's no way anyone could fake that kind of emotional pain."

I nodded. That was enough. It made me feel better that someone knew about what I lived through, even if it was just my final moments.

"*sigh* anyway, how did you end up like that?"

I shared the same sigh, then wondered how should I explain my deal with Sathalia. And after much thought, I simply pointed upwards.

"The ceiling? What does that mean?"

I shook my head, then continued pointing upward.

"Higher?"

I nodded.

"The sky?"

I denied.

"...higher?"

I nodded.

"You don't mean the Pillars, do you?"

I shook my head. The Pillars are what they call the Higher Ones here. I saw how she was somewhat relieved by that, but, sorry Aunty Ven, it's... more complicated. I pointed upwards again.

"Higher?!" Ven jumped to her feet, totally incredulous at what I was implying. "The Goddess!?"

I nodded.

"You talked to the Goddess Sathalia!!!?"

I nodded again.

She opened her eyes wide. Completely bewildered, shocked, stupefied. She covered her mouth with her hand. Her expression told me she was completely lost. She started mumbling something as she paced the room back and forth. She seemed to have no idea what to do or think with that information.

I got her attention by waving my arms. When she did, I pointed to the sky, then to me, and then clasped my hands together, mimicking a handshake. She didn't understand me at first, but when I offered her my hand, and then repeated the handshake she caught on immediately.

"A deal? You made a deal with the goddess!?"

I nodded. Then I proceeded, by trial and error, pointing to things in the room that would help me form a vague explanation of my deal with Sathalia. In short... Sky, me, deal, baby, broken, sky, chain, world, repair, sky.

"Let me get this straight. You made a deal with the goddess that she would let you come back to life, correct?"

I nodded. We're doing well for now.

"Okay. Uh... The sky is somehow broken and you have to repair it by creating some kind of chains. Is that so?"

I nodded. Not the whole story, or very detailed really, but that's the gist of it.

"May the Goddess have mercy on our souls. Do the Pillars know about this?"

I nodded. I remember her saying something about having to find an oracle, so I guess they should know about me if there's any way to contact them.

"I'll have to consult an oracle to confirm that. I guess she can clear some things up for me."

That, that's it! I pointed at her, hoping she could understand me.

"What, the oracle?"

I nodded, then started making different signs for her.

"You, sky? no? Ah, the Goddess? Ok, you, Goddess, talk? Me? No... ah, the oracle? I see. The Goddess told you about the oracles. Look? Watching? It's not that... similar? Hmm. Ah! Seek? The goddess told you that you should seek an oracle?"

I nodded. At last, it looked like we could communicate.

"That's going to be hard. You're a baby. Besides, you're not even able to talk. How do you expect to get any of that when you can't do anything? And before you even think about asking me for help. No, I won't."

I lowered my head in disappointment. I guess the fact that she was "listening" to me was good enough.

"Don't look so disappointed. It's not because I don't want to. It's simply because I can't. I'll just be around here today. I have to go back to my team before tomorrow. I just came to see you and bring a gift for your sister."

I was sad that she couldn't help me more, but I assumed that, if she had to leave so soon, it was because it was something important related to her work. I would also have liked to ask what she did for a living.

"We'll leave it at that for now. I can say that at least you don't seem to be a threat to the family. But I still need you to explain the whole story to me, just in case."

I nodded. If I can trust her, then I have no problem telling her everything. But... I clutched my chest and looked at her with as serious an expression as I could, hoping she would grasp what I wanted to tell her.

"...*sigh* I understand. You can trust me. But I have two conditions."

I nodded so she could continue.

"First. I must help you understand what a Revant is and all that it entails, so, when it is time for me to teach you everything, you have to follow absolutely all my orders, without questioning me, without complaining. Do you understand?"

I nodded. It wasn't difficult, and it seemed like something that would be beneficial to me anyway, so I didn't see any problem with it.

"Right. Second; I may not be able to return to the capital for at least a couple of years, so the next time we see each other, it will be when you've grown up a lot. I don't know how long it will be, whether in 3, 5, or even 10 years, but, the next time I come back it will be to stay for good. So, don't look for any oracle until I come back."

I immediately denied and I was about to reply... with signs, since I couldn't do it any other way, but Ven signaled me to stop and let her explain.

"Relax, I have my reasons. First of all, it's because I already know an oracle. She's an old friend, and I know that, if I ask her for that favor, she'll help us without asking too many questions. Also, I need to be present when you talk to her."

I tilted my head in confusion. Did she need to talk to a Pillar?

"Don't overthink it. Like I said, I have my reasons. More importantly, will you agree to those two conditions?"

I thought about it for a moment. The first condition, as I said, I didn't mind fulfilling. The problem was the second condition. I could wait 3 or 4 years, but more than that, it was too long. I needed to get an oracle on my side as soon as possible and have a base to start working with. If Sathalia sent me here, it meant that the first anchor had to be placed nearby. But if I had to wait up to 10 years for it... How complicated could things get if I delayed my first move too long?

On the other hand, this could very well be a good thing. I could feel firsthand how powerful my Aunty Ven is. Having her as my backup could be invaluable, and if getting her on my side secured me an oracle as well, then it was definitely an offer I couldn't refuse.

It took me a little more time to think about it until I finally decided to accept. I nodded to Ven and offered her my hand. Aunty Ven let out a laugh, amused by the strangeness of this moment, but she took my little hand and shook it carefully.

“Well, with that settled, now I have to make up an excuse for all of this. What should I tell your mother?”

Aunty Ven said that with a somewhat dramatic tone. She seemed to already know what she needed to say, but she also seemed like she just wanted to make fun of me.

My dear Aunty Ven, please take pity on this little niece of yours... today I already suffered much more than I ever thought I could in this new life.

Aunty Ven just nodded to herself, rearranged my clothes… checked my diaper… and then lifted me out of bed, carrying me in her arms.

“For now, I'll just say there was a rebound because you're half Atenosia. After all, you would be the first of that tribe to be born as a Revant into our family. That, and the process I had to use was too annoying and cumbersome to explain. So, they shouldn't ask too many questions.”

I hope so. Although, it's not like they can ask me anything. I just hope they don't get mad at her.

Aunty Ven deactivated the artifact she left on the floor, threw it into her bag and we immediately left the room. Mom was outside with Makila and Dad, waiting for us.

For some reason, Makila was looking really upset, she was somewhat far from both of them. My parents seemed a little uncomfortable when we saw them on the way out.

Aunty Ven didn’t care and explained the story she had made up about there being a rebound because I was half Atenosia. Mom seemed to buy the excuse, adding that perhaps it happened because my Valah had just started growing and the weak circulation of mana in my body may have interfered with whatever it did before.

I could see some sweat forming on Aunty Ven's forehead. I wanted to laugh out loud at that moment, but I had to endure it. I didn't think she was like that. After seeing her act so scary before, this felt pretty adorable. A good gap moe.

Leaving that aside, Aunty Ven tried to divert the topic and ask about Zenya, since she wanted to give her birthday present before leaving to come back... in who knows how many years.

I kind of wished she could stay a little longer. If not, at least have her come back for my first birthday or 5th if she can't come back too soon.

I figured that a stressful situation like this, and the fact that she was the first person to know the real me, made me feel closer to her. A bit of Stockholm syndrome with a pinch of the suspension bridge effect? Not at the level of falling in love, but at least respecting and appreciating her.

Aunty Ven, with me still in her arms, said goodbye to everyone, preparing to be guided by a maid to the place where Zenya and Lady Grawfalls were. She would deliver her gift and leave immediately since she still had a lot of things to do today.

“So, kid.”

She lifted me into her arms, bringing me down to her eye level. We looked at each other for a long second, before I, without really understanding what made me do it, opened my arms demanding a hug. Aunty Ven seemed surprised by my unexpected action, but she pulled me closer to her and I was able to hug her neck. The others just stood there silently watching us, or at least that's what I imagined. I was too focused on trying to convey my gratitude to her. Once again, she had terrified me with her actions, but I also felt like she helped me a lot.

“Okay, okay, leave it at that. I still have to go see your sister.”

With a somewhat uncomfortable tone, Aunty Ven led me away, handing me to Makila who had moved to retrieve me. Ven immediately turned away from us and said goodbye almost in a whisper. For a brief moment, as she turned, I could see a small flash of her face turning red.

I guess even she can feel embarrassed. You should never underestimate the cuteness of babies... even if that baby is technically a guy over 30 years old.

Thank you, Aunty Ven. I hope to see you again soon.

 

The Revants

Asherian with short stature, between 120 and 140 cm the tallest. Their appearance was similar to humans, with several differences. Like the Friasan, they had black sclera, with a wide range of eye colors, the only ones not having the black sclera are the gray eyes.

Their pupil used to be of the slit type. The hair was almost exclusively red or black. Ears pointed, but shorter, being barely noticeable. Their night vision was especially good, as was their sense of smell, taste, and wild instincts. They did not have tails, horns, or wings, but they did have quite sharp claws on their hands and feet, and more powerful teeth, with 12 fangs and 4 molars. Still being basic carnivores, but capable of eating a few types of fruit and other foods.

Although they were quite small compared to most other races, they were incredibly agile and strong. Capable of having even combats with opponents twice their size. Their muscles and bones were much denser and their body better adapted.

They were hunters and warriors by nature, being especially good at the front lines. Mostly fighters with melee weapons.

Currently considered an extinct tribe. Their pillar, ********, granted them ************** and **** that the Revants could not withstand these changes, dying younger and younger. They could only be saved by crossing with another race, little by little eliminating ************, until today, only one Revant is born per generation. Who has to go through various rituals and training so that their own body does not react negatively.

They used to live between 90 to 100 years. At the end of "the great decline", their life expectancy plummeted to 50 to 60 years. The new generations can live up to 180 years.