In the wings of the manor, maids in black and white uniforms hurried through the halls. Suddenly, an abrupt burst of a baby's cry echoed through the entire corridor, casting everyone into a momentary silence. Then came another cry, followed by gasps and cheers from the staff.
"Waah… waah…"
Elara opened her eyes and immediately squinted against the blinding light that flooded her vision.
Where am I? What's going on?
The questions formed clearly in her mind, but all that left her mouth was the helpless cry of an infant.
As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was being cradled against soft, warm arms and a gentle bosom. A beautiful young woman with silvery-white hair and purple eyes looked down at her with a mixture of exhaustion and wonder.
"My lady, it's a girl," said a voice nearby.
Elara turned her head slightly and saw a middle-aged woman in an old-fashioned nursing outfit standing beside the bed.
Further observation made the truth sink in. She had been… reborn. Into an ancient-looking world. As a baby.
"Hmm… her eyes… the color is so different from the Voss lineage," the woman holding her said weakly.
"Yes, my lady. While her eyes are indeed unusual, she seems quite unique," the midwife replied with clear excitement. "I believe she is the chosen one, born to reverse the family's declining situation — just as the prophecy from the great House Lomor of the Sovereign of Boundless Knowledge foretold."
"I hope so…" the young lady replied tersely, her voice tired. "My lord paid a heavy price to have a Nomos Seer perform a divination on the family's fate."
"We can only know for certain twelve years from now, after her awakening… if she can awaken a special eye bloodline pow—"
"Ahhh!"
The young lady's sentence was cut short by her own shrill scream. She clutched her head with one arm, nearly dropping the baby. The midwife moved with almost unnatural speed and caught Elara safely.
"Quickly! Take the young lady to the nursery room!" the midwife ordered.
Before Elara was carried out, she caught one last glimpse of her new mother's body covered in glowing runic tattoos. The midwife's hands were emitting a faint green light as she worked over her.
Elara's mind remained strangely calm despite the chaos.
So this is the new world, she thought. A noble family… already tied to prophecies and Sovereign houses. Interesting.
She didn't cry anymore. She simply observed.
And began to calculate.
.....
A few territories away from Elara's birthplace, at the same moment, inside a baron's manor:
Two maids stood quietly beside the bed holding a wooden basin and clean towels. On the bed lay a sickly, weak woman. Her breathing was shallow and labored.
"Pass me my son…" she whispered, her hands trembling as she reached out.
"Madam, you must breathe," the midwife beside her said gently, placing the bundled baby into her arms.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway. The door opened, and a young couple stepped inside. The woman was heavily pregnant, yet she moved with surprising grace and urgency as she approached the bed.
"Eleanor…" she called softly, worry clear in her voice. "Are you… are you alright?"
The weak woman on the bed simply shook her head and smiled. She looked down at the baby in her arms with a tenderness that seemed strong enough to draw water from stone.
"His name is Kael," she said quietly. "He didn't cry when he was born. I almost feared he was stillborn… until I saw his eyes."
The pregnant lady leaned down to look at the child. What she saw left her speechless.
The baby had a noticeable scleral show — the lower part of his eyes clearly visible — giving him an unsettling, almost intimidating look for a newborn. Combined with his long, narrow eyes, it created a strange, dreadful kind of beauty. The infant simply watched everything around him with calm, unnerving focus.
Kael was dumbfounded.
He had been reincarnated as a baby. And not just any baby — into what appeared to be an ancient world. He reached this conclusion from simple observation: the heavy antique oak furniture, the intricately designed tea sets, and the strange, beautiful garments embroidered with glowing runic patterns.
"Here… take him," the weak woman said, carefully passing the baby to the pregnant lady. Her voice was growing fainter. "Please promise me you will take care of him."
The pregnant lady's eyes immediately welled with tears. She nodded, voice thick with emotion. "I will… like my own."
"Don't cry," the dying woman said with a weak, playful laugh that sounded more like a wheeze. "Pregnant ladies shouldn't be too emotional."
A moment later, her breathing stopped.
.....
Elara lay in her crib in the nursery, staring at the intricate patterns carved into the ceiling with a blank expression, as if deep in thought.
"I have been transmigrated to an ancient world…" she said silently in her mind.
Only moments ago she had been on a dying Earth, surrounded by the overwhelming surge of Prime Essence as her laboratory collapsed. She could still smell death in the air. And now here she was — reborn as a baby.
Even she, who had been a renowned scientific genius on Earth, could not come up with any logical explanation for this supernatural phenomenon. On top of that, from what she had heard and observed from her new mother and the midwife, this world clearly involved magic. It was a fantasy world.
"Hehe… it seems I have been reborn into a wealthy family," Elara thought with a quiet chuckle. "It seems the Heavens have seen my struggles and decided to grant me a new life for enjoyment."
She threw her tiny head back and let out a gleeful cackle, stretching her small limbs in delight.
The young maid standing nearby glanced at the silvery-white-haired baby in the crib. The infant was throwing her head back and waving her tiny arms while giggling happily.
"Aww, you are so cute…" the maid cooed, stepping closer to pick her up.
Some moments later, the sound of measured, organized footsteps echoed from outside the room. The door opened with a soft creak.
"Where is my daughter?" a calm, measured voice asked even before the owner stepped inside.
Not even a second later, a tall figure entered.
The man had long blue hair and a slender yet strong build. His sharp features and piercing violet eyes were striking enough to shock anyone who saw them.
What truly caught Elara's attention, however, were his eyes. Not just the unusual color, but the faint runic patterns that slowly revolved within them, glowing with a subtle, ethereal light.