Chapter 2: Newborns
"HOW DARE YOU?!"A thunderous voice roared — both impossibly distant and terrifyingly close.
In an instant, existential dread seized me.It was a fear unlike anything I had ever known — as if I were a helpless ant, and a colossal foot was descending upon my fragile shell.There was no hope of resisting.No point in running.I was finished. Completely, irrevocably.
I froze, surrendering to my fate — but somewhere deep inside, a spark of rebellion, born from primal survival instincts, forced me to act.
"Survive. I must survive!"Without thinking, I obeyed that desperate instinct and threw myself into a blind, frantic sprint.
But it was hopeless.
BOOM.
"Aaahhh!"A scream tore from my throat as something massive and inevitable crashed down upon me.
The impact tore my soul apart.Thoughts, emotions — all vanished, replaced by unbearable pain.Pain so deep it made the torments of Hell seem like a gentle caress.
All that remained of me was a tiny thread of consciousness, spiraling into the endless void.That thread clung to a single command: run.Fueled only by raw fear and the desperate will to live.
I was blind to everything around me, sucked into a swirling kaleidoscope of glowing specks.Instinctively, I reached for the brightest light — and was engulfed in a blinding flash.
"I... I... I exist..."The only coherent thought I could form.
My body was trapped, crushed from every side.I was surrounded by suffocating darkness, wrapped in some strange viscous substance that pinned me in place.
Even that last thought faded, leaving behind only sensation — a blend of mounting panic and deep, gnawing fear.
Time dragged unbearably slow.I prayed for change — a glimmer of light, a hint of warmth — but nothing came.Only endless darkness and the crushing pressure.
Suddenly, I felt something touch me.Warm. Comforting.
I tried to turn toward it — but my body refused to obey.
The touch was soft and fleeting, but it sent a bolt of cold terror through me.Already teetering on the brink of panic, the sensation of something alive in the darkness shattered what little calm I had left.
I felt trapped.The pressure around me grew stronger.The touches grew more frequent.
After what felt like an eternity, I gathered the courage to move.To my astonishment — it worked.
Who knew it would be a terrible mistake?
As if reacting to my movement, distant sounds echoed through the void.
Again...
Terrifying.Utterly terrifying.
A tremor seized my body.A desperate, ragged scream tore through the silence.
The familiar warmth and wetness vanished instantly, replaced by suffocating pressure.Action was needed — now.
"Run," my last rational thought flared to life once more.
I mustered all my strength and turned — and there, in the distance, I saw it:A faint, flickering light.
Weak. Dim.Barely real.And yet... more precious than anything.
I surged toward it.The space around me pulsed, contracting and expanding as if urging me forward.
Distant cries grew louder, gaining shape — but I ignored them.
Puff!
Finally, I burst free.
Bright.So bright it hurt.
Instinctively, tears welled in my eyes — but I was too exhausted to cry.
Suddenly, something warm and soft enveloped me.I floated in a cocoon of pure comfort, as if cradled by clouds.It was so blissful I wanted to stay there forever.
Obeying instinct, I struggled to open my eyes.My eyelids felt glued shut, unbearably heavy.Yet... such peace.I had to see.
Slowly, the world came into focus — and what I saw confirmed the impossible.
I was in heaven.
A beautiful woman, perhaps in her early thirties, gazed down at me with sky-blue eyes filled with infinite tenderness — as if committing my face to memory.
She was breathtaking.I had never seen anyone so perfect.Or rather... I couldn't remember anyone else.But somehow, I knew no one could compare.
Her face was a masterpiece sculpted by nature itself.Her silvery-white hair shimmered like a heavenly gift, more precious than any treasure.And her smile...A saint would abandon their vows just to glimpse such a smile.
And that smile — that radiant, loving smile — was meant for me alone.
I wanted nothing more than to disappear into it forever.
In a haze of rapture, a new thought formed in my mind — something I longed to say.
But when I tried to speak, only a weak, broken cry escaped:
— "Maa...aa..."
The beautiful woman's smile grew even brighter.
She drew me closer, pressing me against her.Her soft lips brushed against my forehead in a kiss so gentle, so light, it made my very soul melt in bliss.
I closed my eyes, surrendering to the overwhelming comfort.
Then — her voice reached me.A voice so melodic, so pure, it sounded like the chiming of bells.
"Fufufu~ Did Mommy put another little angel to sleep already? But you have to eat first, sweetheart. You want to grow up strong and handsome like your big sister, don't you?"
Confused, I forced my sticky eyelids open again, staring at her.
She seemed to take my wide-eyed gaze as agreement.
Lowering me slightly, she revealed a breathtaking sight:A pale-pink hill crowned by a soft rose-pink altar.
Guided by pure instinct, I tried to reach for it — but my arms, traitorous and heavy, barely responded.
Understanding my struggle, the kind woman simply brought the sacred altar to my eager mouth.
"There, there, dear," she cooed with a tender smile."You must be really hungry. Look at you — so big compared to your older sister. You need to eat well to stay strong."
As the warm, sweet-tasting liquid filled my mouth, I glimpsed, out of the corner of my eye, another tiny priest — another miniature competitor — struggling toward the same altar.
Righteous fury flared within me.Driven by primal instinct to defend my territory, I attempted a mighty kick toward the audacious interloper.
Alas, the treacherous distance between us proved too great for my newborn limbs.
"Oh my, what a little possessive boy you are," the woman giggled."Fufufu~ Don't worry, darling. Your big sister won't steal your milk. Mommy will be fair to both her angels."
I didn't fully grasp her words — but the soothing tone lulled me.
Satisfied, I returned to drinking, ignoring my tiny "rival."
My mood steadily improved.And with it, a profound truth blossomed within me:
This gentle woman — she was my mother.And the tiny creature beside me — my sister.
As if that realization completed something vital, exhaustion claimed me.
Before drifting into a peaceful sleep, I heard the melodic voice one last time:
"Welcome to the world, my little ones."