Henry stared at the void around him before giving a sigh in his head.
This was odd even for one of his dreams.
He didn't know how long he was there, all around him the black of the void stretched onwards as far as his eyes could see, or at least what felt he thought of as his eyes could.
He couldn't move, even the blood in his ears was quiet as he waited for what felt like a age.
Eventually he decided that this wasn't a dream, he'd had dreams before that felt so real that it hurt when he was injured in the dream but never before had he felt anything like this.
He couldn't remember doing anything before he went to sleep that could explain what had happened to him.
It was like all his senses had been cut off from the outside world, for a long time he wondered if he was in a coma.
It was after a while that he started counting as he eventually figured if he was in a coma he should at least check if my brain was still working. even if he couldn't remember certain numbers at least he would know just how bad he must be.
"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,,,,25,,,,,,36,,,78," even counting in his head his inner voice seemd muted.
He gave up around 200, at least he could still count he thought to himself.
He kept himself occupied with trying to remember a few engineering equations to see how much damge his brain must have suffered but they were so boring he soon stopped.
Eventually he fell into a sleep or as close as he could when nothing can change.
After a long time, he was woken from his slumber, no not slumber her even sleep was taken from him, his rest was disturbed by a bright light heading towards him at incredible speed.
He could sense that this thing was coming from a great distance and was important.
As it got closer he felt not a heat but a pressure as the ball of light expanded until it covered every angle and direction he could view until all he could feel was the power of this light.
It was as though all his senses where returned and all of them screamed out under the power of the light.
Sight was struck blind before its brightness, he could hear a rumble so deep it shook him, the pressure from it felt like the depths of water and he could have sworn that he could taste the light on his tongue as the sharpest lemon ever.
It grew until it was all too much and it was no longer something that he felt but more to great.
Suddenly, all the pain vanished. It was replaced by a very peculiar sensation. Henry felt as though he was under the water, yet he was not drowning. He also felt as though he was encased in a strange bag, and its only opening was the bright light in front of him.
He felt a need to make way towards no it was beyond that, to rush towards that light. Sadly, he found himself still unable to move. However, that did not keep him within the bag. Somehow, he was moving, anyway. He felt as though he was being propelled towards the light by some unseen, unexplained force. Progress was slow, but it was consistent.
Finally, he reached the light and exited the container. Upon his departure, he noticed he had been holding his breath. He let out a sharp gasp to take in some oxygen, and an ear-piercing wail emerged from his lips.
He abruptly felt large hands take ahold of him, and he was lifted into the air. There was a momentary lapse of pain on his navel – or where his navel should have been. But it quickly faded away.
He soon realized he was naked. Luckily, he did not stay that way. He was swiftly wrapped up in a blanket by the hands that had picked him up. Once he was securely wrapped up, he heard a feminine voice announce "You have a bouncing baby boy, milord."
He was then transferred to another pair of hands. That brought him face-to-face with a middle-aged man. The man was tall, strapping, and gruff, but he held a warm countenance. He appeared to be bristling with pride.
"Hello, my boy," the man said happily a big smile on his face as handled the baby gently.
Apparently, he was a baby. That alone was remarkable. But the fact that he was aware of it… that was rather strange. Was he supposed to remember this? If not, somebody had some explaining to do.
As his new father held him, he took note of his surroundings. There were three people in the room. One of them was a young woman lying on a bed. Obviously, his new mother. Another woman was tending to her. The woman must have been the midwife.
"He's quite a large babe," the father remarked.
"You need not tell me that, Husband," the mother mumbled. She was clearly exhausted.
The father looked to the man with the large chain, as though he was expecting some news from him. The man grinned and proclaimed "Your wife is doing quite well too, milord."
The father nodded and declared "mistress Helena, you may go, and many thanks for your help today" he paused before looking straight into her eyes "I will owe you a favor of worth for your actions today.
"Yes, milord," Helena said obediently, though not before giving the man a wry grin. "aye that you would" before giving a quick look to the women and with a final nod she left the room.
The couple were left alone looking down at their new baby.
"Welcome to the family, little one," the mother cooed softly.
Henry had never believed in reincarnation. Then again, he had never been a strong opponent of it, either. He had admitted that reincarnation may have been possible, but he never would have thought he would experience it firsthand.
Soon His mother turned to his father and asked "Have you decided on a name, my love?"
"Yes," his father replied, still gazing down at his son, "He shall be Harrold, of house Forest.