Chapter 1: The Opportunity

Death is a fickle thing. It comes when you least expect it and leaves you reeling, as you attempt to clutch onto the last simmers of light. Sometimes it is slow, and takes its time, often leaving people in awful pain and agony. Not a pleasant experience. Other times, it is instantaneous, so fast you do not even notice it. At least I did not.

'What is going on?'

The darkness around me was a sharp contrast to the pleasant interior of the Audi Q5 I was driving away from the hospital, having successfully completed another taxing day at work. All I felt was a sudden jolt and suddenly, I could no longer could I hear the radio of my car or feel the wind from the open window. It seems I died. Strange that I did not feel the least bit of pain when that happened. Must have been instantaneous…

How long is this going to last?

Maybe this is purgatory, where I am currently awaiting my trial and judgment. And yet, I see no other entities or even souls of other deceased around me. Or maybe, it is simply possible that I would be doomed to drift in this dark abyss forever, never to enter heaven or even see a glimpse of hell.

'What a boring afterlife that would be', I thought with some halfhearted amusement.

Amusement that quickly turned into surprise and then fear as I feel the darkness around me compress. Walls made of some slippery and quite repulsive substance began to jostle me around. They seemed to be pushing and squeezing, as I found myself moved into a certain direction. Suddenly, a bright light invaded my senses, so bright I was forced to shut my eyes. That is when I began to hear distant sounds, which seemed to be voices.

This certainly could not get any better.

The jostling increased until finally I felt myself fall and immediately pulled upwards. As I slowly opened my eyes, the first item of interest I could see was a brown sky.

Wait, that cannot be right. Why is everything so fuzzy? Did I lose my eyesight?

Some moments later, I could distinguish that the sky was in fact a ceiling with dusty old and cracked wooden support beams.

'Is that a cobweb I see, right there in the corner', I observed with my slowly improving eyesight.

That is when I saw a face of a 'woman?' with unnaturally white hair and bright gold eyes, with pale white skin lined with drops of sweat. She seemed to be rocking me, as she frowned, observing me, and scrutinizing me with her unnaturally vivid eyes.

"Why is he not crying? I do not hear his cries! Is everything all right with my baby?" she almost shouted, worry evident on her face.

And that is when it finally hit me. Rebirth! I was a baby, born again and seemingly retaining my sense of perception and adult mind. Truly, this was possibly one of the greatest gifts I could ever receive by whatever entity or maybe god that sent me here. A glitch or maybe an error in the system of life and death that could be the greatest boon in my new life. But first, let's not worry my mother further, else she might do something unpleasant.

Before a 'healer' or nursemaid that was certainly there for my mother could once again pick me up and take me from my mothers' hands, I forced myself to cry out, with happiness at my new situation and new opportunity. It was surprisingly easy. Must have been because of my physiology of a newborn.

"Oh, you're a loud one aren't you, little one? Just born and already so beautiful and healthy. I can see it in your eyes, you will be a wise child, won't you? I will name you Vidar, a fitting name for you, to suit your eyes" said my mother, as she cooed over me, letting my underdeveloped pudgy hands play with her sleek finger.

As she turned her head, probably to call for the second person in the room, I saw something that disturbed me greatly.

My mothers' ear was pointy.

Not round, not large, but sleek and pointy. Something you definitely could not see in my past world. Perhaps, I was reborn in another world. Yes, that is most probable, where else could you find people with such 'elfish?' features. But if my mother is an elf or resembles an elf, where could I be? Surely not Lord of the Rings? I was deep in my thoughts until I heard my mother again.

"No, I refuse! How dare you suggest to hand over my child to the other elves in Du Weldenvarden! They will shun him; he is an abomination in their eyes. A product of unnatural love between two races. Especially now, with that human traitor and Dragon Rider massacring noble dragons and my race! I will not stand for this. He will live here in Ceunon, with me" frantically replied my elf mother to a suggestion made by the nurse.

Du Weldenvarden? Ceunon? Dragon Riders? Bloody hell! I was in Alagaësia, a world filled with dangerous individuals and entities, with mysterious mages and deadly dragons. Not to mention, the dark lord himself, Galbatorix, cruel ruler and slaughterer of dragons, with thousands of Eldunari to back his every whim and fulfill his disturbing wishes. Perhaps, rebirth was not the most pleasant of options for my afterlife.

In hindsight, however, there is one deciding factor that overrules all the dangers and unpleasantries I may ever face. After all, how can they compare with the greatest of wonders I will encounter and master in this world:

Magic

With a flick of my hand in the future, I would be able to reshape mountains, grow plants and command nature. Not to mention the ability to pilfer the minds of others, wreck enormous amounts of catastrophe and potentially even change myself to become an incredibly powerful mage. With my knowledge of the concepts of biology, chemistry, and physics, as well as medicine, the horizons of my future journey broaden as my path to the top becomes clearer. All that is left is to use the best of the presented opportunity.

After all, future knowledge is truly a gamechanger.

Whilst relying purely on my memory of Paolini's novels is foolish and downright detrimental, the knowledge they contain can be one of the best guides towards my future endeavors and goals. The most important and crucial aspect of my rebirth however is to have a clear idea and goal towards which I can rise. A person without a clear goal in mind can often get lost amidst distractions and useless issues.

No, in this world, I need to have the mindset that "Power is not will, but the phenomenon of physically making things happen". Thank you Madara Uchiha for your words of wisdom. To explore the deepest depths of magic, to improve myself beyond all limitations, to truly achieve freedom from all chains, I need to grow, not stagnate.

Never stagnate.

This was the downfall of many individuals who were incredibly close to their goals. If greed and ambition are what push humans forward, then they will be the ones to push me. Fully controlled and under moderation of course.

For now, however, I need a game plan. With my mother leaving me to sleep or rest in the crib, I have the ideal time and opportunity to plan my first few moves. First on the menu is to figure out the current approximate era or century. Referring back to the words of my mother, Galbatorix is still killing riders and dragons. This must mean that I am born approximately 100 years before the start of the novels, before Eragorn first gets the egg of Saphira. Plenty of time to grow and prepare myself for the calamity that can be called plot.

My current situation however is somewhat precarious. If what I understood is true, I am a half-elf, most probably the result of my mother's love for a human. While the novels do not indicate whether others like I exist, they certainly show examples of how other elves feel themselves superior to humans, with their better reflexes and connection to magic. A prime example of this would be Vanir, a cocky and antagonistic character who made fun of Eragorn for his poor dexterity and strength whilst they sparred. Therefore, my current physiology would need rectifying and improvement, most certainly to eventually meet and surpass normal elven physical and magical standards.

Galbatorix, his pet shade Durza and the Ra'zac will be individuals to avoid for the next century. Caution and deception are what will support me now and in the future. After all, I am currently a practically a speck of dust that they can easily get rid of if noticed. I will need to slowly grow and develop, learning more about magic and the ancient language, as well as sword fighting and agility to ever stand a chance against them

My currently most valid option and opportunity to grow is to exploit the sheep around me. Illiterate and unknowledgeable savages the lot of them. Savages which can still aid me.

Is magic absorption a thing?

Perhaps, I could develop a way to grow by using others as stepping stones. Now that would be amazing. In any case, the infiltration of their minds will do for the moment. Now where to start, where to start?

Curse my poor physique and pudgy fingers!

Oh, my mother seems to be coming back, ready to introduce me to the horror called breastfeeding. Maybe being an elf her milk has magical properties. This would need further investigation.

"Here you are Vidar, you must be hungry. Let mama feed you so you can grow and become big and strong"

Yes, mother, bigger and stronger, stronger than them all. Let me start profiting from this opportunity…