An Unchosen Soul

Chapter 1: Looks Like I Got Lucky

The first thing that came to me was light

Huh? Didn't I die? Shouldn't everything be black? Well… I did ask if reincarnation could be a thing… wait, doesn't reincarnation mean you lose your memories? So, what is this then?

I could hear people talking, but it was all in a language I wasn't familiar with. As a result, it sounded more like mangled nonsense. As my vision cleared up, I was greeted by the face of a young girl with blue hair.

Wait… what?

Blue hair? Like, actually blue, the same color as the sky at noon blue. Was it dyed? Had to be. Still, she's pretty young looking. Like, what… fourteen maybe? I dunno, she also gives off this vibe of being older for some reason. Maybe she just looks way younger than she is.

By her side is a young man who looks more in his twenties with crimson hair and eyes to match, giving the girl a proud smile as he spoke in that bizarre language. This guy looked like some kind of adventurer; he had that sort of face. And… was it just me or were his ears pointed like an elf's? I gotta be seeing things…

The girl gave me a warm smile as she spoke, and I was starting to realize these two seemed oddly big. Like, not even perspective from being close. They just seemed big. The girl ruffled my head a bit, and the man looked to the side, saying something else. Obviously, I didn't understand it.

To my own surprise, I felt the feeling of being lifted, and next I knew I was faced with another young woman. Sterling blonde hair and bright blue eyes, man talk about a looker. And… she also has long, pointed ears like the young man. Huh… weird.

Is this some kind of death-induced fever dream? Is my dying mind making me see things according to that stupid last wish?

The seemingly-elf speaks to another person as she lifts me up in her arms. I get redirected again, and this time I come face to face with a man much older than the others. If I had to guess, he was at least getting into his sixties if not older. Yet he still had a strong face and fierce eyes, his own crimson hair barely taken over by the greying of age.

He gave a pleasant smile to the first two I'd seen as the elf woman chuckled, looking to me and ruffling my head himself. His hand was large and rough, practically all callouses across his palm. Must do a lot of physical labor. But it was also… weirdly comforting to feel. Like when your grandpa pats your head and stuff.

I get handed back to the blue-haired girl, and she smiles again as the young man waves. What the heck is that for man? I'm like 17, at least… wait a second.

On impulse, I move my arms up. Or at least, try to. My body feels weirdly hard to move, but I can kind of move my arms and legs a bit. I get mistaken for reaching out, as the man puts a finger forward. Tiny hands instinctively grasp that finger.

My hands grasp that finger.

Oh… I get it.

I really have been reincarnated.

Let's move ahead by like, a month.

It seems that stupid request I'd made to the world as I was dying came true: I was now a baby.

It was confirmed once I got cradled in a way that I could take a good look at myself. I had some little cousins before, so I knew well enough what a newborn baby looked like.

Still, being basically immobile for a good month was… trying, to say the least. Being totally reliant on others to get around was frustrating, but not like I could express it through anything more than the failed vocalizations of a tiny child.

It begged the question though, why did I still have my memories? I can't say it's a complaint but if this was going to happen, couldn't it have been more convenient? Like I dunno, I get my memories back when I'm like ten because I slammed my head into a wall or something. At least let me skip the parts where I can't do much by myself.

I'd pieced together very quickly my parents that were the blue-haired girl and red-headed young man. Despite her looks being what they were, my newfound mother did give off a rather mature vibe, like someone with a lifetime of experience under their belt. Same with my father. I wasn't sure what it was, but they gave me the sense they knew a lot more about life than their appearances let on.

Maybe they weren't human? They're definitely not Japanese, that's for sure. European looking, maybe. The older man, who I surmised had to be my grandfather, certainly looked like he came from there. And the elf who… well for now I didn't know what my relation to her was. But my father did look a lot like her… so grandmother maybe? Elves do age pretty slowly in most fiction…

Everything also felt… rather old fashioned. But like, in a weird way. There was no electricity or gas to be seen, everything was lit either by oil lamps when it wasn't sunny, and the occasional candle for softer lighting.

The clothing they wore also fit the old-fashioned bill, being heavy fabrics and simple styles. The house too had that old timey feeling. Everything was made of solid wood or stone in one way or another, clearly carved by hand rather than machined and made of processed extras. The interior of a house I could understand, but it also came with some sparse carpeting. Furniture was also all wooden, some things having cushions on them for ease. The utensils we had were metal, but it was also a lot cruder than what I was familiar with, like they'd been beaten into shape by a blacksmith.

When I was being toted around, I did catch sight of some things at least. We had a surprisingly large bookcase in a room on the second floor of the house, seemingly my grandfather's study. There being a second floor also meant we had to be some kind of well off. There was a handful of books on the shelves of the carved item, and they were big. Watching my mother heft one off the shelves made me worry she'd drop it from the way it yanked her small arms, but she seemed used to it.

Well, we don't seem super well off by comparison, but maybe my standards are just warped because of modern society. For all I know these people are wealthy by their own standards.

If I'm even still on Earth that is…

Six more months went by.

By then my body had grown enough I was finally able to crawl on my own and get around the house without much aid. At one point I found a mirror in my parents' bedroom and managed to get a good look at myself at last.

I looked to be a complete mishmash of my parents' features from what I could tell. The same crimson, upwards slanted eyes as my father, but skin as pale as my mother's and with the same sky-blue hair as her. My ears were also pointed like my father's but remained on the shorter side. I couldn't help but think I looked like a character right out of an MMO or manga I'd seen before. But, kinda cool I'd say, considering it seemed I was some kind of mixed-breed and all that.

In said six months I'd also started picking up on the language. I'd always heard that trying to learn a new language after sticking to your native one for your whole life was a challenge, though my English grades had never been bad. But it seems being a literal baby also meant I was learning things a lot faster. It wasn't much, but I felt like I was getting a handle on what they were saying around each other and to me.

So combined with my rediscovered mobility it made for a rather liberating feeling to be able to wander the house unopposed until someone caught me.

"Oh my, he really can't stay still, can he?"

"Lark was a lot like this when he was small as well, you'll get used to it."

"M-Mother…" my father grumbled in embarrassment as he, my mother, and grandmother watched me wandering around the house. "At least we know he's healthy. I was worried since he never cried that often."

"He still doesn't," my mother added. "Perhaps he inherited Argus's tough nature."

"I may be getting old Romi, but my senses are still sharp," The gravelly voice of my grandfather carried out from the living room, the man looking away from the tome set in his lap.

That was one of the first things I'd learned after picking up the language: Names. My father was Lark, my mother Romi, my grandfather Argus, and my grandmother Renona.

And as for myself? Aegir.

I liked the sound of it, so hey, not a bad name.

I was also making sure to take stock of my environment. Aside from this house having two floors with about six rooms spread between them, we also had a cellar. I spotted my father and Renona occasionally bringing animals they likely hunted into it every few weeks, meaning it was likely for storage. Mother also tended to keep grains and other plants down there.

The house itself was in a rather idyllic countryside. I'd more than a few times either hefted myself up to a window or gotten to look out at one while someone was trying to coax me to sleep. The town outside of the house seemed a bit small. Other houses were in view, each divided from the main cobblestone road by a walled off yard of varying sizes. But as far as I was able to look at the various points in the house, all there was besides the other abodes was farmland and hills as far as I could see.

This doesn't really answer my question about where the heck I am though.

Not to mention whether or not this was all some extended dying dream or something of the like. I really couldn't figure the answer to that one out… or maybe I was just in an extended state of denial.

Then one day, what had become a routine for me suddenly changed.

"Aegir? Where did you go now?"

A voice in my head. My mother's voice to be precise. I was so off guard at hearing it in my head that my bout of "exercise" came to a grinding halt as I was trying to clamber up to a window. Looking around, I didn't see any sign of her, but I could hear footsteps. And while I was still trying to process it, my mother came down the stairs, sighing as she caught me trying to shuffle a chair towards the window.

"There you are," She shook her head with an amused smile as she picked me up, and then noticed what had to be an utterly confused look on my face, "Oh! Sorry, I must have surprised you huh? You must be wondering what that was?"

I gave the best attempt at a nod I could muster. And then I felt something, like my mind itself was being touched.

"This is something mama can do. And since you're my son, you can do it to. Think of it as a special talent."

I heard her voice, but it was entirely in my mind. A faint echo, but a sensation that made me know it was there. Is this… is it telepathy?! Has she always been able to do this? I mean, must be! She really isn't human, is she?

"What… is this…?"

I flinch at the reply that slips through from my mind. My mother chuckles and sets me down on the chair, kneeling to come to eye level with me. Seems she's not at all surprised at the baby managing to eek out a reply through thought rather than speech.

"Mama's a Migurdian. People of my kind can talk to each other with our minds alone, even from an age as young as yours. How do you think I always know where you are in the house?" she tapped a finger to her temple, giggling as I could only sit there dumbfounded. "You'll get used to it with time, don't worry, Aegir. And don't worry, Papa knows about this. But also, just know this works from very far away. So, as you get bigger, I'll be able to keep tabs on you even when you're out of the house."

"That's… a bit scary," I tried to keep my reply terse as possible. For now, I need to keep up the idea I'm actually just getting aware until I'm old enough for it not to be an issue… which frankly won't be that much longer in perspective.

And then the sounds of clashing metal caught my attention next. Romi clearly noticed that, moving to the window I had attempted to reach and propping me up on the windowsill. And out there in the yard were Lark and Argus, both men holding honest to God swords and going at each other with all the ferocity of a real fight. I was surprised a man as old as Argus was moving so well, keeping up with Lark without issue as their swords rang with each collision.

Eh? What? First telepathy and now swordplay? What the heck is going on?

Then something else caught my eye. As Lark's sword was deflected, before Argus's could come down, his free hand shifted to the side. Air suddenly burst from his palm, launching Lark to the side and leaving Argus's sword to dig into the ground where he had been. Barely an instant after, Lark's sword came to point at Argus's chest, the man laughing as his father grunted, muttering something that caused my father to laugh.

"You're curious about what that was, huh?" Romi said, and I nodded almost feverishly in reply. "Grandpa and Papa are both swordsmen, incredibly skilled ones at that. They're both experienced adventurers who've seen this world end to end almost. Same with Mama. Papa and I spent a long time traveling the world before you were born. Cool, right?"

"W-What did father do?"

"Magic," That word alone made my eyes widen as far as they could. "Papa's what you'd call a Mage Knight. I'm not good with a sword myself, but I'm absolutely a better mage than him though. If you'd like, once you're a bit bigger, I can start teaching you what I know. Does that sound good?"

Telepathy, swordsmanship, magic… that had to cinch it. There wasn't a way to deny it. I'm not on Earth anymore.

But… hold on, what kind of luck is this?! Not only did I get reincarnated, but I'm the son of adventurers and all that? Is this a joke? It's gotta be a joke. How could I get that stupidly lucky?

"Hm, what's going on in here?" Lark and Argus entered the house, the younger man chuckling as he approached. "Helping Aegir watch the show out there?"

"I caught him trying to get up there himself," Romi stated, Lark looking at me with a raised brow. "Our son has a lot of energy, quite a lot like a certain somebody in this house. I'm almost worried he might get hurt trying to do something."

"Ah come on Romi, he's our kid. Aegir's gonna be tough by default," The man came over and ruffled my hair. "He was bound to have plenty of energy. Though... I can't help but be worried how he'll be treated since he has your hair color."

"Romi did just fine, didn't she?" Argus commented, "Besides, in recent decades Asura at least has become a lot more tolerant towards non-humans. Though... well, maybe a hood would help him out when he's older."

"Father, come on, don't go talking like that," Lark chuckled, picking me up from the window. "Still, were you interested watching us spar?"

"You should've seen his face, he was practically transfixed," Romi put a finger to her lips, as if telling me to keep out little telepathic talk quiet. Perhaps for now she didn't want Lark to be aware I could manage that much already.

I was almost zoned out as the back and forth I was getting used to watching among my new family continued one. Eventually I was brought back upstairs and nestled into the room that was my own even at this age. And considering my situation, I had nothing to ponder on but my thoughts.

Well it would be easier if the walls were thicker. Seriously you two, slow down a bit I'm sure you could be heard down in the cellar.

Well… maybe I'll get a younger sibling at some point.

From that point on, I began paying much more attention to the things the people around me were saying. As I picked up more of the language, there were other words that weren't as easy to associate between this new language and Japanese. Nouns, for the most part really. The names of locations that had to be in other parts of the world. Romi had begun showing me a map, and thanks to that telepathic link we shared, she was able to start teaching me to understand the things written in the books we owned far sooner than what would have been normal for a child my age.

The main thing I learned was where we lived. It was a decently sized farming village called Litoro, located in a larger region known as the Asura Kingdom, one of the larger nations on the Central Continent.

After finding it in the study, I'd spent a deal of time pouring over the world map we possessed, spending time with my family being taught the various locations of import around the world and being told stories they all knew about the many, many places all of them had visited in their lives.

I think what surprised me the most was learning where Romi was from. Apparently Migurdians like herself were in fact Demons of a sort, and the place she came from was far, far away from where we were now. Like, completely on the other side of the world and then some. The Demon Continent as it was called, and the town she was from was a small placed called Rikaris. Apparently Romi left the village to become an adventurer herself following in the steps of someone else from that village she knew about.

What I was getting intensely curious about was Argus's story. Renona had told me she met him ages ago back in her homeland on the Milis Continent, which is about halfway between Central and Demon. I still didn't have all the details, but it seemed like something had happened when she and Argus were younger that caused him to end up in the elf territory in his youth despite having been from the Central Continent. I'll need to find a history book or something, there's got to be records about it somewhere here.

It was one of these days, as I was cooped up in the study after wriggling my way there and trying to find such a history book, that I got interrupted by a pair of rough hands plucking me from the floor.

"Well, haven't you gotten curious?" It was Argus who'd done so, the grizzled senior chuckling as I flailed my small arms in protest. Not like I could stop him from manhandling me, considering I was barely nine months old at this point. "Hm, how about you and I go for a walk? Perhaps grandfather can tell you a thing or two… though not sure if it'll stick for now."

You'd be surprised, was what I'd say if I could talk. Considering the only person I could telepathically speak to was Romi, I would have to suffice with an attempted word that was more akin to a cat's mewl. It didn't sit quite right hearing that come out of my mouth.

Argus only chuckled and stuck me onto his shoulders, getting my legs around his neck. If this was gonna happen, then I'll just have to use some of his hair as handholds.

We departed with a few brief words to Renona and Romi as they were working on skinning and gutting a deer. I had been brought out into the yard a few times, mostly so that I wouldn't be cooped up inside all the time. But this was the first time I had been brought outside of the yard itself. The air of the village was crisp in the wind, the scent of the fields drifting along the breeze as the approaching autumn chill approached.

"You know, Aegir…" Argus said, drawing my attention from scanning the horizon, "This world is starting to change, and quickly. The world from my youth is very quickly edging away into something… more, something new. But I can't dare say our world is a peaceful one."

I had to wonder what he meant by that. It wasn't as if I really knew anything outside of this village… but maybe that was precisely what he was looking to get at.

"In this corner of the world, it may seem that way, for now at least," The man continued, waving to a farmer who gave him a hearty greeting. "It's been a very long time since our world was shaken by an incident that changed many lives in vast ways. Hell, I doubt I'd have met your grandmother were it not for that incident. But this old man here has learned a lot and seen a lot. I have a sense for the way the world moves… and this peaceful time isn't going to last, that I'm sure of."

I gave the best reply I could to at least let Argus know I was listening to him. He seemed a bit assured to know that while I couldn't share in the conversation, I could at least take in his words.

"Despite how small you are now, Romi seems convinced your mind is sharp, so it's why I wanted to tell you these things," said the man, taking us from the town and up a hill I'd regularly been able to spot from our windows. "You're an interesting child, Aegir. A half-elven father and a Migurdian mother, not to mention both of them experienced adventurers who can pass all their talent to you without a doubt. And all around you, a world on the verge of change, of something bigger than any one person."

"Auuaa…" Was my best reply as Argus stopped at the titanic tree topping the hill. He took a moment to rest a hand on the ancient bark, before sitting down and nestling me in his lap so we could overlook the village and the mountains beyond the humble grasslands and sparse woods.

"And I can't help but feel a tad bitter I won't get to see the man you become," Argus stated, planting a hand on my head. "The flame of my life only has so much longer before it flickers out, despite the strength my body still possesses. But you… if all goes well, perhaps you'll see just how this world changes and more. Perhaps you have a greater destiny than we would know. So, take a look at the world as it is now, Aegir. Because I'm not sure how long it's going to remain this way."

Argus turned my attention back to the horizon, the sky beginning to turn from blue to burning orange with the approach of evening. Spread below it all was the village I would now be calling home. Houses and farmland spreading as far as I could see before the plains and forests took over. And even further than that the mountain peaks just within the horizon. If I still had access to a camera, I would absolutely take a picture of a view like this.

And this was a world like something out of a novel. One of swords and sorcery, of "demons", elves, and who knew what other races? I'd heard one of my father's stories about the Beastfolk. And if this was only the people of the world, what else was out there? What creatures roamed the lands across it? What all could I learn and explore if I took that route? So many questions, and damn if I wasn't sure if I would have the time to learn all of it.

"So, how about it?" Argus hefted me up, turning me to him, "Willing to learn how to go on your own journey from this old man before his time is up? I ain't leaving this world till I've seen you ready to make a mark of your own. Even if your destiny is not a strong one, I can only hope a child like you can achieve something great. I know you will."

"Auuu!" I wanted to give the old man an energetic reply. Because honestly… that had to be the most encouraging thing I'd heard, ever.

After a life of nothing but being ordinary, of not standing out and being the quiet one in a family of talented people… could a world like this let me change that perception of myself? Could this second life actually let me achieve something I can call worthwhile?

I certainly hope it can. Because I have nowhere to go but up from here.