Is that a Light?

It all happened in an instant. My body went cold all of a sudden. Before I realized it, I got shot in the chest by a wandering bullet from across the road. Which a robbery was occurring.

My body turned pale. My sensations became numb, while my skin slowly became cold. "Am I going to die?" were the words that subconsciously came out of my mouth.

Hearing it in my situation sounded a bit cringeworthy since I was seriously going to die anyway.

My entire life was always riddled with tragedy. When I was 5, my mother died in a car accident. Leaving only me and my father. But when I reached 10, my father remarried and disowned me by sending me to my mother's relative.

Then my father left me behind and started anew with his new wife. Meanwhile, I was stuck with my cold-blooded uncle, who didn't have an ounce of remorse for me.

Every day he'd beat me up if I woke up late. He'd send me to school with an empty stomach.

It was all unrealistic to me, so I started questioning my luck. "What did I do to deserve all this?"

I've endured the hellish life I've lived up until I became a college student who'd now finally escape my cold-blooded uncle's grasp and be independent.

But my dream instantly shattered: "I guess I really did some bad deeds in my previous life." I mumbled as I held on to my last breath.

My vision started getting hazy. The pain I endured suddenly felt numb and disappeared. My eyes were slowly closing on their own.

Memories of my childhood that I'd already forgotten started rummaging through my mind. Those unbearable times that I needed to endure a hellish life struck my head in an instant.

"Uhh, this must be the thing they called "flashing before my eyes" could successfully close on its own."

I guess this is how people die; I suddenly hate it, making me remember all those unpleasantries.

Is that light? I wondered...

After dying, my consciousness didn't fade. And I was transported into a place where darkness was all I could see.

My body felt like I was levitating. Slowly withering, as if all my senses were slowly fading, excluding my eyesight, I slowly began to feel nothing. All I could do was think and doubt, "Did I really die?"

But amidst all the darkness that surrounded me, a small light appeared.

My senses started coming back. My vision was still blurry, but I could assure you that a small speck of light appeared in front of me.

A tingling sensation slowly tickled me. My body suddenly felt hot and slimy, as if I were being preserved inside of some eggshell or whatnot.

Then the light slowly got larger and larger, until I felt that my body was being sucked towards that very light that shined in front of me.

And I slowly felt something pulling my body towards the gleaming light. The numbness that I'd felt slowly vanished as the light grew bigger and wider.

"Congratulations! It's a boy." --Huh? What are they talking about?"

"He resembles his father. Congratulations."

What are they talking about?" My vision was still blurry, and my hearing senses were still a bit dull. But I was sure that someone was talking.

"Darling, our son. Look! He has your eyes."

"Yes. He also has your hair, honey."

Their voices," I could hear them properly now. But my vision was still blurry, and my mind started getting hazy after seeing specks of light enveloping my vision.

And their language, is it French?" I'm an American. How can I understand them when I've never had the chance to study French?

"I've decided that his name will be Axel." --Hey, did he just name me? Wait a minute... This can't be...."

As my vision started getting clearer, I noticed my hands were very tiny, and I could see a man staring deeply in front of me. While I could smell a woman's scent, I raised my head only to notice a beautiful woman gently smiling at me while carrying me softly.

That's when I realized, Did I just reincarnate as a baby?"

"Look at him, darling. He just looked at you." The man happily said, wearing a bright and satisfied expression.

"I guess he's curious to see what his mother looks like." The woman gently replied.

The man who had emerald hair, sword-like eyebrows, golden eyes, and a neatly cut beard with a strong jawline seemed to be my father.

While the gentle woman who had beautiful blonde hair, ocean blue-like eyes, well-shaped eyebrows, a small sharp nose, rosy cheeks, and plump cherry-shaped lips who was softly caressing me seemed to be my mother.

How?" I wondered.

"How did I end up dying and got reincarnated?" Was the only thing that stuck in my mind.

...

....

Several months had passed, and my new life began smoothly.

"Look at our Axel. He's super cute."

"Come on dear, let's give him some space. He needs to sleep."

My mother, Alexandra Echevalier, who's happily married to my father, Damian Echevalier, had been continuously caressing me every day. Their mature look didn't match their cutesy act when they're completely indulged towards me.

But one thing's for sure: Their acts of kindness towards me made me feel a bit happy.

To experience being loved was one of my dreams before dying in my previous hellish life.

And another thing I learned was that their language wasn't French, nor was it among the languages I had hardly known in my previous life.

It's somehow different, but I could still understand them. That's a good sign for me, but after getting carried around our magnificent, huge house.

I learned that I wasn't in the same world I'd lived in before.

.....

....

...

Two years had passed. And I was now able to walk on my own. Speaking was still a bit of a problem for me, but understanding what they're saying is extremely easy for me now.

This world I'm currently in was different. Our extravagant house didn't have any electricity. It seemed that electricity didn't exist in this world. But they had something that did not exist in my previous world. Yes, you've guessed it. It's mana.

Mana was known in some videogames back in my old world, which helped the character use magical abilities. As for this world, mana was their fuel rather than electricity.

Our majestic, extravagant, huge house was filled with magical lamps that were fueled with mana.

We don't have television or air conditioning. All I could see were bookshelves, antique decorations, and some blemished portraits stuck on the walls.

"Axel? Where are you?" --Oh sh*t, Mother's calling.

"There you are! Why do you always hide in your father's library?"

Should I respond?" --"Boots layk"

My mother's eyes brightened as she stared intently at me. "My baby! You say you like books?" She said in an excited demeanor while rubbing my cheeks gently.

I nodded in hopes she would understand and finally leave me be.

But after that, she started bringing me with her to her room and read me dozens of children's fairy tale books.

Ugh.... I didn't want to learn about these childish fairy tales. I wanted to learn about the world."

Only if I could say this to her.

While my mother continued reading, I suddenly fell from the sofa we sat on and bumped my head.

*Thud* 

"Axel! Oh dear!" As she slowly rubbed my head, showing hints of worry deep in her bright blue eyes.

She then carried me back towards the sofa and said, "Wait, let me help you and send your boo-boo away."

It made me feel cringe, but after what I've witnessed, I suddenly wanted to fall again and let her send my boo boo away.

It was at that time that I witnessed firsthand an extraordinary phenomenon that didn't exist in my previous world.

Lights suddenly popped out of nowhere, gathered, and resonated through her palm. She closed her eyes while glittering specks of golden light gathered towards me while she softly said, "Heal." In an instant, the pain I felt instantly vanished.

"Did the pain go away? Mommy will heal you if you hurt yourself, okay?" She spoke in a gentle tone, patting my head softly with a bright smile.

I nodded without realizing it as I kept thinking of that strange phenomenon that I've currently witnessed.

Well, it wasn't really strange, since Mana existed in the first place. But it was still a bit shocking for me. For me, who has never experienced nor seen such things, it completely piqued my interest.

And so, I began researching....

At first, I thought it was magic, which intrigued me. Well, it was still magic since it was mystical, but after studying through my father's bookshelves, I've found out that skills exist in this world, and my mother had the healing skill.

According to what was written in the books, skills would be obtained once you reached the age of 7.

And your skills would depend on how much mana you could gather.

Skills in this world were ranked in tiers: E, D, C, B, A, and S.

My mother, Alexandra Echevalier, was a Rank S skill user. Since healing was a rare skill to obtain. Which could also be called "overpowered" since, depending on the user's mana, even a cut-off limb could still be reintact.

Upon learning, I began feeling excited. A feeling that I've never once felt in my previous life.

I've only dreamt of having to experience what being loved means. Well, adding such new discoveries wouldn't hurt, I guess.

.....

...

And so, time quickly flew by without me knowing that I was already 7 years old and was about to receive my exclusive skill.

Chapter End.