Siddhartha
It was a new day in my new life. Like the god said, I was reborn! I'm now a new person with a brand-new life. I almost can't believe it, but it's real. This kind of stuff only happens to people in stories, never people in real life, but it's happening to me. I'm now a son of a wealthy noble. You know what that means. I'm rich; I was never even close to being rich in my previous life. How did I end up being so lucky? Not only do I get to learn magic, but I'm also rich. This has to be a dream. There is no way that it's not. Well, I might as well enjoy this dream before I wake up. I was reborn as a three-year-old boy. I'm also a ginger. I have no soul. No, how could this be?! You have to believe me that I wasn't a ginger in my previous life. So technically I do have a soul; you have to believe me! Anyway, there is something strange with my new body! First, it looks like a younger me; the only different thing is my red hair and my gold-colored eyes. This leads me to the next strange thing is my eyes. The rest of my family doesn't have gold-colored eyes. Almost all of them had red hair but not gold eyes. Hmmm, strange. Oh well, it is a fantasy after all; I don't expect everything to make sense. I hope breakfast is almost done. I'm starving!
"Breakfast is served."
Speak of the devil. My breakfast was brought on a silver platter—how fancy. I understand why so many rich people are evil. With all this power, who wouldn't become evil? You can just order people around, and they will do it. It's also really crazy that we have a butler and maids. Never in my wildest dreams would I think I would be so rich that I would have butlers and maids catering to my every need. She lifted the lid to reveal an assortment of exotic foods. First, there was mystery meat. It was a large piece of meat that looked like it was cooked like a steak. Second, there was a large blue egg cell that was cut in half, and there was a large cooked sunny-side-up egg in it. There is this weird-looking food. It looks like a piece of a beehive with these weird-looking slimes in them. And wait, is that a fucking unicorn horn?! What the fuck? Why is there a fucking unicorn horn?! Am I supposed to eat the horn? Oh, there is toast as well. Kind of disappointing, but I guess you can never go wrong with toast. That looks to be it for the food. For drinks, there is only one. I don't know what it is. It's red with a white spiral in the center of it. What should I try first? You know what, I'm going to try the unicorn horn first… Wow, this is so weird; it tastes so good. It tastes really sweet and what I can only describe as what a rainbow would taste like. It also has this hint of cosmic horror flavor to it. I'm not joking! Now let's try the mystery meat… It also tastes great. It has this sweetness to it that brings out all these different flavors. Next is the giant egg… I really like how it's presented. Even though it is just an egg, it tastes extremely delicious. I think it's time to try the weird-looking beehive thing. I don't know what I can eat and what I can't. Well, let's try the weird slime… Like everything else, it tastes phenomenal. It kind of tastes like marshmallows. Man, all these foods taste so good. I love fantasy food.
"Haha, someone is enjoying breakfast."
"Well yeah, the food is really good; who wouldn't want to eat more of it?"
"True that. I heard Father say that Chef is one of the best in the entire country."
"That's right, young sir! There is even an argument to be had that he is the best in the world."
"Really?"
"Yes, but that could be me just being dramatic."
"That's amazing."
Brother also likes to hang out with William. His full title is William the elder. He is a very suspicious man, but apparently, he's a monk. I don't know why Brother likes to hang out with him. He never leaves his side. "That reminds me, where's Father?"
"He and Sister are off in a different country."
"Again?"
"Yes, I'm sorry, Fern."
"Aaahhh!"
"What is it, Fern? Are you okay?"
"That!"
"That what?"
"I told you not to call me that!"
"What, Fern? Why, it's a lovely name. Don't be ashamed to have it as a name."
"It's a girl's name, and if you didn't notice, I'm not a girl."
"Aw, is someone embarrassed?"
"Shut up! Anyways, back on topic, you really don't know what they are doing?"
"No, sorry."
"It's fine. It's not your fault… Wait a minute!"
"What?"
"Do you think someday we will go with Father?"
"Sorry, Fern, I don't think we will ever go with him."
He looks like I just killed his dog. "Why?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know why either."
"Oh, okay…"
"Hey, don't be sad. You at least have me, and when you're older, you and I can go together."
"Yeah, you're right." Why are they always away from us? What are they doing? It's probably because Sister doesn't like other people getting attention from Father. She's just a spoiled child who doesn't know her place. "Hey, can you get me more?" I'm going to eat my feelings away!
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."
"Hey, Fern."
"Yes."
"I'm thinking of starting sword practice early. I need to let out some steam."
He says that, but I see his face turning a little red.
"Would you care to join me after you're done eating?"
"Yes, I would love to! Just give me a sec!"
The doors that lead to the dining hall opened up, and in came the servant girl. The maid who brought me my breakfast, what's her name again? I don't know why, but I feel like I know her name. She's tall and has blond hair and a curvy body, and the maid uniform looks great on her. I wonder if I can date her. I mean, she does work for me, or at least she works for my family, so could it work?
"Brother, what are you doing?"
"What? Nothing." Oh no, he looks pissed. Why is he angry with me? Wait, can he read minds?
"I don't know, you're acting strangely. Should I be worried?"
"What? No, I'm not acting strangely. It's probably all in your head." Sorry, Brother, for gaslighting you. I'll try to make it up to you later.
"No, you are acting weird. It seems you are having thoughts that most kids wouldn't." How does he know? Come on, Brother, let me off the hook. You're killing me here.
"I don't know what you mean. Thoughts that most kids don't have. What are you talking about?"
"Fine, but consider this a warning."
"Haha, don't be so mean to the young lad, sir! Oh, before I forget sir!"
What is William saying? I can't make out what he's telling Brother.
"Your seconds, sire."
"Ah, thank you." I then began violently scarfing down my food. I heard a chuckle from my brother and the servant girl. I finished in a matter of seconds. I think I might have broken a world record for how fast one person can consume food. I got up and quickly made my way to the door, which I opened. "After you, my good sire."
"Well, thank you. What a gentleman. Haha."
"Haha." Is someone giggling? Are both the servant girls laughing at my wacky antics? I guess they are. Maybe I do have a chance with that maid. Well, I should stop thinking about it for now. Brother might catch on… I always forget how long this mansion is. The hallways just go on and on. This brings me to a question I've always had: how do you decorate a house this big? It seems so difficult to decorate this huge mansion and make every room unique. I wonder if you can guess where we're going to train. Well, whatever your guess is, I know you're wrong. We train in Father's greenhouse. You might be asking why; well, the answer is simple: it's snowing outside, so we have to train inside, and the greenhouse has a lot of open space and it is really warm. Father really likes collecting and taking care of exotic plants. There is this one freaky-looking plant that looks like a planet. It looks really cool, and I don't know why or how this happens, but the flower has this effect on the air around it that makes it look like outer space. I love just looking at it. It's always so trippy to look at… We're finally here!
"Hey Fern, catch."
"Aaahh."
"Hahaha. You're supposed to catch the sword, not drop it."
"Maybe give me a warning next time."
"Hahaha. I will do that next time. Anyways, prepare yourself. You and I will be fighting each other."
"Really. Okay, give me a second." For the few months I've been in this world, I've only gotten to practice eight times. So I'm still new to this, but my brother has been doing this his entire life. This will most definitely be a battle of a lifetime for me, but I like a challenge. "Bring it on. I'm not scared of you." I got into my stance, and he too got in one, but it was different from mine.
"Ready, begin."
I leapt forward. If I can catch him off guard, maybe I can actually defeat him. I was aiming for his stomach. I would try to aim for his chest, but with our height difference, that would be difficult. But when I got close, he was calm. Why? Why is he so calm? Then, without any difficulty, almost like he was swatting a fly away, he blocked and parried my strike, changing the trajectory of my strike to the right. As I was still trying to process what had just happened, he struck my left shoulder. "Ahaha"
"That's enough!"
"Oh, Teacher! We were just practicing."
"Yeah, I saw. Jonathan, why are you being so rough with your brother? He's just a kid."
"I know, I know. Hey Fern, let me help you up."
"Oh, thanks." Man, my shoulder is going to be killing me all day now. Do you really have to be so cruel to your poor younger brother?
"Hey Fern, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Your brother can be a handful sometimes."
"Haha, I know."
"Hey, it's not like I was trying to hurt him. It was an accident."
"You're still his older brother, and you need to be more careful."
That's our teacher; she teaches us how to use a sword. Apparently, she is a hero who fought in the kingdom's civil war. You would think she would be strict and very commanding, and you would be right, but she is also very nice.
"You're right, Iris. Hey Fern, I'm sorry, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. What do you think I am, a woman?"
"Wait, what?"
"Nothing. What I'm trying to say is I'm alright."
"Okay, I will take your word for it."
"Jonathan, grab your sword."
"Wait, why?"
"Because you and I are going to have a duel."
"I understand. I hope you will go easy on me. I am just a young boy after all."
Iris is strong, like really strong. Me and Brother could never even land a solid blow on her. So you could do nothing if she was angry at you, but she is rarely angry. Even so, when she is, you just have to take the punches. If I were him right now, I would be panicking right now, but he's not. Whenever she is angry at my brother, he always seems so happy. That's my brother for you; he will never stop smiling. I hope you win, brother. They both got in their stances and were waiting for the signal to begin. I raised my arm in the air. "Begin!" In almost an instant, the two wooden swords smacked one another. When the two swords collided with one another, they made a loud bang and caused a burst of air flying in every direction, knocking down some of the plants. The two were sent flying back, but again, in an instant, they leaped forward, and their swords collided again. I couldn't see a thing; they were moving so fast that I couldn't make out what they were doing. And before I knew it, it was over. Brother was on his knees, and Iris had her wooden sword pointed at his neck.
"Well, it looks like you won again."
"Yes, it looks like it. You fought well. If you keep improving, you will one day defeat me. I know it."
"Kind of hard to imagine, but I will take your word for it."
"Brother, are you alright?"
"Yes, Fern, I'm alright."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Fern, don't worry about me."
"Okay."
"Hey, Fern, it's your turn. Grab your sword."
"Wait, what?"
"Me and you are also going to have a duel. Don't worry; I'll go easy on you."
"I think we have different definitions of easy."
"Are you scared, Fern?"
"What! No, of course not. Why would I be afraid? Don't worry, brother; I will defeat her, no sweat. Just leave it up to me."
"Haha, okay. I will be counting on it. Go and defeat her."
"Begin!"
I leaped forward, trying to get the first strike, but she dodged the attack. I didn't even see it happen. One moment she was there, then the next she was gone. "Aah!" Something hit my back. I think she knocked the wind out of me.
"Stand up. We are not done yet."
And she was chastising my brother for going rough. Oh my fucking god, that hurt. I stood up and got back in my stance and prepared myself for the brutal beatdown she was about to inflict on me.
"Begin!"
Iris beat me to the first strike. One swing from her sword hitting mine sent me flying backward. I still can feel the vibrations from that attack in my arms. How am I going to defeat her? It seems impossible; she is fast, has years of training, and has immense strength. There is no way I'm going to land a hit on her, let alone defeat her. She again leaped forward and landed the next attack. I blocked it, but she kept swinging. There were so many that I couldn't keep up with blocking all of them. I could only block a few at a time, and that was mostly by luck. Every swing of that sword made me take a step back until eventually I hit a wall. Iris made sure to take the opportunity and land as many hits as she could. I dropped to the floor with my entire body in pain. "Aaahhhhh! Stop! Stop!"
"Get up, Fern. We are not down just yet."
God, is she trying to kill me? It sure looks like that to me. Again I got in my stance and readied myself. She's going to kill me at this rate!
"Begin!"
… She leapt forward! I need to block, but can I?! I have to try! Yes, I was able to block the attack somehow! I countered, swinging with my full force at her head. Obviously, she will block the counter, so I have a brilliant idea. I need to break her sword! I think I can do it; I just need to use all my strength! Wait, where did she go?! "Aaahhh!"
"Nice try."
"I thought I had you that time!"
"I have to say that was a bold strategy, but you were still too slow."
"Haha, well it looks like we still have a long way to go if we want to beat you, Teacher. Right, Fern?"
"I'm convinced that will never happen, haha!"
"Haha!"
"Haha!"
You know, I think this is the first time I've heard her laugh. It's nice.
"I'm not going to lie, I was shocked by your strategy, Fern."
"Really?!"
"Yes, never in my life would I expect a rational human being to actually try something like it."
"Does that mean I'm a genius?!"
"Well, I wouldn't say that I would say it's more of accidental genius than genuine genius."
"Ah, really?"
"Haha, I like the effect, Fern!"
"Thanks." I knew it; I'm stupid.
"Even though it was accidental, it still caught me off guard for a moment. That is still impressive, and with time and training, I think you would be a formidable warrior that comes up with unusual and out-of-the-box strategies to defeat your enemies."
"Wait, really?!"
"You know if Teacher says it, it's true."
I always knew I was smart! "Well, I think that's going to be it for me today. I'm afraid that you went too hard on me, Teacher."
"I didn't, but okay, you may be done for today."
"Why do you have to be so mean to me, teacher?!"
"Hahaha, hey Fern, rest up; you're going to need it for tomorrow."
"Wait, why?!"
"I think I should punish you for staring at the maid earlier this morning."
"Wait, no, I can explain!"
"Explain what? What happened this morning? Should I be concerned?"
"Brother, please, I beg of you!"
"I'm just giving you crap, but still, we both know what you're thinking. It was so obvious that even the maid in question probably knew. I just ask you to stop for both of our sakes."
"I will, I promise!"
"Okay, I will believe you. Now get out of here, you little rascal. Go get some rest."
"Okay, thank you." So Brother knew the entire time. Well, it looks like everything worked out in the end. Well, I should get some rest. I wonder what God wants me to do. He said that I would be fighting some evil guy, but all he said was to get stronger. I wonder if he will tell me more soon? Well, I don't want to talk to him for a while; he's just so creepy and terrifying! I don't want to see that smile for a long time. That reminds me, I want to see the family sword! It's so cool to look at, and it has a cool story to it. Apparently, a long time ago, before our house existed, an asteroid fell from the sky. Our family found it and turned most of it into a sword. It's passed down from son to son. But recently no one has gotten the sword. You see, the sword chooses its owner, and apparently, it didn't choose Father. I feel bad for him, but there's nothing to do about it. I wonder if it will choose Brother or even me. Wouldn't that be something? There it is! The gold blade shimmering in the sunlight makes it glow as bright as the sun.