What is going on?
Naro's mind was a blur.
Several figures loomed in front of him like giants, their imposing silhouettes stark against the brightness that surrounded them. The light overwhelmed his eyes for a moment, almost blinding him, and then, just as quickly, he was cast into the dark once more.
A shadow had come over him. One of the giants was extending its arm towards Naro with hands almost the size of a human!
What the hell?
Before he could realize what had happened, one of the hands landed heavily on Naro's head. He felt the massive fingers rubbing against his skull, with an oddly gentle touch. Then, the hand moved down his body, feeling him up with wanton abandon.
He felt a confusing mix of fear and bewilderment arise within him.
His autonomy was being violated!
However, how could he complain?
Naro could only allow the giant to 'feel him up.'
The giant could easily crush him without a second thought. In a situation where the disparity in strength was so vast, the concept of bodily autonomy felt utterly meaningless and laughable.
After the giant's massive fingers roamed across his body in a few tentative, yet intrusive places, it then firmly wrapped its hands around Naro's arms, the grip both possessive and unyielding.
A moment later, his arms were unceremoniously pulled up from his sides.
Naro was struck with an immediate sense of alarm.
His arms were crude, chubby appendages that seemed out of place on his frame. The fingers at the ends of each hand were thick and squished together, lacking definition and grace. They were…infantile.
What-what is this?
Nothing appeared normal to his eyes. Everything was strange. But the gaps in his memory prevented him from making basic inferences at a normal speed.
Naro did not remember who he was.
Am I a crude, misshapen dwarf? Who am I?
No! Naro's tiny eyes lit up. I am not a dwarf, nor are those giants.
He understood that they were normal sized people. He was small, and his arms were babyish because…
I am a newborn baby?
Naro had just begun to grasp the reality of his situation when he was abruptly seized by an excruciating, stabbing sensation, as if a thousand needles were mercilessly being plunged into his head all at once.
His soul was in the final stage of merging with the new, fragile infant body that housed it.
"Wahhhhh!" The sound erupted from him, a raw and instinctual cry of distress.
Amidst the agony, his mind flickered with disjointed scenes, fragments of his past life that were integrating themselves into his extremely underdeveloped brain. The pain was overwhelming, a tidal wave of sensation that left him unable to absorb any more of the world around him.
None of the 'giants' could understand his situation, nor were they even slightly suspicious.
To the outside world, he was just an ordinary, wailing newborn.
If Naro had not been so preoccupied before by the 'giants', he might have noticed that the room he was in was extremely luxurious. The walls were lined in lavish tapestries, the furniture was lacquered and the smaller objects were adorned with fine filaments.
The central bedspread upon which Naro had been birthed had fancy designs drawn into the curtains, and the towels beneath him had complementary patterns. The pillows were ornate and silky, and everything seemed to be tinged in silver and gold.
Even the sunlight that shined in through the window seemed rich and deep in its hues.
"The boy's physique appears to be normal. There are no eccentricities or deformities in the limbs. His complexion is rosy, and his wailing indicates good health. May I proceed, manager?"
The medicine man, who had delivered the baby, finished his cursory inspection of Naro's body. He was plainly dressed and ordinary in appearance, with a small songbird on his robe lapel. He gave the impression of a well-groomed servant.
"Check his talent. If there is an immortal fate, then we will decide on a name." A bearded man shared a glance with the beautiful woman who was lying on the bed behind Naro, wrapped in blood-soaked sheets.
The man had handsome features and dark eyes, a model for Naro's future appearance. An elegant songbird was emblazoned on his robes. However, his face displayed none of the joy that one might expect a parent to have. Instead, it was furrowed with lines of worry and fatigue.
"Yes, Manager."
The medicine man extracted a few instruments from a bag at his side, before turning back down to Naro, who was still wailing and unaware.
"Wahhhhh!"
"Let's see what your future holds, little guy," the medicine man muttered under his breath. "For your sake, I hope there is an immortal fate, otherwise…"