Jacob woke up in his pajamas, covered up with his blankets in his bed with a bit of a headache, but his vision was still blurry. Nevertheless, he managed to look around his room that was lit up by only candlelight and he noticed the figure of his father sitting in a chair next to his bed with a book in his hands.
Arthur looked over with a kind smile on his face as he let the book down in front of himself a bit.
"Hey there, buddy, it looks like you're awake. I was worried about you. . ."
As Arthur spoke to his son, he leaned over to feel Jacob's forehead to make sure he was not clammy or running a fever. Once he was reassured of his son's health, he pulled back his hand from Jake's forehead.
Jacob still had a confused look on his face and asked, "Dad, what happened? Why am I in my bed? The last thing I remember was feeding the chickens." He didn't mention that he currently had his memories from his past life, and that his personality as an adult had merged with his as a child.
His father answered him, "You had the shakes from what my men tell me like I have only seen happen to people that hit their head too hard or the old miners, but you don't have any injury to your head that we could find and the last time I checked I am sure you were only about 11 years old."
Arthur had a chuckle at his own little joke to help his son feel more relaxed, but Jacob had to swallow nervously due to the circumstances.
'Don't freak out, there is no way this farmer would understand anything about rebirth or reincarnation. I need to convince him I need to sleep so I can consolidate my memories and figure out a plan for my future.'
Due to his terrible relationship with his parents in his past life, Jacob did not expect much from his current parents, but he was touched by the fact that Arthur was watching over him even now, when he knew his father would need to be up early tomorrow to keep the farm running.
Arthur noticed his son was not very talkative and figured he was tired.
"Son, I think you should try to get some sleep, rest is probably the best thing for you right now and we can always talk tomorrow."
Jacob sighed in relief since he didn't need to end the conversation himself, but he was a bit stunned as Arthur leaned in and kissed his forehead before making sure his bed was adequately tucked in.
"Goodnight, son."
Arthur then blew out the candles and left the room, taking Jacob's silence as a sign of being too tired from the events of the day and left him to get some rest as he was reassured of his wellbeing after talking with him a little.
After the door closed, Jacob started thinking about his life and what to do next. 'It seems that I have loving parents in this life. I remember the genuine affection they have for me, and I actually feel love for them as well. I never realized how great it was having such good parents. Not only was dad here for me tonight, but he has done this before when I didn't have my memories and had fallen ill.'
After taking a moment to bring up the relevant memories, Jake continued his reflections.
'He also takes the time to care for my siblings and me, teaching us about life and giving us room to be kids. My last parents treated me like a thing even when I was a kid. Unreasonable expectations that always amounted to disappointment. This life is starting off great.'
With time to think and a clear head, Jake started to consider his current situation.
'Now that I think about it, why the heck did I get my memories back?'
Jacob remembered his interaction with the old man in the white space, and he specifically remembered that he did not have enough karma to get his memories back when he was around 10 years old.
'Maybe that thing about my soul getting stronger from knowing his name allowed me to regain my memories. I also remember he said not to say it while I have a physical body, so I'd better be careful.'
Jacob then rolled over to get more comfortable as he was immersed in his thoughts.
'This is a world of magic, but as far as my memories go, I can't think of a single thing that seemed magical . . . I guess that is kind of to be expected as I live in a small village on a farm, but the old man did say everyone should be capable of doing magic . . . and something about a magical system?'
He was not awake to see his mother's little spell, nor had he noticed the abnormal things the people around him were capable of yet.
'I suppose I will have to figure out a way to ask about this without it seeming weird that I know about something we never talk about outside of fairy tales. Maybe I can use that to my advantage since I am a little kid and play it off as a childish yearning for the mystical and unknown.'
Jacob involuntarily yawned and rolled on his back as his fatigue caught up with him.
'I guess I really do need to sleep and give this little body some rest. There is no telling what my brain structures have undergone in such a small period of time. Rest is the best medicine after all . . .'
As he was thinking about his health, Jacob drifted off to sleep before he even realized it.
Somewhere above the planet, in a palace tucked into its own little space that had a perfect view of the magical world, was an old bald man. At this moment, he was chuckling to himself as he observed the young Jacob try to find his place in this new world.