The first thing Elijah saw was the exhaustion in the woman beneath him. His mother, he assumed by her rapid breath and drained expression on her face as if she had run for a marathon
She was breathtaking, even with the weariness etched into her delicate features. Her long brown hair clung to her damp forehead, and her chest rose and fell with labored breaths. But what unsettled him wasn't her beauty-it was her attire.
She wore rags. Torn fabric draped over her frail form, as if she were no more than a servant. A maid. Just like the woman holding him. he then took a look around, the room it was like the room of a king or prince in a middle evil fantasy novel, mostly because of its beautiful aw striking furnishings.
Before he could make sense of his surroundings, the atmosphere in the room changed.
A presence entered.
Suffocating, and absolute.
The man strode in like he owned the world itself. His steps were silent, yet they commanded attention. He was adorned in regal attire-rich fabrics of deep crimson and gold, a crown resting atop his head. Power clung to him, making the air thick with tension.
Everything fell silent, as he felt his tiny body stiffen. His instincts screamed at him to run, to get as far away as possible.
The king's gaze lowered to him, glowing red eyes piercing through the space between them. Then, his cold voice rang out.
"Show me the child. I want to see it..."
The maid hesitated for only a second before she nodded and complied, her hands trembled slightly as she lifted Elijah, unwrapping him from the warm cloth that covered his newborn body. As the maid pulled at the last bit of fabric, it gave way for the humid atmosphere of the room to touch his now bare and naked body.
The king's eyes scanned over his tiny form, scrutinizing every inch.
Then, his gaze landed on Elijah's right hand.
He scoffs.
"Pathetic."
The single word was laced with disappointment and disgust. Without another glance, the king turned sharply, his black cloak billowing as he strode toward the door.
SLAM.
The room shuddered as he left, the heavy doors closing behind him.
Silence.
A soft, tired chuckle broke it.
"Maria, please give him to me,"
Elijah turned his tiny head toward his mother. Her smile was weak but full of warmth as she reached for him, the maid nodded carefully, placing him in her arms. His mother then put his naked body against, the top part of her chest that exposed her skin. She then put her naked skin against hers, as thier skin touched he felt all the emotions that was running through her love, her joy, her disappointment, her stress and her releaf. All of it coursed through him.
"Maxi," she whispered, brushing a delicate finger over his cheek.
"That is your name, my sweet little angel, a name fit for a prince."
But time passed. Soon, the caretaker maid, Maria, left, leaving Maxi and his mother alone.
Maxi's mother talked to him, but she talked to him the way people usually talk to babies, in a barely comprehensible baby voice.
But Maxi entertained it, not wanting to spoil the special moment for the woman he would now have to call Mom.
Soon, she fell asleep while hugging him tightly to her now-naked chest.
Maxi was still awake, though. He was still trying to process everything, but he was trying to do it very slowly. Maxi didn't know what his baby brain could or couldn't handle. One wrong move and Maxi might accidentally remember something from his previous life that tormented him for the rest of his present life.
So Maxi just lay on his new mother's chest as he looked to the side. There was a window, and he saw darkness with little sparks of light that illuminated the sky.
Maxi thought, "Well, it's a good thing to know there is at least night and day."
Maxi then was quiet for a while before he got curious, as he pouted slightly.
He thought, "What exactly was that cranky bastard so mad about anyways? There's nothing wrong with my body."
Maxi then thought again.
"Hold on, just to make sure, let me check."
Maxi then started to look at himself.
He was quite a regular-sized baby, in his opinion—maybe a little bit chubby on the cheeks—but otherwise he looked fine.
Maxi then remembered the king checking his right arm, so Maxi decided to check as well.
Maxi then brought his baby hand up to his face.
At that moment, the world itself seemed to stir.
Maxi felt it.
A presence—no, three presences.
Something beyond comprehension, or just beyond his understanding, was watching him. Smiling.
Heat surged through his hand. The thing the king had scoffed at—faint before—blazed to life.
It was unmistakable now.
It was a mark, or some kind of tattoo.
Three eyes, interwoven, each gazing in a different direction. Beneath them, a sharp teeth Grin carved into his flesh like a twisted smile.
It pulsed with something otherworldly.
Maxi stared at the mark, awe flooding his tiny, reborn body.
"What kind of world was this, and what the hell did i get myself into?"
---
FIVE YEARS LATER
---
Maxi turned the page of his book, eyes scanning over the ancient text. His small fingers traced the words, absorbing every piece of information he could.
Even at five years old, his mind was sharp, too sharp. Memories of his past life interweaved with the knowledge he had acquired in this one, making him something far beyond an ordinary child.
The his room was dimly lit, the scent of old parchment and ink filling the air. He was alone, as always. No noble title, no prestige-just a forgotten child of a ruthless king and a son to a beautiful woman who was that same, king's servant, none the less his 10th wife.
A soft knock interrupted his focus.
"Master.... Maxi."
A maid's voice.
He sighed, closing his book and pushing his round glasses up his nose. He stood, his small form clad in simple yet refined clothing.
As he walked past the mirror, he finally saw himself.
A fragile-looking boy with round glasses, brown hair, and piercing red eyes.
A boy with the mark of something far more powerful and mysterious than he could ever know. He also knew that it could possibly, just maybe, be the key to make him comparable to the kings and queens of this world.
And yet... it could just as easily be nothing but a mark to show he is an outcast.
But all those are but hypotheticals; no answers have yet to be answered.
For now.
Author note: "Yo, just wanted to say, don't be fooled by the first chapter. I just wanted to be extra. This is a slow burn series, similar to Lord of the mysteries, so if you don't got time for all that, then just wait until I am finished Volume 4. Watch the final few chapters, then move to Volume 5. The action you're looking for is all the way over there. But for my wonderful, story-loving patrons, welcome to the world of
The Loneliest Soul."