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"To think it really happened… I've truly crossed time."
That was Kranos's first conscious thought.
He couldn't move, couldn't speak and could only watch. His vision was slightly blurry, muffled cries echoed around him, and cold air stung his skin.
So this is birth… again?
...
A woman screamed in agony nearby, her cries broken by heavy breathing.
"It's alright, Ma, just keep pushing! I can see the head, but the head..." The midwife's voice faltered.
"What's wrong with the head?!" the woman cried out, panic woven into her pain.
"N-Nothing, Ma! Just push!" But the midwife had gone pale. She had seen something unnatural about the baby... White hair, stark as snow, crowned the infant's head. It was a stark contrast to that of his parents.
…
After several agonizing minutes, the child was safely delivered. The midwife rushed out joyfully to call Raphael, Anna's husband, and the crown prince of the Kingdom of Aloria.
Moments later, he entered hurriedly, with the midwife by his side. His gaze was cold and distant. It was as though his icy gaze could freeze one's heart.
But at this moment his cold eyes seemed to contain a hint of warmth in them. He looked at the child in the hands of his wife, and a faint smile could be seen on his lips, but there was also a trace of surprise. "Why is his hair white?" the man asked his wife, hiding his shock.
Anna was equally puzzled, and just as she was about to voice out her suggestion concerning the matter, she was interrupted by a loud shout that came from behind, "Excuse me, let me see my fourth grandson!"
An old man with gray hair came from behind as he pushed Raphael away. He approached Anna and, without asking, took the child from her arms, causing her to frown slightly.
He grabbed the baby's wrist, ignoring the baby's white hair, and after a few moments, he muttered, "He seems like a strong one; he will soon be on the battlefield."
"Father!" Raphael couldn't help but say, but the old man ignored him; after handing the child back to Anna, he turned to leave.
Raphael couldn't help but sigh as he turned to his wife, "Don't mind Father; he is just worried about us giving birth to a weak son, so what shall we call him?" He asked his wife, changing the topic.
"How about Kranos? Because I believe our son will rise to the realm of the gods." Anna said with a gleam in her eyes, it was as though she could already predict the future of her own child.
"Kranos it is!" Raphael readily agreed without hesitation.
What they didn't realize was that the baby, who had cried upon birth, had suddenly grown quiet. His wide eyes scanned the room with wonder.
To think it really happened! I have traversed through time, so it was true that everyone has a second life! But why do I still remember everything?
That shouldn't be possible… unless... it's because of the antique watch? Kranos was shocked, but at the same time, he knew now wasn't the time to ponder on these things. He calmed his thoughts and decided to observe his surroundings.
He gazed at everyone and everything with interest; it seems those two are my parents. He thought as he looked towards the couple that was talking in a language he couldn't understand; of course, he only came to this conclusion because the woman was lying on the bed and was the one holding him in her arms.
She looked like quite a beauty with striking, long black hair and hazel-red eyes to complement it.
In contrast, his father had short brown hair and dark eyes. But I'm curious, why did father say my hair was so white? Could it be because I was an old man in my past life? It seems that there is definitely something strange about my hair!
On the hand, he was also surprised about something else as he looked at his new mother: didn't she just give birth to me? Why does she look so energetic? But Kranos knew he wouldn't be getting the answer to any of his questions now.
Huh? Why do I suddenly feel so tired and sleepy? Err… the next moment, his breathing turned peaceful as he fell into a deep sleep. Kranos, who had mysteriously come into this world, finally had a peaceful sleep after a long time.
…
Time passed swiftly. Two months had gone by since Kranos came to this world. In that time, he had learned a few critical things, information he gained about this world through inferring.
First, this definitely wasn't Earth. The language, architecture, and clothing styles were entirely foreign: the language they spoke was vastly different from anything that existed on earth; as an explorer, he had seen many different languages, so he could confidently say that this wasn't earth.
Secondly and most importantly, Kranos had come to discover something that shocked him to his core: this was a magical world! He didn't dare believe it at first, but after seeing his parents and some servants cast several basic spells, he had no choice but to accept the truth.
From the knowledge he had gathered, he had only seen occasional usage of fire, water, earth, wind, and light magic.
Sometimes, his mother would use fire magic to keep him warm during the harsh winter. While other times, when she carried him out on a stroll to see the scenery around, he usually saw others using some more elemental spells.
The more he saw, the more he realized how little he understood about this world, but of course he had just been in this world for barely two months, so it was understandable that he still didn't have enough information.
I need to read. I need books... knowledge. Kranos muttered inwardly, and he knew the place he could get the knowledge he needed, the royal library. If he could get into the library, he might begin to unravel the mysteries of this new world.
Of course, as a baby, he couldn't just walk into the library. He would need to rely on his mother to bring him in, perhaps under the guise of bonding. But first, he had to learn the language of this world.