Newborn

Newborn

October 11, 1979

Outside a treatment room on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries

A young man in his twenties paced anxiously back and forth. His dazzling blond hair and brilliant green eyes made him stand out.

On a bench nearby, two middle-aged couples and two young women sat in silence. From the way they kept glancing toward the treatment room, it was clear that they were just as anxious as the young man.

"William, stop pacing around. You're making my head spin. Can't you sit down properly?" one of the middle-aged gentlemen said.

"Dad, Elena has been in there for so long. Why isn't she done yet?"

"She's only been in there for ten minutes. When your mom gave birth to you, it took nearly twenty minutes. What's the rush?"

William's father, Aoun, rolled his eyes, completely ignoring the fact that he had been even more anxious than William back then. If no one had stopped him, he would have nearly barged into the treatment room.

William had just opened his mouth to say something when the treatment room door was suddenly yanked open.

"Quick! Anyone, come help! The baby's magic is running wild!"

After freezing for a moment, the three men immediately reacted and rushed into the treatment room, while stopping the four women from doing the same.

"What's going on? How could a baby's magic run wild? I've never heard of anything like this!"

Elena's mother, Clara, anxiously watched the three men rush into the treatment room. All color drained from her face at once, and she could barely remain standing. The young woman beside her quickly supported her, preventing her from collapsing to the floor.

"Nothing will happen, Mom! Dad and my brother-in-law will definitely handle it. My sister and the baby will both be safe."

Helena tried to comfort her mother, though her expression was far from convincing.

The four women stood outside the treatment room, listening to the chaotic commotion within. Every second felt like a year.

After what felt like a century, the three men finally emerged from the treatment room. Behind them came a hospital bed. A young and beautiful woman lay upon it, with a newborn baby sleeping beside her.

"How is Elena? Is the baby all right?"

Everyone hurried over to inspect the mother and child on the bed.

A healer who followed them out of the treatment room answered their question.

"Both mother and child are safe, but they exhausted too much energy, so they have both fallen asleep. They need rest now, so please do not disturb them. One or two people staying to watch over them will be enough."

Soon, two full weeks had passed since the day the baby was born. Today, the Menethil family and the Jeslav family came together once again to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries after a long absence. After knocking on the door, they opened the door to a hospital room.

Inside, Elena sat on the bed, looking at the baby beside her while humming an unfamiliar tune. However, the slight furrow in her brow showed that she was not in a good mood.

"Dad, Mom, why did you all come together today?"

Elena turned her head and looked curiously at the people entering the room.

Normally, because the healers did not recommend having too many people around the baby, only two or three people came each day to visit her and her son. This was the first time everyone had gathered since the day the child was born.

"Bell still hasn't woken up?"

Elena's father, Drude, frowned as he looked at the sleeping baby on the bed. Bell was the baby's name, his full name Bell Menethil.

"Yes. Even the healers can't say when Bell will wake up."

Elena sighed and shook her head.

"They said that Bell's magic is too powerful, and his fragile infant body can't withstand it. To protect himself from harm, his body instinctively fell into a deep sleep. However, while he sleeps, the magic in his body will automatically strengthen him so that his body can bear the magic. This process is actually very beneficial to him. The troublesome part is that once his body is strengthened by magic, it will produce even more magic, making the magic inside him even harder to control."

"Doesn't that mean Bell will never wake up!?" Bell's aunt, Lina, cried out.

"The healers said Bell's body is strengthening faster than his magic is increasing, so his condition has been steadily improving. But as for when he will wake up, they have never seen a similar case, so they can't be certain. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a year from now, or even several years later."

At that point, Elena's voice became choked with emotion. She could not imagine that her poor child had only just been born, had not even had the chance to see the world once, and would have to sleep for years first. It was simply too cruel!

After hearing Elena's explanation, everyone fell silent. For a while, no one spoke in the hospital room.

"By the way, why did you all come today?"

At last, Elena managed to control her emotions and asked the question that had originally been on her mind.

"We came to say goodbye. The family's businesses in the United States were only established recently. Although we made arrangements before coming here, we never expected to be delayed for so long. Many problems have piled up now, and we must return immediately to deal with them. So, regrettably, we can't wait until Bell wakes up. Make sure to notify us as soon as he does," Aoun said.

"I see... It can't be helped. Don't worry, we'll take good care of Bell," Elena said after a moment of silence.

She knew something about the two families' situation in the United States. As outsiders, even though people from Britain were fairly welcome in the United States, when profits were at stake, even siblings could turn on each other. Who cared what country someone came from then?

By the time Bell woke up again, a month had already passed.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

He could not help asking himself the three great questions of life.

Ahem, all right, he had merely wanted to crack a joke and lighten the mood. After all, being reborn as a baby was simply too unbelievable.

Bell retained a faint impression of the day he was born.

At first, he felt that he was in a damp, warm, but very cramped place. At the beginning, it was comfortable, but gradually, he began to feel as though he could not breathe. So he desperately wanted to leave and find somewhere spacious to catch his breath. He struggled to move his hands and feet, searching for a way out, until he felt a pushing force. Following that force, he finally crawled out.

He had only just managed to open his eyes and see where he was when a sharp pain struck his head, and he lost consciousness once more.

Bell looked at his tiny hands, then at his tiny feet, and let out a helpless sigh. Then, with a bang, the lightbulb on the ceiling exploded...

Gasp!

W-what was that? A terrorist attack?