Ethan Cole had been an orphan his entire life, never knowing the warmth of a parent's love. After leaving the orphanage, he earned admission to one of the country's top universities. Yet, to afford tuition and daily living expenses, he often took on perilous jobs that pushed the limits of his courage.
But today was different. Standing on the roof of a ten-story building, Ethan peered down at the dizzying drop below. A cold shiver raced down his spine, awakening a primal fear deep within him. Steeling himself, he began his work—repairing the antenna for one of the building's residents. His heart pounded, but his hands remained steady despite the height. He focused intently as rain poured down in relentless sheets.
"Don't look down. Just don't look down." His heart pounded, unease filling him, but he had a job to finish and bills to pay.
"Fear won't pay my bills," he muttered to himself. After steadying himself, he took his first steps toward the malfunctioning antenna—the cause of all this trouble for him. If he hadn't taken this job, the money he earned would decrease.
"Damn it, John… you really sent me up here? In this weather?" he cursed his superior under his breath, looking up at the sky filled with dark clouds as heavy rain poured onto his face.
The wind made everything worse. How could people work under these conditions? But he had no other choice until he found a better job.
After some time, he found the problem with the antenna and fixed it in under five minutes. He was just about to walk back to the roof access door, leaving the repaired antenna behind, when suddenly lightning struck it. He didn't manage to pull his hands away from the metal frame in time.
Highly concentrated electricity surged through his body. He didn't even manage to struggle; in an instant, everything went dark. Ethan died.
Inside the dark void, Ethan began to awaken his consciousness. After trying to speak, scream, and move, he could not do anything. It was like he was sinking in deep water without any light. "So I died," he muttered to himself, coming to the conclusion after some time. "Well, at least I don't need to work anymore," he thought, smiling inside his head.
Gravemire City, inside the hospital
The atmosphere inside the hospital room was tense. Nurses moved quickly around the bed, checking monitors and giving calm instructions to the woman in labor.
"Okay, push! Push harder!" one nurse said firmly.
The woman cried out in pain, gripping tightly onto the sides as her body trembled. "I can't… I can't!" she gasped, sweat dropping from her forehead.
"You can do it! One more push!" the nurse encouraged.
She took a shaky breath, gathering all her strength.
"Now PUSH!" the nurse screamed in her ear.
With a final effort—"AAaaaaa!" the woman screamed.
A loud cry filled the room.
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
The baby had been born.
Relief spread through the room as the nurse carefully lifted the newborn, quickly wrapping him in a warm blanket.
"It's a boy," she said softly with a small smile.
After giving birth, the woman fainted immediately. It was evident she had used all her strength during childbirth.
"BRING ELIXIR!" the head nurse shouted, and one of the nurses quickly delivered it to her.
The elixir was carefully administered, and the woman's breathing slowly began to stabilize.
While more drama unfolded in the background, nurses moved swiftly, monitors beeped, and voices overlapped in urgency.
The main focus was the child who had just been born. Some nurses took care of him while others brought the woman the elixir to heal her wounds from childbirth.
What the hell happened… did I just get born again? the baby wondered, questioning himself. It was the first thought in the baby's tiny head.
The baby tried to speak, but only loud cries escaped his mouth.
"Waaah… waaah…"
No words came out—only helpless cries.
He could only question himself in silence, unable to understand what had happened. With no choice, he decided to wait and observe his surroundings.
After drinking the elixir, the woman slowly opened her eyes.
"My child… bring me my child," she said urgently, eyes searching for the child she had just given birth to.
The nurse holding the baby carefully brought him back to the woman—who, by all appearances, must have been his mother. The child could only wonder silently.
After the nurse placed the baby into her arms, the mother looked him over from head to toe and chuckled softly. The child was soft and delicate. His hair had a golden hue with faint silver strands blending through it. His eyes were a deep, blood-red color, but this did not scare the woman; it only brought joy to her blue eyes.
"You look more like your father than me," she said softly.
Then she gently pressed her forehead against his tiny head, holding him close.
The baby looked at the face of the woman—his new supposed mother—and tried to say, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life." But the only sounds escaping him were soft "Waaah… waaah…" cries.
After hearing the sounds, the woman looked at her baby and smiled gently.
"We must find a name for you," she said, beginning to think of a name for her newborn.
After a moment of thought, it seemed she could not make up her mind. Finally, she turned to the nurses and said, "Go bring me Aiden."
"Yes, Madam," one of the nurses replied and left the room to fetch the lord of the Drayke household who was waiting outside.
Outside the room, footsteps echoed down the corridor.
A few seconds later, the door opened again.
A man stepped inside.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark noble coat with subtle golden patterns along the edges. His dark, well-kept hair fell naturally into place, slightly parted. His face was sharp and clean-cut, with defined cheekbones and a straight nose. His skin was fair, showing no signs of roughness or fatigue. His eyes were a deep red, striking and standing out sharply against his otherwise composed appearance.
This man was Adrian Drayke, Lord of the Drayke household and husband of Madam Isabella Drayke.
He scanned the room and quickly spotted the mother and child on the bed. He hurried over and dropped to one knee.
"My lady, I see you have given birth safely," he said while bowing his head.
Isabella did not look at him. She simply said to the nurses, "Leave."
Soon, only Adrian, Isabella, and the newborn child remained in the room.
"Adrian, you can rise now," Isabella said. "What do you think of the name Luke for our child?" she asked, looking at him slowly.
"It is a wonderful name, and it suits him very well," Adrian said, standing up and looking at the child in Isabella's arms. His red eyes were striking, and his golden hair—clearly inherited from his mother—showed that he was undoubtedly a combination of both parents.
"It is settled then," Isabella said, finally satisfied with the name she had chosen for her son after minutes of consideration.
"From now on, you will be called Luke," she said softly, gently poking the newborn baby's nose while smiling slightly.
This newborn baby was Ethan—now Luke, to be exact.
He looked at his supposed father, who had knelt before his mother without hesitation and only stood up after everyone had left.
So… my mother is the boss in this house… he thought to himself.
But is my father such a loser? he couldn't help but wonder.
And what's with this kneeling? Are they roleplaying something? A question lingered in his mind as he observed the sword on his new dad's wrist.
He looked around and was sure this was a hospital. Are melee weapons allowed in hospitals here? And what is with nurses leaving at one word from my mother? Is she some kind of hot shot?
Thousands of thoughts entered his mind and left without answers. He couldn't ask his parents because he couldn't speak, so the only option he had now was to observe and learn in the future.
My new mom is boss. Gotta remember that.