When I regained my awareness, the time was still sped up. At first days passed in seconds, but it slows down to normal in about a month. I experienced all of the things the baby I was replacing felt. I saw the crystal clear eyes of my new mother, reflecting all the shine in the world, showing no traces of shadows. Even in her tired state, she emminated warmth. My father on the other hand stood straight, his muscles were tense as he looked at me. But after noticing my look, he relaxed. His body deflated as he came rushing towards me. His worn hands took me in his embrace showing unexpecting tenderness. That was the last thought as I fell asleep, peacefully sleeping in his embrace.

During the first month I had no control over my body. My instincts were the pilot, while my consciousness was the passenger. It truly made me feel the strangeness of the situation. As I was pondering this, the door of the room opened and out came my mother with a huge yet tired smile on her face. She could do no harm to anyone. My instincts took over as I prepared for the meal. Afterwards, I was carried to the living room where two men were waiting for me. One is my father and the other was unfamiliar. They looked close to each other. The man stood up after my father as he silently observed the family hug. He was smiling. After a while I was handed to my father. The man talked to me, yet I pretended to be shy and averted my gaze. It was far better that way, since people won’t bother me as much, well at least as long as you are not in a shonen story near the chosen one. He stood up and talked about the monthly hunt. Father agreed and left, but not before gently handing me to my new mother.

That night I got a strange feeling. I had a premonition. A very bad feeling.

[Change of POV - Father]

I had a really bad feeling. Several hours in, we found several beasts cut up in cruel ways. The wounds were made to deal as little damage as possible while delivering the most pain. I could not hold myself anymore. I ran home with all my speed, hoping to make sure my family was alright. But just then, I heard a growl. A beast with severe wounds jumped on me. I couldn’t move. I desperately tried to reach for my knife, but it was no use. I tried to find a rock but there were none. But then, I saw an object stabbed through the beast's thigh. If it was sharp enough to pierce the monster’s skin, it was good enough. So I pulled it out and the creature grunted in pain. The hatred in its eyes intensified, but I didn’t stop.. I stabbed. Stabbed through the very eyes that shone with fury, piercing the brain in the process. I pulled it out as I continued running towards the distant edge of the forest.

[Change of POV - MC]

The bad premonition came true. I heard screams around the village, filled with anguish and fear. I tried to look out of the window but the crib was blocking all of my attempts. I laid back down trying to hide. I moved the sheets to look like I am not in the crib. I had no use dying. My future would not be shattered by a petty murderer.

The agonizing screams continue for several hours, making shivers run down the people’s backs, which were already filled with cold sweat. But I ignored it, prioritizing my own survival. As long as I survive, I wouldn’t care even if the whole village was erased from the very planet. I don’t know why I should be attached to my new family. Yes, they did give me a new chance, but that chance had nothing to do with them. Did they grant me reincarnation? Most probably not. Did they teach me anything I am grateful for? No. Do they have any use besides providing information about this world? No. Can they truly protect me? No, they are just weak people, if they are weak enough to die tonight, they are not strong enough to protect me. A smile appeared on my face as I imagined the plans to reach my goal becoming far easier.

***

[Change of POV - General]

The village was in silence. Not even the birds seemed to chirp. There was the metallic stench of blood in the air.

In a house, a crib was placed, where a newborn baby lay. The baby had deep blue eyes, vaster than the grandest ocean, unfazed by the previous night’s events. It rested peacefully through the village’s massacre.

The door of the room opened as a man came in. He picked up the wake baby with a strange expression. The man looked at the child, who seemed blissfully unaware of the state of the village.

‘Richard, relax. Take a deep breath... How will you raise this child? Both Marget and Ian died so he is an orphan. But I can’t take care of him…’ the man mumbled to himself.

A determined glint flashed through his amber eyes as he resolutely declared to the child in his arms:

“Alan, I will find a way to give you a proper childhood. You will not suffer from the misdeeds of others. I promise you that on my very name.”

The baby, seemingly ignorant of everything, kept pulling the beard of the one that carried it. “I guess I just look like a fool to this child... “

A sad smile appeared on his face as he moved towards the door.

He walked out and the child looked around curiously. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes as he saw the majestic ocean. The reflection of the sea shone in the gem like eyes, observing the world’s wanders, or so it seemed.

The duo continued to the village square, where many already stood. Richard made his way towards the sides of the 200 man strong crowd. After we arrived, the man on the impromptu podium nodded and started speaking: “This village, this community went through a lot in the past day. But we will stand united and recover. All the loved ones will be kept in our memories and will never be forgotten. Our spirits will regain their shine and we will rebuild our beloved Farfalla village!“.

The man wiped his sweat as he blended into the crowd. Another person came to the stage and started discussing things with the people. The whole thing lasted about an hour and I zoned out a bit, but traces of conversation still entered the newborn’s ears. It heard that the previously secluded village will branch out into trading, since there are several islands filled with rare animals worth quite a lot. They hoped to make this island into a trading town for the ‘Myriad monsters archipelago’ area. The men would leave the island after about 6 months of rebuilding and earn money for the renovations. It was decided that Richard will leave the island and seek an architect for the rebuilding process. He won’t return for several months, maybe even years. The men would come home around thrice a year to be with their families.

After all of this was said and done, most of the people left. Only some, accompanied by their children stayed. Richard came on stage and invited elderly and teen girls to come closer. He talked about the previously discussed ‘Joint child raising’. It was basically an orphanage, where all of the kids will be taken care of, since the adults don’t have the time. Some more details were talked about but the child was already asleep, unable to listen any longer.