Transcendence?

***Somewhere***

Great! I survived almost everything. This horrible world constantly tried to kill me. Bad living circumstances, assassinations, catastrophes, war. But to die in the end by a poisoned trap is … but it's always like that. You don't pay attention for a single second and you are a goner.

The city around me is dead since long ago and the ruins are already being captured by nature.

Being the last elf on this planet wasn't funny anyway. Why did this war with the beastmen start anyway? I don't remember.

Who cares, it's just another life in an endless chain of lives. Recently I have had a streak of bad luck with my reincarnations. I am always born in bad living circumstances. Is the universe punishing me for something?

I look down at the spike in my side. It's the type with barbs. Nasty. My body is thin and bony. It shows that I hadn't a proper meal for weeks. Kukuku. Maybe I should have tried to eat one of the beastmen, who were hunting me for days.

Somehow I wouldn't feel repelled to eat another thinking being right now.

Maybe I can take one of them with me. My heartbeat is erratic. This body wont go on for much longer. Although I am dying, there is a bright side to it! Another life, another roll of the dice!

I snap two grenades from my belt and pull out the safety pins. Sitting onto the activation spring should stop them from blowing up.

This world has no magic, but it's a realm with average technology. Now that's done. The first of these creatures which moves my body will me blown to smithereens. I close my eyes and wait for my death. The poison is known to me. It's acting very slow and I saw many friends die to it.

I start drifting off when a sound from nearby draws my attention. With one eye and a blurry view, I see a beastman coming in my direction.

He belongs to the cat tribe and has a long nasty knife in one hand. “Elf. You ran long enough. The hunt is at an end!”

I smirk while he grabs me at the collar and lifts me up with one hand.

“~Hahahahaha. Life number one thousand and seventy eight! I am coming!~”

…....

…...

…..

….

…

..

.

***Nowhere.***

Darkness is all around me. I can see paths of light. And many coloured flames are floating all around me. I am not a fan of out of body experiences.

Strange. This never happened before in one of my previous reincarnations. Did something go wrong this time? Maybe I died too early?

I noticed an uncomfortable loss of memories when I died as an infant once. Is committing a form of suicide also bad?

All flames around me have an unhealthy green colour. Hey, those are different. There is a black and a yellow one. Looks like I am circling them? Definitely strange, but I have no control.

I am pulled in! No. What's going on? Those memories. Not my own!

…

But it feels … somehow … warm.

…....

…...

…..

….

…

..

.

***Norfolk, Sarn-Valley***

Aw! Damn! Switch off the lights!

Why do you always have to be blinded by light as a newborn? There are voices too, but they are hard to understand. I have water in my ears. It's unpleasant as hell, so I start to scream at the top of my lungs.

My hearing is as bad as my sight at the moment. The closest voice seems to be female. But I feel that I am handed from one person to another. Maybe I will risk a look with one eye. Even if it's bright as hell.

Wow. A cool black haired beauty with steel blue eyes. Are you mommy? She looks young. I will try my cute baby smile on her.

~Ooof!~

Okay! Okay! You are mommy! Confirmed! But please don't crush me! Brute! Oh god, thanks. I survived.

“Look Ascathon! She is so cute!”

I can understand the language! Nice! I learned it already on another world. That solves quite a few problems. Mother hands me to a guy of about her own age. Dark hair and grey eyes. Uwah! Don't look at me with such a nasty expression! Aren't you my father!? He looks really mean!

But you look a little beaten up. There are bruises all over your face. Coming directly from a fight? Let's try the cute little baby smile on you.

~There!~ Hah! The corners of your mouth twitched! I saw it!

“How should we name her?”

Please no stupid name like Gundula! Please be good parents! I can deal with poverty and everything else! But give me at least an acceptable name! A strong one!

“She looks like her name is Ursula.”

NoOOO! Dad is a meanie!

“Definitely not! Look! She doesn't like it! How about Seraphine? Seraphine Asceron? Sera Asceron for short? How does that sound?”

That's a good one! Whoever that was! I like you! I like that one!

“It sounds acceptable Idala. And it looks like she likes it.”

Dad hands me to another person. It's an older woman than mom. Maybe the grandma?

“You like Sera? Don't you? What do you think of your grandmother's idea!?”

Great one! Idala! Grandmother! One hundred points! I am in your debt! But somehow I am really tired. I will excuse myself for the time being.

“Too bad that she is born during times of war.” Grandmother has a really sad voice.

Wait war? I am awake now! So this is a bad reincarnation again!? Grandmother hands me back to my father.

“No problem little Seraphine! Daddy is really powerful! My troops and I slaughtered two thousand enemies to celebrate your birthday! Let them come!”

Aah. So daddy has troops? Am I a princess? Cool! No, wait. You used the word slaughtered way too casually! You may be a worse dad than I originally thought!

***

It has been three weeks since my birth and I am still an immobile lump of flesh. My only possibilities to interact with the world are screaming and baby speech.

At least my hearing and my vision aren't as hampered as before. By being carried through the mansion and meeting my other family members, I found out that we are very well off.

The mansion is big and stylish. Although there are no servants. But maybe having servants is not a custom in this world. There are many guards. They seem competent and trustworthy.

My family members and the few employees are all nice people. I even seem to have two big sisters. Maybe I can gain some benefits by manipulating them.

But there is one problem. My parents don't love each other. Even an idiot could have noticed that by now. They are tolerating the other party but there seems to be no true love.

That's bothering me! Could they have had a political marriage? Maybe I should do something about that. Like playing matchmaker? I am in the perfect position for that.

A pair often is forged together by their offspring. And I have a few hundred years of experience! Beware! ~Here comes the angel of love!~

At least I have to make them stay together until I am old enough to survive on my own. Well. How should I go about this?

Daddy is somewhere else most of the time, while my mother is working in the office. She always takes me with her. So my only chances are during the evening or the morning hours.

Maybe I should start to scream until daddy is holding me. Then I will be silent and happy. Mommy will get jealous and they will have to deal with each other.

Ok. That sounds good. I will scream if either of them isn't around. When they realize the pattern, I will have to think up something new or keep going.

It depends on their reaction. Maybe they will come to terms with each other, if they have to take care of me together.

It's time to stop working anyway. So starting my plan right now should be okay. And I have to start to act like a baby anyway!

I gather the air in my lungs …

“WUAAAAAA!”

.