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Thomas was sleeping in the crib with his new body, calm as saliva dripped from his mouth. The woman who had given birth to this body sat nearby, staring at her son with a gentle gaze.
Her husband looked at them before breaking into a small smile. "Our child is so adorable, isn't he?"
"Knock on wood," she said, giving him a fierce look.
He chuckled. "Aren't you the one who has been looking at him ever since he was born?"
"Nooo, I took a bathroom break." She stayed silent for a few seconds before adding, "And I am his mom. It's fine. I can't jinx my child."
"Stop calling him 'my child, my child.' He is our child," Baron said while taking off his clothes.
"Alright." Irritated, she stood up, grabbed her husband's hand, and made him sit near their child. "You can look at him too, but only after me. I come first," she declared.
"Alright, alright," Baron said, placing his hand on his wife's shoulder. They leaned their heads against each other, holding hands as they watched their son make small, random movements in his sleep.
"Name him," she murmured in a gentle, sweet voice.
Baron looked at her in disbelief. "Me?" He pointed at himself. "Are you sure? I mean, you said you come first. Are you really letting me name our son instead of you?"
"It's fine. I'll let you have this one," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.
He stared at his son for a few seconds before speaking. "Rhygar Thornvail."
"Ray."
"Alright, we'll call him Ray for short."
…
Half an hour later.
'How long is she planning to sit like this? I can't even ask her. I'll just sleep on her shoulder for now,' Cedric thought, closing his eyes.
After staring at their son for as long as she wanted, she laid Ray and Cedric on the bed and lay beside them, making sure her hand rested on Ray so she would wake up if anything happened.
…
Thomas's eyes flew open as he took a deep breath. 'Phew, that was a scary dream. Let's wake u—' He froze. 'That wasn't a dream.'
He opened his eyes again and felt something pressing on his stomach. He couldn't see it, but when he took a deep breath, his stomach expanded and touched something soft. He looked from one side to the other, glancing at his mother, then his father. He somehow managed to roll his eyes down to see their hands resting on him.
'Were they trying to kill me? And before I even became strong?'
He sighed. 'Wait… Why don't I feel any weight on my stomach? I guess this is some fantasy stuff.'
After waiting silently for a while, almost deciding to go back to sleep, a thought popped into his mind. 'Right, I am special. I can do it.' His gaze landed on a fly. He needed something to focus on, and there were some mosquitoes hovering two feet above him, so he locked onto them.
Ray closed his eyes. "Aaaaaa..." He tried using all his strength—the strength that would make him the strongest, that would help him defeat the demon queen, that would make him stand above everyone. The immense power that he… didn't have.
Although his strength couldn't lift their hands, his struggle and cute little screams were enough to lift his mother's eyelids. She looked at her son staring at her and gave a gentle smile before leaning in closer.
'She definitely wants to kill me.'
…
A few more minutes passed before he woke up again. This time, the same mosquito was hovering a foot above his face. It flew down and landed on his father's shoulder.
'Is it going to drink his blood? …Vampire?' Ray stared at the mosquito as it prepared to bite. Just as it was about to pierce the skin, a hand swatted it, killing it instantly.
Ray realized that one of the hands pinning him down had lifted. He turned his head toward the mosquito's final resting place—only a smear of blood remained.
'You have sacrificed yourself for my freedom. Your death won't go to waste, my fantasy-vampire-mosquito friend. Your name shall be remembered throughout history…'
Then his eyes widened. 'Wait, I didn't ask for their name.'
Determined, he opened his eyes again, ready to attempt another escape. He tried using his immense strength once more—the strength that he still didn't have.
Another mosquito appeared, this time attempting to feast on his mother's blood, but it was swatted away even faster. Now, Ray was finally free from all restraints.
'The vampire mosquito species… I will remember this sacrifice. I owe you a big one. I will help you with anything you need… In the future, may you two go to heaven, and may God forgive all your sins.'
…
With renewed determination, he focused on a housefly. He tried to sit up, but after using all his strength, he failed. Miserably. He couldn't even move a centimeter.
'Well, I guess I just have to build my biceps, forearms, and calves for now. See you later, core.'
Ray started moving his hands, but they barely responded. 'A few inches at a time, a few inches at a time,' he chanted in his mind as he moved them randomly.
It was boring, but he kept going. Because hard work pays off. 'That's what my first girlfriend said.' He continued pushing himself. 'Bitch cheated on me… And that was with the opposing team's coach's son? I wouldn't have hated her, but he was a minor… What a pedophile she was,' Ray thought with disgust and disdain. But he continued to push himself.
For further motivation, he changed his slogan. 'She belongs to the streets, she belongs to the streets…'
…
After a long training session, he was completely exhausted. He had worked hard. Now, he could rest in peace.
Just as sleepiness started dragging him down, his ears caught a weird sound.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't long. But it was enough to wake his mom.
His dad's eyes snapped open, though not because of the sound. "What is this shitty smell?" Baron grumbled, covering his nose.
"Cedric," Baroness said in a sharp, low voice.
He had farted. And perhaps even filled his diaper.