"Why did the princess have to die with the baby?" a gigantic figure asked beside Edward. But was it really a giant? It looked more like a woman.
She spoke in a strange language, one Edward knew he had never heard before, but for some reason, some kind of strange power automatically translated it in his mind, making it understandable to him.
"Selena knew they would suspect if she just abandoned the child to die and fled," another giant replied. This time, it was a middle-aged man, a knight? Were they giants, or had he shrunk?
The answer to Edward's question came when the hand of a baby, probably a newborn, appeared in his field of vision.
But was that his hand? How could that be his hand?
A sharp jolt from the carriage carrying them away from the burning tower and the shadowy figure made the woman turn her attention to Edward.
"You're awake?" the woman said to Edward. "Mr. Thomas, I told you to slow down. The poor thing isn't even three days old yet."
"And I told you we don't have time," the knight replied. "Hold the boy in your arms; it'll be more comfortable than in that seat."
The woman did as instructed and picked up Edward in her arms. Yes, that confirmed it, for some reason, in this bizarre dream, he had become a baby.
"He's already opened his eyes," the woman said in amazement as she saw Edward's wide-open eyes staring at her.
"Well, he is the son of Sir Edward and our dear Selena, after all. He couldn't be anything less than a prodigy."
Was the knight really impressed by the simple fact that Edward had opened his eyes?
"I'm always surprised by how informal you were with the princess," the woman replied.
The knight shrugged, clearly tired of hearing that same lecture.
"What happens now? You and the princess kept me in the dark. I think I deserve to know now," the woman asked.
"You know we didn't mean any harm."
The knight seemed reluctant to reveal their next steps, but the woman's stern look made it clear she wouldn't accept silence as an answer.
Edward was also eager for an answer, so he was rooting for the woman.
"Fine, fine... we're taking the boy to the Duke of Demetria."
The woman wasn't satisfied with just that piece of information, so the knight was forced to continue explaining.
"His young wife lost another baby. No one knows yet, not even his other wives and children. So they'll adopt our little Edward as their own."
In this baby's body, his name was also Edward? This had to be a dream.
"But do they know the boy is…" the woman began, but the knight cut her off before she could finish.
"The duke knows, but only him. Don't worry; the boy will be safe. The duke was loyal to Sir Edward, and he'll remain so, even now that he's dead," the knight replied.
For some reason, Edward could sense a hint of uncertainty in the knight's statement. Was that just wishful thinking? Was this duke really that loyal to Edward's new father?
"Will we have to leave after we deliver the baby?" the woman asked.
At that moment, she hugged Edward tighter, a clear gesture of affection. She didn't like the idea of being separated from him.
When the knight nodded in confirmation, Edward could see deep sadness on the woman's face.
The rest of the journey passed in silence. The two adults were grieving. Princess Selena, Edward's mother, had been someone significant to them.
As the hours passed and Edward took in more details of this strange world, he became less certain that this was just a dream.
Wasn't that voice a hallucination? Was this indeed a second life? Edward's mind still struggled to accept his new reality.
The two adults didn't seem to notice, but for some reason, Edward could sense every presence in the dark forest they traveled through that night.
None of them dared approach the carriage. A protective amulet, or at least that's how Edward interpreted the artifact he could feel but not see, kept all those beings at bay.
What were those creatures? Dragons? Giant insects? Demons? Edward had no way of knowing, but his mind kept trying to make sense of it all.
Being trapped in this baby's body, aware of all these threats, was terrifying. He had no control over his body, though at times he desperately tried to do something, to regain control.
He kicked, screamed, and thrashed, but nothing happened. To the two adults, it just seemed like the normal behavior of a fussy baby.
"He must be hungry," the woman thought, shoving a bottle into Edward's mouth. He wanted to protest, but his infant body accepted the bottle as if it were a gift from the gods.
And so it went all night.
When the sun finally began to rise on the horizon, it revealed a breathtaking dawn, a landscape both dazzling and terrifying.
Edward was now certain this wasn't a dream.
He had died, so this could only be a new life, a reincarnation. But why did he still have his memories? Was this some error in the process of transferring his soul to this new body? Or was it divine interference?
And that voice, had there been a voice? He had heard something before dying.
Edward had no way of knowing. But one thing was certain: if he had been given a new chance to live, he would make the most of it.
In this new life, he would be the son of a duke, after all.
He still had all his memories, all his knowledge. This was the perfect opportunity to fulfill all his dreams, to live the good life he had never had the chance to live before.
But serious risks were threatening this new life. His new mother had sacrificed herself to save him. The sinister aura of that shadowy figure made it clear that, for some reason, he was still in grave danger.
But facing adversity was something he was used to. Nothing would stand in the way of his dreams.
He would reinvent engineering itself in this new world if he had to.