Chapter 6 – The Cry Before Dawn
People were sent on missions in different ways — some were reincarnated, others transmigrated, and a few were summoned.
Joshua didn't know what to expect.
All he knew was that Earth had been his first world.
Then came the pull.
His vision twisted, his body spun, and he felt himself flung through an endless current of light — toward something that shimmered like a door made of dawn itself.
He shut his eyes tightly as the light swallowed him whole.
---
In a small hut on the outskirts of a silent forest...
The air trembled with pain and prayer.
Groans echoed from within, raw and desperate.
"You can do this, hun,"
a man said, clutching the hand of his wife — her face pale, drenched in sweat, trembling under the weight of labor.
Across from them stood an old woman, the village midwife.
She clasped her hands together, whispering softly. A faint green light bloomed from her palms and flowed into the woman's body.
"Almost there, darling. The baby's almost out,"
the midwife said — her tone calm, reassuring.
The woman nodded weakly, her eyes brimming with tears as she pushed again, gritting her teeth through the pain.
Then the calm broke.
"Push now, or he'll die!"
The midwife's voice snapped with urgency, and fear filled the small hut.
The woman's eyes widened. She screamed, muscles tensing as she gave one last, desperate push.
Moments later — silence.
No crying.
No sound.
Only the mother's ragged breathing and the father's trembling hands.
The midwife's face darkened as she wrapped the still baby in a small blanket.
Her voice was heavy.
"Seems… we were too late."
The man froze. Shock rippled across his face.
He turned toward his wife — expecting horror, or tears — but she only smiled.
Did she not hear what the midwife said?
He said internally.
> "Give him to me,"
she whispered.
The midwife hesitated but obeyed, handing the small, lifeless body to the mother.
The woman cradled him gently, brushing her thumb over his soft cheek.
"Honey," she said softly, smiling through her tears, "he looks like both of us."
The man's lips trembled as tears began to fall. He couldn't speak.
The midwife bit her lip, voice shaking.
> "Ma'am… the baby isn't alive."
> "No," the woman said, still smiling faintly. "He's just… a little late."
The man's gaze met the midwife's helpless eyes. He swallowed hard.
> "Honey," he said, voice cracking, "he's not crying. He's not breathing."
The woman didn't respond.
She held the baby tighter, pressing him close to her chest — her eyes watering up as she held him closer .
Then, in a trembling whisper that cut through the night, she said:
> "Joshua, love… wake up for Mama. I love you, and I'm waiting for you."
With those words came a drop of tears,and the moment the tears touched the baby's cheeks something stirred in his chest.
.. ..