Chapter Text
Chapter 1 – The two friends reunite
Reinhard von Lohengramm’s last words were for his wife: - My last wish is that you do as you wish … do as you wish … -
Then, the man who conquered and united the galaxy, breathed his last.
But this wasn’t the end: visions of unknown people and places visited him in the darkeness and didn’t stop until he opened his eyes again.
He didn’t recognize the ceiling, nor the rest of room. It was early morning and from the window he saw an ancient-looking city with starships in the skies. He never saw the model before, but correctly surmised it was made for civilian uses.
Where was he? What happened to him? He didn’t feel so healthy since a long time, it was like the malady never happened in the first place. Not a single symptom was left. And his hands … were so tiny! All of his body had shrunk! Again, what happened?
Searching for clues, he sit up on the bed and noticed a kid with fiery red hair sleeping next to him. He immediately recognized Kirckeis’ hair color. Nostalgia overwhelmed him, and he gently caressed the boy’s hair. His touch was extremely tender and soft, but the boy woke up nonetheless:
-Good morning, lord Reinhard. Do you remember, now? –
The eyes’ color and the voice left no room for doubt:
-Kirckeis, it’s you! –
It didn’t matter to him if it was a dream, the afterlife or a strange new reality, Reinhard immediately hugged his best friend and started bawling like a child. He had so much things to tell him! But all he managed to spill out were tears and incoherent babbling.
Kirckeis hugged him back, but with an extra touch of tenderness, like he was consoling a child:
-Oh, I am so glad you finally remember! Don’t cry, now everything will be all right. You can tell me later, when you’re calmer. I would suggest to calm down anyway, or our parents will intervene shortly. –
Their parents? They were friends, not brothers.
Even then, after a short while, a man and a women barged in the room:
-Fedele, what’s the matter with Cesare? –
-Did any of you get hurt, in some way? –
Kirckeis gently tapped his friend’s shoulder: - Cesare is fine, he had a nightmare, that’s all. –
-Aaaw, my poor little child! – Said the woman. She wanted to pick Cesare up, but he resisted with all his might, not wanting to let go of his friend ever again.
Kirckeis/Fedele understood the sentiment – and even shared it - but now it was starting to hurt: -There’s no need to hug me this tight, i wont’ go anywere, i promise. I wont’ leave the house, so when you’ll wake up again i will be near. Promise. –
Knowing for a fact that his friend always kept his promises, he allowed the woman to pick him up. She immediately started cooing him and caressing his back and hair:
-My poor little Cesare, don’t worry, your big brother is always with you. He never leaves you side, you know? I don’t know what bad dream you had, but i can assure you can always count on him, your momma, your papa, and your big sister. We are all here, all alive and well and we all love you. You have nothing to fear, now. –
The woman’s voice was soothing and sounded incredibly familiar; the tears stopped. Was he a child being consoled by his mother? It was a most pleasant, innocent and sweet sensation, but how was any of this possible? What had happened to the universe? Even the names were wrong! How was he supposed to handle the transition from galatic emperor and kaiser to child?? He had so many questions, but the only thing he got from thinking about them was a wave of extreme sleepiness. The woman started gently rocking him in her arms and soon enough Reinhard was sleeping again.
When he woke up, it was around midday and he was sitting on top a strange chair. The woman – his mother, from the look of things – was near him preparing lunch. She hummed a cheery song and smiled warmly at him:
-Oh, you’re awake! I am so glad that my little Cesare slept well. Child at your age and younger need lots of sleep. – She kissed him on the cheek, leaving him unsure about how to react.
Reinhard’s mother had died in a car accident while he was a newborn. He was raised by his sister, in his first life. It was strange now, but very pleasant to have a mother.
The words “thanks mom” came naturally, like he used to saying them all the time. Also, the kitchen was more familiar to him at every second. Everything was like a bizarre deja-vu. A warm, pleasant deja vu. The idea of having a bigger sister didn’t leave his brain … she was called … Lisa! His big sis Lisa! She was bound to have lunch with them! He couldn’t wait to hug her again! Lisa! …
No, no, wait a moment: he had an older sister, but she was Annerose.
And yet, the image of a cheery, thenty-something redhead girl came to mind. She was Lisa, his (new) big sis!
At that point, he found out he could’t focus on anything: not his past life, not Annerose, not even Lisa … what would they have for lunch? Was that a fly? The sunshine was lovely. He was hungry. He wanted to run, hug and be hugged.
After a short while, lunch was ready and Reinhard/Cesare was pushed near the table by her mother.
Oh, so it’s a chair built for little kids; I didn’t notice it had wheels.
At the lunch table, the vibe was warm, friendly and super relaxed. It remembered him the precious times with Kirckeis and Annerose, literally a life ago.
The main course was new, tho: long stretches of pasta. The smell was good, but how was he supposed to eat them with a fork?
He immediately looked to Fedele, and by imitating his movements, he managed to eat them just fine.
-It’s good … thanks, mom. –
-Prego, my little Cesare: I always make pesto by hand. –
-We’re pretty lucky. – Said the father, sweetly kissing his wife. – Fedele, would you mind keeping Cesare company? I have a special class soon. –
Kirckeis smiled and jokingly made a military salute, but the man didnt’ recognize the gesture and stared at him dumbfoundedly.
-Oh … I mean, yes, dad. –
-Good. –
-And Lisa? –
-She called a short while ago and said she couldn’t be there now, but she assured me she will be here for dinner. –
Cesare was saddened by it, but the idea of finally being alone with Kirckeis for discussing things made him smile.
*
-Reinhard, I know you have a lot to say and I am really eager to hear it, but it’s better if you allow me to speak first. – Kirckeis suggested, and his friend nodded. - I know firsthand how the passage between lifes can be messy. You now have all the memories back, but the rest of your mind, your body, your mental fortitude et cetera are that of a 5 year old’s. So, if you happen to struggle with your emotions, your focus, or other things, just know it’s okay and dont’ be too harsh on yourself. –
He was right: Reinhard could hardly focus on anything, let alone putting together a coherent speech. Not crying of happiness and mixed emotions was already requiring all of his willpower.
-So … -
-It’s really a new life, my friend: these people are really our parents, and we’re really brothers. It’s not an illusion, nor the end. We are kids again. –
Reinhard lost the war against the tears and hugged his best friend again, but less tightly than before. He cried softly. Kirckeis hug him back:
-I am happy to se you too. After … what happened, I had a long string of visions. It was like a long and confusing dream; at times, it was like I never left your side. I saw you on the throne, and later alone, wrapped in a blanket. Was it an illness … -
He couldn’t finish the sentence with “that killed you”. Reinhard understood and merely nodded. Kirckeis got teary eyes, but managed to continue:
-Anyway, when the strange dream finished, I found myself near a crib with a blonde newborn with blue-graysh eyes. Dad was talking with mum in a soft voice in a nearby room. I didn’t remember anything about how I got there, but the more time passed, the more familiar the place was to me. It was like a deja-vu, but actually these were the new memories of the very first years that came back and finally merged with the old memories. The process can take days and even weeks to be completed. It’s not strange if you are still confused and can’t fully identify the members of our family or anyone else. –
- I remember Lisa’s face, but at the same time it’s like I never met her before. –
-She’s our sister: it was her who took care of us in my first days. She’s very sweet and helpful, but I don’t know neither about her age, nor what her job is. Or what the deal was, at that time. I had a suspicion that the baby was you, but I could’t confirm it until you started crawling around. You were curious, but never went anywhere without me, and confused our parents out of their minds when you started talking and repeated “Chicchis”. They never understood what it was. –
Also, Fedele was the only person in the family whom he caressed the hair.
Kirckeis had mixed feelings about Cesare being Reinhard: on one hand, he would’ve preferred his friend stayed healthy and alive in their old galaxy, ruling the universe. He would’ve been pretty saddened, and even angry, if it turned out Reinhard hadn’t kept the promise. On the other hand, if the vision about the deathly illness was on point, had he any right to be mad? War, peace and reforms took a lot of time. And he couldn’t shake away his egoism, the part of him that was glad of being again at Reinhard’s side. It would’ve been super lonely and scary to explore a whole new universe alone. He missed Annerose dearly, being away from the other person whom he was devoted to, would’ve been too much for his heart. Promise or not, he couldn’t deny it: he was really happy to see Reinhard again.
-Then I spent every single morning asking you if you remembered … -
Cesare started crying softly on Kirckeis’s chest. Fedele gently stroked his back.
-I… I cwould’ve never ewer, ewer, ever, forghbhet you. Newer. Not ewen afwter a bwillion years… -
-And I never doubted it: I just had to wait for the process to finish. –
As soon as Cesare calmed down a little, they separated.
-I am so happy to be whole again. – He had always seen Kirckeis as the half of his soul, and after long years they were reunited. If a god truly existed somewhere, he felt the need to thank him. -What other things do you know? –
-This planet is named Italia Bis and the tecnology is roughly on par with the twenty-one century, except for transportation and medicine, which is even more advanced than in our old universe. Now all diseases are curable, even the genetic ones. Except for the common cold, for some reason. The most baffling thing is the political system: Italia Bis is a Republic but also loyal to the galactic emperor. –
-How? Is there a galactic constitution or something? –
-If it does exsist, mom and dad don’t tell me anything about it, nor the emperor. His name and face are a mistery but people still respect him, even if in a very different way from what we experienced. It’s hard to explain, you will see. Also: kids are a lot more protected and pampered here; our parents don’t even allow me to go outside alone! Also, there are no nobles, here. –
-I won’t miss them. –
-Neither do I. People behave a lot less formally than in our old world, keep that in mind. Or dad is named Beniamino, he’s a private teacher and a good man, our mother is named Virginia and our sister full name is Lisistrata. –
Then, Beniamino’s voice called them for the daily study session. Usually Cesare took a nap in that time of the day, but now that he was awake and attentive, Beniamino took him in. There were other kids of various ages and the lesson was about the fundamentals of mathematics. Reinhard chose to politely ignore it, focusing instead on his new father.
He despised the old one. His first father was the one who sold his sister into a horrid servitude because he wanted to drink and stay jobless. Annerose’s consent was the last of his worries. It was perhaps the only human being he despised on par with the emperor. When he died for natural causes, Annerose wept at the funeral, but he didn’t shed a single tear. He just couldn’t. And even taking into consideration the fact that no one could desobey the emperor, he never visited nor expressed a single word of concern for her. The only thing he taught him was that bad and good qualities weren’t passed down by blood, and how little the red liquid really mattered.
On the contrary, Beniamino wasn’t allergic to work, nor a drunkhard. He run immediately when he heard him crying. Now he was doing his best to teach mathematics to a group of children, some of which seemed intellectually challenged to Reinhard. The older ones should’ve already mastered the basics, but instead struggled greatly. Beniamino was very patient, never raised his voice and managed to teach the basics to everybody. Reinhard was impressed: he could never have had that level of patience.
At the end of the lesson, the other children got taken away by the respective parents, Kirckeis got called by mom and Beniamino spoke to him:
-Is everything all right, Cesare? Was the lesson clear to you? –
He nodded.
-Fedele told me you are a quick learner and already know the basics, but I wanna be sure of it. –
Beniamino passed him a written text with the multiplication tables, fractions, and simple operations. Cesare completed it quickly without error.
-Wow. Fedele wasn’t lying. – Beniamino chuckled. – Maybe he’s a better teacher than me. Now, for your handwriting. –
The next text consisted in copying some letters in italics. For a five year-old would’ve been difficult at the first try, but not for Cesare. In the galactic empire all the high officials were requested to have impeccable handwriting, and he was on top of the class at the military academy.
Beniamino was even more impressed and complemented him. However, there was a long, silent pause, before he spoke again:
-Now the final test: not even your brother passed it. –
Kirckeis failed? Impossible. Thought Reinhard, and the feeling of disbelief only deepened when he read the text: it was a silly rhyme about rainy days with some reading comprehension questions.
It didn’t take long, for him, to read and answer the questions, but this time his father took the red pen:
-Your answers are only partially correct: not everybody is happy for the rain. Some characters groan looking at the sky, and one even cries. –
-But the narrator … -
-Just because an omniscient narrator says something, doesn’t mean it’s right. You need to read carefully, both words and life. Learning common sense it’s important, but is not enough: I want you and your siblings to learn another skill that no one else teaches on this planet, nor probably in the galaxy: critical thinking. –
Cesare was incredulous: losing a battle of wits over a stupid children’s rhyme! Had the reincarnation thing made him stupider?
I had critical thinking literally before being born! I taught it myself under a dictatorship, you’re crazy if you think I’ve lost it now! He was angry, but had to admit that his new father had impressed him. Critical thinking was a precious and rare skill indeed.
Love was too strong of a word, but Reinhard decided he liked and respected him. And that the next battle of wits would be his.
*
Soon it was dinner time. The mood was good and relaxed, the food exquisite, but the best part was …
-I’m hooome! –
The harmonious voice of their new sister announcing she was back. They run and hugged her even before she could put down her purse.
-Big sis! Big sis Lisa! – She had the same, lustruos red hair of Kirckeis but longer. Her smiling face was the same as Reinhard’s new memories. It felt like he knew her since forever.
-Welcome back! – Said Fedele.
She smiled back, not hiding her happiness:
-I’m so sorry I could’t make it for lunch. How about I take you to a gelateria for dessert? –
The word “gelateria” sounded new, but strangely they knew what it was: a place that sold ice cream and other sweets.
-Yes! –
-You’re the best sister in the universe! – This one, at least.
-What if, instead, you sit and eat with us? – Objected Beniamino.
-Also, it’s getting late … - said their mother, but seeing the happy little faces of their sons, they relented.
-Okay, you can go, but be back before half past ten. –
-Of course! –
Lisa strapped her beloved brothers to her motorcycle and they were off. It was the very first outing for Cesare: the night lights, the speed… everything felt new and, yet, nostalgic. The vehicles looked pretty old compared to their first life, being commanded by humans instead of programs. Also, they were a lot slower. The buildings were smaller and different than the empire’s, but differed even more than the Alliance and Pezzan. It was like living in another time period, but there were life. People going on and about their own lives, like … like it was meant to be. Like everywhere and in any possible universe populated by humans. It was their new home and this finally sank in with Reinhard. He felt excited, curios and hopeful. It was truly like the old days: only him, his best friend and his sister.
After a while, they reached the galateria. It was closing, but Lisa had a double trick up her sleeve:
-Hi, Donatella! Still room for the last customers? –
The woman behind the counter had a tired and annoyed expression, but seeing the kids, she brightened up:
-Ooooh, your little brothers! How cute! I haven’t seen the youngest out of the crib! He’s grown so much and he’s adorable! Let me have a little look at you! You little itty bitty cheecks are so kissa-wissable! -
Cesare froze up. The woman made a beeline for him, her hands squeezing the air, but his sister interjected:
-No! No touchies. He’s shy and struggles with anyone not in the family. –
Reinhard sighed in relief. Informal speech was one thing, he was okay with it, but sugary vomit accompanied by physical assault was a completely different can of worms. Was she tired from a bad day? Was the planet mad? Or … could it be his face?
The gelateria had lots of mirrors on the wall and Cesare decided to have a look at himself. The result horrified him: his hair and eye colors were identical to his past life, but the face... oh, the face. It wasn’t ugly by any means, on the contrary, it was pretty cute, too much cute. His cheecks were a little plumpy and his traits rotund. He looked like a sweet, cute porcelaine doll, nothing at all like someone who could command a modicum of respect. Was he expected to accept this treatment and never being traited seriously until puberty? His shoulders fell:
-Was I always like this? – Asked to Fedele in a whisper.
-You facial traits were a little sharper. –
Donatella took the exchange between siblings and the distressed expression of the youngest as proof of what said Lisa.
-Aaw, what a pity! Anyway, ice cream is finished, but we have torte gelato. –
Soon enough, they discovered how delicious were these cakes made with ice cream. Cesare and Fedele wolfed down their slices with gusto.
Lisa smiled tenderly, seeing how happy were her beloved brothers. But then, a shadow crossed her face. Gritting teeth, she renewed her resolve, her secret, bloody oath against the master and devourer of the stars.
-You’re okay? –
-Oh… yes, Fede. I was just overthinking. It’s a bad habit of mine that I should quit. –
She smiled, putting her arms around her brothers’ chairs. The same, no longer human arms ready to kill without exitation for protecting who remained of her family. It was too soon to tell the whole story to her adorable and innocent brothers. For now, she was happy if she could manage to convey just a fraction of how much they were loved.
They made small talk, thanked Donatella and went back home in time.
Then, another unforseen event came to Reinhard: his mother’s proposal.
-B-but mom, I don’t need to sleep with you. –
Just a while ago, he slept with his wife. It was unthinkable to go back in time and sleep with his mother in the same, innocent way he once slept with Annerose when the night thunder scared him.
-I don’t want you to have another nightmare. The way you cried, scared me. I don’t want it to happen ever again. Also, both your siblings kept sleeping with me and dad longer than you. There’s no need to rush things. Growing up takes time. –
The gentleness in her words, voice and eyes moved something in him, something that the thought to have lost or never had.
Soon enough, Cesare was in his pijamas, sandwiched between his mother and his half-asleep father. Beniamino positioned himself nearer the edge of the bed, giving him more space. It was confortable, welcoming and warm, and stayed that way even when the lights had gone off.
He liked his new family; it had been really a great day and way to start a new life. Loving parents and sister, the bestest friend ever as a brother … what else, to ask, if not the stars?
The stars … how are the stars in this universe? Reinhard asked just before sleep overtook him. Do they shine, not reached by human hands or are more galaxies explored and lived in? Is this idyllic peace real? Are we in a republic or an empire? I will discover everything with Kirckeis, and tomorrow I will tell him how things went.