Think. Think.

What did I just do?

I felt an invisible iron hand grip my heart.

Did I really just attack a small child for a. For a moldy fish stick?

No. This can't be me.

I'm sure I can get out of here.

Without hurting any innocents.

With my skills and knowledge, I'll get past this issue.

I'll be well-fed and in the kingdom by tomorrow!

1 Week Later.

I'm an 11-year-old with experiences from two lifetimes.

I can produce attacks at the advanced ranks like it's nothing.

I have grasped a mysterious energy that only a select few have the talent to control.

I have even partially mastered the blade.

But none of that matters here.

The only thing that matters here is emerald coins.

My first thought was to rob people.

This place is heavily neglected by the kingdom next door, so much so that I've seen people murder each other right in front of the guard's noses.

If I rob people, no-oneno one gets killed.

I get some food.

And we're all slightly content with the results.

But I tried robbing people.

It didn't work out.

It isn't that the people were too strong. Rather, it was relatively easy to rob people.

The people were just all lifeless, hopeless and poor.

Extremely, and frustratingly poor

They weren't even bothered when I shook them down.

Their eyes just gazed into the distance.

This place wasn't lifeless.

This place was the end of the line.

My next thought was just stealing the fish from the stand.

But that wouldn't work out.

Sure I could get 3 revolting fish sticks and a bit of wood but after that?

I'd have elimanated the only food source in the ruins.

It feels like I'm on a timer.

I've been getting considerably thinner.

There's no work here.

Or opportunities for that matter.

And no one talks either.

It looks like this is the place the loonies get sent to.

Now obviously, I should be in there.

With the wealthy, warm and ignorant.

These days, the temptation of just boosting myself over the wall has been temptful.

Yet, whenever I think of the silver-cross knight I stop that line of thought.

He's the first man I've ever seen capable of disrupting world-energy with his mere presence.

That must mean something.

Something bad I assume.

Anyways.

It has been another week.

My gear has been mostly looted.

The remains of my gear have been mostly looted.

And somehow, my shoelaces have been mostly looted.

I look down in frustration.

Every time my feet slipped out their sockets, I was only reminded of the tragedy that my shoes had experienced.

I'll kill that man if I ever find who he is.

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I have to talk to myself a lot.

Or else the pain will be the one doing the talking.

And I don't like the pain when it talks.

So I talk to myself a lot.

Well. Anyways.

I was merely on the soiled ground about to fall into an unconscious lapse when I observed something intriguing.

Well. Pretty much anything was intriguing but this was definitely worth my while.

An opportunity, if you will.

A man.

He's wearing warrior clothes.

He's covered in brown leather and his muscles are jacked.

He has veins protruding and his hair is short and black.

I can't see his face but I don't need to.

Because from around his broad shoulders and large masculine build, I can see a pouch.

Open and full of emerald-green coins.

My temptation pushes me forward.

Just one. I only need one.

I prepare the first bit of world energy I've used in a while.

I'm confident in my escape.

Putting the world energy on my feet I burst forward.

3 steps is all I need.

The sound of air bursting splits the atmosphere as I find myself by his right arm.

I move my left shoulder backwards to avoid collision and grab a small handful of emerald coins.

Dropping a dozen as I turn around.

The time is moving so slowly that he doesn't even realize that he's been robbed.

The air splits once more as I make my second step going to the right.

I fly through the air, I can feel the world going past me in the form of wind.

My hair flys upwards, I've done it.

Now I only need one more ste-.

There was no third step.

Only 8 muscly, stoic and hunkered men.

They were in the same attire as the man behind me.

Their hairs are a common mix of ginger, blonde,brown, and black.

Their faces are like blank slates.

Quite arrogant blank states.

They had seen it all.

The one at the center, whom I was half a second from bumping into, held out his two burly arms.

The veins were unappealing and omenic.

All I could see was his arrogant, mocking and jeering face as he swung me around.

I couldn't breathe.

Largely restrained gasps breached my mouth.

He swung me from side to side with his fat hands on my neck like I was a toy.

I needed to escape.

Seething from anger, my battle instinct seeped through my fearful fright and my right hand drew my blade.

I drew my blade upwards.

It passed through his arm unpleasantly.

So this is what cutting human flesh feels like.

I didn't cut off his arm but a large slit was visible across it. The blood within it boiled.

"GARH."

His spat sprayed across the floor as jolts ran up his arm and reached his face.

An ugly expression formed.

A splurt of blood landed on the floor. The realization and shock made his grip loosen significantly.

I felt a mountain of pressure crumble instantly.

I yanked my head backwards and side-stepped right.

I ran for the hills.

There's no way they could catch me.

Right?

A black silhouette stood before me.

"Guh?"

An arm rammed into my chest, slamming me backwards.

The air gets pushed out my lungs as blood seeps from my tongue

I now found myself on the floor.

In an alleyway.

The floor was covered in gunk and mud.

The walls were of broken stone.

The only way out was forwards.

And the only smell was of garbage and corpses.

And in front were 9 burly and raging adventurers.

I hadn't taken too much damage from the shove.

They couldn't be higher than the intermediate rank.

And that was a stretch.

But they outnumbered me.

I didn't stand a chance if I were to fight them head-on all at once.

But I'm a mage.

I shove the emerald coins down my pockets.

I brace my hands together.

They slowly walk towards me. Cracking their knuckles and rubbing their hands.

Their smiles start to collapse as they see thunder and lightning build up. Its frenzied madness should be the end of this dispute.

One of them suddenly blasts toward me with unprecedented speed.

A boarish grunt sounds.

Before I know it, my sense of gravity is everywhere. My world is turned upside down.

A large strain is on my legs.

Ah. I got picked up.

All I can see is a huge fist, clenched and juiced coming my way.

Blast sideways.

Boom.

My sense of direction is once again inverted and twisted.

His fist merely rolled past my face as we were sent into an enclosed space.

There is no light.

Only shadows and fresh blood.

As I find my body rapidly crashing down the space the sound of metal hitting the ground sounds.

The coins. They had fell from my pocket. They then rolled before settling down gradually.

I saw the tinges of their reflection as they soon dissapeared from view.

I roll on the ground before stopping myself and end up grazing the skin on my hand.

I lift it up and blow on it to alleviate the pain momentarily. It feels infrared.

My breaths are skanty and my hair is dissheveled.

I raise my head to my left as fast as I can.

I see the men all charging at me.

They're serious now.

I can't use magic.

Not with this distance and this small space.

So I pull out my sword.

They aren't wary of me. They just seem to be more prepared.

They charge onwards even faster now. Their feet make awkward shuffling sounds as my time runs out.

My ribs hurt.

From aching, denutrition and getting blasted by a tight source of world-energy.

But I charge forward despite the pain increasing several folds.

I make sure not to hit any vitals as I swing straight up. My blade passes up his face swift and sound.

I can't afford to trade blows so I make a barrier with materialization infront of me.

Now the only way to attack is to go for my arms.

Which they obviously cannot do.

Two fists smash straight into my materialization.

A small cracking sound resonates.

Blood seeps through his knuckles, but the real injury is right infront of him.

"AUGRH."

A muffled screech breaks out from the man infront of me.

His face is now covered in an unholy red line of blood.

His eyes are bright white in this desolate space as he feels his nose skin slide down the blood on his face.

Everytime he moves his hand across his face more parchments of skin and fresh blood fall.

"Aruh."

"AruGH."

"AAAAAUGH."

In realization of his ruined face he slowly backs off. Spreading the blood all over his face. His mouth quivers and his eyes blink twice in blank shock.

His hands now soaked in blood, he takes them off his face and keeps slowly retreating.

His companions look at him in shock and disfiguration.

They then turn to me the perpetrator.

Due to their convenient line positioning, I send a blast of world-energy straight down.

Pfoom.

The sound of rocks falling echoes.

They all hit the wall on the left as dust shakes off and lands on the top of their heads.

They curse and mutter as they pick themselves up at varying speeds.

Their eyes look bloodthirsty now.

I'm too busy planning my next move to notice a tiny silver glint in the shadows.

It moves bluntly and basic.

The technique is awful yet it does its job.

Through the adrenaline, something pierces through my skin.

Blood streams down my arm and a man smiles manically right before me.

"HAAR."

He exhales a disgusting and fishy breath right in front of my face. He was announcing his victory as well as he could I suppose.

His face gleams with victory.

There was no motivational speeches or half-way alliances.

Just the desperate sounds of victory and defeat.

Acceptance and Denial.

Pain and satisfication.

My sword drops as he clenches my wrist and yanks the knife implanted in it out.

I reach for my sword as a pant escapes from my mouth but he kicks it away with his foot.

I dived down to grab it but a broad shouldered black silhouette covers my view instantly.

One of the men grabs my sword and chucks it down the alleyway.

A faint clang sounds as it hits the ground.

Before I know it 3 men are surrounding me. Their silhouettes cover my view.

Their intentions unspeakable.

So I pull up my fists.

My only weapon.

And I brawl.