…
It’s dark.
I can’t see anything.
I can’t move either.
The heck.
I feel… hot. It’s pretty hot and I can’t… I can’t breathe!
Crap! where the hell am I!? I can’t move! I’m… I’m stuck in something, it feels like… dirt?
I’m buried in a dirt!? What in the-- Shit, I need air!
I used my hand to dig the soil and dirt upwards until finally I can see a light, shining on my face.
“Gaah!!”
With brute strength, I forced my way out and inhaled lots of air greedily. For the first time in this world, I actually almost died by lack of oxygen. I actually have lungs now, huh?
After grasping for air for a couple of minutes, my mind has calmed down.
Everything… everything feels crystal clear. I have better eyesight, stronger sense of smell and sharper hearing. This feels to surreal.
I scraped the ground with my hand. I can feel it, I can feel the surface, the texture… it feels warm and a bit damp.
I touched my face, I have nose, eyes, mouth, ears and hair. How does my face looks like? Wait… I’m naked.
Yep, I’m a boy.
This is a body of a 13 years old boy or something.
A boy? for real? I don’t even… Am I really that young? Are there other reasons for this?
Huh, even though this body of mine looks pretty young, I’m quite buffed. Is this normal?
Normal? Wait, how did I end up here anyway? I… I was…
I remember now. I remember it all.
Ciel and Ren.
The familiar voice.
The Demon.
And me… The Devil.
My body, it’s suddenly transformed into a human. Why? Where did that power came from? Whose voice is that? Is he watching me? I can’t ignore this anymore, I need to find out where did the voice came from. How? I don’t know, but I’m going to find out with one way or another.
The Demon, he came out of nowhere and tried to kill me. Bastard, killing him wasn’t enough, I wanted to make him suffer, rip him to pieces, fry him and feed his intestines to those green lions.
Why did The Demon came to me? It can’t be a coincidence.
And that voice… I’ve heard it before but where? … It’s the dream, isn’t it. I’ve heard his voice when I met Ciel… he said, he wanted to let me know of his existence. Where does he exist? My head? Was it just a desperate hallucination? It’s unlikely, I trust my instinct, it’s not a hallucination. He’s real.
I snapped from my thoughts and looked around.
I’m actually in someone’s backyard. The heck.
It’s simple house, made out of woods, couple windows, and is decorated with flowers. It looks pretty old.
…
Don’t tell me…
How long… was I asleep?
I focused on my ears, I heard two voices from the house.
The first is a man, judging from his voice, he’s an old man. Around his mid sixties and heavy footsteps. He’s talking with someone.
The second is a girl, probably around 8 or 9 years old. She’s talking with the old man, her voice is high pitched. What are they talking about?
“Grandpa, what’s that sound? Is someone in our backyard?”
She asked the old man, which is her grandpa.
“Stay inside Ann, don’t go anywhere okay?”
The old man ordered the girl with a soft voice, then he walked outside to the backyard.
Her name is Ann, huh? Who’s the old man?
He have a muscular body despite in his mid sixties. His skin is a bit black, couple scars can be seen on his body, he’s bald and there’s a big white beard on his face. He’s wearing a white sleeveless shirt, blue short pant, and an apron with flower pattern. An oven glove can be seen on his left hand while the other hand is holding a spatula.
And there’s me. Naked.
His face look stern. He’s not amused at all…
We looked at each other for about 5 minutes. I honestly think that, the awkwardness could kill an elephant.
“…”
“…”
………………………..
Ten minutes later.
He invited me in and gave me a towel to cover my body. He seems like a good guy, I think.
The girl, Ann, looked at me curiously. She have a big blue eyes, round face, short brown hair, and and a bit freckles on her face. Yep, she’s around 9 years old. She’s wearing a simple blue dress, a blue necklace and she’s barefoot.
We sit at a round table. The old man gave me a glass of chocolate milk. I’m not a kid dammit, but it’s been quite some time since I’ve tasted something, so I accept his offer.
Holy cow, this chocolate tasted sweet! Man, I can’t remember the last time I’ve drink something sweet.
“Why are you naked?”
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the girl asked me innocently.
Her sudden question made me choked almost to death, that was close.
I was confused how to answer her question, but the old man interrupted us by asking me.
“Where did you come from?”
“... That’s… a very good question.”
I don’t even know where I’m supposed to begin with and I’m not sure telling them what happened to me was a good idea either.
A question popped in my mind and I asked him.
“What date is it today?”
“Today…? … It’s 29 march 2229.”
I’ve been sleeping for… more than two centuries? How I’m still alive? I’m a human now, how did I survived without air in underground? Is this how it feels to be Lazarus?
“I see…”
“You didn’t answer my question boy, where do you live? Where’s your parent?”
He didn’t ask me why I’m naked, thanks.
Should I tell him? I’m sure 80% he won’t believe me.
“I… lost my memory, the things that I know are my name is Len and I’m older than I look.”
I gave him a vague answer. I’m not going to tell him everything literally, that’s stupid.
“...”
He stared at me with his vicious eyes, is he intimidating me? Seriously? That maybe would work to an actual kids, but not me. Try harder.
“You can stare me all you want, we have all the time in the world.”
He stared at me for a couple minutes, then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his expression changed into one of understanding. The girl is just looking around at my face and the old man, I don’t think she knows what’s going on.
“... Is that really all? Considering what you said is the truth, then what are you going to do?”
“... I don’t know either. Well, you can believe what you want, but what I said is the truth and that’s that. I… I just need time…”
“Time for…?”
“I need time to think on what I’m supposed to do.”
“Huh…”
The old man scratched his beard and looked at me for a couple seconds.
“Alright then. I don’t think you have a place to live, so I suggest you to stay here for a while. This place isn’t the best home ever but this place isn’t the worse either, I have a couple clothes that will fit you and--”
“Wait, wait, wait a second, stop. Are you seriously offering to stay here? I’m a stranger, I could be lying about my memory and steal your stuff when everyone is sleeping you know?”
“Of course I doubted you. I ‘was’ anyway.”
“Huh?”
“If you really are going to steal or harm us, you wouldn’t have asked that, would you?”
“Maybe, but that’s just a guess isn’t it? I could just asked that on purpose to make you trust me or something.”
“Well, will you steal or harm us in one way or another?”
“No…”
“That’s good enough for me.”
“What? You are kidding aren’t you?”
“Boy, I’m serious.”
“Listen, aren’t you being too naiv--”
“Right, it’s time for dinner. You should eat with us.”
The old man stand up from his chair and walked away into the kitchen, I think. Then the girl followed him while humming in joy, ‘Dinner, yay!’ she said.
I… I’m speechless. If I were the old man, I wouldn’t ask a stranger to stay in my house and eat dinner with him in the same day.
He’s either very naive or… very perceptive.
I prefer the latter.
He gave me clothes. A white long-sleeved shirt, black shorts which reached my knees and a pair of old shoes.
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“Sorry, this is only clothes that matched your body.”
“No, actually I’m the one who should be thankful.”
“Alright then, I’m cooking an omelette, wait for a while okay?”
“Uh, y-yeah… hey, do you have a mirror or something?”
“Hm? Yes I do, it’s over there in that room.”
He pointed at a room, it’s a bathroom…
I saw the girl is just playing outside in the backyard alone. I looked outside the house, it’s just a farm, I don’t see anyone or other houses. This place is still secluded even after more than two centuries…
Then I see my reflection in the mirror.
My hair is black, black almond eyes, white skin, and nothing amazing.
I looked at my eyes very closely. I have the same eyes like a dead fish, reminds me of Ren.
I washed my face with the tap water. I can feel the water is cold… it feels familiar.
Their death… it’s something that I will never be able to forget. I regret everything, I shouldn’t have took her with me, and Ren should just go live in the wild and live happily ever after.
This is a burden that I must carry for the rest of my life. It’s something that can’t be changed. I can’t tell them how sorry I am, how guilty I feel…
Before I knew it, tears actually flowed through my cheeks.
Ah… I… cried?
“Len! Dinner’s ready!”
Suddenly I heard a voice calling my name, it’s the girl.
I looked at her reflexively, she was already behind me.
It seems I was too drowned in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice she was coming.
“Are you crying?”
I realized that my tears are still flowing through my cheeks. I wiped it off as fast as I can.
“No, I was just washing my face, that’s all.”
“No! You are lying! You can’t fool this one, I’m not stupid!”
“Yes, yes, you are not stupid. Now let’s just go eat.”
I kinda panicked and walked away to the dining room.
“Ah, wait for me!”
Fortunately, this girl is easy to distract.
We talked about a few things while we eat.
The old man’s name is Gantz and the girl’s name is Annie. The old man moved here around 36 years ago. He was a blacksmith back then, one of the best but he was wounded when the world war XII started. His right ring and pinky fingers cannot be moved anymore, he can’t never grip his hammer in the same way ever again. He quit his job, buy a land with his savings and became a farmer until today.
“And the girl? How did she ended up here?”
I asked him while looking at Ann. She’s eating the omelette vigorously, it seems she doesn’t even care about anything except for food.
“Her story is much more complicated…”
He told me that she isn’t his actual grandchild, she was entrusted to him by his old friend when Ann still a baby. His friend got caught up in debt, he wanted to keep her safe from debt collectors, so he trust that Gantz will keep and raised her like his own child until he comes back. However, it’s been 9 years since, the old man himself doesn’t know if his friend is still alive.
He doesn’t have much choice except to take her in. He named her Annie and raised her as his own child.
Huh… the mysterious child with an unknown origin…
The old man actually said something that intrigues me, World War XII huh?
“How long the World War XII lasted?”
“It didn’t ‘lasted’, it’s still ongoing until now. You really knows nothing, huh?”
“Ah, so you didn’t completely trust me anyway. Can you explain to me about this world from the beginning?”
His explanation is actually much better than… her. Over the past two centuries, many things has changed.
The ranks has increased, F, E, D, C, B, A, A+, A++, S, S+, S++, SS, SS+, SS++, SSS, SSS+, SSS++, Emperor, Legend, Demon, Ancient, and God.
Magic has 6 basic elements, fire, water, wind, and earth, light, darkness, and other stuff that I’ve heard or read in a novel million times.
However I’ve never heard him mentioned anything about Soul Essence or Soul Weapon. When I asked him about it, he looks surprised that I asked that. Soul Essence or Soul Weapon isn’t something that common people knew. Only a handful people can manipulate Soul Essence and cultivate it to create Soul Weapon.
“How did you know about Soul Essence and Soul Weapon?”
“Because I can use it.”
He told me about himself and gave me a place to stay and food, telling him this much is enough I guess.
I stretched out my hand and black flame appeared on my palm. I already used to call it The Black Flame instead of Soul Essence, my tongue feel weird every time I said it.
The old man gasped while Ann keeps eating her food.
“T-that is… a Soul Essence?”
“Yes, I’m a bit… different, I can manipulate my bla- Soul Essence at will to whatever I want.”
I played the flame around, shapeshifted it to a rabbit, eagle, snake, and whatnot.
“I’ve seen a man manipulating his Soul Essence, but not as skillfully like you… where did you learn that?”
“I… don’t think you would believe me.”
“...... I see.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hiding anything from you, I don’t even know how I acquired this power.”
“Yes, it’s okay. Let’s eat shall we?”
He looks pretty calm about it, I guess he has seen things.
Just as he was about to grab his spoon, I stopped him.
“Something the matter?”
He asked me, his face looked confused.
“Lend me your right hand for a bit.”
He was silent for a moment before he extended his hand at me.
“Don’t panic and believe in me.”
I said while enveloped his hand with my Black Flame.
He was surprised for a second, I can see cold sweat forming on his forehead but he’s still trying to look calm.
I use my Healing Flame on his hand to cure his old wound. My Healing Flame is very convenient, it even can restore a missing limb. How does it work? I do not know, it just works.
“Ahh…”
The old man become slack jawed.
“Try moving your fingers again.”
I told him with indifferent tone.
“This is…”
He moved his fingers and it’s working just fine, I guess he can eat in peace now.
He touched his hand again and again. His body is shaking and a tear can be seen on his cheek, is it from excitement or sadness? I honestly can’t tell.
“Thank… you.”
“Yes, you’re welcome, just think of it as a payment for the clothes and the food. Now we are even, let’s eat, I’m starving.”
“Ha…”
“Hmm?”
“Haha… …. Hahahahahahahahahaha~!!”
Whoa, he suddenly laughed like a madman. What the--
“Truly, hahahaha!! Thank you, thank you son!”
“I’m not your son, old man.”
“Hahahaha!”
He keeps laughing, what’s this guy problem? I mean, I fixed his hand but I don’t see anything funny about it.
He put his left hand on his forehead and slapping his own thighs while laughing loudly. Tears still flowing down through his cheeks and finally dripped on the ground.
I guess, he have his own reasons to be happy.
“Grandpa has gone crazy!!”
Suddenly Ann yelled at the old man while pointing at him with a spoon. Well, aren’t you laughing too?
Both of them are laughing. I feel a weird sensation in my heart, something that I’m unfamiliar with, this feeling reminds me of the happy memories with those guys.
… yeah… it feels quite nice actually.
I can feel my lips is smiling on its own… just a little bit.
Their deaths were my fault. However… those times when we hunted together, when she cried because of stupid little things, when Ren chasing his own tail, and when we walked by the seashore… I will never forget them. The memories that I’ve spent with them, I shall cherish them until the end of my life.
They are the people that I care, people that I want to be with, people that I… love and I lost them. I swear I will never let it happens again. I will make sure that history won’t repeat itself.
And so, I continue to eat my omelette accompanied with loud laughs of an old man and a little girl.
What’s going to happen from now on? I do not know. I’m just gonna sit here and enjoy the ride while it lasts, because it never does.
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If you found any grammar mistakes, please do tell. I'm a human after all.