"Everything is dark... I guess this is what it feels like to be dead," Raymond mused inwardly. While feeling dizzy, all he could perceive was darkness itself.
"Ughhh, why does my head feel like it's going to explode?."
"Child..." Raymond, while trying to calm his headache, heard a distant voice. "Hmm, Child? ". While Raymond endured an immense headache, the voice became more audible.
"It seems you're about to wake up." The voice echoed as Raymond struggled to open his eyes. As Raymond opened his eyes, his vision still blurred, he was met with a scene that left him bewildered. "A castle?" Raymond's voice barely rose above a whisper as he surveyed his surroundings. The scene before him was surreal: a medieval fortress bathed in the eerie glow of a colossal purple moon.
"Shit, I'm definitely dead and sent to hell," he muttered to himself, his thoughts racing as he took in the bizarre sight. The sight of the purple moon and what appeared to be a castle left Raymond utterly bewildered. But what puzzled him most, and indeed grated on his nerves, was the incessant chatter of the old man seated in a nearby chair, who seemed to be talking to him non-stop.
"Child," the old man continued, "as I was saying, it's incredible that you survived the attack by those bandits. Normally, they don't leave any survivors, but luckily..." Raymond made an effort to tune out the old man's voice, but two words caught his attention: "boy" and "bandits." He knew the meanings of both words, but he couldn't fathom why the old man kept referring to him as "boy," nor could he recall any encounter with bandits.
"Old man..." Raymond attempted to cut off the old man's chatter, but to his surprise, his voice emerged soft, almost childlike. "Old man," Raymond's voice shook as he posed his next question. "What do I look like right now?."
Bennett fell silent and regarded the boy, who stared back with a mix of nervousness and confusion. For a moment, sadness gripped Bennett as memories flooded back. He recalled finding the boy, half-buried in the rubble of a collapsed house, his body bruised and battered. Bennett vividly remembered the sight of the boy's mother, who had shielded him until her last breath.
"Your grace, please save my son," the woman implored, her eyes pleading as they met Bennett's gaze.
Bennett returned her look with a steady, compassionate expression. "Rest assured, young lady," he reassured her in a soft yet determined tone, "I will raise him under the teachings of Phaerun."
As Bennett made the promise to the young woman, he sighed helplessly. He knew that she wouldn't find peace until he gave her the assurance she sought. "Ha, look at her, on the brink of death and still ensuring her son's future until the last moment," he mused to himself, a mix of admiration and sadness in his voice.
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For some reason, as Bennett gazed at the boy, not yet twelve years old, he didn't feel any sense of strangeness. Perhaps it was the look in the woman's eyes, or the aura emanating from the child himself. "Very well, young lady," Bennett declared, his voice resonating with authority. "As High Inquisitor, I promise, with His divinity as my witness, that I will care for the child as if he were my own family."
"Hey, old man, I'm talking to you." Despite Bennett's introspection, the boy persisted in demanding to know what he looked like. "Did he hit his head?" Bennett mused aloud, baffled by the boy's insistence. Raymond froze for a moment, taken aback by the old man's suggestion that he may have hit his head. "Shit, old man, you're the one who hit his head," he retorted incredulously.
As Raymond cursed the old man, he stood up, and for a moment Raymond could see him better. He was a man of around 8 feet tall, with an imposing shape akin to that of a ferocious bear. His eyes were a piercing green, sharp like those of a hawk, while his nose was aquiline. Two silver eyebrows arched above his eyes, resembling swords poised for battle.
"Brat, from now on, I am responsible for your education, and I won't tolerate blasphemy, especially in Phaerun's house," Bennett declared firmly. He believed it was crucial to instill in the boy the teachings and principles befitting a devotee of Phaerun, even as the boy continued to recover.
Raymond froze, his gaze fixed on the towering figure before him. It was the first time he had seen someone who resembled a bear more than a human. As the giant spoke with a voice that resonated deeply, Raymond felt a surge of apprehension. "In charge of me? Education?" Raymond pondered silently as the giant drew nearer.
Raymond's mind raced with confusion. "Wait, Phaerun? Did some religious cult rescue me?" he thought incredulously. "No, it's impossible. I've never heard of any religious cult that had humanoid bears as members." The situation was too bizarre to be true, leaving Raymond grappling with disbelief.
As Raymond processed the overwhelming information, Bennett approached him with measured steps, closing the short distance between them. "Brat, from now on you will call me Grandpa Bennett," he declared firmly. "And once you recover, you will study Phaerun's teachings with the other children." With those words, Bennett gently patted Raymond on the head twice before exiting the room, leaving Raymond to ponder his new reality and reminding him to rest.
In the dark night, illuminated only by the eerie purple glow of the enormous moon, Raymond's gaze lingered on the door through which Bennett, his new self-proclaimed grandfather, had departed.
After a moment of contemplation, Raymond summoned all his strength and rose from the comfort of the bed. He made his way to the window, where the moonlight filtered in, casting an ethereal glow across the room that illuminated the space between his bed and the chair where Bennett had been seated moments ago. As Raymond took a look he was amazed at the sight, what he thought was a castle was actually a huge citadel. And from the looks of it he was in the inner city, so his "Grandpa Bennett" would have to be some kind of important person to live here.
As Raymond bathed in the moonlight, a sharp gleam appeared in his eyes as he observed the bustling city outside. This was not the world he once knew. Transmigrated into the body of a 12-year-old boy, Raymond realized that he was now part of a world far different from his own.
"Ha, what a crazy day," Raymond muttered to himself with a wry smile. "I better get some sleep before Grandpa Bennett decides to punish me... hahaha."