《It Isn't Easy Being Human》


 Prologue

    Prologue:


    Billions of years.  It had taken billions of years for something to catch the interest of the three brothers.  The three Supreme Gods - who knew no birth, who knew no form, who knew no beginning, who knew no end, and who created all things.  Ren-Shai, the god of Time, Fate, and Luck.  Aba-Shai, the god of Life, Creation, and Spirits.  Lan-Shai, the god of Death, Destruction, and the Void.  In an eternal dance of creating existences, forgetting about them, and coming back to find messes, the Three had created the first beings.  The lesser gods.


    Each multiverse had several lesser gods attached to it, but they were as distant from their creators as the Sun from the next closest star, treated as janitors for the messes they were created to fix.  The Three existed only to create, destroy, and continue.  So, that is what they did.  Until a species caught their attention.  Humans.  Their continual cycles of Creation, Destruction, and attempting to defy fate caught the attention of the Three.  Not in a bad way, but more in the way one would watch television while they were bored.


    The three watched humanity¡¯s struggles, pain, and suffering with an indifferent disposition, having no frame of reference to relate to them.  Sometimes they punished humans who intruded or violated what the Three represented.  Some would call it an act of God, but the Three called it amusement.  However, of the Three, Ren-Shai was the most curious.  Unlike Aba-Shai and Lan-Shai, he did not often act against the humans trying to defy what he was - as fate was set in stone.  Ren-Shai did, however, wonder what would drive them to strive so hard against him.


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    ¡°Brothers, we have watched humans strive day in and day out against us.  Never have we wondered why - as it is just dust being dust.  It does, however, make me wonder.  Have we really given them such a lot in their existence that they despise all we are?¡± Ren-Shai asked.  ¡°I ask permission to experience their existence.  We watch these silly beings, amused by them, but we know nothing about them.  As Fate, I would seek to understand the place of things within me,¡± he said.


    ¡°An interesting thought, dear brother,¡± Aba-Shai said.  ¡°But if we permit you to do this, we cannot let you break the balance.  If you are to inhabit a human, it will be one who embodies both myself and Lan-Shai so as to not break the balance of that universe.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Aba-Shai,¡± Lan-Shai replied.  The three brothers brought their essences together - as they had no form, but Void, Light, and a tangle of threads.  A single line lit up and one of the threads pulled Ren-Shai¡¯s essence toward itself.


    An elementary student was dying and comatose in his bed as his poverty-ridden family couldn¡¯t afford to bring him to a hospital.  As his thread thinned, Ren-Shai connected to it, making it his own.


    That day, five year old Tyler Ray died - surrounded by his mother, father, and younger sister.  That day, Ren-Shai opened his eyes, reversing the damage done to the brain inside of the body he was inhabiting.  A god had entered the world, a child had died, and that child¡¯s family rejoiced when their son opened his eyes.

 Chapter I: What is Hurt?

    "Tyler! Are you alright?" a sobbing woman asked Ren-Shai. Ren-Shai looked in confusion at the woman speaking to him. While he was able to access the boy''s neurons and memories, he had no personal attachment, nor concept of emotions for her.


    "My name is Ren-Shai. I''ve chosen to visit you humans to see if your species breaks the balance or not," he replied. "I am not Tyler."


    "Oh no," Tyler''s father said. Ren-Shai vaguely recalled his name as Thomas. Bright side - first name he had ever recalled besides his brothers''.


    "Yes. Your son, Tyler, died just a few moments ago," Ren-Shai said.


    "We have to bring him to a doctor, he might have brain damage," Tyler''s mother said, staring at her stoic-faced son in shock. Ren-Shai frowned. He recalled the latter statement meant someone thought he was stupid. An insect was insulting him. With a flick of his hand, she turned to dust from speeding up time. Or, at least, she should have been dust. Instead, he heard her talk faster, like a minute had passed in, but a second.


    "What," he said, more as a statement than a question.


    "Talking a bit fast there, Mary?" Thomas asked.


    "Ha! Mom talked funny!" Tyler''s younger sister said.


    "... Don''t tell me this little body can''t handle my power," Ren-Shai said, staring blankly ahead, as if trying to calculate something. Ren-Shai sent a pulse of his own power through himself evaluating what was happening. For once, Ren-Shai felt slightly helpless. Five minutes? I can only control five minutes? He thought to himself. "... My brothers really made it to where I had to rely on human guardians to grow," he said out loud.


    "You don''t have any brothers, Tyler," Mary said, hugging her son. "Thomas, please, let''s get him to a doctor."


    "Get him in the truck," Thomas said, sweating in worry over Tyler''s new demeanor, confusion, and talks of family members he didn''t have. "I can spare a hundred dollars to make sure he''s okay."


    "Dollars, that''s that currency thing, right?" Ren-Shai asked.


    "... He talks like a grown-up!" Tyler''s sister said, giggling.


    "I''m billions of years old, I should be able to speak properly, yes," Ren-Shai told the little girl. "Sasha, right?" he asked.


    "Good. He''s starting to remember our names," Thomas said, slightly calming down. Thomas brushed Tyler''s brown hair out of his eyes, embracing his son.


    "Be honored I even remember them. I don''t talk to ants, normally," Ren-Shai replied.


    "Yeah¡­ we''re bringing him to the doctor," Mary said.


    "I require no physicia-put me down!" Ren-Shai said as Thomas lifted him and carried him out of the house toward the family''s run-down truck. He''s lucky I only have four minutes to waste. I have about one hundred and sixty-seven hours and fifty five minutes until this body can recharge back to five. I should ration what little power this body can hold. Ren-Shai thought to himself. Thus, a trip to the doctor''s office began with a lobby waiting room.


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    Ren-Shai was placed into a chair by his father as his mother went to the receptionist to explain the situation. Ren-Shai briefly glanced around at the flower-patterned, white wall-paper. If Ren-Shai could have gotten migraines, he would have had one. Shouting children in the lobby, parents ignoring them, and him not wanting to be there weren''t what he expected. Ren-Shai experienced something for the first time - frustration. He didn''t have complete control over his situation. Unfortunately, frustration led to the next experience. Anger.


    As one of the children shouted and ran by him, he used his knowledge of how physics worked in the universe. Ren-Shai extended his leg as a young Chinese girl ran in front of him, causing her to go sprawling on the carpet in front of him. When her screaming and shouting stopped, he felt relief. Until his mother slapped him behind the head. The sting was little more than a buzz. Pain tolerance was a matter of will. Generally speaking, a being of his age had will in spades. However, that didn''t stop him from pausing to consider what he felt.


    "Apologize to her right now!" his mother exclaimed.


    "You have her apologize to me for causing me¡­ annoyance is your word?" Ren-Shai asked. He got another slap behind the head. "Will you stop that? I healed your child''s brain damage and you''re seeking to cause more?" he inquired in annoyance.


    Mary stood up and strode out of the room to the bathroom, closing the door behind her and locking it in frustration. Though she didn''t want to show it, her heart was breaking. Her bright and bubbly son was completely different. Instead of trying to make friends like he always tried to do, he had become cold and cruel. Though it had been only half an hour, the worries filling her heart caused her to begin crying.


    Outside of the bathroom, the young Chinese girl he had tripped went to get her own mother. At least Ren-Shai would have predicted that outcome as the most likely scenario. When an elderly woman approached, Ren-Shai connected the dots - as the woman likely being the child''s grandmother. The woman spoke angrily in Mandarin at him as her daughter did her best to speak what English she knew to try and help her grandmother''s point get across.


    {Don''t you know you could have seriously hurt my granddaughter?!} the woman shouted.


    "You could have hurt me!" the girl shouted, crossing her arms and grinning like she had won a victory of some kind since her grandmother was there.


    {Don''t you know you should watch your offspring to make sure they don''t get injured?} the pair heard in perfect Mandarin. Normally, this would have been a cause for concern for the entire lobby. As Thomas came back to investigate who was shouting at his son, he heard Tyler speaking in perfect English to someone shouting in Mandarin at him. Seeing the confusion on the woman''s face and the child''s face, Thomas looked at Tyler.


    "Son, what did you do?" Thomas asked.


    "I stopped a child from annoying me by causing her to stop running. Mind you, I applied leverage to cause her to fall over my leg," he said. He got slapped behind the head again. "Can you people stop that? Your wife already did that twice," Ren-Shai stated, his right eyebrow twitching.


    "I did that because you hurt someone!" Thomas said.


    {Is that your child?} the woman asked in Mandarin.


    "Is he your''s?" the girl asked.


    "Yes," Thomas said. "I''m terribly sorry. He had an accident and hit his head earlier."


    "Where did he learn to speak Mandarin?" the little girl asked, translating for her grandmother.


    "He didn''t," Thomas said, seeming confused. "He was speaking perfect English when I got here."


    The pair seemed to be afraid for a moment and slowly walked away, like they had seen a ghost.


    "Speaking of which, what is hurt?" Ren-Shai asked Thomas.


    "Remember when I slapped your head?" Thomas asked, sighing. He couldn''t believe his son had changed so much from a single hit on the head.


    "Yes, it still buzzes," Ren-Shai said.


    "It''s like that but much worse," Thomas said, feeling like Tyler was three again and asking the obvious.


    "Ah, so, that is pain," Ren-Shai commented, saying nothing more on the subject. Meanwhile, Mary had come from the bathroom and sat down beside him, saying nothing more. However, she wrapped her arms around Tyler''s head, holding him close as she closed her eyes. At the very least, her son hadn''t died - even if he would never be the same, she still had him. That was the very least she could ask for.


    "Mr. Ray? The doctor will see your son now," a nurse''s voice said from behind a door.

 Chapter II: Never the Same Again

    Ren-Shai sat down on the bed with the paper cover in the waiting room - as only his father entered with him. They sat quietly until the nurse stepped into the room to do the rudimentary check-ups. Blood pressure? Perfect. Reflexes? Abnormally fast. So fast, in fact, when she hit the tendon, her forearm got kicked before she positioned her arm like she had wanted. The nurse stared at Ren-Shai, only to receive the same passive stare everyone else had received. After being slightly unnerved, she stepped out of the room and left Thomas and Ren-Shai sitting alone.


    "Why did you kick her?" Thomas asked.


    "I didn''t. She hit a part of this biology and it was what you would call a reflex, yes?" Ren-Shai asked.


    "Where did you even learn those words?" Thomas asked.


    "I was there when they were invented," Ren-Shai replied. Thomas face-palmed, worried desperately for his son''s mental state.


    "... I only hope the doctor can help us," Thomas said. Thomas was missing Tyler''s usual curious and joyous nature. The thing in front of him appeared stoic, unmoving, and uncaring. Thomas could no longer read his son - and it hurt him more deeply than he cared to admit.


    They sat in silence until the doctor opened the door. Thomas sat and explained what had happened as well as explaining the financial situation the family was going through to the doctor. The doctor sat down and looked at Tyler, sighing.


    "Tyler? I''m Doctor Sullivan," he said. "What do you remember before you went to sleep?"


    "First, call me Ren-Shai. Tyler is dead," Ren-Shai began, ignoring Thomas''s wince. "Second, are you asking for this body''s memories or the collective of memories older than your universe?" Ren-Shai asked.


    "Why don''t you try telling me about both?" The doctor asked, pretending to be interested.


    "For the child, he was playing in a jungle gym with his friends. They dared him to monkey-climb at the top of it. It had been in the sun all day. He remembered a blinding¡­ pain as Thomas calls it. He let go because it hurt, landed in the sand, and hit the side of his head with enough force to cause severe trauma. It caused multiple ruptures in the ley-lines of his body which you would translate to blood vessels, which caused brain swelling, unconsciousness, and then a coma. In his coma, he heard Thomas and his mother crying. He heard his sister Sasha asking him to wake up and play with her, but could do nothing. Eventually, there was too much pressure on his brain and it blocked off the vessels. It died when no oxygen could reach it. At the verge of life and death- my brothers'' domains- I was able to connect to the child''s fate, inhabit his body, and reverse the damage," Ren-Shai explained. The doctor''s right eye twitched. There was no way he was talking to a five year old.


    "Alright, suppose you were billions of years old. What killed the dinosaurs?" the doctor asked.


    "That was myself and my brother Lan-Shai. They were surprisingly hard to kill. You wouldn''t believe how many times we tried to clear the board of those boring, persistent things. First, we tried flooding the planet. Turns out, there were some of those that lived underwater. That was the majority of the problem solved, though, what-with the flooding. We let the waters recede, tried letting volcanoes erupt - it lessened the oxygen here and all the megafauna, as you''d call it, shrank. Did nothing about the water dinosaurs. So, finally, we just reset most life with a meteor by freezing them out and providing them no sunlight with the ash cloud the meteor caused," Ren-Shai said. "Removing entire species requires a little bit of focus, even for us. We''re not entirely sure how you biological beings function, so it''s mostly trial and error until you''re gone."


    "... Ah, he''s combining what he knows about the Bible and what''s being taught in school," the doctor said, breathing out a sigh of relief.


    "I know of your religious book and may be related to its creation, but it does not apply to me," Ren-Shai began.


    "I think I can explain what''s going on with your son, Mr. Ray," Doctor Sullivan began, "Your son did experience brain trauma. However, this is a phenomenon we''ve seen before - albeit rare. Some people who have taken head trauma have developed a wide variety of not only negatives, but some have gained benefits. Some develop new personalities, others gain new skills, and some even speak other languages," he explained.


    "Does¡­ this mean my son is gone? The Tyler I knew?" Thomas asked, looking down at his lap.


    "Unfortunately, yes. He may recover with time, but he''s displaying symptoms of high-functioning autism, multiple personality disorder, and even so much as fake memories," Doctor Sullivan said, reaching over to pat Thomas on the shoulder. "He legitimately believes himself to be someone named Ren-Shai. I''m sorry. But if you don''t mind, I would like to give his head an X-Ray. I won''t charge you anything for it. I think your family''s been through enough."


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    "You would turn down the opportunity for extra resources? Most predators would take advantage of the desperation," Ren-Shai said, raising his right eyebrow in a questioning fashion. Kindness violated what he knew about the laws of survival he was part of in most species. At least kindness outside of the relatable gene-pool.


    "Yes, I would. Because, sometimes, you can tell someone is hurting. Look at your father, Tyler," Doctor Sullivan said. "Can''t you see how sad he is? That he''s hurting?"


    "Nothing struck him. Why should he be hurting?" Ren-Shai asked.


    "Yep. Lost empathy, definitely something on the autism spectrum," Sullivan commented, scribbling something down on his clipboard. That said, he led Ren-Shai to a small room with an X-Ray machine. Once positioned behind it, the doctor took an image. The results were astounding. At least to him. He took Thomas aside, not letting Ren-Shai hear what he had to say.


    "I don''t know how to explain this to you, Mr. Ray," Sullivan began.


    "... Is it something bad?" Thomas asked, clenching his fists.


    "The opposite. I''ve never seen this before," Sullivan explained. "Our brains wrinkle to conserve space. If you take a look here," he said, pointing at the X-Ray. "There are more wrinkles than a standard man in his fifties and his brain is so compact it''s almost unbelievable. Your son''s hit to the head may have very-well caused him to become a genius. That might explain the change in vocabulary and speech. Tyler may not be dead, Mr. Ray - whatever happened may have just changed how he sees the world around him. For him, talking to us might be like us trying to talk to a dog now, but that''s just my theory," Sullivan concluded. "If you''ll let me write a paper on this, I''ll waive the appointment fee. This may very-well make my career if I follow his development."


    "I just want my son to have a normal life, Doctor Sullivan," Thomas said, looking down at his feet.


    "I didn''t mean that I would interfere. I would just ask that I become his primary doctor. I''ll personally waive any appointment fees if any problems come up," Sullivan offered.


    "If that''s all, then, sure¡­ I''ll take that deal," Thomas said. At least his son could be taken care of. It was all a poor man like him could hope for.


    "I''m afraid to say - your son will never be the same again, but he will always be your son," Doctor Sullivan said, reaching over to try and give Thomas a comforting hand to the shoulder.


    "I can only thank God that he made it. Even if he''s different now, he''s still my boy. I''ll never stop loving him, no matter how much he''s changed," Thomas said, deciding that in his heart as well. He strode into the room where Ren-Shai was waiting. "Come on, son, we''re going home. You have school next week," he said, giving Tyler a smile as he bent down to pick him up.


    "Can you please stop picking me up? I have a pair of fully functional legs," Ren-Shai protested.


    "Working legs or not, I''m still happy my son is okay. I''ll stop and get us some ice cream. You''ve gotta be hungry," Thomas said with a smile.


    "... At the very least, I''ll get to see what the big deal is about food in this world," Ren-Shai said with a sigh.


    "If I remember - strawberry was your favorite, right?" Thomas asked.


    "I don''t know. I''d like to try a few before I decide on anything I would favor. Much like I decided to test the human race," Ren-Shai replied.


    "Fine, I''ll get you a triple-twist cone," Thomas said, laughing. It was a chance to try and bond with his son again. He''d make sure that, even if Tyler was suddenly smarter than he was, he''d always feel like he could trust his father.


    "Wait. What did you mean school? I have no need for education. I am billions of years old," Ren-Shai said, staring flatly over Thomas''s shoulder.


    "Sure you are, son," Thomas said, laughing. "Also, what did that old lady mean by you speaking Mandarin?" he asked.


    "Oh. Anyone can understand Fate if it speaks to them," Ren-Shai replied. "Just like Fate can see people fighting against it, understand their objections, and still not feel anything. I just am. I''ve heard the pleas of countless civilizations, numerous mothers, fathers, and children begging me to save them. To give them another chance. I could, but I choose not to. Not that it would change much for me, it would simply use up some of my precious time of creation, but that is how I understand them; Fate speaks the same language to all those who follow its paths, but it is not a human language," he explained. "I think that''s the best way I can explain it to lessers. Is that understandable?"


    "Say I believed that ''Ren-Shi''," Thomas began, rolling his eyes. "Wouldn''t that make you one of the most meanest, coldest, and heartless things to ever exist?" he asked. The fact he was having such a philosophical discussion with a five year old was blowing his mind. Tyler really had become some form of genius.


    "I will forgive you the slight. It is Ren-Shai. In your language it is best translated at Thread-Three. I connect the threads of life and death through time and fate. Do you consider the wind mean for blowing over a tree? The ocean heartless for its tides taking a child who can barely swim? Perhaps you consider time itself heartless for taking youth and vigor, leaving those who have won the struggle to old age to die from their own body decaying?" Ren-Shai questioned. "No matter what I do or want to do, the end is still the same. Whether I save a fly today, it will still only live until tomorrow. Its Fate is set in stone. Just like I can cut a thread and tie the end to a new one, the end of all the threads is still the same. Everyone has the same cards at the end of the day is how you would understand it," Ren-Shai commented. Thomas looked like he had been slapped in the face.


    "What you do within the confines of your fate is entirely up to you, however. While you would think free will does not exist - you''d be correct when speaking to me, as I know all threads. Or, rather, I did before inhabiting this body. Just like the fish doesn''t know the tides of the oceans and decides what to do based off the currents and what it sees, so do you," Ren-Shai concluded. "So, you do have free will, because you do not know the destination."


    "... Let''s just go get that ice cream, son," Thomas said, his brain hurting.


    "Sure," Ren-Shai agreed, giving a nod. For the first time, he decided to acquiesce to another being for the purpose of easing its worry or frustration. Ren-Shai could, at least, understand frustration at that point.

 Chapter III: One Minute

    The ride in the truck was quiet for Ren-Shai as he tuned out of the conversation his parents were having.  Mary seemed to be deeply relieved when Thomas had explained what the doctor had said.  She hadn''t lost her son.  Tyler - or Ren-Shai as he called himself had ended up with something more than their poor family could have provided.  A future.  Becoming a potential genius meant he''d be able to succeed in school and maybe even have a scholarship to college.  To have all that potential in just her five year old son gave her not only relief, but hope.  When she couldn''t bear it anymore, she turned in her seat and hugged Ren-Shai tightly.


    "This isn''t logical!" Ren-Shai exclaimed, flailing as his mother held him and some of her long, blonde hair got into his mouth as he spoke.  A new sensation - surprise.  After a moment, he stopped flailing and closed his eyes.  Obviously, she was showing affection for her offspring.  She expected it back.  What felt like an eternity to him was seconds to her.  Ren-Shai awkwardly returned the gesture to not let her feel the supposedly same hurt Thomas had in the doctor''s office.


    "What the fu-" Thomas began as someone ran the red light, coming toward them.  For that one moment, time froze.  The world itself stood still, all except Ren-Shai.


    "One minute," Ren-Shai said out loud, not that anyone could hear him, as he opened the door to the truck and unbuckled his seat belt.  He expended one of his four remaining minutes.  Three left.  Ren-Shai walked over to the human''s car who was about to T-bone itself directly into Sasha''s seat.  "You three are lucky that you have to raise me," Ren-Shai commented to nobody.  Ren-Shai bent down, pulling off the air cap to the man''s front-right tire, pressing the center button to let the air out as he chose to let time flow there.  With the tire near-flat, Ren-Shai touched the car.  "You are interrupting my experience of being human. Begone," he said, sending the car back in time one minute in its crippled state.  Two minutes left.  Doing such a thing took even more time.


    Ren-Shai froze time for one more minute as he strode back to his family''s car, seated himself, and buckled in.  As he walked, he noticed something.  A black-haired, pale-skinned man standing at the corner of the walk-light turned his head, following the boy with his eyes.  "One of the lessers. Of course they''d be around," Ren-Shai said to himself.  He snapped his fingers and time went back to its flow, the man vanishing as it did.


    "CK!" Thomas shouted, blinking as he saw no car.  The sound of squealing tires happened behind him as what he thought was the offending car veered violently to the right and into the front of a small minivan.  Thomas pulled over and stopped.  As did most of the traffic.


    "The trouble for us has been solved. Why are we stopping?" Ren-Shai asked.


    "To make sure that family''s okay!" Thomas exclaimed, stunned that Tyler could care so little.  Thomas climbed out of his truck and ran toward the van.  Ren-Shai, curious of the development, climbed out, avoiding the reach of his overprotective mother as he followed after his father.  Thomas barely noticed his son walking onto the site and the sight of such a gruesome scene.


    A mangled man and woman didn''t even have time to realize they had died.  The whiplash to their spines had killed them.  Only Ren-Shai was aware of this - out of everyone in the small crowd.  He was Fate itself.  Ren-Shai had seen such things over and over.  While everyone screamed in horror, the sound of a girl screaming behind the two mangled bodies caught his notice.  To the crowd, they watched a five year old boy crawl over the bloodied body in the front seat - Thomas quickly trying to grab him, but failing.


    "Tyler! What are you doing?!" Thomas asked, only to be ignored as Ren-Shai pivoted his body through the mangled wreckage.


    "You, girl," Ren-Shai said, fitting himself into a neat, small spot in the crunched mini-van.  "If you die, my body''s father will be hurting again. I do not want to risk him dying before this body grows old," he said to the girl who was screaming.


    "H-Help!" she cried out, looking at her mangled leg and at her right arm.  She appeared no older than he was.


    "You''re meant to die here today," Ren-Shai told her as he heard the sounds of people working together to try and open the crushed doors and get to him.  "Those wounds are going to kill you," he commented as if he were talking about the weather.


    "Please¡­ please! It hurts!" the little girl cried. "Please make it stop!"


    "As I said, my body''s father will be hurt if you are found dead.  I can help you, but that leg will never heal¡­ your arm will, however.  If you are fine with this life as a cripple, I will change your fate," Ren-Shai told her.


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    "Please! Help!" she begged, not understanding what he was saying in the slightest. She was only five years old.


    "As you beg. Be honored. You are the first I have ever spared their fate out of concern for another," he said, reaching out.  He placed his hand and gripped her mangled leg.  While he should have only had the strength of a five year old, he had the will of a much greater being.  Will was a funny thing. It allowed someone to overcome their limits, push on when they were injured, and¡­ most importantly¡­ override their brain''s protections.


    The girl screamed in absolute agony as she passed out from the pain of a five year old boy who was three times stronger than he should have been.  Ren-Shai felt his bones lightly cracking under his skin, his muscles ripping, and his ligaments tearing slightly free from his bones as he made each grip and shift.  To the onlookers - it looked like Tyler was torturing the poor girl.  The frantic attempts to get to him intensified.  The truth was¡­ he was setting her bones as best he could.  Her knee was forced back in place, her thigh bone set, and her shin was adjusted as best he could with the angle her foot and lower shin were trapped.


    "One minute," he said, closing his eyes.  When life and death were on the line¡­ one minute could feel like eternity.  Though the body couldn''t do much in one minute, Ren-Shai knew it could do enough.  He gripped her leg one last time as he expended the last minute of his power for the week, speeding up its mending and the clotting in her body - one minute faster than it could have been.  The internal bleeding that was going to kill her had been slowed just a bit.  Just enough that the sounds of the sirens of the ambulance could be heard.  "I have spared your life, girl.  You should be honored," he told the unconscious girl, before he looked at the door the people were trying to pry open to get to him.


    "Tyler! Stop what you''re doing to her! Can''t you tell you''re hurting her?!" Thomas shouted, yanking at the door.  Ren-Shai regarded him calmly, despite the blood on his hands from where he had set bones back under flesh.  The fact Ren-Shai''s hands were turning purple from the minor fractures and torn muscles he had given himself from overriding his brain''s limits - was nearly invisible from the amount of blood.


    "You will have to ask those medics to look at my hands and feet, Thomas," Ren-Shai said, looking at his confused father.


    "Your fe-" Thomas began before his eyes widened in shock.  A five year old boy set his hands on an extended piece of metal on the floor of the car and struck both his heels against a door being pulled on by several people.  The door flew open as Ren-Shai let out a small shout of agony, having cracked his heels and several bones in his feet.


    "Be blessed. You do not need to hurt.  This body is about to shut down from its own, however," Ren-Shai told Thomas, before his vision blurred and he fell onto the asphalt beside the crowd.  For one brief moment, however, he understood how the girl must have felt as he set her bones.


    "Little monster!" one person shouted.  The paramedics moved the crowd and made their way to the injured girl inside as a firefighter pried up the seat her leg was trapped under.  The sight of her lower shin and foot caused many in the crowd to vomit violently.


    "Who¡­ did this?" the paramedic asked.


    "Messed her leg up more? That brat!" one woman shouted, pointing at the unconscious Ren-Shai.


    "I''m so sorry! My son doesn''t know any better!" Thomas said, almost on the verge of tears, that his son was some sadistic monster.


    "Messed her leg up?  Sorry for what? The rest of her bones are set perfectly! This shouldn''t even look like a leg!" the paramedic said, before looking at the unconscious boy.  "Get the girl into the ambulance.  Call another for him," she said, pointing at Ren-Shai.


    "We can''t afford an ambulance," Thomas said, looking down at his feet in shame.  His son had been hurt again.  "We have a family doctor, though, he''s right down the road," Thomas said, extremely scared he had lost his son again - from the mixture of blood, swollen hands, and tightening shoes - where his feet were swelling.


    "Get him there, if you can, then," The paramedic said, setting the young girl gently on the stretcher.  Since she had been knocked out from the pain, the paramedic didn''t have to deal with a struggling child who''d un-set her bones.


    While they spoke, Ren-Shai''s body slowly began mending on the inside.  With the power of a deity giving the body substance, he would never be down for too long.  Ren-Shai''s eyes opened briefly as he looked not at the scene around him, but at the pale-skinned man with black hair he had seen before.  The man was standing beside the girl''s stretcher.  A pair of pitch-black eyes stared down at her, then looked at Ren-Shai with shock.


    "You dare violate the natural order, you anomaly?" the man asked, his voice high-pitched and scragging like a crow trying to speak like a person.  "I let the last instance go because three lives were to be lost and this incident was going to take three.  Yet, you saved one?  The balance is broken," he said.


    "I am the natural order," Ren-Shai said.  Though he wasn''t controlling time, the being in question had paused it.  "My will shall be done in all matters of Fate and Time," he told the being.


    "We will see about that, Anomaly.  I will consult with the Reaper.  If you find yourself dead in your sleep, you will know why," the man growled.  A pair of black wings extended from his back and he flew off into the sky, the tails of a trench coat flowing behind him.


    "Tell Lan-Shai that Ren-Shai says hello. I actually miss my brother!" Ren-Shai called after him.  The creature''s equivalent of blood turned cold.  Not that it believed that the Anomaly before him had been Ren-Shai, but that the Anomaly knew the names of two of the Three.  The Forbidden Names.  Time began to pass once more as the creature released its hold on time.


    "Tyler? What just happened?" Thomas asked.  He was not aware of what had transpired when time had been frozen.


    "Besides the Crow, I just saved a girl''s life by setting her bones and speeding up her recovery just enough to save her," Ren-Shai said.  "Now, if you could please bring me to that physician¡­ I have cracked almost all the bones in my hands and feet to make sure you wouldn''t be hurt from seeing that young girl die.  I do not want you to die from being hurt like humans are likely to do."


    Thomas stared in confusion, ignoring the crow talk, before he hugged his son closely.  "Son¡­ I can''t die from being sad," Thomas said, laughing awkwardly.  That was the proof he needed that Tyler was still there somewhere.  That Tyler still cared about others.  Even if he was dead wrong.


    "Wait. What?" Ren-Shai asked, staring flatly as he was laid down in the back seat of his father''s truck and brought back to Doctor Sullivan''s clinic.  "I did all of that for nothing?" he asked himself. "This is only my first day being a human? How do these beings not break down by the time they''re ten?" completely unaware that everything that had happened were direct results of his choices.

 Chapter IV: Anomaly and Appearances

    A broad, picturesque landscape opened up before the Crow. The sky so blue with nary a cloud in the sky, looking so fragile that a touch could break it into a million stained-shard glass pieces. The grass was of a green so pure that the brightest of peridots couldn''t compare to each blade blowing in the wind. All of this coalesced into a meadow with the purest river that looked like running, smooth glass at the foot of a tree. The sound of a fiddle echoed along what appeared to be the endless landscape.


    The five-foot tall Crow''s wings spread wide as it landed on one of the branches, a pair of front talons and a back talon extending from each of its black shoes, holding it in place. The trench-coat it was wearing covered up its strange, pale body. The Crow''s pitch-black eyes locked onto the sound of the fiddle. "Master, there is something that must be reported immediately. Fate has been denied," it scragged out.


    A pair of skeletal feet seamlessly shifted along the grass, no sound being made as its black robe glided across, but barely against the water, absorbing none of it. The hooded skull of the figure white and pristine glanced at the Crow with all the curiosity that an expressionless skull could muster. "That would be an unfortunate turn of events, Mortimer," it said with a gentle, fatherly voice. "Show me, would you? I was supposed to receive three souls, not two today."


    The Crow waved its hand, creating shadows where there were none. Slowly, they gained color and life. The Crow formed the scenes it remembered. A routine duty, waiting by the stop-light of an intersection. As it awaited the souls of Sasha, Thomas, and Mary Ray, the world around it froze. A power normally reserved only for the gods or their direct servants. The Reaper sounded as if it were sputtering at the depiction. When a barely three-foot tall five year old stepped out of the white, beatdown 90s Chevy Truck and looked dead at the Crow, even the Reaper shuddered at the indifferent expression. That was no normal child.


    The brown-haired, brown-eyed boy called the Crow a lesser being and proceeded to set up another accident in its stead. Which, normally, would have maintained the balance. The Crow''s perceptions changed as the threads meant for the Ray family tied themselves to a nearby, baby-blue minivan. Then¡­ the Reaper noticed something that horrified it to no end. That the boy of the Ray family had no thread was only a part of it. The fact that the Reaper had personally collected his soul and brought it to heaven some time ago was the shock it had felt. Souls did not escape their resting place. In fact, after a brief focus, the Reaper confirmed that the soul was still there.


    "... What is this?" it asked, over and over. The Reaper could not comprehend it. When the boy advanced time, that was the first time the Reaper had ever felt true fear. It only knew of one being that could do that. It would never associate with humans. It wouldn''t even associate with the gods themselves.


    The Crow continued the scene - down to where the boy strode over with his family. Despite no Thread of Fate tied to him, he seamlessly weaved through the various potential fates until he reached the one he wanted. Narrowly avoiding the hand of a 5''8", brown-haired man who he was the spitting image of, except for the malnourished appearance, the boy climbed into and onto the bloodied bodies of the departing souls. The girl''s gray thread was thin and about to break. Each strand popping and breaking¡­ until the very last one. So frail a thread that a breath from a Crow would have broken it like a strand of spider silk and the soul would be untethered.


    The boy spoke to the black-haired girl as calmly as if he were reading a book out loud. Her chocolate brown eyes pleading and begging for just one more breath of life. Her mangled leg''s blood and bone being the very source of wounds that were cutting her thread. Like the hand of a cruel, but somehow merciful deity, the boy displayed the strength of a mechanical vice as his human body cracked, stretched, and began to break at the seams for his feat - and set bones with the surgical precision of micrometers. Despite that, the girl would be crippled for the rest of her life. In the endless possibilities for her - had her thread not broken, her leg would have been amputated if she could have survived.


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    However, that one touch. The Reaper watched as each flex of the child''s hand wrapped not just another strand of thread around the breaking ones, but with one last burst of power, the thread went from gray to gold. That of a grand destiny. The Reaper could no longer see the end of the girl''s strand. Nor could the Crow. That terrified the both of them.


    "Anomaly¡­" the Reaper exhaled, its socketless skull trembling. "That. Whatever it is is no human," it began to say, before the words were spoken.


    "Tell Lan-Shai that Ren-Shai says hello. I actually miss my brother!" the boy''s voice called after the Crow. What made the Crow''s equivalent of blood freeze in its veins made whatever was in the Reaper''s bones just as cold and spiked. The implications were massive. There was no way that Ren-Shai would ever leave the domain of the Three. On the other hand, Ren-Shai was the only being that the lesser gods thought capable of changing fates that even they could not. If that was Ren-Shai, then it was proof he could do as they had guessed.


    The Reaper fell on its backside in the grass, grasping its skull in its hands. There was no way it was going to try and go speak to the Three. The last time that had happened had been Leviathan - who was turned to dust for interrupting one of their experiments. However, this unknown creature posed a threat to all of their purposes - which could have drawn the ire of the Three. Even if it knew their name, it had to be removed. It must have been another of the lesser gods from another universe. Anything else, but Ren-Shai. The Reaper''s expansive mind could never imagine any of the Three willing to interact with the equivalent of cosmic dust.


    "What do you suggest, my king?" Mortimer squawked.


    "We try to get that soul back. This must have been a fluke. We will get our psychopomps to try and guide her life to be as close to this anomaly as possible. If she dies, that will prove this is a fluke and one of the other lessers might have been capable of a prank against us," it said.


    "How will we ensure her death?" Mortimer asked.


    "I will curse her. Wherever she goes, misfortune and poverty will follow those close to her. She will be known as a bad luck charm for the rest of her days. Anna Young will forever be the cursed, golden thread," the Reaper said. "Either way, we will punish this upstart for playing a prank upon us. As for her death, I will set it up myself."


    "Of course, my lord," Mortimer replied.


    --------------------------------------------------


    Meanwhile, at Doctor Sullivan''s clinic.


    Ren-Shai''s eyes glanced around. He had put his small body near death from the internal injuries from fully utilizing it. Ren-Shai knew he would not die, but would suffer for it. For the first time, he noticed the colors of the walls. White background, three hundred and fifty-four red flowers, two hundred and eighty-two blue, and one hundred and twelve yellow flowers.


    "What a funny thing to remember," he thought to himself. Pictures of things he and his brothers personally created, but not set into motion, were the only things that were clear in his mind. For the first time, Ren-Shai felt relief. As he looked at Tyler''s father, mother, and sister - and how worried they were for him, he could not fully understand why they would be. However, the fact they would give so much of their small specks of life to watching his body''s status did plant the seeds of a new feeling he couldn''t comprehend. Gratefulness.


    "Thank you, Thomas," Ren-Shai said, closing his eyes as he drifted off to sleep. Doctor Sullivan was the only one to notice, but the swelling was going down bit by bit in real-time. Every hour - just a bit more. Color was returning to the skin from the base of the swelling as it went down.


    "... Tyler Ray¡­ just what are you?" Doctor Sullivan asked as he laid Ren-Shai down on one of the patient beds. Ren-Shai briefly noticed his doctor had red hair and green eyes. Ren-Shai did something that shocked even his brothers as they were watching. He bowed his head to the man caring for him so his parents could afford to eat for another day.


    "Ren-Shai," he answered back, before realizing he trusted those around him enough to let his body drift into what he knew as sleep - the most helpless state a human could be in. "And you know it''s year exactly ten billion, four hundred million, three hundred and seventy-five, not nineteen ninety three, right?" he murmured as he drifted off.

 Chapter V: Youre Not Lying

    "Astounding, simply astounding.  I''ve heard of mind over matter, but this is insanity," Doctor Sullivan said as machines monitored Tyler''s body.  "There''s no medical explanation," he said.


    Eight hours.  Four PM to Twelve in the morning.  As soon as the clock struck twelve, Ren-Shai''s body rapidly recovered - back to its prime state. With no food in him.  In fact, the boy looked slightly livelier than when he had been in the day before for his check-up.  After the recovery, Ren-Shai''s hand flexed and he sat up, looking around at Tyler''s sleeping family.  That and one astonished doctor.  Sullivan motioned for Ren-Shai to follow him out of the room so they wouldn''t wake Thomas, Mary, or Sasha.  Ren-Shai obliged and stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind himself.


    "Kid. You could tell me you were the second coming of Christ and I''d believe you at this point," Doctor Sullivan said, dropping all pretense of professionalism.


    "Not that I don''t know who that is, but whoever he is that is who he is.  I am Ren-Shai," he replied.  "It is an insult to compare me to anyone else.  I am sure you would dislike being known as someone else as well," Ren-Shai replied.


    "That was a compliment, though," Sullivan replied.


    "Oh, I wouldn''t have guessed," Ren-Shai said, seeming a bit confused.  "One of those human customs I''ve never understood.  Where you aren''t content to find yourselves, you copy others and compare yourselves to others," he commented, looking at the ceiling.  "That is why I am making no attempt to copy any of you.  I will find what it means to be a human by walking its path. Not the path of anyone else."


    "... You''re five, though," Sullivan said.


    "You''re thirty-seven years, one hundred sixty-seven days, twenty hours, nineteen minutes, and as of when I finish this sentence, forty-five seconds old," Ren-Shai replied.  "But if we''re pointing out the obvious, I can just tell a wall it is a wall," he added.


    "It really is like us trying to talk to a dog and expecting us to understand it, isn''t it?" Sullivan asked.


    "Infinitesimally smaller," Ren-Shai said.  "I''m sure you must know the theory of how to present the third dimension to the second by unfolding a cube, so they can understand it, yes?" he asked.


    "Vaguely," Sullivan replied, recalling something like that in high school.


    "It would be similar to me having to unfold a hyperdrive to your dimension.  Your kind haven''t even developed them, yet.  I do know of your holy books.  There is a reason things were spoken in parables or just plainly.  Human minds can''t comprehend such things without allegories or relations," Ren-Shai explained.


    "Then why are you wasting time talking to us or interacting with us?  Assuming any of this is real?" Sullivan asked, baffled.  "Couldn''t you have just stayed where you were if you know, basically, everything?"


    "To be fair, I wanted to experience what drove your kind to try and deny me.  Fate.  Time.  Luck.  I still know everything prior to when I inhabited this boy''s body.  If I care to think about something, I still know everything," he explained.  "So far, my experiences have been enlightening.  Sometimes you''re grateful to someone for providing you with something, then you do something in return.  Almost like bartering," he commented.  "But instead of goods, it''s something to do with feelings or pain," Ren-Shai said.


    "Kid, listen.  I''m starting to believe your story more and more.  What you''re saying makes a whole lot of sense, but you''re talking like you''ve never felt anything before," Sullivan said.


    "Why would I?  What I see are merely actions.  I have never done anything for another until I helped that girl with a mangled leg for the sake of this body''s father not being injured.  Only to find out humans can''t die from that kind of hurt," Ren-Shai answered back.  "While many of your kind are worrying about whether something is right or wrong, I''m just thinking of the most efficient way to solve a problem."


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    "The tripped girl in the lobby?" Sullivan asked.


    "It made her stop assaulting my senses, did it not?" Ren-Shai asked.  "I would rather deal with a hundred angry, yet competently speaking people like her grandmother than high-pitched shrill screaming in these things you call ears," he added.


    "I''d say that makes you a sociopath or psychopath in any other scenario other than the one you''re presenting to me, Ty-Ren," Sullivan said, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    "I don''t blame dust for getting in my eyes when the wind blows, nor do I blame the wind.  I just remove the dust," Ren-Shai commented.


    "Ah, I see," Sullivan said.  "You need to understand that sometimes, the most direct route is not the best one."


    "I would disagree with that.  When you''re something like myself, nothing really stands in the way of your will.  You desire it and it happens.  The direct route is common sense.  Rather, that''s how it was before this body and how it limits my power," Ren-Shai admitted.


    "Limits what?  And, Ren-Shai? What are you, if you don''t mind my asking?  What power are you speaking of?" Sullivan asked.


    "I am Fate. I am Time. I am Luck.  I am the Thread that binds my brothers together.  The bind of Life, Creation, and Spirit to Death, Destruction, and Void.  I am Ren-Shai the Thread-Three," he answered.  "No mortal has heard my name before this day.  While this boy''s family should be honored - they insist on calling me Tyler."


    Doctor Sullivan stared in absolute shock.  The fact someone could comment on something so casually, much less something that appeared to be five years old was something straight out of Lovecraft''s worst fairy tales.  "You need to understand.  People don''t just come back from the dead.  As far as they know, a genuine miracle just happened and they have their son back.  Now, about that power thing," Sullivan said.


    "I don''t do second chances.  When you die, you''re under Lan-Shai''s domain.  That boy''s soul is where it is supposed to go.  I could extend your thread as thin as possible, but it runs out.  All things end.  If you were talking about that girl, let me tell you something I''ve never told even the lesser gods I''ve made," Ren-Shai said, setting his chin in his palm.  "The natural order is simple.  You begin to exist, you exist for a certain amount of time, and you end.  That is the natural order.  The ultimate Fate is death.  Just because I''ve intervened and stopped someone dying today doesn''t mean they aren''t going to die, it just means they haven''t died yet," he explained.  "None of the lessers comprehend this.  It''s not how you die, it''s simply a matter of when."


    "You''re saying you''re a walkway between life and death, but whatever happens, the road still ends, yes?" Sullivan asked.


    "Glad I explained it satisfactorily," Ren-Shai said with a nod of approval.  "Now, before you get frustrated, I will explain what I mean about my power," he commented.  "Right now, my powers are extremely limited.  I can only manipulate five minutes per week.  I always see at least three seconds into the future.  I can see everyone''s Thread of Fate - no, I cannot tell you how or where it ends as my power has not been restored to that peak, yet.  I can watch and see if it is starting to fray and guess when it''s about to break - as I did with the girl.  Finally, because of such a powerful essence within this body, every new day it regenerates and restores itself to the peak of what it should be for its age," Ren-Shai said, exhaling.  He hadn''t conversed this much even with his brothers.  Being with other beings who simply knew didn''t leave much for conversation.


    "Can you do that right now? The time thing?" Sullivan asked.


    "Used it up saving those three and the girl," Ren-Shai said.


    "Speaking of which¡­ how did you set those bones? You shouldn''t be strong enough to do that," Sullivan said.


    "Simple. I wanted to.  My will is stronger than any restrictions an organ would try to place on what I wanted a body to do," Ren-Shai answered.  "I used what the brain locked away.  It wasn''t like anyone else was going to do anything, but stare."


    "Yes, generally people are shocked at the sight of blood and mangled bodies," Sullivan said.  "But someone like you would have seen¡­" he began.


    "Billions.  Species. Not numbers.  Of them all, humans are the most interesting, if that helps.  You''re the only ones who try to defy my brothers and I.  So, I do congratulate the lot of you for being a unique species," Ren-Shai said, looking at the ceiling.  "Earnestly.  You are survivors."


    "Listen, I''ve had about as much as I think my brain can handle.  Can you¡­ at least try to help Tyler''s family feel like they have a son again?  Don''t make them hurt anymore than you need to, alright, Ren-Shai?" Sullivan asked.


    "Tormenting beings would be a waste of Time," Ren-Shai replied.


    "I meant making them think their dead son forgot them.  You obviously know them. Both from his memories and your''s, right?" Sullivan asked.


    "I fail to see how telling the truth would be hurting them," Ren answered back.


    "They''re being kind to you and providing you with something, are they not?" Sullivan asked.


    "Correct. Shelter, parental protections - though useless, and their resources of which they have little," Ren said.


    "Then in return for them being kind to you, why not repay them with kindness?" Sullivan asked.


    "Yes, an even reciprocation seems like it would be fair between us.  Balanced as my brothers and I would prefer," Ren answered back.  "I can accept those terms.  I will attempt to lessen their worries and refrain from saying that their son has died."


    "Thanks, Ren," Sullivan said.


    "Thank you for believing in something greater than your own little world for the past few minutes and allowing me to speak without thinking I''ve gone insane. Because, yes, I know that is how Tyler''s parents view me," Ren said.  "Now, if you excuse me, I will go in there and lay on my back in the recovery position and wait for them to wake up.  Apparently, I am attending school in six days," Ren muttered with a shrug.


    "Don''t do anything that would dishonor their kindness," Sullivan said, feeling like he had some kind of read on how Ren operated.


    "Alright," Ren-Shai said, stepping back into his room and closing the door quietly.

 Chapter VI: Godly Cultivation

    Six days - what felt like an eternity to Ren-Shai since being trapped in such a small body. However, talking with Sullivan did bring a few thoughts to Ren-Shai''s mind. If his body peaked and restored itself every new day, then he could do something no other humans were capable of. Ren-Shai could begin training his frail form only to have the next day shape and twist his gains to be non-harmful to his growth or development. Ren-Shai knew many of the human fantasies called such a thing Cultivation, but there was one main reason he mocked it. Cultivation was the refining of the spirit and made manifest in flesh. Humans could not refine their spirit. However, Ren-Shai was a unique case. Ren-Shai''s essence was already perfect and his body was too frail to manifest it.


    After Tyler''s parents had taken him home from the clinic, Ren-Shai was true to his word. Ren-Shai began calling Thomas his father and Mary his mother. Biologically speaking, that was correct, so he would not be lying to them. As for Sasha, he did his best to tolerate a four year old and to give her some form of time. Seeing the joy on Mary and Thomas''s face confused Ren-Shai as to how such small gestures could make such a difference.


    For the first time, he had gotten to see what the big deal about food was. Despite the taste being pleasant, it really did nothing for him. It wouldn''t provide him with any more or less energy. Ren-shai''s essence was the equivalent of a nuclear reactor in a calculator that wasn''t exploding for some reason. For him, that meant several things. His body would never need food to stay alive, nor would it need water, nor would he ever grow tired. That was something, likely, his brothers had just found out about as well. The human experience was going to be slightly marred without the need for either, but there was always the next experience to try fixing it. All of this combined meant that when night fell, Ren-Shai stepped out of the small abode his parents called a home - a mobile home, he did believe it to be called.


    "Right, let me think of the best combat styles and conditioning these mortals have invented," Ren-Shai said to himself as he walked over toward a tree. "Right. Speed, power, flexibility, and reactions. Hardened bones, muscles soft when relaxed, yet like metal when flexed," he murmured, doing the calculations in his head. After his calculations finished, Ren-Shai''s center of gravity lowered as he took a kickboxer''s lower stance, combined with Muay Thai fighter''s upper stance. "I do believe my brothers would do the equivalent of laughing at having to make such an unnatural pose in order to demonstrate one''s powers," he theorized to himself. As he thought about it more, his body let loose an involuntary laugh. "That was me?" he asked in confusion.


    The sound of a crack was heard as Ren-Shai struck the tree. It was a simultaneous crack. The bark of the tree broke off - as well as his right hand''s middle knuckle breaking. Ren-Shai, of course, could ignore the pain considering his willpower. He simply switched to another knuckle. After nine more cracks, his hands were almost useless. Ren-Shai bent his fingers in half and took turns breaking each individual center joint of his fingers and did so with the tips. "Two hours until the body resets," he said to himself as he swung a tiny forearm into the tree. Crack. Crack. The sounds of cracking could be heard until Ren-Shai''s small body couldn''t stand and he was left laying in the dirt of the nearby woods to his parents'' house.


    "Are you serious?" Ren-Shai asked. Five minutes until his reset. While he couldn''t see it, some of the lessers (see Chapter 4) had tried to curse him with bad luck. When they found they could not curse him, they could curse his path to attract danger. That danger was the shape of a rattlesnake crawling toward him. That and laying in a pile of red ants that his willpower would have never let him feel the sting of. A single bite caused searing pain to travel through Ren-Shai''s body, which he could tolerate. It was the body''s involuntary reactions that caused him fury. For the first time, the Supreme had felt fury. Wrath. Anger. The lack of control over something that was supposed to be his. At the verge of death, the clock struck twelve.


    There were many things a five year old should have been seen as. There were many things a five year old should not have been seen as. When Ren-Shai''s bones reforged and his muscles, ligaments, and joints adapted to have a power to utilize them - the survival instinct of the snake would have gambled on the last option as what it was witnessing. Ren-Shai''s reforging body became immune to the venom of the ants and snake. Ren-Shai reached down, grabbing the creature that dared strike at his most vulnerable. Ren-Shais'' first true act of emotion was enacted - rage and revenge. He gripped the snake with a power a five year old should never have had, causing its head to pop off. Courtesy of the snake''s bite and the ants'' torments, his skin was now so durable even needles could not pierce it.


    "I suppose I should be grateful to you lesser beings. You have made this body become more than it should ever be for its age. However, for what you''ve done to me, you will not be suffered to continue existing in my presence," Ren-Shai said as he threw the snake''s corpse into the forest near the tree. He reached down to the head and picked it up. The natural reactions left in it caused it to try and bite him again, only for its fang to break off. Ren-Shai took the fang and threw the head into the forest.


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    "A memento, I do believe. What humans take to signify their victories. I see their desire to retain such memories now. Overcoming a foe who could have taken everything from them," Ren-Shai said as he gripped the fang in his hand and strode back toward the mobile home. Ren-Shai made his way back to his small bed and laid down, gripping the snake fang in his palm tightly, until he saw four year old Sasha looking at him.


    "I tell mom and dad you sneak out when they wake up," she said, frowning.


    "Why?" Ren-Shai asked her.


    "You no bring me," Sasha said, pouting.


    "If you want to come, you can just ask next time. Okay?" Ren-Shai asked. Sasha''s cheeks puffed out as she frowned angrily, thought, and thought. To a four year old, seeing Tyler get scolded or playing with her older brother was a hard choice.


    "Fiiiine. But you give me a piece of your bacon in morning," she said.


    "Deal," Ren-Shai said. A human toddler was a better negotiator than a human physician. Truly, humans were the most unique species in all of the Three''s Creation - Ren-Shai firmly believed this now.


    The next day was simple. Trying a bath, eating breakfast, and his mother attempting to get him to study the thing humans called ''homework'' for a first grader. If her son was going to be a genius, of course he''d have to study. Ren-Shai despised this. This was the equivalent of making a nuclear physicist study grade-school math for hours. Regardless, courtesy of them sharing their meager resources with him, Ren-Shai did so.


    When night fell, Ren-Shai was true to his word and woke up Sasha. The pair snuck out and Sasha sat quietly as Ren-Shai made his way to the same tree he had the night before. Luckily for Ren-Shai, the refinement from the morning of that day had increased the power capacity of his new body. Luckily for Sasha - the refinement from the morning of that day had caused Ren-Shai''s power to surge enough to break the curse of bad luck which may have attracted an animal to attack him or her.


    This was the night Ren-Shai''s bones would no longer break. He would be cracking his bones, but no longer cleanly shattering or breaking them as he began to use the tree like a punching and kicking bag. Sasha seemed amazed at how strong her big brother is and clapped for him.


    "Big brother is a superhero!" she said.


    "I am cultivating," Ren-Shai replied. Of course, midnight came and refined his body, correcting the errors in his training and any damage they would have done to his growing body. A golden glow surrounded him as Sasha clapped.


    "Brother is like the flying blonde hair lady!" Sasha said, clapping.


    "I''m an immortal being and I saw that Revengers comic (the translation being somewhat lost to his godly language). That character was, probably, the only thing I have actively reviled in my existence for being so nonsensical," Ren-Shai replied. Sasha seemed very confused, not understanding the big words.


    "Brother smart like Bulk-man person," she said, puffing her cheeks out.


    "Your brother is a god in mortal flesh. I am smarter than that," Ren-Shai said. "Let''s go back inside before you get sick," Ren-Shai told her. Ren-Shai strode toward Sasha and looked down at her. Something so frail, so dumb, and useless at its age. However, Ren-Shai did not feel pity for it. Ren-Shai bent down and picked her up as Tyler''s father did for him at the doctor''s office. Ren-Shai actually felt like he cared about this small creature - like he should protect it. It only wanted nothing more than to stand beside him and cheer on what it thought was her older brother who was becoming better. "So simple, yet¡­ so pure and direct are its intentions. No alternative motives," Ren-Shai said.


    "Big words again," Sasha said, pouting as Ren-Shai carried her inside and laid her in her little bed. Ren-Shai returned to his bed and laid down, closing his eyes. While he didn''t need to sleep, the passing of time felt quite pleasant. As he did so, he felt something latch onto his arm. Ren-Shai opened his eyes and saw Sasha there.


    "Why are you in my bed and not your own? You have more room," he said.


    "Big brother is a superhero. No bad dreams can get me," she said. Ren-Shai closed his eyes again, having another first. A smile.


    Four days passed much like the same until Ren-Shai was standing at a road, waiting for his school bus. Ren-Shai sat in the back of the bus, away from the screaming, wailing children - mostly so he wouldn''t have the urge to trip them or slap them behind the head to silence them for assaulting his senses.


    When the bus made it to school, Ren-Shai walked to where his class was supposed to be when the proper bells rang. With Tyler''s memories, he found it easy to avoid Tyler''s old friends so he wouldn''t have to explain everything to them. Ren-Shai did not know, however, that Tyler''s parents had informed his friends'' parents of the issue that had happened. The lack of omniscience was something Ren-Shai was not used to.


    Class began and Ren-Shai made his way to where he knew Tyler''s seat was. Ren-Shai gave the teacher about ten percent of his attention until one small event happened. Ren-Shai''s attention switched to one hundred as his eyes flashed gold as his fight or flight was activated. The sights of various golden, silver, and gray threads all around him were briefly in his vision as his precognition''s powers kicked in. All it took were these simple words.


    "Meet our new student, Anna Young," the teacher said as a five year old girl with a crutch and a cast hobbled into the room.


    "Well-played, Crow," Ren-Shai said out loud, causing the entire class to look at him. Ren-Shai openly clapped, looking dead out of the window - with his precognition active, he saw a familiar pair of pitch black eyes on a pale face looking at him with a smirk from behind the window.


    "Well-played, indeed, Anomaly, let''s see how you handle responsibility for your little prank," it said, flapping its wings as it flew back to the heavens.


    Ren-Shai looked at the class - and one, absolutely stunned little girl who recognized him immediately. "I swear, I''m going to disintegrate him for this inconvenience," Ren-Shai growled.

 Chapter VII: A Cursed Girl and the God of Luck

    ¡°Who are you talking to, Tyler?¡± the teacher asked, before Ren-Shai glanced over at her.


    ¡°Just an annoying Crow,¡± Ren-Shai said, before he noticed Anna hobbling toward him - and the empty desk next to him. As she hobbled, the end of her crutch hit a wet spot on the tile floor and slipped. With a sigh, Ren-Shai saw everything as if it were moving in slow motion. As she fell, his left hand snapped out as his right foot mirrored the action. Had it been the week before, his five year old body could never have managed such fine-tuned movements.


    ¡°Ah-!¡± Anna¡¯s voice began, before the desk beside Ren-Shai slipped across the floor, catching her fall into the seat of it - much to the stares of all his classmates. Anna took a few deep breaths - mostly from being terrified and from hobbling as quickly as she did. ¡°It really is you¡­ the hero who saved me!¡± she said. The rest of the class kept their eyes on him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a hero,¡± Ren-Shai said quickly. ¡°That would mean I cared enough to save people,¡± he commented.


    ¡°You saved me just now though,¡± Anna said, seeming confused.


    ¡°If that damnable Crow hadn¡¯t cursed you, it wouldn¡¯t be my responsibility,¡± Ren-Shai retorted.


    ¡°Tyler! Corner! Now!¡± The teacher shouted. ¡°You know you can¡¯t use that language in class!¡± she exclaimed. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t surprised with what Tyler had done, but she still had to keep control over her classroom. Without a fight, Ren-Shai stood up and walked to the corner. He leaned his back into it, tapping his fingers against the concrete wall.


    ¡°Do you mind explaining why these centers of education are designed more like prisons than where you would want to raise your own offspring, Educator?¡± Ren-Shai asked. The class laughed at him using big words - five year olds would think he was just trying to show off. Unfortunately for the teacher, Tyler¡¯s parents had called ahead and had Doctor Sullivan confirm the odd event. While the principals and teachers were aware of the fact Tyler¡¯s head trauma caused an increase in intellect to the point where he was, likely, smarter than most adults - they didn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°... No. No, I cannot,¡± the teacher said. ¡°And you know to call me Ms. Ascher,¡± she said. ¡°Ten more minutes in the corner.¡±


    ¡°As you desire,¡± Ren-Shai replied, closing his eyes. A student moved to throw a paper ball at him to make fun of him further. He deflected it with a single finger. The teacher and the student were both speechless. A five year old was acting more mature than some grown men than Ascher had met - not to mention the fact he had deflected something thrown at him without looking.


    Ren-Shai stood in the corner for the remainder of homeroom class. Fortunately for him, he was quite some distance from Anna. That meant not answering dumb questions from a five year old or potentially getting slapped for hurting her. Neither of which Ren-Shai wanted to deal with. Regardless, that was exactly what she was going to try to do when the bell rang and the class left homeroom to go to their English class.


    Ren-Shai would have walked to the door and left her hobbling after him - as avoiding her was the most direct solution. Unfortunately, he had to walk back to his desk and pick up his backpack. Where Anna was waiting and staring at him with wide eyes, like she had seen her favorite celebrity.


    ¡°You¡¯re Tyler?¡± she asked. ¡°The doctors said you fixed my leg better than they could,¡± she said, looking at the floor. ¡°How were you super hero strong? They said they would have to use big machines to do what you did,¡± she said.


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    ¡°Ren-Shai,¡± he replied. ¡°Call me Ren-Shai. I just did what I wanted to. I did a lot of damage to this body, but it mended completely. I¡¯m much stronger than that now,¡± he said. The big words caused Anna¡¯s eyes to blank out as she couldn¡¯t understand him. Anna did try, though.


    ¡°Why do you want me to call you Chinese?¡± she asked. Ren-Shai actually blushed at that, much like how he thought his brothers would have laughed at him for the poses he¡¯d need to demonstrate his power.


    ¡°That¡­ is a long story,¡± Ren-Shai said, letting out an involuntary laugh. Human chemicals were strange, but he could appreciate the irony of one of his creations coming back to haunt him. ¡°It¡¯s not Chinese,¡± he explained as he offered her a hand out of her desk. Ren-Shai led her out of the classroom.


    ¡°Then what is it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, a long time ago, I created a creature that you¡¯d call a dragon to help guide the realm of Luck. Some proto-type. Long and such. When humans were born, he taught them many things. Bits of the gods¡¯ language ended up in various Asian dialects. Somewhere between Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and some dead variants, you¡¯ll find the core of the language of the gods,¡± Ren-Shai said. Anna¡¯s face still couldn¡¯t comprehend it.


    ¡°You, uh, tell big stories,¡± Anna said. ¡°You can just say you like watching cartoons or something¡­ you don¡¯t have to lie to me,¡± she said, looking down sadly.


    ¡°Anna. Take this as eternally as the sureness of life and death. I shall never utter falsehood to you, nor a single person. I only speak the truth. Lies are what deceivers and tricksters attempt to use, but no matter what someone does - they will never deceive Fate,¡± Ren-Shai said. Anna¡¯s face had the expression that her brain was on the fritz.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ really weird Ren,¡± Anna said. ¡°But you saved me, so, I¡¯ll, uh, try to get what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your attempt. I assure you that one day, it will make sense, Anna. I will not let the Crows take you before the end of your threads. They seek to undo my will and that is an insult I will take personally,¡± Ren-Shai said as he opened the door to their next classroom. Tyler¡¯s friends waved at him enthusiastically. Their parents explained Tyler wouldn¡¯t be the same, but five year olds would never understand it.


    ¡°Tyler! We thought you were really, really hurt,¡± a brown-haired boy said. Ren-Shai remembered his name as being Will.


    ¡°Yeah, we went and got your parents when you wouldn¡¯t get up,¡± a blonde boy said. Ren-Shai remembered his name as being Aaron.


    ¡°Why are you hanging out with that girl?¡± another brown-haired boy said. Ren-Shai remembered his name as being Christian.


    ¡°In order of response,¡± Ren-Shai said, pinching the bridge of his nose. He really, really, didn¡¯t want to talk to children. He¡¯d have much rather been talking to Sullivan again. At least Sullivan could understand abstract concepts. ¡°Tyler is dead. I am Ren-Shai. I am in his body,¡± he began. ¡°Tyler never did wake up,¡± he added. ¡°And because she is someone I helped almost a week ago. Needless to say, beings of Death and I¡¯s creation are attempting to cause havoc in her life, so, I¡¯m standing as a sentinel until they stop,¡± he explained.


    Telling five year olds those kinds of things resulted in several reactions. Instantly, Tyler¡¯s friends felt disconnected from him. Everything from how Ren-Shai spoke, moved, and acted was like an entirely new person was there. Children had instincts - all of their instincts were telling them that whoever was in front of them was not their friend.


    ¡°My dad wasn¡¯t joking¡­ you really did get hurt,¡± Will said, looking down. ¡°I¡¯m really, really sorry for daring you to climb the jungle gym.¡±


    ¡°You are forgiven. I am sure the child¡¯s soul harbors you no ill-will,¡± Ren-Shai replied. ¡°Come on, then, Anna. Let¡¯s get you a seat that won¡¯t hurt your leg,¡± he said as he stepped into the English classroom with Anna and pulled a seat out for her, before sitting down himself.


    ¡°T-Thank you?¡± Anna asked, seeming shocked that Ren-Shai could just ignore his friends as he did. Anna was wondering what was going on. The teacher stepped in. Ren-Shai¡¯s eyes narrowed as his extra senses kicked in - his precognition.


    ¡°Hello, class, I am Ms. Teressa Fiddler. I am your new English teacher, I¡¯m looking forward to getting to know you all,¡± an unnaturally beautiful, blonde woman stated, fluttering her sapphire blue eyes - where they came to rest on Ren-Shai.


    Ren-Shai¡¯s eyes locked onto the woman. Instead of seeing a blonde-haired, motherly figure like the rest of the students in front of him - he saw a hooded skeleton smiling wickedly at him¡­ looking at him directly as the guise it was under looked at everyone else.


    [Hello, Anomaly,] it said, speaking to senses that only Ren-Shai would be able to have if he were a lesser god like it was. Sometimes their actions in the world required them to take a guise to maintain order. The Reaper definitely wanted to see the anomaly for itself. What better way to study it than to meet it?


    ¡°Hello, Fiddler on the Green,¡± Ren-Shai said, stating the being¡¯s name openly, since human tongues couldn¡¯t communicate in the senses of gods.


    ¡°Just Ms. Fiddler,¡± the guise said, smiling kindly - while the skeleton¡¯s grin turned even more wicked. [I look so forward to getting to know you and why that little rodent girl was important enough to interrupt the natural order.] the lesser god¡¯s voice said with a hint of malice.

 Chapter VIII: I Didnt Want to Play Anyway

    ¡°And I, you, teacher,¡± Ren-Shai said with a smile of his own. Since he couldn¡¯t see the future in his weakened, young body, the twist surprised him enough to get Ms. Fiddler a slow clap. Much to the other classmates laughing at him.


    ¡°Any reason for the applause?¡± Ms. Fiddler asked as she raised her right eyebrow.


    ¡°Just congratulating you¡­ you may be even more annoying than the Crows,¡± Ren-Shai commented, laughing as well.


    ¡°Man¡­ he must really hate birds,¡± one of his classmates whispered.


    ¡°Mr. Ray, please go stand in the corner until the bell rings. I¡¯m sure you know everything I¡¯m going to be teaching today anyway, yes?¡± she asked. [You anomaly in a boy¡¯s body.] the sinister, hidden voice that only Ren-Shai could hear spoke.


    ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯m quite sure I¡¯ve mastered the concepts of English from when it began as a Germanic language and was refined through Shakespeare,¡± he replied. ¡°Death, why ignore a fate that comes for thee?¡± he asked, winking at Ms. Fiddler. ¡°Lan-Shai will be curious as to wh-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Say that name,¡± Ms. Fiddler snarled, forgetting to speak in the god¡¯s language. ¡°It¡¯s forbidden and you know it,¡± she growled.


    ¡°Saying the name of my brother shouldn¡¯t be forbidden to me,¡± Ren-Shai responded.


    ¡°... All of you, turn to the pages on the board. Mr. Ray, come with me in the hall,¡± Ms. Fiddler said.


    ¡°Of course, Ms. Fiddler,¡± Ren-Shai replied as he strode to the door and out of it. After him, Ms. Fiddler stepped into the hall and glanced left and right, clenching her knuckles so tightly, her illusions¡¯ hands were white. The real view was a skeleton that had no expressive face somehow managed to look angry. It reached down to grab Ren-Shai, lift him, and pin him against the wall.


    [Where did you learn that name, anomaly?! Are you courting him to come and destroy us? The greater deities are aware when their names are spoken!] the skeleton roared.


    ¡°Why would I be afraid of my own brother, lesser god?¡± Ren-Shai asked, staring flatly at the skeleton. ¡°I came to experience what would make mortals strive so hard against our designs. Instead, my essence was too powerful for a mortal coil. So, while I can experience things as a human, I retain some of my powers,¡± Ren-Shai said. ¡°If you kill this form, I swear to you on my name of Ren-Shai, I will obliterate you and the entire mechanism of death for this existence and my brothers and I will craft a new one,¡± he growled. Agitation was still new to him, but having his lessers threatening him was an indignation.


    Very few things could make the Grim Reaper itself feel fear. When the anomaly swore on the name of the greater gods - that was not something a lesser could do. That either meant a lesser god bred with a human and the halfbreed could lie - which would get both executed - like what happened with Zeus - or the being was who it said it was. [Show me your fate thread.] it said, activating its own inhuman senses.


    Ren-Shai sighed at that, activating his inner essence. Only something that could view other dimensions would see what was to be revealed. The Reaper released him¡­ and fell to its butt. [Y-You hold them. Y-You hold mine. Y-You are them¡­ Y-you are me.] it said, cowering.


    ¡°Remove that curse from that girl or there will be hell to pay,¡± Ren-Shai said, his eyes narrowing on the humbled lesser.


    [W-We can¡¯t. To change the thread of a golden-fated mortal was difficult. To change it back after all was set in motion¡­ is impossible. N-Not for you, but¡­ you said you limited your powers. I¡¯m truly sorry, my lord.] the Reaper replied.


    ¡°It is fine, I suppose. You were trying to protect the natural order as you were created to do. Normally, I would have just turned you to dust or had my brothers do it, and made something new to do your job. My time among the humans has¡­ shown me quite a bit,¡± Ren-Shai said, scratching his chin. ¡°The father and mother of this body truly care for their offspring with no shame or reserve. Tyler Ray¡¯s father has taught me much about compassion. In a way, I suppose, my brothers and I have neglected the lot of you and left you rudderless,¡± Ren-Shai said. ¡°It is our mistake. When this life is over, I will take a more active role here. You are my and my brother¡¯s child - our creation of our will,¡± Ren-Shai said. ¡°How could we expect you to be the best you can be if we never stayed to show you?¡± he asked.


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    Very few things could make a lesser god cry. Much less the Grim Reaper. Most of the lesser gods had felt abandoned, despite being proud of the roles they were given. What Ren-Shai had said was something that, at their core, they had always wished to happen. The recognition of their fathers - their creators. The Grim Reaper waved its hand, temporarily freezing time, so it could weep in peace. Millions, no billions of years¡­ and it was being recognized by its father. While others would have seen Ms. Fiddler weeping regular tears, Ren-Shai saw black beads running down the skeleton¡¯s eye sockets. Just like he had begun to feel compassion for his family before, he felt it for the broken being before him. The Reaper buried its face into the chest of a five year old human¡¯s body that day as a single arm wrapped around its head, holding it in the frozen space of time. For a brief moment, Ren-Shai let his true appearance eclipse his form - albeit a small illusion of his real self, so the Reaper could truly know it was him.


    ¡°I am sorry¡­ I have seen how much abandonment hurts humans. The fact you all live with them and have learned from them meant you would have felt it, too, I hadn¡¯t considered your feelings,¡± Ren-Shai said. ¡°You have my word, when this mortal shell ends¡­ I will take my lessons and become a better creator,¡± he commented. The truth was, he wasn¡¯t sure how big of a role feelings played in those kinds of things for lesser gods, but when he saw them showing the emotions humans had, combined with his experiences, he had slowly begun to understand the position.


    [I will¡­ tell my Crows to stop bothering you. I apologize, my lord.] the Reaper said. [I cannot enter the realms of the other lessers to tell them, so, I suggest being careful. They may try to end your journey early before you have found what you wanted from experiencing a mortal shell.] the Reaper said.


    ¡°Let them come,¡± Ren-Shai replied. ¡°And you may stay as a teacher, it would look suspicious if you disappeared right after this chat with me. You can unfreeze time when you¡¯ve cleaned up a bit,¡± Ren-Shai explained. ¡°I will remain here with the punishment you assigned,¡± he said.


    [I will.] the Reaper said, wiping its face as it stopped its tears from flowing. Ms. Fiddler then strode back into class after time had resumed. ¡°Apologies, students, he was just bringing up something too advanced for you all right now,¡± she said with a small smile. Despite everything, she seemed much happier.


    Class went on until the bell rang for recess. Ren-Shai strode out to the playground, walking to the jungle gym that Tyler had been hurt at - the school left the playground open on the weekends for the students. Ren-Shai looked at where his body¡¯s memory felt his hand slip and where his skull hit the ground, causing Tyler¡¯s death. A new experience struck him - from the reaction of his body. Ren-Shai felt Tyler¡¯s fear much more acutely through the electricity coursing through his form.


    ¡°That¡¯s what it was like, eh, child?¡± Ren-Shai asked, setting his hands in his pockets. ¡°The joy that you did it, the fear when you saw the ground coming for you?¡± he asked, closing his eyes. He was actually talking to Tyler - since, though Tyler¡¯s soul was in the afterlife, Ren-Shai had used his thread to come to Earth. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, kid. I will watch over your little sister¡­ I know how much you miss her,¡± Ren-Shai said. ¡°I always pay my debts.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± a familiar voice said.


    ¡°Someone who gave me an extraordinary chance, Anna,¡± Ren-Shai said. ¡°Who I will move the heavens and earth for for what he¡¯s entrusting to me. I think I realize how precious life is to your kind and understand your desire to protect it,¡± Ren-Shai commented as he shifted his hands out of his pockets to rest his thumbs in them.


    ¡°... Heroes don¡¯t use all those big words, I don¡¯t know what you just said,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°As I said before, one day, you will. I promise you, you will,¡± Ren-Shai said, glancing over at Tyler¡¯s former friends on the sidewalk playing hopscotch. He noticed Anna looking over at them, almost longingly.


    ¡°Did you want to go play with them? I¡¯ll lend you a shoulder,¡± he offered. She was still his responsibility, after all.


    ¡°Uh, no. I, uh, want to talk to you. You tell all these great stories,¡± she said, huffing as she did her best to not look over at the other kids playing.


    ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m going to climb the jungle gym. A friend of mine wanted to see what it was like on top of it,¡± Ren-Shai said. ¡°If you want me to carry you up, I can,¡± he offered.


    ¡°Uh,¡± Anna said, looking up at the top of the jungle gym. ¡°Can you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You said I¡¯m a superhero, right?¡± Ren-Shai asked, offering her his left hand.


    ¡°Uh, sure! I¡­ uh¡­ didn¡¯t want to play anyway,¡± Anna said, nervously smiling as she took his hand and ended up on his back. With strength a five year old should never have had, he scaled the jungle gym effortlessly, before sitting on the top with one arm around Anna to keep her from falling. When he looked over at his responsibility, for a brief moment, Ren-Shai did something he didn¡¯t expect. He smiled. The light in Anna¡¯s eyes and the joy on her face was almost infectious - like she had done something she never thought she¡¯d ever do again. Ren-Shai made a promise in his heart. That if he was responsible for her pain, he would, in part, be responsible for her happiness - it was the least he owed her.

 Chapter IX - Owing a Debt

    Sitting on the jungle gym, a being who had created many worlds and many gods looked at a girl who was nothing more than a speck of dust in his celestial wake. A being so incomprehensibly powerful that physics itself was a suggestion, but Ren-Shai looked at the young girl beside him with the first pangs of regret he had ever felt. Because of his actions and interfering with Fate, her Fate had changed for his own selfish desires. Ren-Shai and his three brothers understood the concept of a debt owed, but they had never directly wronged another creature. With Anna, that was two debts owed - both to her and Tyler.


    ¡°Tell me, Anna,¡± he said, leaning back on one of the bars as he looked over at the small girl. ¡°What did you want to be when you grew up?¡± he asked.


    ¡°... Uh, my new mom is a doctor,¡± Anna replied. ¡°I want to help people like her.¡±


    ¡°Then I will help you. When your leg was injured, I took away your fated future. I will help you forge a new one,¡± Ren-Shai swore.


    ¡°You still talk weird, but if you want to help, that¡¯s fine,¡± Anna said. ¡°What do you want to be?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Honestly? I am going to try a little of everything to try and understand why humans defy me and my brothers. What inspires them to try and fight to live in spite of Death and Fate themselves,¡± he replied. ¡°Perhaps one day a superhero, perhaps one day an office worker. I think I will give two years of my life per endeavor to come to my conclusions¡­ humans do not live too long, after all.¡±


    ¡°... I told you I don¡¯t understand what you say, but I did say I¡¯ll try,¡± Anna said, looking like someone had bonked her on top of the head with a mallet as her young mind tried to comprehend it.


    ¡°I thank you for the effort, but, so far, there¡¯s only one person who can understand what I¡¯m saying - if even a little,¡± Ren-Shai replied.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be the second,¡± Anna swore, rubbing her head. ¡°... What does spite mean?¡± she asked.


    ¡°To annoy or offend, but most people use it to mean to hate or fight against,¡± he answered.


    ¡°O¡­kay?¡± she asked. The bell to go back to class rang. Thank you, god. She thought.


    ¡°Climb on,¡± Ren-Shai replied as he showed his back to her. Anna wrapped her arms around his neck and Ren-Shai scaled down the jungle gym.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she murmured against his back. Once they were on the ground, Ren gave her her crutch back and walked with her toward the lunch room.


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    Lunch, itself, was just typical of what was in a public school. Slice of pizza, milk, bread roll, and some vegetables. Of course, Tyler¡¯s friends invited Ren-Shai and, by proxy, Anna to the table they were sitting at. Despite them being Tyler¡¯s friends, they no longer felt a connection to the being they once called a friend, but they did talk to Anna, giving Ren-Shai some much needed peace and quiet. When the bell rang and they split into different classes, Ren-Shai¡¯s day went much more smoothly. Math, basic Science, and so on. It was going well until his last class of the day - Physical Education.


    ¡°... And I just had to use Cultivation¡­ this is going to stand out,¡± Ren-Shai said, facepalming as he walked into the gymnasium. While he could hold back, he couldn¡¯t disguise a lack of sweat, muscle coordination, or things someone his age shouldn¡¯t have had. With all his bone training, muscle strengthening, and so on - the body of a five year old was now stronger than fully grown adults. The students changed into their gym outfits - shorts and a t-shirt. At the very least, if I perform at the top of athleticism, that opens up some potential life paths later on for me to try. Humans do idolize sports for some reason. He thought to himself.


    ¡°Alright, class, gather up. Ten jump and jacks, five push ups, and one lap around the basketball court,¡± the teacher said, pointing out the pieces of tape with the students'' names on the floor - since children couldn¡¯t be expected to organize themselves. Ren-Shai wandered to his and waited for the order to go. Once it was given, the gym became so quiet someone could hear if a needle was dropped. Tyler¡¯s body was a small blur, both of speed and perfection of form. While it was only warm-ups, the coach was even astonished - it looked straight from instruction manuals he had seen in the military. Just a few seconds later, the coach was even more stunned.


    ¡°Did¡­ he just make a lap around the court in¡­ seven seconds?¡± the coach asked out loud. The students seemed just as confused. ¡°... I should tell his parents to keep up whatever he¡¯s doing¡­ if he gets to high school, then he¡¯d be able to run on a national level,¡± the coach said under his breath as he headed to the office, leaving the students a bit of free time.


    ¡°Heard you think you¡¯re some kind of god since you hit your head,¡± a black-haired boy said, smirking at Tyler once the coach had left.


    ¡°I am one, just inhabiting this body,¡± Ren-Shai said, looking at the smirking boy boredly.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one God and you¡¯re not him,¡± the boy mocked.


    ¡°Jared, I don¡¯t recommend doing what you¡¯re about to do,¡± Ren-Shai said, sighing in annoyance as he looked at the basketball in the boy¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Or what?¡± Jared asked as he drew his hand back and threw the ball right for Tyler¡¯s face as hard as he could.


    ¡°Or this,¡± Ren-Shai said. It wasn¡¯t a matter of annoyance, but pride - an ant was dumb enough to step up to a roaring lion. Even if the ant was a child, it should have known not to bite a lion. Ren-Shai lifted his hand and did a backhanded slap that would have looked funny for anyone watching as it looked straight from a T.V. sketch. What wasn¡¯t funny was when the ball went back to the sender hard enough to lay him on his back before he could react, leaving an imprint of the ball on the boy¡¯s cheek as it began to swell.


    ¡°Alright, Tyl-what?¡± the coach said as he walked back into the building. It was going to be the start of growing pains, it seemed. It was going to be a long school year.

 Chapter X - Growing Pains, Arc 1 End, Time-Skip

    Time. It had a funny way of passing quickly, especially when the Supreme God of Time, Luck, and Fate was involved. Many often found time being compressed and many events happening in a short time to be a strange phenomenon to be a warning for things to come, but for Ren-Shai, it was a bit necessary to pass the days of childhood more quickly. As Ren-Shai cultivated his body and increased the power his vessel could hold, the flow time seemed to shift to favor his expectations and desires - to try and live as a human. It wasn¡¯t that he was spending less time as a human, it was simply that he and everyone around him was, seemingly, spending it faster even though it was the same pace it ever was. Ten years and fifteen years old in 10th grade came more quickly than everyone thought possible.


    For home life, it grew more simple as Tyler¡¯s parents adjusted to the fact that their son simply thought he was someone called Ren-Shai. As for Sasha, his little sister, she was more and more convinced that Tyler had become a superhero. Sasha had been watching his training as an elementary school student developed virtually unbreakable bones and the ability to leave the imprints of his fists in trees. Ren-Shai had developed other powers, such as the ability to fly, but he was reluctant to even let Sasha know of such developments out of fear she wouldn¡¯t keep her mouth shut. At his parents¡¯ behest, he had promised to keep up with sports as the coach requested of him and Ren-Shai had joined the football team of his high school. Despite the fact that the Tyler they knew being gone, Ren-Shai didn¡¯t try to fight with them or argue with them, except when he was right on a subject. Ren-Shai had earned the trust of Tyler¡¯s parents completely and would never betray it.


    With Anna, she had only grown closer to Ren-Shai. True to her word, she did her best to try and understand him. Because of her drive to do so, she ended up the second smartest in her class, of course, behind Tyler (as the school called him) and was reading leagues above her level. Whenever she asked, Ren-Shai had been willing to teach her, read books with her, and tutor her wherever she had trouble. The end result was the pair of them seeming like prodigies before they had ever reached high school. Though, that wasn¡¯t what was most important to Anna. Despite her adoption and her mother being a doctor, her adopted father had succumbed to the curse the Crows had placed upon her to become a curse upon her life. Anna¡¯s father fell into an alcohol addiction and began to get violent - verbally at first. Then, it progressed to Anna¡¯s father beating her mother until her mother left. After that, the only thing he took his drunken rage out on was Anna.


    At first, Anna did her best to hide the bruises, until they became too numerous to hide. Though Anna still loved her father, she made up lies to protect him - too ashamed to tell the truth that her mother had left and her father was beating her. Anna didn¡¯t even tell Ren-Shai, thus, him no longer being omnipotent in the form of a human, he had no way of knowing. Despite the abuse, she persevered, but her limp only became worse as her father blamed her leg for so many problems in his drunken rages and began beating her on it because it was useless anyway. At the very least, Ren-Shai had noticed that and began carrying her on his back when they were at school. Though Anna would never tell him that she had fallen for him, she happily rested her chin on his shoulder each time he carried her. Though they had grown up together, she had no clue how he was so muscular for his age and how she always felt like she was climbing onto a silk rock of sorts - where his muscles were perfectly supple, but whenever he flexed them, they felt like strands of steel below her.


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    Doctor Sullivan had the strangest time of everyone, so it seemed. Being Ren-Shai¡¯s physician, he was the only one besides Sasha who had noticed the changes in Ren-Shai¡¯s body. X-Rays, modern science, nor scans of any kind could explain how rapidly the boy¡¯s body had begun to change. Sullivan¡¯s results showed that Ren-Shai¡¯s muscles alone were comparable to steel strands, with his bones being even harder to support them, with his brain only growing larger and developing more wrinkles to the point it seemed to be compressing in on itself, then forming new layers on top to further develop itself beyond the scope of standard humanity. Ren-Shai had, virtually, instantaneous reactions, mental recall, and senses that went beyond what nerves should have ever been capable of. At the age of fifteen, the boy had become something more than human, but looked to be perfectly so. Sullivan had seen puberty before, but there was no reason that a fifteen year old should have been standing six feet tall with the proportions of a nearly grown man. That didn¡¯t stop Sullivan from picking his brain and asking questions where he could, however. All of these changes, of course, were going to make his career as he updated his findings with every examination Ren-Shai went to.


    As for Tyler¡¯s former friends, they had begun to adjust to Ren-Shai¡¯s presence instead of Tyler¡¯s. They had begun to hang out regularly, chat, and, funnily enough, Ren-Shai had begun giving them the time of the day since they were maturing and their brains were developing. If Ren-Shai and Anna were the top two students, Will, Aaron, and Christian could be considered the latter of the top five, due to their proximity to the pair and their unwillingness to be beaten by a girl in anything (even though they had eventually lost out to her). For the three, their futures looked bright as they joined the football team with Ren-Shai and became linebackers. After they had hit high school and were trusted enough to not come right home after school, the group had often stopped at a small ice cream and milkshake shop near their school. Will, Aaron, and Christian seemed to already pick up that Ren-Shai and Anna were meant to be together and did their best to try and get the pair together, but nothing they did had really succeeded. All they had managed to do was get Anna to blush and Ren-Shai to look at them curiously.


    Finally, Ren-Shai had begun to understand humanity, even if it was only a basic grasp of it. Owing debts had turned into affection and genuine care for those who he deemed under his wings, like they were possessions of sorts - at first. When Anna had chided him for treating her like an object more than a person at one point, he had to re-evaluate what he was experiencing and slowly came to know what it meant to care for someone. After he had begun to care for Anna, his family, friends, and Sullivan followed in that order. Ren-Shai had decided one part of humanity defying them was a desire to protect those who they cared for - and he had a sense of where that inner strength came from now that he would be willing to step in to help them without any expectation of return. Ren-Shai¡¯s powers had grown greatly, though, he would not use them unless the supernatural came to interfere with him - and the Crows had long-since stopped bothering him. Apart from his teacher Ms. Fiddler in elementary school, who had quit after he went to middle school, the supernatural seemed to be staying far away from him. At least as far as he knew.


    Meanwhile, other beings had begun to notice the abnormal passage of time. Old spirits of luck, fortune, and misfortune that had been created and had arisen from human superstitions and the New Gods¡¯ powers in forming them. These lesser beings had been stoked into taking notice as a single cursed girl seemed to be avoiding their mechanisms whenever she went to certain places. Needless to say¡­ that sparked their curiosity¡­ and they were determined to fix this error.


    Timeskip End.