ã€ŠIdentityã€‹


 Chapter one

    It was a warm summer morning, the wind was blowing crisp air and the sun was rising over the horizon. A simple scene which could definitely be described as tranquil.

    BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP -

    ¡°...Urrghhh¡­¡±

    Keyword being ¡°could.¡± If not for the sound of a grumbling youth being forced out of bed, one would be able to appreciate such a scene more. Sadly, this wasn¡¯t the case.

    The rustling of blankets brings attention back to the figure of the young man who is gradually, and without a doubt grumpily, coming to terms with the fact that he is being pulled into the world of the awake.

    In denial the youth covered himself up even more with his blanket; an act of resistance towards his waking mind, no doubt in order to get more sleep. But as fate would have it, the forces acting to pull him into the world of the awake had already prepared for this, and played their favourite card.

    ¡°Leo wake up, I don¡¯t want you inside the house all day again,¡± said the youth''s mother.

    ¡°But it¡¯s the holiday and it¡¯s -¡± Leo took a quick glance at his alarm clock.

    ¡°-It¡¯s 6:30!¡± replied Leo.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m not having you stay inside all day for the rest of your holiday, at least go out for a walk,¡± said the Leo¡¯s mother.

    To encourage her son, Leo¡¯s mother opened the curtains letting light from the rising sun into the room; however, seeing this wasn¡¯t enough to get the boy out of bed, she yanked Leo¡¯s blankets off of him as well. This finally got the boy moving.

    ¡°So bright¡­¡± mumbled Leo, whilst hiding his eyes behind his hand.

    ¡°Oh stop complaining, you¡¯re not a vampire, and go have a shower before your brother wakes up,¡± replied Leo¡¯s mother with a hint of irritation in her voice.

    The sound of the door to Leo¡¯s room closing signaled his mother¡¯s departure from the room.

    After a couple more minutes Leo began to properly get out of bed.

    ¡®Well, I guess there¡¯s no point in me just sitting here anymore,¡¯ thought Leo as he prepared to have a shower.

    ¡®As if I¡¯m letting my brother use the shower before me.¡¯

    (Break)

    Around twenty minutes after Leo was forced out of bed the sound of footsteps could be heard as he descended down the stairs into the first floor. Leo¡¯s mother took a look at her son, Leo - whose actual name was Leon Faucher -, as he walked into the kitchen to have breakfast.

    With a head of short midnight black hair, and a pair of dark brown eyes, Leo gave off the image of your average joe. Aside from his slightly above average height, Leo didn¡¯t have any features that would make him stand out, - which he was personally grateful for - much to the discontent of his mother. He wore his usual setup of a light gray t-shirt and darker shorts that sat just above the knee.

    Although Leo¡¯s mother felt proud of Leo as he¡¯d made it into university for the next semester, she was still troubled by his lack of responsibility. During high school he had never gotten a job, joined any sports or co-curricular activities, or even made an effort to go out with his friends. She knew everyone was different, but her sons behaviour still troubled her as his mother, maybe she went wrong somewhere in bringing him up? He seemed to have a very big interest in hanging out with himself in his room all day.

    She stopped her thoughts about her son''s apparent reclusive behaviour to greet him. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d had these thoughts.

    ¡°Morning Leo,¡± greeted Leo¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Morning mum, how are you?¡± replied Leo, making small talk.

    ¡°I¡¯m good, sleep well?¡± replied his mother, with a slight tease in her voice.

    ¡°Yeh...¡± replied Leo, still grumpy about the events this morning.

    A smile formed on Leo¡¯s mother''s face due to her son¡¯s immature behaviour, no matter how old someone got, some things just never changed.

    ¡°There¡¯s cereal in the cupboard and milk in the fridge, or you could make some toas-,¡± said Leo¡¯s mother, before being interrupted by her son.

    ¡°I know,¡± replied Leo, clearly used to this scene.

    Thirty minutes later, Leo had finished eating breakfast and left the house on the walk his mother asked him to go on. In reality he¡¯d tried to stall until his mother left for work so he wouldn¡¯t have to go out on said walk, but sadly for him his mother was being extra persistent this time, and shoved him out the door without a key. She¡¯d told him, ¡°come back in an hour and I¡¯ll let you in.¡±

    Without a chance to refute his mother''s demand Leo grumpily started his walk, questioning just what he would do for an hour. ¡®She doesn¡¯t actually expect me to walk around for an hour does she?¡¯ thought Leo.

    And so, Leo walked.

    (Break)

    It didn¡¯t take long until Leo got tired of walking in circles around his neighbourhood. It¡¯d only been 30 minutes and he was already searching for something else to do, just walking was not only boring for him, but it also made him feel uncomfortable. He just felt awkward walking for the purpose of walking.

    However, he at least gained something from the walk.

    ¡®I¡¯ll never tell her this, but this walk is kinda refreshing.¡¯

    This was because Leo had locked himself in his room for the past few days, so he appreciated the chance to get some fresh air in his lungs, as well as exercise his somewhat stiff legs.

    But back to the issue at hand, Leo was stumped as to what to do for another 30 minutes. He knew his mother, and she wouldn¡¯t go back on her word when she¡¯d said to come back in an hour. Hence, his only option was to find something to do until his mother would let him back into the house.

    After a couple more minutes of walking Leo settled on taking a seat on a nearby bench to play on his phone. His mother always made him take his phone with him in case there was an emergency, and so he had it on him. Sadly Leo barely ever used his phone, thus it only had two games, snake and tetris.

    The bench he was sitting on was located in a park next to a playground for little kids, this playground had all the things a little kid could wish for in a small neighbourhood park. A small climbing wall, a slide, seesaw and a couple swings. It was honestly, your average public playground.

    Normally the bench would be used by parents to watch their children while they played, but since it was still early in the morning there was noone else here, spare a few joggers.

    Leo choose to play tetris, he wasn¡¯t a fan of either games so just picked the one he was less opposed to.

    A couple minutes into Leo¡¯s first game, and he was doing fairly well by his own standards. He was starting to get quite focused on the game as well, so when he realised there was now someone sitting next to him, he dropped his phone in surprise.

    ¡°Sorry, did I surprise you?¡± said a feminine voice.

    Leo realised the voice came from the person sitting next to him, so he replied whilst picking his phone up off the ground.

    ¡°Yeh, it¡¯s fine though, don¡¯t worry.¡±

    Leo inspected his phone, the screen was cracked from the corner it fell on, but it was still functioning.

    ¡°Sorry about your phone, is it ok?¡± replied the woman sitting next to him.

    ¡°Yeh it¡¯s fine, the screens cracked but it¡¯s still functional. I don¡¯t use it much anyway so I don¡¯t mind,¡±  Leo said.

    ¡°Phew, that¡¯s good- uh, I don¡¯t mean it¡¯s good your phone is broken, it¡¯s-,¡± replied the woman before being interrupted.

    ¡°Honestly it¡¯s fine, I know what you¡¯re trying to say, so don¡¯t worry about it,¡± replied Leo giving the woman a smile; judging by her voice, he believed that she really was genuinely sorry.

    Leo¡¯s phone was nothing fancy, it was one of those cheap phones people were given when they joined a contract, and thus he wasn¡¯t kidding when he said he didn¡¯t mind it getting damaged. As long as it could call and text, it did everything he needed. But this didn¡¯t mean Leo was a wasteful person; infact, he got a bit annoyed when people wasted things, however he felt only a little annoyed at what had happened. He knew accidents happened, and from his point of view it was his fault his phone got damaged.

    Once the conversation had ended Leo started to feel awkward, neither of them had said anything to each other since and so they¡¯d sat there in silence for the past 5 minutes.

    ¡®I guess we¡¯re back to being strangers,¡¯ thought Leo.

    Seeing as he felt awkward, and neither of them we¡¯re going to be talking to each other any time soon, Leo decided to leave the park.

    Hence, he was now standing outside the entrance to the park with another 20 minutes left until he could return home. He sighed, he had no idea what to do.

    ¡®So I either stand here awkwardly, or I start walking in circles again¡­¡¯

    And so, Leo walked.

    (Break)

    There were another 5 minutes until Leo could return home and so he¡¯d started to head back.

    The number of cars on the road had gone up since Leo left this morning; people were rushing to get to work as well as take their kids to school. His family¡¯s home was situated at the top of a fairly busy T-junction, and so he was used to seeing this much traffic in the morning.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Leo was currently walking along the left side of the road, approaching said junction from the bottom. He took a left when he got to the junction, heading towards a zebra crossing; he himself had no intention of jaywalking through this much traffic.

    As he approached the zebra crossing he came to a stop to check that it was clear to cross; seeing that traffic from his left and right had stopped he began crossing the road.

    At the same time Leo started crossing, another pedestrian tried to rush across the road at the bottom of the junction, forgetting to check their right and so thinking it was clear, a piercing cry could be heard as a car screeched and swerved to their left to dodge the pedestrian. Narrowly dodging said pedestrian, the driver heaved a sigh of relief.

    This all happened in a split second, and the pedestrian, lucky for them, continued to rush across the road reaching the other side in one piece. The event had caught Leo¡¯s attention as well causing him to momentarily slow down as he crossed the road, after which he continued to cross at his normal pace.

    The sound of another vehicle screeching to Leo¡¯s right could be heard; however, this time the sound was much louder to Leo¡¯s ears, and he instinctively turned his head to the right to check what it was.

    A car was headed straight for him. He tried to run, but with one leg still in the air he fell over as his head went into overdrive. All Leo could do was look up at the car and driver inside of it before everything went black.

    Someone called for an ambulance and within 10 minutes paramedics had arrived to rush Leo to hospital. Police had also arrived to redirect traffic and talk to those involved in the crash.

    Leo¡¯s injuries were critical and the paramedics did everything they could to try keep him alive, however his injuries were too great; the limits of what they could do to help him becoming apparent.

    Leo was declared dead on arrival with his mother and brother beside him; his mother not bothering to contain her emotions by openly crying, and his brother still unsure of how to react.

    (Break)

    ¡®What the fuck is this.¡¯

    Leo felt like his life was a train that had just derailed off a bridge, tumbled around a bit, split into pieces, been eaten by a flock of giant vultures, then caught by an eagle that fed them and his life to it¡¯s kids, then thrown back onto another train track in a carriage without any wheels and a ton of people onboard telling him to ¡°haul ass.¡±

    Understand any of that? Did it make any sense? No? Now you know how he felt.

    ¡®I got hit by a car and died¡­ didn¡¯t I?¡¯

    Leo felt unsure of just what had happened; he was almost certain he should be dead, but despite this he was still here. Just what ¡°here¡± meant however was beyond his comprehension.

    ¡®So I¡¯m dead, but I¡¯m not. That¡¯s just fucking great, and why is it so dark?¡¯

    All Leo could see was pitch black darkness. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d lost his sight, there wasn¡¯t any light or there actually wasn¡¯t anything here at all. It was very disturbing to him, and it didn¡¯t end there, he couldn¡¯t hear, feel, taste or smell anything either. It all added up to create a seemingly empty feeling in him. Normally these senses were so common to him that they almost became intrusive, but now that he was without them, the lack thereof made him feel abnormal instead.

    ¡®Maybe this is what happens when people die?¡¯

    Given some time Leo noticed that it wasn¡¯t just his usual senses of touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing that were missing, but everything else as well. He didn¡¯t get hungry or tired, nor did he feel hot or cold. His ability to perceive time was gone as well, he had no idea how long he had been here anymore as time didn¡¯t seem to move at all.

    ¡®So this is what it¡¯s like to be immortal, boring as fuck. I actually wish I really was dead now.¡¯

    A lot of time had passed by, and for all Leo knew the state he was in wasn¡¯t going to change any time soon. At first he¡¯d felt angry, but with nothing to direct his anger at it quickly changed to sadness as he thought about everything he¡¯d lost. Leo didn¡¯t know many people closely, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren''t many people he cared about, his mother, brother and few friends called Jason and Alyssa he had known fairly closely and missed hearing their voices.

    All the material possessions Leo had loved had lost their meaning to him as well. It was funny to him, the things he¡¯d loved most in life we¡¯re now the most insignificant and unimportant things to him. It was the things he¡¯d ignored which he missed most.

    ¡®It¡¯s kinda pathetic huh¡­ I only realise how much I want to be with people after I lose them¡­¡¯ is what Leo had thought at the time.

    Much like Leo¡¯s anger however, eventually even his sadness passed and he was left feeling nothing other than boredom and a desire for ¡°this¡± to be over.

    He¡¯d come to the conclusion after all this time that he was in Limbo, a place in between life and death, and that he was now just a consciousness stuck there without a chance of leaving any time soon.

    As time continued to pass by Leo¡¯s mind went silent. With nothing to think about and no hope for the foreseeable future, he had lost the will to think anymore, content with just remaining in silence until the end of eternity.

    (Break)

    In the never ending void that is Limbo a sound could be heard.

    Thump Thump-

    It invaded Leo¡¯s mind; taunting him, willing him to have thoughts he didn¡¯t want. Thoughts which he¡¯d given up on long ago.

    Thump Thump-

    The sound didn¡¯t stop however, and it never did.

    Thump Thump-

    Eventually Leo reached his limit.

    ¡®...Urrghhh¡­¡¯

    ¡®The fuck is that sound?¡¯

    However long it had been since Leo¡¯s mind was active didn¡¯t matter; however, what did matter was his previously dormant state had been broken, and he felt pissed.

    ¡®I literally wish I had ears right now, just so I could tear them off.¡¯

    Whatever the sound that pierced into Leo¡¯s mind was didn¡¯t matter to him, from his point of view it was just ¡®...fucking annoying.¡¯

    Thump Thump-

    ¡®Arghhhhhh just STOP!¡¯

    The sound was without a doubt alive; Leo was sure of it. Sometimes it would speed up, and at other times it would slow down, but no matter what, it never stopped. His frustration grew with each passing moment, and without any way to stop the sound Leo found himself forced to adapt, as he gradually became accustomed to the sound.

    As he found himself becoming more accustomed to the sound, he also found himself becoming reliant on it. It gave Leo something to sync his thoughts to, a way for him to remember that maybe there was more than just desolation in his future. Perhaps there was a chance he could get out of here¡­ he just had to be patient.

    Thump Thump-

    In the time Leo waited he became increasingly familiar with the sound, gaining a greater understanding of it with every beat. Despite this, he still didn¡¯t know what the sound is, and it had been bugging him since.

    ¡®Alright, keep your thoughts organised Leo. It doesn¡¯t stop, it follows a rhythm, but it also deviates from this rhythm at random, and these deviations can either be an increase or decrease in speed.¡¯

    ¡®...Urghhh¡­ the fuck does that?¡¯

    Needless to say, Leo felt frustrated. He¡¯d fretted over the origins of the sound for however many ¡°thumps¡± he didn¡¯t know, but at the least, it kept him busy. It kept his mind from returning to that dominating and never ending darkness he could feel all around him. The chance to understand - even if only a little - what he is now a part of is something beyond irresistible for him.

    Whilst Leo¡¯s thoughts escalated in focus the still unknown thumping sound continued to beat, and in time, Leo found the one thing in his head which matched what he knew about the sound.

    ¡®Ohmygod¡­ it¡¯s beating¡­ it¡¯s a heartbeat?!¡¯

    ¡®Everything matches perfectly, the rhythm, the rises and falls in speed and the actual sound.¡¯

    How had he not realised this earlier? Who or what did the heartbeat belong to? These thoughts raced through Leo¡¯s mind and he became enthralled once again in a search for answers. He had no doubts that he was wrong about the sounds origin.

    (Break)

    Twenty-seven million, six hundred and forty-eight thousand beats passed until another anomaly appeared in Limbo. Unlike the sudden appearance of a heartbeat, this time it was much more subtle, and so Leo had taken much longer to notice.

    ¡®It¡¯s getting brighter.¡¯

    As if Leo¡¯s acknowledgement set off an alarm, beams of light cut and pierced through the eternal darkness he had become so used to; the endless void which shaped Limbo fell apart before him, sending his mind into turmoil.

    Leo had no time to recover from what was happening before him, as the darkness got swept away by a blinding, warm light which filled his vision.

 Chapter two

    In the outskirts of the Kingdom of Fricia lightning illuminated the sky, as it zipped through the harsh whistling wind to whip the ground in delight. The crackling roar of thunder following after it, tearing through the stormy night time sky into the ears of the unfortunate victims caught in the unforeseen force of nature.

    At the center of the storm sat a small village, forced to endure the battering winds and torrents of rain. Some of the villagers, knowing their poorly made homes had no chance of surviving, had chosen to hunker down in the only building with a chance of sheltering them, a small cottage with stone walls and a thatched roof.

    Among the 15 villagers squeezed into the cottage, there sat a woman, her white skin had a slight tan to it much like the rest of the villagers, and her brunette hair was lightly bleached from working in the sun. Her eyes were just as ordinary, a dark shade of brown, however, what brought attention to her was her rounded, protruding belly.

    The woman sat on a wooden chair, her head facing down and shoulders rising and falling as the sound of her ragged breathing could be faintly heard.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for you Honey,¡± said a masculine voice, likely the woman''s partner.

    In reply the woman turned her head upwards to look into the man''s eyes. She didn¡¯t need to say anything, the man could tell just from the look in her eyes. She was scared. As a response the man held the woman''s hands, whispering words of comfort into her ears.

    The man knew there was nothing he could do to stop what he could see coming. His wife would give birth to their child tonight, and it frightened him as much as it frightened her.

    ¡°MARIA I NEED YOUR HELP!¡± cried the man, making sure that the people in the cottage could hear him over the sound of the storm.

    The other people in the cottage were not unaware of what had been going on, they knew that the woman''s child would be due any time soon, and the woman''s ragged breathing had easily convinced them that the time had come. Albeit, the threat of the storm was foremost in their thoughts, and so they had been too worried to offer the woman any comfort.

    The shouting of the woman¡¯s partner had got them moving, and a small path cleared to allow the woman called Maria to get to the man¡¯s partner.

    The older woman called Maria took a quick look at the other woman before saying something.

    ¡°Gerald, we need to move Ella to the bed,¡± said Maria.

    Acknowledging what Maria said, Gerald picked up Ella and carried her to the cottages bed, it didn¡¯t take long considering the cottage wasn¡¯t large, but the other people in the cottage had to move out of the way which required a bit of shuffling.

    ¡°Well?¡± said Gerald, only seeking to confirm what he knew was coming.

    ¡°She¡¯s going to have the baby Gerald,¡± replied Maria in a solemn tone.

    Gerald¡¯s grip on his wife¡¯s hand tightened, whether he was trying to reassure her or himself that everything would be ok, he didn¡¯t know. It would be a painful birth, and all he could do was be by Ella¡¯s side. How much this meant to Ella however¡­ he could only tell from the look in her eyes.

    As time passed, Ella gave birth to her child, and with it, the storm raging around them vanished.

    (Break)

    ¡®I feel¡­ I feel?!¡¯

    Leo liked to think that having spent so long in an endless void he would be at least somewhat immune to getting surprised, but what he was experiencing right now exceeded everything he had thought of.

    ¡®Warm¡­ moist¡­ small¡­ wait a second¡­ small?!¡¯

    It goes without saying that Leo was having another ¡°what the fuck is this¡± moment, however, this time he didn¡¯t feel angry. The sudden entrance of his senses made him feel something he never expected to feel ever again.

    ¡®Am I¡­ crying?¡¯

    Just as Leo thought, the sound of a baby''s cry was ringing in his ears, but his cry was not to be taken as him being sad, no, it was the exact opposite. He felt beyond happy - so happy that all he could do to express it is cry.

    His cry did not go unheard though, and as he cried in joy he felt someone¡¯s hands gently hold him. Despite the loss of the blinding light in his vision, his eyes were still blurry, and so he could only faintly see the image of a woman with brunette hair, and dark brown eyes. The woman held him against her chest, looking at him straight in the eye.

    ¡®So this would be my mum¡­ she looks¡­ normal.¡¯

    Leo¡¯s thoughts about the woman were not meant to sound rude or ungrateful, no, he really did feel ecstatic to know that he had been reborn, and as the child of a human who looked completely normal as well.

    ¡®It¡¯s good to know I¡¯m not a fly.¡¯

    ¡®Though, if I had the option of being a fly or staying in Limbo, I''d be the happiest fly to ever live.¡¯

    Perhaps he meant he would be the most annoying fly to ever live? Who knows.

    As the woman held Leo against her chest, he heard a sound, a sound which had carried his mind through the hopelessness of Limbo.

    Thump Thump-

    The heartbeat of the woman who held him soothed his rampaging emotions, silencing his cry until all he could focus on was the gentle rocking of the woman''s arms, and the affectionate look in her eyes.

    ¡°I love you,¡± whispered the woman in a quiet, but sweet voice.

    It only took Leo a moment to think of how he wanted to respond.

    ¡®I love you too¡¯

    However, since his body was still that of a newborn, all that came out of his mouth was a cute attempt at making sound.

    ¡°What should we call him Honey?¡± spoke another voice, in a more masculine and louder volume than the woman¡¯s.

    ¡®I guess that¡¯s my dad, he sounds¡­ buff?¡¯

    Leo didn¡¯t know how to describe his father¡¯s voice, after a few seconds he just settled for the next thing that came to mind.

    ¡®Manly, that¡¯s definitely the right word.¡¯

    The discussion of Leo¡¯s new name didn¡¯t end though, and during the few seconds he¡¯d been thinking, his parents had been thinking as well.

    ¡°How about Semaj?¡± said Leo¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon Ella, do you want the kid to get bullied?¡± said Leo¡¯s father. ¡°Give him something strong, like Xaj!¡±

    Leo was mentally cringing at the mention of the two potential names.

    ¡®Please just call me something normal¡­¡¯

    ¡°Gerald don¡¯t be silly.¡±

    ¡®Yes, Dad listen to my mum!¡¯

    ¡°Um¡­ how about Lewis then? Sounds pretty normal to me,¡± said Gerald, whilst scratching his head in thought.

    At the sound of the name ¡°Lewis,¡± Leo made as good a sound as he could form with his still new body. To the others in the room, they heard a high pitched giggle like sound from the child Ella held.

    ¡°I think he likes it Gerald,¡± said Ella, as she gazed into her child''s eyes.

    ¡°Hmph, of course he does! He¡¯s my son after all,¡± replied Gerald, with a smug look on his face.

    Ella rolled her eyes, she could only hope her son would grow to be more dignified than his father.

    ¡°We¡¯ll call him Lewis then, he does seem to like it after all,¡± concluded Ella.

    Unknown to the two new parents, Leo - who will now be called Lewis - was mentally sighing in relief.

    ¡°He¡¯ll make a fine Wulf, I¡¯m sure of it Honey,¡± said Gerald, in a more serious tone as he looked Ella in the eye.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Ella''s lips formed into a smile as she prepared to say something. She never stopped gazing into Lewis¡¯ eyes, refusing to break the bond between the two of them.

    ¡°Welcome to the family Lewis Wulf.¡±

    (Break)

    For the first 4 months of Lewis¡¯ life he remained essentially inactive. He felt delighted to just enjoy the feeling of being alive. The cool caress of the wind against his flesh, the warm embrace of the sun against his cheeks, and the fervent loving of his parents. Each of them were sufficient to help gratify him, despite the vacant feeling left in him from his time in Limbo, but combined, it left Lewis wondering what more he could possibly want.

    Moving on, it had been almost 5 months now, and today Lewis was accompanying Ella as she worked, his family didn¡¯t have the luxury of Ella taking a break to raise Lewis, and so this had been how Ella cared for him since birth. However, Lewis didn¡¯t mind, laying at home all day would be much more boring for him compared to going out with Ella everyday.

    The after-effects of the storm were still being felt in the village; which he¡¯d learnt was called Eston. Due to this, Eston was still earnestly in the process of rebuilding; but, most of the villagers had opted to just move on, which meant that those who stayed had to work even harder. The decision to move on wasn¡¯t selfish though, and from what Leo had overheard commoners like him often migrated as a result of their homes being destroyed; whether it was always a natural disaster, or something else that destroyed the homes, he didn¡¯t know.

    Lewis was currently watching Ella work as he suckled on her breast, despite finding it awkward at first, he¡¯d learnt to accept that she is his mother, and as her child being breastfed by her is completely normal. Additionally, Lewis found Ella¡¯s initial concern with him not breastfeeding to be amusing.

    ¡®I never thought a woman would be worried that I wasn¡¯t sucking her breast¡­¡± is what occurred to Lewis at the time.

    Of course when Lewis realised Ella genuinely felt worried that there is something wrong with him or herself, he, being the hero he is, came to rescue her by drinking her ¡®...sweet, but slightly nutty...¡¯ breastmilk.

    As Lewis absorbed the nutrients Ella so graciously served him, she continued to work from a seated position outside. Lewis wasn¡¯t exactly sure what his mother''s profession really was. In the time he¡¯d been with her he¡¯d seen her doing an assortment of things, and so had just determined her to be a general purpose worker; however, having overheard talk of her weaving, butchering, tinkering, and doing many more unrelated skills, he honestly had no idea.

    ¡®Maybe she¡¯s like Superwoman in disguise?¡¯

    ¡®Wait¡­ does that mean I¡¯ll have super powers?¡¯

    Unlike Lewis whose mind was prone to going off on wild tangents, Ella was more focused. She was currently working on adding joints to the timber being used to rebuild homes in Eston, although it wasn¡¯t easy work, it didn¡¯t depend on her moving around a lot, and thus, she could stay with Lewis to nurse him. The other villagers had assigned this job to her knowing she had an infant to take care of, of which Ella considered extremely lucky of her.

    Lewis¡¯ father, Gerald, was a hunter and lumberjack from what Ella had told him, although she didn¡¯t speak to Lewis directly, but just rambled on about things, he learned a few things about the world he had been reborn into. Of course she didn¡¯t ever think Lewis could comprehend what she was saying, but she did it anyway to help develop his speech, and because whilst Gerald was working she had no one else to talk to.

    From Ella¡¯s rambling Lewis had learnt that he¡¯d been born in a small village called Eston, and that Eston was situated on the outskirts of a nation called the Kingdom of Fricia. He¡¯d learnt other things, but this was all he¡¯d learnt about where he was.

    ¡°Oh! Your dad should be coming home today Lewis, he took a trip to a nearby town called Raydin to get some new tools.¡±

    Leo didn¡¯t make an effort to respond to what Ella said most of the time, but at the mention of a place she¡¯d never mentioned before his interest peaked.

    ¡®So there¡¯s a town nearby,¡¯ thought Lewis. ¡®I should go there someday.¡¯

    Lewis felt reluctant to admit it, but he was gradually getting very bored. The mention of a place bigger than Eston excited him, and as he still had the mentality of a young man, staying with his mother every day for 5 months was taking a toll on him. At first he¡¯d gotten an oddly perverted satisfaction from being able to stay with Ella everyday as his personal milk bottle, but that only lasted for a couple days, and now it just made him go ¡®meh.¡¯

    Therefore, this time when Ella mentioned something that intrigued him, he decided to try something he hadn¡¯t tried before.

    ¡°Mum, where¡¯s Raydin?¡± asked Lewis.

    The sound of Ella working stopped, she¡¯d dropped her chisel.

    ¡®So i¡¯m not the only one who hates surprises,¡¯ thought Lewis as he looked upward to take in Ella¡¯s expression.

    ¡°Lewis, can you say that again for mummy?¡± asked Ella. Her left eyebrow was raised, and her mouth sat slightly open; she was eager to hear his response.

    ¡°Mum, where¡¯s Raydin?¡±

    Ella¡¯s expression changed at once. Her eyes now had a twinkle in them, and her lips stretched into a smile so wide that it became comical.

    ¡°Lewis you¡¯re amazing! You can talk!¡± said Ella.

    Ella felt thrilled. She now had someone who she could talk to all day, and no matter what, they had to listen to her! Was it possible for her to want anything more?

    On the other hand, Lewis had other thoughts.

    ¡®I didn¡¯t speak too early did I?¡¯ thought Lewis. ¡®By my estimate, it should be around 5 months now¡­ I¡¯m sure that¡¯s normal, right?¡¯

    Lewis was concerned. His mother seemed extremely happy that he¡¯d started to speak; however, since he didn¡¯t know the age an infant normally started to speak, as well as what an ordinary reaction from Ella would be, he was concerned he may have done something that would potentially result in his true origins being found.

    He still didn¡¯t know enough about the world he was in, but he was confident it wasn¡¯t the one he¡¯d died in, after all, there is no such thing as the Kingdom of Fricia where he¡¯d come from. Seeing that being reborn may not sit well with people in the world he¡¯d joined, he¡¯d decided that it would be better to keep it under wraps.

    ¡®Kinda feel like a secret agent, handling secrets and all.¡¯

    ¡°Lewis when your dad comes home you can show him that you can say Mum!¡±

    ¡®Wait¡­ I said more than Mum¡­¡¯ thought Lewis, slightly confused at why Ella had ignored the other half of what he¡¯d said. ¡®Oh. I see how it is. I said Mum before I said Dad¡­ that¡¯s a victory for her I guess?¡¯

    Frankly, Lewis would have said Dad if it were Gerald here instead, but he wouldn¡¯t tell his mum that. Ella still seemed to be wondering if she could possibly want anything more, after all, she¡¯d just gained someone to talk to, and the first word that had come out of her son¡¯s mouth was Mum.

    ¡°Um, Mum? Where¡¯s Raydin?¡± said Lewis, Ella still hadn¡¯t answered his question.

    ¡°Huh? Oh, um, it¡¯s to the north-west of where we are Lewis,¡± said Ella. ¡°Do you know what the north-west means?¡±

    ¡°Yes I know what it means Mum, that would be upward and to the left of here on a map.¡±

    The whole time Ella had been holding her breath, her son was a genius! She didn¡¯t know how to react, he was only a bit past 5 months old and was currently holding a conversation with her, how was she meant to react to this?

    ¡°Is it large for a town?¡± asked Lewis.

    And so, for the rest of the day Lewis and Ella talked. Lewis asked questions about the world and anything else which intrigued him, and Ella tried her best to answer as she was eager to satisfy her son''s curiosity.

    As the end of the day approached and Ella had finished working, Lewis had already fallen asleep. The limits of his body had been been reached and he¡¯d gotten too tired to stay awake.

 Chapter three

    Another 6 months have passed since Lewis began talking, making it now 11 months that Lewis has been alive. In that time he had continued to go along with Ella everyday as she worked, and talked to her about many things.

    He¡¯d found out that although the members of Eston were all commoners, they were quite poor compared to other nearby villagers. Eston had no valuable resources, and was only surrounded by forest and land unfit for farming. It was questionable why anyone would start a village in such a location, however, Ella simply told him it was the decision of its founder, a man called Dowling Eston.

    Supposedly Eston had started as just a base camp whilst the man mapped out the area, but when he realised the area had nothing of value, and hence, no one would ever feel compelled to go there, he built his home there seeking solitude. However, other people found him and eventually a small village was established. ¡®Quite the story behind such a small village,¡¯ thought Lewis at the time.

    However Lewis had found out many more things as well, and of importance were things about the world he¡¯d been reborn into. He¡¯d already been fairly confident in his suspicions, but the world he was in was definitely not earth.

    Although there were the obvious similarities, such as language, he¡¯d noticed early on that Eston was missing a few things he was used to. It could all be summed up in one word: technology. There was no electricity, and when he tried to ask about it Ella had given him a quizzical look. So from what Lewis had figured out, the world he was in was basically earth except still in the middle ages. ¡®Awesome, so I¡¯m literally a peasant.¡¯ thought Lewis at the time, he hadn¡¯t dared to say it for fear of hurting Ella¡¯s feelings.

    Lewis wasn¡¯t angry that he¡¯d been born into¡­ difficult circumstances, but considering he believed he¡¯d drawn the short straw for getting reborn, if he did get angry, it would¡¯ve been justified.

    Moving on, Lewis had started walking around the age of 9 months and so even though he still followed his mother every day as she worked, he occasionally had the opportunity to wander around Eston a little. Albeit, he got tired quickly so didn¡¯t wander very far.

    But walking was a big leap for Lewis, and he had increased his stamina a fair bit since he¡¯d started walking. He could now keep up with Ella if she walked a bit slower, and so, exploring the whole of Eston became a serious possibility to Lewis.

    ¡°Lewis could you pass me the mortise chisel?¡± said Ella, indicating towards the tool lying on the ground just out of her reach.

    Lewis grabbed the tool and passed it to Ella, he didn¡¯t say anything though as it didn¡¯t seem necessary.

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    It may have seemed odd to others that Ella was asking her 11 month old son to pass her a tool, but she¡¯d already accepted that Lewis was different. Of course she didn¡¯t know why he showed such a high level of intelligence, so just assumed he was that one-in-a-million genius child.

    Lewis was quite happy to just let people think he was a born genius, it worked well for him, and it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. What was he meant to tell people if they asked anyway? ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just a reborn 18 year old teen from a modern civilisation with technology hundreds of years ahead of your own.¡± He already figured that probably wouldn¡¯t go well.

    He still questioned the way the world he was in had developed though, although everyone he had met so far seemed to speak fairly modern english, everything around them showed significantly less development. Perhaps this world just didn¡¯t favor technology as much as his own, or never had a need to push for advances in technology? A large cause for growth in the technology sector on earth, last he recalled, was war. To gain an advantage countries pushed for newer and better ways to fight their opponents, which naturally led to rapid advances in technology, so maybe this world never needed to push for breakthroughs for such a cause?

    Lewis knew one thing, and it was that he wouldn¡¯t be asking Ella about war and the history of the world all of a sudden. There were things an 11 month old shouldn¡¯t be asking, and if he got too specific in his questions it may become suspicious. Still, he needed to find a way to learn about the world.

    Acknowledging that he wouldn¡¯t be able to search for answers anytime soon, Lewis decided to forget what he was thinking about and just observe Ella as she worked.

    Eston was still in the process of rebuilding even after 11 months because nothing except the building they¡¯d sheltered in survived, and even that had to be knocked down since it wasn¡¯t safe to live in anymore. Thus the remaining 10 villagers, which included Lewis and his family, were forced to not only source materials, but also to rebuild everything in a sturdier manner.

    ¡®It¡¯s not that bad though, I get to go out with Gerald tomorrow.¡¯

    Just as Lewis had thought, he would indeed be going out with Gerald the next day for the first time. According to Ella he would be going into the forest south of Eston to observe what Gerald did every day, so Lewis was feeling quite excited. He would finally get out of Eston, albeit it was only a couple hundred metres from the southern edge of the village, it was still a couple hundred metres further than he had ever been from the village.

    Said literally, this would be Lewis¡¯ first trip out of Eston, and the first time he¡¯d been anywhere except Eston. A very big deal to Lewis who had already learnt all he could from talking to Ella. Plus he would get to have some bonding time with Gerald, which he suspected was likely the actual cause of the change in schedule.

    Anyway, Lewis resolved himself to just sitting in silence today, as he waited for his first opportunity to leave Eston, and bond with Gerald.

    (Break)

    When Lewis woke up the next day, his spirits were soaring, the eagerness to get out of Eston and explore the world even a little was evident on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited Lewis, or Gerald might disappoint you,¡± said Ella.

    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon dear, you know I never dissapoint! Hahaha,¡± said Gerald.

    Ella slapped Gerald on the back of the head with her right hand. She had a stern look on her face, but it was being betrayed by her reddening cheeks. Lewis signed, just how old were his parents meant to be?

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry Lewis! We¡¯re gonna have a great time! I¡¯ll show you how to hunt!¡±

    ¡°Gerald! I thought you said you were just gonna show him the forest and talk?¡±

    ¡°Well, we are going to talk, with actions, not words dear.¡±

    This time Ella sighed, she didn¡¯t want to have an argument with Lewis in the same room so just resigned to letting Gerald do what he wanted. It was highly unlikely that Lewis would get hurt anyway, Gerald was a very strong man.

    ¡®So we¡¯re going hunting, sound cools, never been hunting before though.¡¯

    Lewis had, just as he¡¯d said in his thoughts, never been hunting before. Unless you counted running after pesky flies with a flyswatter as hunting, otherwise, Lewis had indeed never been hunting, or in a natural forest for that matter.

    ¡°So when are we leaving?¡± said Lewis, addressing Gerald.

    ¡°After you two have something to eat,¡± said Ella, answering in Gerald''s place.

    Lewis glanced at Gerald, and from the expression Gerald flashed back at Lewis, he realised that Gerald had intended to leave as soon as possible, instead of after having breakfast.

    ¡®Sorry Dad, can¡¯t win every battle.¡¯

    Ella served them a bowl of soup, which had a few pieces of meat inside of it, they only were able to eat meat because Gerald was a hunter.

    The room which Lewis and Gerald ate in was mostly bare, there weren''t any furnishings except for a small table in the center built from a couple of planks. Against the edges of the room were a couple of cloths with hay underneath, indicating the room was used for more than just eating. Lewis¡¯ family ate, slept and did everything else in this room, needless to say, it was their home.

    Whilst Lewis and Gerald ate, Ella simply sat on the other side of the table and watched. It¡¯d been awhile since she¡¯d had a day to herself so she felt odd to think of Lewis not being by her side for a day, she did feel worried, but with Gerald with him she was confident he would be safe.

    ¡°Ah! All done, how about you Lewis?¡± said Gerald, placing his bowl down and wiping his mouth with the back of his right hand.

    ¡°Almost, I¡¯ll be done in a minute or two.¡±

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wait for you outside,¡± said Gerald, as he was about to walk out he remembered his manners. ¡°And thank you for the meal Ella.¡±

    ¡°No problem, but don¡¯t make Lewis rush,¡± said Ella, fully aware of the fact Gerald had rushed to finish his meal to leave earlier.

    Gerald didn¡¯t respond, choosing to just rush out the door.

    Ella continued to sit, but when Lewis was about to leave she spoke up.

    ¡°Lewis, be careful, and stick with Gerald. He knows his way around that forest, ok?¡±

    ¡°Yeh I will, don¡¯t worry Mum,¡± said Lewis.

    The exchange was short, but it got the point across. Lewis closed the door behind him, leaving Ella alone in the house.

    ¡°Ready to go Lewis?¡± said Gerald.

    A vertical nod from Lewis was the response, and Gerald picked Lewis up and sat him on his shoulders.

    ¡°Well, let''s go little guy.¡±

    Lewis¡¯ lips formed into a smile.

    ¡®I could get used to this.¡¯

    (Break)

    The walk to the forest didn¡¯t take long, and Lewis didn¡¯t have to walk for even a second as he¡¯d caught a ride on Gerald''s shoulders. Thus, when they arrived at the edge of the forest Lewis was full of energy, and ready to go hunting. Gerald had put Lewis back on the ground when they arrived as well.

    ¡°So Lewis, you¡¯re a smart boy, got any idea how to hunt?¡± said Gerald.

    Despite the fact Lewis hadn¡¯t ever been hunting, he actually did have some ideas from the internet and television. However, he already had an idea of what Gerald was trying to do, so just decided to play along.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never been hunting before Dad,¡± said Lewis.

    Gerald smirked, he seemed to like being called ¡°Dad.¡±

    ¡®Well whatever makes him happy¡­¡¯

    ¡°Haha! Well, I¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done Lewis! Today we¡¯re gonna try catch something for dinner, how¡¯s that sound?¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    It genuinely did sound awesome for Lewis. They¡¯d never had a whole body of meat before. Gerald had to sell most of what he¡¯d caught to pay for the rebuilding, other ingredients they couldn¡¯t source, and savings for something Lewis couldn¡¯t figure out.

    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit Lewis! Let¡¯s try get something big, in memory of this day.¡± said Gerald.

    Something about Gerald''s extremely positive personality was infectious, and Lewis found himself getting as pumped as Gerald, perhaps he¡¯d inherited a few things from his parents?

    ¡°Oh yeh!¡± said Lewis, throwing his fist out towards his dad.

    Gerald raised his left eyebrow, giving him a quizzical look.

    ¡°Bump it with your fist Dad.¡±

    Gerald lightly bumped Lewis¡¯ fist with his own, the quizzical look on his face hadn¡¯t vanished though. The man wanted to know what he¡¯d just done.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a handshake, but cooler,¡± said Lewis.

    Gerald decided to just take it as a father and son thing and not ask any questions about where Lewis had learned such a thing. Like Ella, he¡¯d accepted his son was different to other kids, so just took this as another sign of Lewis¡¯ differences to other children.

    ¡°Alright then, enough of us standing around.¡± said Gerald. ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡±

    When Gerald said ¡°let¡¯s get started¡± he meant business, literally, hunting was his job after all. Before the two of them entered the forest, Gerald checked the bow which he¡¯d carried in his left hand, and the three arrows he¡¯d brought in his right hand. He¡¯d checked before they came, hence why he left the house early, however, as someone who hunted for a living, he saw no reason to not check again.

    A loose or damaged bow would just be deadweight, and the same could be said for the arrows Gerald had brought, if they weren''t straight, or weren''t the correct stiffness, they wouldn''t hit the target. Although not often thought about, when using a bow and arrow there was the obvious issue of how an archer was meant to hit a target, but more specifically how they could hit a target when between them and the target was a bow. Modern research had answered this and called it the archer¡¯s paradox, however to Gerald, he knew the answer to this from experience.

    An experienced archer would know how flexible their arrows needed to be, and so he was able to gauge if the arrows he had on hand would be suitable for hunting. He needed his bow and arrow to work together since no arrow was a good match for every bow, and vice versa.

    Having finished checking his bow and arrow, and feeling satisfied that they would be good enough, Gerald set to unsheathing the knife he had tied around his waist. It wasn¡¯t a large blade, but was good enough for cutting the skin off whatever he had caught. Feeling satisfied once again because he deemed the knife was useable, he sheathed it.

    Lewis had watched the whole time Gerald did his inspection, and had felt quite proud to know the man before him was his dad. The look of concentration in Gerald''s eyes as he went over his bow, each arrow, and his knife had made Lewis feel that he really was watching a genuine expert of an art, which he was.

    ¡®I guess I still have awhile to go until I¡¯m fully acquainted with the whole ¡°medieval¡± way of life.¡¯

    ¡°Alright everything¡¯s in order, time to hunt!¡± said Gerald, holding his fist out to Lewis.

    Lewis gave it a light bump, and they entered the forest.

    Around 10 minutes later, Lewis and Gerald stopped their walk into the forest. They hadn¡¯t walked that far since Lewis could still only walk so far with his short legs before he started to get tired. Gerald didn¡¯t want to push Lewis to walk far either, he was still only 11 months old so the fact he¡¯d walked for so long on rough terrain covered in foliage was impressive enough for Gerald.

    ¡°Alright Lewis, we gotta be quiet now, or we might scare off our dinner,¡± whispered Gerald into Lewis¡¯ right ear.

    Lewis simply nodded his head, acknowledging what Gerald had said.

    The two of them had stopped next to a small clearing in the forest, and Gerald had setup some bait to try attract a deer in the clearing. It was a good spot according to Gerald.

    Supposedly it could take some time for anything to show up, and so Gerald had them go and lay bait at a couple more locations he knew of to try and increase their chances of attracting something. Lewis just agreed with whatever Gerald wanted to do, seeing as his dad was the expert of the two in hunting.

    It took around 40 minutes to lay all the bait, and now Lewis and Gerald were sitting behind a few bushes, around 30 metres from the clearing in silence. Gerald hadn¡¯t said much once he¡¯d gotten serious, and used hand signals instead.

    ¡®Never thought my dad was the kind of person who could get serious.¡¯

    A tap on Lewis¡¯ left shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts, and brought his attention to the animal which had wandered into the clearing. The animal was a deer, and it was being very cautious as it slowly stepped towards the bait.

    Even the slightest movement or sound would alert the animal.

    The deer continued to be extra vigilant as it moved towards the bait lying in the center of the clearing. The deer wasn¡¯t as stupid as Lewis had thought it would be, it didn¡¯t just stroll right into the clearing and start eating, but instead was making sure it was safe. It was aware of the fact that the situation it was walking into was suspicious.

    Lewis realised that Gerald hadn¡¯t actually tapped his shoulder, but instead had grabbed his shoulder to tell him to not move.

    ¡®Well played.¡¯

    The deer started to move towards the bait, convinced that its surrounding were safe. It now wanted to check the bait which had attracted it to the clearing. When it approached the bait lying on the ground, it bent its neck and started to check it with its sense of smell. Finally, the deer looked pleased that everything was safe, and started to eat.

    Lewis felt Gerald remove his hand from his shoulder.

    The deer¡¯s head was down as it ate the bait, but it was still alert, and ready to bolt away at any sign of danger.

    Gerald slowly grasped the arrow he had left notched in his bow. He had to make sure he didn¡¯t move too quickly or make too much noise.

    The deer hadn¡¯t reacted to Gerald¡¯s action, so he continued.

    Gradually pulling back on the bowstring to build up tension, Gerald drew the bowstring back until it was fully drawn. Once he¡¯d done this he slowly started to stand to get a clear shot of the deer''s vitals.

    Lining up the shoot with the deer¡¯s vitals with the goal of a quick and painless kill Gerald let the arrow fly.

    Whoosh-

    The arrow flew straight towards the deer, making a loud thwack when it hit.

    The deer dropped dead instantly, the arrow pierced right through its heart.

    ¡°Wow, that was cool,¡± said Lewis.

    ¡°Haha! It is isn¡¯t it Lewis?¡± said Gerald.

    ¡°Yeh.¡±

    Gerald walked over to where the deers dead body laid, Lewis following after him. Gerald had some rope on hand so tied the deer''s legs together. He then proceeded to pick the deer up and carry it on his back.

    ¡®Like a backpack¡­ that¡¯s smart. Though how much does that thing weigh? Jeez.¡¯

    Gerald showed no signs of strain as he carried the deer on his back which had led to Lewis¡¯ amazement at how the man carried the deer so easily.

    ¡®Are there some physics I¡¯m missing here? Cause that things looks heavy as hell.¡±

    With the deer loaded on Gerald''s back the two of them started their walk back to the village. On the way back, once they¡¯d left the forest, Gerald struck up a conversation.

    ¡°So, what do you think about becoming a hunter?¡±

    The question was unexpected and made Lewis stop for a moment.

    ¡°It¡¯d be cool, I guess¡± said Lewis.

    Lewis was a bit soft hearted, in that he didn¡¯t really like the idea of killing things for a living. However, he did find the way at which Gerald hunted to be appealing. Gerald had made killing look like an art, not a job, each and every step from notching an arrow to letting it fly had felt graceful and efficient. The deer was killed before it could feel any pain, and no excess motions had been made.

    Unlike Ella who showed proficiency in a wide array of skills, Gerald showed the opposite. He had showed Lewis the beauty of a single skill which had been mastered through time and practice, such that it had been streamlined and trimmed down to perfection.

    For Lewis who had never dedicated himself to anything to such a degree, it sounded insane that his dad was asking him if he wanted to become a hunter.

    ¡°You guess?¡± asked Gerald.

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know if I could do it,¡± said Lewis. ¡°Setting traps, shooting a bow¡­ killing. I don¡¯t think I could do it. Especially the killing.¡±

    Gerald stopped walking to look Lewis in the eye.

    ¡°You sound more like you¡¯re trying to convince yourself you can¡¯t do it Lewis,¡± said Gerald.

    ¡°No I¡¯m-¡±

    ¡°You see, settings traps and shooting a bow, those skills only take time and practice, anyone could do it¡± said Gerald. ¡°But killing¡­ that¡¯s different, whether you¡¯ve got what it takes to end a life is something only you can really know. You¡¯re a special kid Lewis, I can see it in your eyes. If you don¡¯t want to be a hunter you don¡¯t have to, but I can still teach you the skills?¡±

    ¡®He¡¯s a good guy, not forcing me to do anything I don¡¯t want to. Plus I take it this trip was actually so he could ask me this. Wonder if Mum knew?¡¯ thought Lewis.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to learn how to shoot a bow Dad, and setting traps sounds cool as well,¡± said Lewis, this time with much more confidence.

    ¡°Great! We can¡¯t do much until you get a bit older, but for now you can just come out with me occasionally to get an idea of things.¡±

    ¡°That makes it a deal then,¡± said Lewis, extending his fist out towards Gerald.

    ¡°Haha! Deal,¡± said Gerald, lightly touching his fist against Lewis¡¯.

 Chapter four

    ¡°Happy Birthday Lewis!!¡±

    Those are the words Lewis¡¯ parents had shouted the second he woke up, after which his parents had ushered him to come sit inbetween them around the table in their home.

    ¡®How do they know it¡¯s my birthday? We don¡¯t own a calendar¡­¡¯

    Before Lewis could voice what he was thinking, his parents answered for him.

    ¡°I know you¡¯re probably wondering how we know it¡¯s your birthday, well-¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been checking at the guild outpost in Raydin every month to keep track,¡± said Gerald, his interruption earning him a playful smack on the back of his head from Ella.

    In the Kingdom of Fricia every child which was born had to be registered at the central guild or an outpost on the same day, failure to do so could mean your child may not even be considered a citizen of the kingdom. Lewis was lucky his family had a guild outpost in a nearby town to register him at, he would¡¯ve had a harsh, and probably nonexistent life if not for it.

    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me Darling,¡± said Ella, adding a mocking tone to the last word. ¡°But it¡¯s as your dad says Lewis.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s creepy how well you know me,¡± said Lewis.

    The smile on Lewis¡¯ parents faces widened.

    ¡°Of course we¡¯d know you well! We¡¯re your parents Lewis,¡± said Ella.

    A smile formed on Lewis¡¯ face as well.

    ¡®No one¡¯s ever known me that well before,¡¯ thought Lewis, his smile fading just a bit.

    ¡°Thanks for wishing me happy birthday,¡± said Lewis, feeling somewhat awkward. ¡°So what¡¯s the date? I wana know when I was born.¡±

    ¡°7th of July, you¡¯re a year old now Lewis!¡± said Gerald.

    ¡°We prepared you something as well, close your eyes,¡± said Ella.

    On Ella¡¯s command Lewis closed his eyes, and just to be sure the surprise wasn¡¯t ruined Ella even went as far as to gently cover his eyes with her hands. Although Ella tried to be gentle, Lewis could feel the coarse skin of Ella¡¯s hands, a result of her working hard everyday.

    ¡®I feel kinda bad being taken care of while they work everyday.¡¯

    The thought reminded Lewis of a boy with midnight black hair, and dark brown eyes who¡¯d done exactly that for his whole, albeit short, life.

    ¡®I¡¯m a different person now,¡¯ thought Lewis, though he himself didn¡¯t feel convinced by his thoughts.

    Could a person really change, or were some things about a person stuck with them forever?

    The creaking sound of a door closing signified whoever had left the room had come back in. Lewis hadn¡¯t noticed anyone leaving to begin with, or Ella removing her hands from his eyes since he was so deep in thought.

    He soon realised that someone had been trying to speak to him for awhile now.

    ¡°Lewis! Lewis!!¡± said Ella, her voice getting slightly louder with each instance of Lewis¡¯ name she called.

    ¡°Huh?¡± said Lewis, waking up from his thoughts.

    ¡°You can open your eyes Lewis,¡± said Ella.

    When Lewis opened his eyes he turned his head to the right to look at his mother, her forehead was slightly wrinkled, and she looked right back at him, straight into his eyes.

    ¡®She must be worried, how long was she calling my name?¡¯

    ¡°Are you feeling well Lewis?¡± said Gerald, his voice was laced with concern.

    ¡°Yeh, I was just thinking, sorry to worry you guys,¡± said Lewis.

    Ella and Gerald decided to leave it at that, they didn¡¯t dismiss it, but saw no point in trying to force Lewis to talk. He¡¯d talk to them when he felt ready.

    Considering Ella and Gerald had accepted the fact their now 1 year old son could speak fluently, and seemed to know a lot of things they hadn¡¯t taught him, it wasn¡¯t that far fetched to them that Lewis had other differences.

    ¡°Alright well, guess what we got for you Lewis!¡± said Ella, trying to quickly lighten the mood in the room.

    ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡®I¡¯d rather not hurt their feelings and guess something they couldn¡¯t afford. Plus, I don¡¯t really know what kinds of gifts people give in this world.¡¯

    Gerald was standing in front of Lewis and Ella at the opposite side of the table holding what Lewis took as his present behind his back.

    ¡®I¡¯m curious if it¡¯s me or Dad who is more excited for this gift, given the massive grin he¡¯s wearing.¡¯

    ¡°Ok Lewis, get ready!¡± said Gerald.

    The man¡¯s positive attitude really was infectious, and Lewis found himself getting pumped for the reveal of his gift.

    In the blink of an eye Gerald laid the objects he was holding behind his back onto the table.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± said Lewis, his mouth hanging open, and his eyes scanning over the items which had been laid before him.

    One of the objects were made from a single piece of wood which had been curved into a shape that resembled the letter C, except the center of the C had been curved inwards creating a straight platform someone could grip it with their hands. The two ends had been curved slightly outwards and had also been tied to each other by a stiff string made of hemp.

    The other object was infact three of the same object. They were straight wooden shafts of moderate length which had been given tips that were sharpened and covered in metal, on the ends of the shafts were feathers arranged symmetrically around the shaft.

    Needless to say the objects which had been laid on the table in front of Lewis as his gift were¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s a bow and arrow Lewis! Ella and I got it for you on my last trip to Raydin,¡± said Gerald. ¡°We thought that it¡¯d be okay for me to start teaching you how to shoot.¡±

    ¡®So this is why Dad is so happy¡­ well it makes sense, he did seem really into the idea of teaching me.¡±

    Lewis moved his hand towards the bow, but looked at his parents to confirm it was ok for him to go on.

    ¡°Go ahead Lewis,¡± said Ella, a smile now on her face as well.

    Lewis lifted the bow off the table with his right hand.

    ¡®It¡¯s a lot lighter than I expected.¡¯

    With the bow in hand, Lewis inspected it more closely for anything he¡¯d missed. He felt a mark on the outside of the bow as he moved his hands over it, and checked it with his eyes to get an idea of what this potential imperfection could be.

    On the body of the bow were the words ¡°Lewis Wulf¡± lightly carved into the wood, this brought a smile to Lewis¡¯ face.

    ¡°I hope you like it Lewis,¡± said Ella, ¡°Unlike your father I don¡¯t know a thing about bows so he choose the bow, but I still wanted to add something of my own.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Mum and Dad, they¡¯re beautiful. So when do I start learning?¡± said Lewis, eager to use his new bow.

    ¡°I can start teaching you on our usual outings Lewis,¡± said Gerald. ¡°I¡¯ll have you shooting flies in no time!¡±

    The smile on Lewis¡¯ face faded a little bit in light of Gerald''s goal.

    ¡®He isn¡¯t serious is he?¡¯

    ¡°Gerald don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± said Ella, rolling her eyes. She didn¡¯t want Lewis to feel pressured by Geralds expectations.

    ¡°Haha! You¡¯re right Honey!¡± said Gerald, taking a slight pause to breath, ¡°I¡¯ll have him shooting the WINGS off flies in no time!¡±

    ¡®Errr¡­¡¯

    Lewis and Ella closed their eyes and sighed at the same time. Ella placed her hand on Lewis¡¯ back, drawing his attention.

    ¡°Just enjoy yourself Lewis, your dad¡¯s just acting like his usual self,¡± said Ella.

    ¡°Thanks, I will Mum,¡± said Lewis.

    The rest of the day continued as normal with Lewis accompanying Ella as she worked, except whenever a villager spotted him they¡¯d stop to wish him happy birthday for a moment.

    ¡®A small village isn¡¯t that bad.¡¯

    (Break)

    In between Eston and the forest south of it a boy with midnight black hair, and dark brown eyes was standing straight. The boy held a bow and arrow, and was trying to hit a target 10 metres ahead of him. Behind the boy stood a much taller man with dark brown hair and light brown eyes.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Keep trying Lewis!¡± said Gerald.

    ¡®Having grown up in a suburb of a major city, I never thought I¡¯d be doing this.¡¯

    Lewis had been shooting non-stop for around 10 minutes, so was feeling a bit tired. The fact his target, which was actually just a tree trunk, didn¡¯t have a single mark on it wasn¡¯t helping his morale either. This was Lewis¡¯ first lesson from Gerald, and so far, Lewis felt disappointed.

    ¡°So you just want me to keep shooting?¡± said Lewis.

    ¡°Yup!¡± said Gerald.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t he going to help me?!¡¯

    Even though Lewis hadn¡¯t hit the tree trunk even once with an arrow, Gerald hadn¡¯t said a thing other than to ¡°keep going.¡± Gerald simply stood behind Lewis and watched as he tried to hit the tree trunk.

    Lewis choose to suck it up for a bit longer, and picked up another arrow to load into his bow.

    The arrows Lewis was using weren''t the ones he¡¯d been given for his birthday, but were really just straight wooden shafts with a sharpened tip. According to Gerald they were perfectly fine for training, and it would be better that they don¡¯t damage Lewis¡¯ other arrows which were quite costly for their family.

    The arrows weren¡¯t the best, but for hitting a target only 10 metres away, Gerald believed there would be no issues.

    Lewis nocked the arrow, drawed the bowstring back, and released. The arrow made a slight whooshing sound but there was no thump to accompany it.

    ¡®Missed, again. Totally didn¡¯t see that coming.¡¯

    Lewis wasn¡¯t missing the tree by much, which didn¡¯t help to cool his emotions down at all. Since he was so close to hitting his target every time, it only acted to make him feel even angrier with each shot.

    Lewis stopped for a moment and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. Having calmed down a little he picked up another arrow.

    ¡®A few tips or something would be nice Dad¡­¡¯

    Lewis continued to repeat the cycle of loading an arrow, drawing the bowstring back, releasing, and missing the tree trunk until he¡¯d had enough.

    ¡°I give up! I can¡¯t hit it,¡± said Lewis, throwing a tantrum.

    ¡°Alright then,¡± said Gerald.

    ¡°Alright then?! Is that it?!¡± exclaimed Lewis. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help me?¡±

    ¡°I was going to, but you never asked,¡± said Gerald. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask for help when you were clearly frustrated?¡±

    Gerald''s words made Lewis stop before saying anything else.

    ¡®He knew I was getting pissed off that whole time! Why didn¡¯t he help me?!¡¯

    ¡®Well?¡± said Gerald, pressing Lewis for an answer.

    ¡°I thought you would¡¯ve stepped in on your own,¡± said Lewis, in a calmer tone than before.

    Gerald knelt down and looked Lewis in the eye.

    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t lie to people Lewis, and you really shouldn¡¯t lie to yourself either,¡± said Gerald. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with asking for help, so why didn¡¯t you ask?¡±

    Lewis scratched his nose, he felt nervous since Gerald had seen right through what he¡¯d tried to do.

    ¡°Um... I just can¡¯t,¡± said Lewis, quitely. ¡°I guess I find it hard to ask for help¡­¡±

    ¡°Why do you find it hard?¡± said Gerald.

    ¡°I just do, okay?¡± said Lewis, he¡¯d had enough of the discussion and just wanted to move on.

    ¡®What kind of teaching methods are these? It¡¯s stupid.¡¯

    With the mood between the two males ruined, Gerald decided to just move on as well. He wanted to at least end the lesson on good terms with his son.

    ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter I suppose, sorry for pressing on you,¡± said Gerald. ¡°How about we get started with the lessons? Still up to it?¡±

    ¡°Yeh, it¡¯s fine,¡± said Lewis. ¡°And I¡¯ll just take a break first.¡±

    Lewis took a seat on the ground, however he held onto his bow, worried that he could damage it.

    Gerald smiled, happy to know his son hadn¡¯t completely given up on archery or him.

    ¡°Yeh, I think a break would be good. Take your time Lewis,¡± said Gerald, taking a seat on the ground beside his son.

    Lewis and Gerald sat in silence. Both of them opted to clear their heads of any thoughts, and simply relax. They did this for approximately 15 minutes, after which Lewis then asked Gerald a question.

    ¡°Dad.¡±

    ¡°Yes Lewis?¡±

    ¡°How were you and Mum able to afford a bow and arrow? No offense intended of course.¡±

    From Lewis¡¯ talks with Ella he¡¯d found out that weapons weren''t cheap, but despite Ella not knowing much about bows, she knew the exact price of them. ¡®Probably because her husband is a hunter and she manages the money,¡¯ thought Lewis at the time.

    A bow cost at least 7 silver pieces, however Lewis¡¯ family only earned 8 copper per month. One silver piece equals ten copper pieces. Obviously they couldn¡¯t save it all for 9 months to get 7 silver pieces, so he¡¯d been curious how his family still bought the bow. He¡¯d only been alive for 12 months so they couldn¡¯t have known to start saving earlier either.

    ¡°Oh, haha, it¡¯s a good question Lewis, no offense taken,¡± said Gerald. ¡°You see, I¡¯ve known the merchant in Raydin who sells them for 5, maybe 6, years now. Anyway, we¡¯re good friends, so he gave me a big discount on the bow and arrows we bought you. He also let me have all those arrows you were shooting at no charge.

    So basically, we couldn¡¯t afford the bow and arrow Lewis. But, since I asked my friend to help he was happy to drop the price,¡± said Gerald.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± said Lewis.

    ¡°Huh? Sorry for what Lewis?¡± said Gerald, genuinely puzzled by Lewis¡¯ apology.

    ¡°For being a brat,¡± said Lewis. ¡°You had a completely valid point before, I should have asked for help instead of throwing a tantrum.¡±

    Gerald took a brief pause before saying anything, surprised at Lewis¡¯ sudden apology.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re only a year old,¡± said Gerald, looking up at the reddening sky. ¡°Some people go their whole lives lying to themselves and others you know? You should be proud of yourself Lewis, I definitely am proud of you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Lewis, feeling a bit awkward from Gerald¡¯s praise.

    Gerald stood up and dusted himself off, before lifting Lewis up off the ground and embracing the boy in a hug from behind.

    Into Lewis¡¯ ear, Gerald whispered, ¡°Try not to grow up too fast though Lewis, or you might leave your mother and I behind.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d never do that,¡± said Lewis.

    Gerald put Lewis down, spinning him in the air so they were facing one another eye to eye.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you would, but your mother and I know there¡¯s something different about you Lewis.¡± said Gerald, taking a short pause. ¡°Believe me, or don¡¯t, but I can see it in your eyes as well. There¡¯s a storm raging in there, and when it comes out it¡¯s taking you with it.¡±

    ¡®What the hell is he talking about?¡¯

    ¡°Uh, sure¡­¡± said Lewis, not entirely convinced by Gerald¡¯s supposed ability to read people''s eyes.

    The sky had turned a grand shade of scarlet whilst Lewis and Gerald talked, the end of daylight slowly approaching.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we head on home instead Lewis? It¡¯s gonna get dark soon anyway,¡± said Gerald, not seeing much point in him trying to teach Lewis in the dark.

    ¡°Yeh, that sounds like a good idea.¡±

    Gerald started walking back towards the village, which was roughly 120 metres away, but halted when he realised Lewis wasn¡¯t moving. Lewis was still standing where the two had been talking, having not moved at all.

    ¡°Lewis what¡¯s wrong?¡± said Gerald, assuming his son had another issue he wanted to discuss.

    Lewis squirmed a little, feeling nervous.

    ¡°Uh... think I could get a piggyback ride?¡± said Lewis, struggling to get the words out; honestly, Lewis was feeling tired and wouldn¡¯t mind a ride home.

    Gerald chuckled, happy to know his son wasn¡¯t growing up that fast.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

 Chapter five

    Whoosh-

    An arrow flew through the air, but before it could land¡­

    Whoosh-

    The sound of another arrow being shot could be heard.

    A tree, roughly 80 metres away from the shooter was the intended destination of the arrows. Covered in an innumerable amount of scratches and dents, the tree had clearly been used as a target countless times before.

    Arcing towards their target, the arrows flew undisturbed by the wind, that is, until two thumps could be heard as the arrows penetrated through the trees bark.

    Lewis stood at the edge of Eston holding his bow and one more arrow. He wasn¡¯t using sharpened wooden shafts anymore, but instead had turned to using his other arrows with metal tips and feather fletching. The wooden arrows simply lacked the penetration power to pierce the trees bark once he¡¯d started to increase the range he shot at.

    A year and a half had passed since Lewis¡¯ first birthday, making him now two and a half years old, and with Gerald as his teacher, Lewis had improved his archery skills significantly. No longer did Gerald even try to teach Lewis anything, he¡¯d reached the point where the only thing he could do to get better was practice.

    With his last arrow in hand, Lewis loaded it into his bow, drew the bowstring back, and released. The arrow made the familiar whooshing sound and flew through the air towards his target.

    ¡®That should be enough for today.¡¯

    The arrow hit its target with the usual thump, and Lewis started his walk to the tree to collect his arrows.

    Unlike the previous schedule Lewis lived his days by, he now was free to wander about on his own. So long as he stayed near Eston and didn¡¯t enter the forest he effectively had free rein over what he did everyday.

    Due to Lewis¡¯ astounding maturity his parents were very willing to let him wander about on his own, but naturally it came with a couple restraints to ensure he stayed safe. Lewis had no issues obliging though, freedom didn¡¯t come without cost, and it was a very small price to pay from his point of view.

    Arriving at the tree, Lewis took a look at his arrows. Each of them had cut through the tree¡¯s bark with ease, and were lodged close to 4 cm into the tree''s trunk. Considering the distance he¡¯d shot from, it was an impressive amount of force, and the fact Lewis was only 2 and a half years old made it all the more impressive.

    However, Lewis¡¯ archery skills were still far from perfect, and even further from matching Gerald¡¯s own abilities. The arrows were scattered around the tree¡¯s trunk in a seemingly random pattern, and it had been like this ever since Lewis made the jump from practicing at 70 metres, to practicing at 80.

    Lewis had nailed a square piece of timber to the tree¡¯s trunk, and on it had scratched the outline of a small circle with a radius of around 2 centimetres to act as a makeshift bullseye. Although it wasn¡¯t perfect it worked well enough for his purposes. In his practice once he reached the point he could continuously hit within the bullseye, whilst still shooting as fast as he could, he would consider extending the distance he shot from.

    Speed, accuracy, and distance. Those were the things Lewis wanted to improve, and this method allowed him to do them all at the same time.

    Pursuing improvement in all three of these at the same time may sound silly, but in Lewis¡¯ head, there was no other option. After the talk Lewis had with Gerald on his first archery lesson he no longer believed he¡¯d drawn the short straw, no, he¡¯d drawn the longest one of them all.

    ¡®This is my chance to change, to redeem myself, and live life to the fullest,¡¯ is what Lewis had thought at the time.

    With two loving and understanding parents, Lewis effectively would be able to pursue whatever he liked, and he had no doubts that no matter what he pursued his parents would support him, despite their families economic deficit.

    However, that wasn¡¯t the only reason why he rushed to improve.

    Ella had given birth to another child six months ago, a baby girl who they¡¯d named Luna. With the cost of taking care of Lewis already pushing his family''s income to its limit, Lewis was fully aware there would be monetary issues with the addition of another family member. The only method Lewis knew of that he could use to help his family was to hunt, if he could help feed his family, he could help alleviate monetary issues his family would face.

    His parents wouldn¡¯t allow him to enter the forest on his own where all the animals stayed, and hence he couldn¡¯t help yet. However, if he could improve his abilities and make his parents trust he would be safe, he may be allowed to hunt on his own.

    Having checked his arrows and removed them from the tree, Lewis started to walk home as the sun went down.

    ¡®Hopefully my parents control their urges a bit better, our family really can¡¯t afford another child.¡¯

    Truth be told, Lewis didn¡¯t even know how his parents found the time to fulfil their needs since they were working most of the time. Of course he had no intention of enquiring as to how they found the time, such a conversation would be far too awkward for Lewis, and probably his parents as well.

    Nearing Eston, Lewis took a look around. Compared to the wreckage it had been when Lewis was born, a lot had changed.

    There were now 6 square wooden huts which all faced inward towards the center of the village. The huts were all the same, and had just one room with a floor space of 4 by 4 metres and walls at 2 metres. Each hut had a tent-like thatched roof and so the ceiling height was a bit higher than 2 metres at some points.

    ¡®Looks boring as usual, the only good thing is the big campfire in the middle.¡¯

    Indeed, the only thing about Eston which stood out as unique was the large campfire in its centre. The fire was lit during the night to help keep animals away whilst everyone slept, and worked quite well as it also worked as a source of heat and light during the night.

    Walking towards his family''s home, Lewis spotted a middle aged woman with the same brunette hair and dark brown eyes as his mother standing by the campfire.

    ¡°Ah, Lewis! Haven¡¯t seen you in awhile, I heard you¡¯re getting quite good at archery?¡± said the woman.

    ¡°Oh, hey Maria, I¡¯ve been practicing every day so I guess you could say I¡¯m alright at it,¡± said Lewis, preferring to stay modest.

    The woman Lewis was speaking to was the same woman who had helped deliver his birth, and wasn¡¯t an actual member of the village. She lived in Raydin, but occasionally came down to Eston to check on the village and its populace.

    ¡°Haha, be a little prouder than that Lewis! I heard from Gerald that it¡¯ll only be a year or two at most until you surpass even him,¡± said Maria, refusing to let Lewis downplay his skills.

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious I¡¯m not-¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, ¡± - Maria waved her finger in the air moving it left and right with each tsk - ¡°you need to be more confident Lewis! If you behave like that you¡¯ll always get overlooked,¡± said Maria, taking a short pause to think. ¡°and you¡¯ll never get a girl around your arm either.¡±

    Stolen story; please report.

    Lewis rolled his eyes and sighed, it wasn¡¯t the first time Maria had said such a thing.

    ¡®I see where my dad gets it from.¡¯

    Maria Wulf was Gerald¡¯s mother, and by nature also Lewis¡¯ grandmother. Although Maria was only around her mid forties, so didn¡¯t look very old for a grandmother by Lewis¡¯ standards.

    ¡®Guess everyone has a family much younger in this world,¡¯ is what Lewis had thought when he first learnt who the woman was.

    Ella herself was testament to what Lewis had thought, she was only in her early twenties and so was Gerald, and hence Lewis would¡¯ve been born when Ella was still very young by his own standards. His mother was practically around the age he would¡¯ve been if not for his death, which made him feel a bit odd whenever he thought about her and Gerald as his parents.

    ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure that any girl I can get around my arm at this age is basically committing a crime¡­ so no thanks.¡¯

    ¡°Thanks Maria, I¡¯ll keep that in mind,¡± said Lewis, the sarcasm in his voice all too obvious.

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s a big world out there Lewis, you gotta at least try and leave your mark! Your father was just like you once, you know? But being my son I got him into shape, and now he¡¯s got your wonderful mother to keep him company,¡± said Maria, proud of her achievements.

    Lewis had to admit, Ella was an amazing woman so it was quite an achievement.

    ¡°Okay I get it, I¡¯ll keep it in mind,¡± said Lewis, he was honestly getting tired of having this conversation with Maria as she always brought it up when she visited.

    ¡°Perfect! Now I think your mum is calling for you so I¡¯ll see you some other time, goodnight Lewis,¡± said Maria.

    True to her word, Ella was standing in the doorway to Lewis¡¯ home waving her right hand to get his attention, and signal him to return home.

    ¡°Goodnight Maria.¡±

    Lewis and Maria parted ways, there was a spare hut in Eston used by visitors that Maria stayed in. This also effectively meant it was used only by Maria since no one ever visited Eston.

    Stepping through the door to his family''s home Lewis greeted his parents whilst putting his bow and arrows down beside where he slept. His parents were sitting around the table in the middle of the room, and on the table were 3 bowls, one for each person. Luna didn¡¯t eat solid foods yet and so there was nothing for her.

    ¡°I¡¯m back, how are you Mum and Dad?¡±

    ¡°Oh we¡¯re fine, just the usual day, how about you Lewis?¡± said Ella, responding for herself and Gerald.

    ¡°Same here, usual talk with Maria on my way back as well,¡± said Lewis.

    Gerald snickered, knowing exactly what the talks probably involved.

    ¡°Ah, well Luna is sleeping right now so it¡¯ll just be the three of us for tonight,¡± said Ella.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going to wake her?¡± said Lewis, taking a look at his sister sleeping in the corner of the room.

    ¡°Definitely not, you know how hard it is to get her to sleep.¡±

    Lewis hadn¡¯t noticed earlier, but Ella seemed to be quite tired from taking care of Luna today. Unlike Lewis his sister was normal with regard to her development, and hadn¡¯t started talking yet; however, she was also harder for Ella to manage because she behaved her age and wasn¡¯t able to take care of herself like Lewis could.

    ¡°Good point.¡±

    Lewis sat down beside the table and everyone started eating, his parents had waited for him before they ate.

    They all ate in silence, the day proving to have been quite tiring for everyone. Gerald had been working as a lumberjack with the rest of the villagers a lot more, and so was also physically very tired.

    Only the light of a single candle on the table which illuminated the room kept them entertained, and when they all finished eating, the candle was blown out, signaling the end of the day for the Wulf family.

    Well, it should have been.

    At the dead of night, a voice snuck into Lewis¡¯ ear, pulling him from his slumber.

    [Wake up.]

    On command, Lewis¡¯ eyelids crawled open, and covering his mouth with his hand, he quietly yawned. ¡®It¡¯s morning already? No¡­ it¡¯s too dark. Who woke me up then?¡¯

    [Come outside.]

    Lewis tried to look around the room but couldn¡¯t spot the speaker. Having been awoken in the middle of the night by an unknown voice, he was alert.

    ¡°Hello¡­?¡± said Lewis, warily.

    There was no response.

    Lewis¡¯ family hadn¡¯t woken, though he doubted they would anyway. The voice he heard was just that, a voice only he could hear. Although he didn¡¯t have the time to think about this himself, he wasn¡¯t sure if waking his parents up would be a good idea. ¡®What if my parents get hurt?¡¯

    Unsure of what to do, Lewis decided it would be best to wake up his parents. If he was just hearing things, then they¡¯d just console him, but if he wasn¡¯t, then whatever was outside he doubted he could handle on his own.

    [That won¡¯t work, I have already secured our conversation.]

    ¡®What the fuck do they mean by secured?! They haven¡¯t hurt my parents have they?!¡¯

    [Sorry -] - the voice stopped before they said their next word, choosing to omit it, - [I had to ensure everyone in the village stayed asleep, which included your family.]

    Lewis was stunned, had the person speaking to him just responded to his thoughts? He decided to take a gamble and try the same thing he had tried a while ago, except slightly differently.

    [Hello¡­?] said Lewis, in his thoughts.

    [Good, you pick up on things quickly, now please come outside.]

    [Why?]

    [Would you rather I come inside?]

    Lewis got the feeling that the threat was a bluff, but he couldn¡¯t risk his family getting hurt.

    He didn¡¯t even consider using his bow. Although he had confidence in his abilities, he didn¡¯t think he could beat someone in a real battle. Especially when he didn¡¯t even know what he would be fighting. Thus, his options had run out.

    [I¡¯m coming out, ok?] said Lewis, whilst opening the door.

 Chapter six

    Stepping out into the cool midnight air and closing the door behind him, Lewis stared at the being before him.

    He gulped.

    Less than a metre away, a pitch black wolf stood at its full height, staring straight at him.

    Face to face with the wolf, he realised just how vulnerable he really was, and his instincts screamed at him to do something. To run, hide, anything that meant getting away from the wolf. However...

    [I¡¯m not going to hurt you.]

    At the same time the wolf stepped back, and lowered its head, bowing to him, before standing back up.

    Slowly raising his right hand, Lewis pointed at the wolf.

    ¡°Are you the -,¡± - Lewis stopped for a split second, worried on what to call the wolf - ¡°one who¡¯s been talking to me?¡±

    [Correct. Please accept my apology for causing you such distress, and thank you for coming out.]

    Lewis didn¡¯t see himself in a position to not accept the apology, so quietly said...

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    [Thank you.]

    The wolf went silent as it examined Lewis, its golden eyes which glowed ever so slightly in the dark made him feel uncomfortable. Like food being appraised by a critic. Once the wolf had finished looking him over, it settled its gaze on his eyes, looking straight into him.

    [You don¡¯t know who I am do you?]

    This time, Lewis felt that the wolf was sad, as if it had wished he would recognise it. However, there had been no change in the sound of its voice. Lewis didn¡¯t know why he felt this way.

    ¡°No, sorry.¡±

    [I see... well, I¡¯m a familiar of the human responsible for you being brought here. You wouldn¡¯t know what a familiar is though, I presume?]

    ¡°No...¡±

    Lewis had questions of his own, but restrained himself. It was rather easy when the other individual was a big bad wolf.

    [Well, I am, put simply, a companion. As to why I¡¯m here? The person who I serve is absent, and without them nearby I cannot survive in this world for much longer. You are their chosen substitute, and to get to the point, I need mana. Now.]

    The feeling that the wolf wasn¡¯t telling him the entire truth permeated through him. Most notably, he got a very stressed feeling when the words ¡°absent¡± and ¡°chosen¡± were said, but, still under the wolf''s gaze, he didn¡¯t dare ask questions.

    Slightly hesitating before he responded, Lewis said what he believed.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got the wrong person, I can¡¯t give you any ma-¡±

    [When you spoke to me in that hut of yours, you were using mana. So yes you can.]

    ¡°You were reading my mind or something I wasn-¡±

    [I wasn¡¯t reading you mind, you were communicating with me using mana. As a mage it simply comes naturally to you, I do not have time to explain in detail so listen to me.]

    ¡°The-Then how did you know I was worried about my parents? I never told you that.¡±

    [I can explain everything after I get mana, for now just listen.]

    Desperation pervaded Lewis¡¯ mind at the wolf''s last word, and coupled with his previous feelings from talking to the wolf, he suspected that this wasn¡¯t his own emotions flaring up. However, the desperation washed through his body, threatening to make him collapse in despair. Managing to barely control himself, Lewis continued to stand, albeit shakily.

    [Your mana hasn¡¯t fully awakened so I will have to forcibly release it, after which the infusion will be simple enough.]

    ¡°Wait forcibl-!?¡±

    [Hold still.]

    With those words, Lewis¡¯ fears were confirmed.

    The wolf before him exposed its fangs, and with only the light from the campfire to illuminate them, they looked all the more ferocious. Taking a rapid step forward, the wolf lunged at Lewis¡¯ neck, breaking the gap between them in the blink of an eye.

    Stunned and unable to move, Lewis could only watch as the wolves canines closed in around his neck.

    Emotions stronger than he had ever felt before coursed through him. Fear, anger, sorrow, and regret overwhelmed him, forcing him to do nothing other than accept his death. But at the last second, Lewis closed his eyes, and had a single thought¡­

    ¡®I don¡¯t want to die.¡¯

    Lewis eyelids remained shut, waiting for the moment the wolf¡¯s fangs would bite down on his neck. However, a couple seconds passed, followed by a dozen more, and Lewis was left wondering why he was still standing.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    Slowly opening his eyes, and taking a look around, Lewis was bewildered. The wolf which had tried to attack him was nowhere to be seen.

    ¡®Thank God it¡¯s over.¡¯

    However crazy the ordeal had been, Lewis was simply happy to accept that it was over, and feeling mentally drained from event, he didn¡¯t want to question where the wolf had gone. Only one thing was on his mind.

    ¡®Time to get some sleep.¡¯

    Hoping that he could find some peace in sleep, and forget everything which had happened, even if only for a moment, Lewis took a step towards his home.

    However, he never finished that step, as before his foot even touched the ground, he collapsed from a sudden surge of fatigue. The world going black as he fell into dreamland.

    (Break)

    ¡°Sasha, draw the sigil.¡±

    ¡°Master, this is-¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking, now do it.¡±

    Lewis was having a dream, a very vivid dream, and he was looking through the eyes of the woman called Sasha.

    The man who had spoken, whom Sasha called her master, stood before her in a dark stone room, wearing a robe covered in strange markings. Surrounding the man was a large circle, and within it a star which he stood in the centre of. Each of the closed in regions of the shape had an unrecognizable symbol drawn inside, except for one region, the top of the star.

    From Lewis¡¯ view, Sasha hadn¡¯t moved, and was simply standing idle.

    ¡°Sasha!¡± said the man, warning her one last time to do what he¡¯d asked.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    Sasha knelt down, and started to draw another symbol Lewis couldn¡¯t recognise. He could see her hands shaking with each stroke of the white chalk she held.

    With one final stroke, Sasha stood up, and took a step back.

    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re sure that is the correct sigil?¡± said the man, looking Sasha in the eye.

    ¡°Yes,¡± said Sasha, after a slight pause.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The man continued to stare at Sasha, looking straight at Lewis in the process. Sasha looked back, unwavering as the man¡¯s eyes tried to bore into her. Seeing that Sasha wasn¡¯t fazed by his glaring, he moved on.

    ¡°Alright then¡­ we will begin the procedure.¡±

    Sasha let out a breath she¡¯d been holding, and bowed her head.

    ¡°Yes Master.¡±

    Lewis¡¯ dream cut off there, and he returned to a peaceful slumber for the rest of the night.

    (Break)

    ¡°...Urghhhh¡­¡±

    When Lewis woke up, he sluggishly opened his eyes, and flinched as the light hit his irises. Closing his eyes momentarily as he adjusted to the light, he gradually opened them again.

    Turning his head to take a look at where he was, he realised he was back in his room, rather than lying on the ground outside.

    ¡®How¡¯d I get back inside?¡¯

    He didn¡¯t have much time to think, as the familiar voice of Gerald interrupted his thoughts.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re awake Lewis! Sleep well? Haha.¡±

    Noting that the rest of his family was in the room as well after he¡¯d done a quick check, Lewis replied.

    ¡°Yeh, just feeling tired.¡±

    Lewis had a gnawing headache, and a very empty stomach. He could still recall the wolf which had woken him at night, and prevented him from getting more sleep, thus linked his condition to a simple lack of sleep.

    ¡°You must¡¯ve been really tired then Lewis, sun¡¯s already going down,¡± said Gerald.

    ¡®Huh?!¡¯

    ¡°What time is it?¡±

    ¡°Well as I said Lewis, the sun¡¯s already going down, so it¡¯s around dusk.¡±

    Gerald¡¯s reply got Lewis concerned. If what he¡¯d said was true then since he¡¯d been sleeping for almost 15 hours, even if he overcompensated for the time he¡¯d been awake during his encounter with the wolf.

    ¡®I need to check.¡¯

    Standing up and getting out of bed, Lewis walked to the door of his family''s home,  determined to check to see if the sun was indeed going down. Although he¡¯d tried to rush, his legs hurt and felt heavy so he only managed to walk at a normal pace.

    Opening the door and walking a mere metre outside, Lewis couldn¡¯t believe it. Even with the sight of a dusk sky before him.

    ¡®No way¡­¡¯

    ¡°Are you okay Lewis?¡± said Ella.

    Sleeping for most of the day, as well as suddenly waking up, only to rush out the door. It all had made Ella quite concerned.

    ¡°Yeh¡­¡± said Lewis. ¡°I just needed some fresh air, sorry to worry you.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine, if you¡¯re not feeling well just let me know, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeh I will, thanks.¡±

    Walking back inside, and closing the door behind him, Lewis sat down around the table with his parents. Three bowls had been placed down, indicating it was time for dinner.

    Picking up his bowl, Lewis had a single thought.

    ¡®What the fuck did that wolf do to me?!¡¯

    Devouring the contents of the bowl, Lewis still felt hungry, and staring at the empty bowl for a second too long, he put it down.

    ¡°Thanks Mum,¡± said Lewis, not using his hunger as any reason to be rude.

    Ella put up a smile and nodded her head to acknowledge what he¡¯d aid. However, on the inside, she felt disappointed in herself. She¡¯d seen Lewis devour the contents of his bowl, and then stare at it when empty. Knowing that her growing son was hungry, and that she couldn¡¯t give him anymore made her feel like a failure as his mother.

    ¡°Lewis,¡± said Ella.

    ¡°Yes Mum?¡±

    Instead of saying anything, Ella held her bowl out towards him, offering him her food.

    ¡®Shit, she noticed.¡¯

    Lewis now felt guilty for making Ella worry over him, and didn¡¯t know what to do. If he accepted the food, he¡¯d feel selfish for making his mum not eat. However, if he didn¡¯t accept the food, he knew his mum would continue to worry about him.

    ¡®I can¡¯t win in this position¡­¡¯

    Making a decision, Lewis voiced his solution.

    ¡°Um, how about we split it?¡±

    This was the only solution Lewis could think of that would be able to satisfy himself and Ella.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    Picking up his empty bowl, Lewis took half of what was in Ella¡¯s bowl and put it in his own.

    ¡°Thankyou,¡± said Lewis.

    The small scene between the two of them didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Gerald though, and Lewis found his dad putting a little of what he had left into his bowl as well. The sight of it made Lewis smile, no matter what his parents were always trying to look out for him.

    ¡°Thanks Dad.¡±

    ¡°Haha, Eat up!¡± said Gerald, patting him on the back.

    Eating the food he¡¯d been given by his parents more slowly than last time, Lewis almost forgot his previous concerns with the wolf. Almost. Once he finished eating, he excused himself to go outside and try search for the wolf.

    He needed answers.

    Yet, even though Lewis searched until the sky went dark, he couldn¡¯t find the wolf. He couldn¡¯t even find any trace of the wolf having been there to begin with.

    He tried speaking to the wolf in his head, like he had before, however that didn¡¯t earn him a response either. Whether he was doing it wrong, the wolf couldn¡¯t hear him, or was ignoring him, he didn¡¯t know.

    His search continued the next day, and the next day, but didn¡¯t yield any results whatsoever.

    ¡®I couldn¡¯t have imagined it, no way.¡¯

    Not only did Lewis need answers anymore, he also needed to confirm what he had seen. He needed evidence that his encounter with the wolf was real, not so much for others, but for himself, and his family was starting to notice his change in schedule as well.

    He was like a person who¡¯d claimed to have just seen an alien, or a UFO. Put simply, he couldn¡¯t let it go. But, whether Lewis wanted to let it go or not, he didn¡¯t have a choice, and in the end gave up his search after a whole week had passed.

    He didn¡¯t want to worry his family. Especially when Ella also had the stress of taking care of Luna.

    However, just to taunt him, on the first day after Lewis had given up his search, someone arrived at Eston.

    Someone who would change the way Lewis would live for the rest of his life.

 Chapter 1 rework, Need Opinions!

    Hello! Sorry this isn''t really a chapter but I didn''t know where else to put this, so moving along...

    After writing the first 6 chapters of my story, I''ve come to the conclusion that it sucks! But... in a good way! Since it was my first time writing (sorry for using that as an excuse) I didn''t have much of a plan or clear idea on what and how to write, but.... I''ve learnt a few more things from writing a bit (I hope) and so am looking to redo my story.

    Thus far I have restructured the first chapter and added what I think is called a prologue, thus I''m looking for some opinions on what I''ve done to see if I''m on the right track. Admittedly, I haven''t changed much, but I want to see if I''m on the right track.

    My goals for what I''ve done so far were to: be more interesting and try "hook" readers, and increase the pace of the story so I can get to the "good" bits faster.

    So opinions on whether I''ve achieved or come close to my goals are what I''d like, however any other opinions with regard to what I''ve written are welcome. I don''t mind harsh criticism if it''s constructive, so feel free to tell me it''s crap so long as you give me a reason! Thank you to anyone who replies!

    <hr />

    Prologue:

    In a dark and secluded room, a man laid on the ground with a woman standing a couple metres from him.

    ¡°What is this *gasp* Sasha! What did you do?!¡±

    ¡°No-nothing! I swear!¡±

    The man wore a dark robe, and was surrounded by an array of sigils which flashed haphazardly. Each flash illuminated the room for a split second, and simultaneously caused him to convulse, as he was wracked with pain that pulsed through his body.

    ¡°Do *gasp* something!¡±

    The man faced the woman, his eyes bloodshot, and threatening to pop out of their sockets.

    ¡°I-¡±

    The woman called Sasha covered her mouth out of instinct to prevent herself from puking, the convulsing form of the man proving to be far too repulsive for her.

    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±

    Taking another look at the man, his mouth now laid stretched open, and his skin had turned deathly pale. His body still convulsed with each flash, however he no longer spoke or gasped. It was if the life had been sucked out of him, and all that remained was his body, frozen in a position in which he would eternally be tormented.

    Sasha had only stood aside and watched. Unable, or perhaps unwilling to help the man as his very soul was torn from his body.

    ¡°Please forgive me¡­¡± said Sasha, her lips quivering.

    Turning to look away from her master¡¯s now lifeless body, Sasha left the room, and as she stepped out the door she said one last thing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡±

    <hr />

    Chapter 1 - The Start of Something:

    For the suburbs of a city it was a warm summer morning, the wind was blowing crisp air, and the sun was rising over the horizon. A simple scene which could definitely be described as tranquil.

    BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP -

    ¡°...Urrghhh¡­¡±

    Keyword being ¡°could.¡± If not for the sound of a grumbling youth being forced out of bed, one would be able to appreciate such a scene more. Sadly, this wasn¡¯t the case.

    The rustling of blankets brings attention back to the figure of the young man who is gradually, and without a doubt grumpily, coming to terms with the fact that he is being pulled into the world of the awake.

    In denial the youth covered himself up even more with his blanket; an act of resistance towards his waking mind, no doubt in order to get more sleep. But as fate would have it, the forces acting to pull him into the world of the awake had already prepared for this, and played their favourite card.

    ¡°Leo wake up, I don¡¯t want you inside the house all day again,¡± said the youth''s mother.

    ¡°But it¡¯s the holiday and it¡¯s -¡± Leo took a quick glance at his alarm clock.

    ¡°-It¡¯s 6:30!¡± replied Leo.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m not having you stay inside all day for the rest of your holiday, at least go out for a walk,¡± said Leo¡¯s mother.

    To encourage her son, Leo¡¯s mother opened the curtains letting light from the rising sun into the room; however, seeing this wasn¡¯t enough to get Leo out of bed, she yanked his blankets off of him as well. This finally got him moving.

    ¡°So bright¡­¡± mumbled Leo, whilst hiding his eyes behind his hand.

    ¡°Oh stop complaining, you¡¯re not a vampire, and go have a shower before your brother wakes up,¡± replied Leo¡¯s mother with a hint of irritation in her voice.

    The sound of the door to Leo¡¯s room closing signaled his mother¡¯s departure from the room, and after a couple more minutes, Leo began to properly get out of bed.

    ¡®As if I¡¯m letting my brother use the shower before me.¡¯

    Around twenty minutes later the sound of footsteps could be heard as Leo descended down the stairs into the first floor. Leo¡¯s mother took a look at her son, whose actual name was Leon Faucher, as he walked into the kitchen to have breakfast.

    With a head of short midnight black hair, and a pair of dark brown eyes, Leo gave off the image of your average joe. Aside from his slightly above average height, Leo didn¡¯t have any features that would make him stand out, - which he was personally grateful for - much to the discontent of his mother. He wore his usual setup of a light gray t-shirt and darker shorts that sat just above the knee.

    Although Leo¡¯s mother felt proud of Leo as he¡¯d made it into university for the next semester, his lack of responsibility still troubled her. During high school he¡¯d never gotten a job, joined any sports or co-curricular activities, or even made an effort to go out with his friends. She knew everyone was different, but her sons behaviour still troubled her, and as his mother she wondered if maybe she went wrong somewhere in bringing him up? He seemed to have a very big interest in hanging out with himself in his room all day.

    She stopped her thoughts about her son''s apparent reclusive behaviour to greet him. It wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯d had these thoughts.

    ¡°Morning Leo.¡±

    ¡°Morning mum, how are you?¡± replied Leo, making small talk.

    ¡°I¡¯m good, sleep well?¡± replied his mother, with a slight tease in her voice.

    ¡°Yeh...¡± replied Leo, still grumpy about the events this morning.

    A smile formed on Leo¡¯s mother''s face due to her son¡¯s immature behaviour, no matter how old someone got, some things just never changed.

    ¡°There¡¯s cereal in the cupboard and milk in the fridge, or you could make some toast-,¡± said Leo¡¯s mother, before being interrupted by her son.

    ¡°I know,¡± replied Leo, clearly used to this scene.

    Thirty minutes later, Leo had finished eating breakfast and left the house on the walk his mother asked him to go on. In reality he¡¯d tried to stall until his mother left for work, but sadly for him his mother was being extra persistent this time, and shoved him out the door without a key. She¡¯d told him, ¡°come back in an hour and I¡¯ll let you in.¡±

    Without a chance to refute his mother''s demand, Leo grumpily started his walk.

    ¡®She doesn¡¯t actually expect me to walk around for an hour does she?¡¯

    And so, Leo walked.

    When there were only another 5 minutes left until he could return home, he started to head back.

    The number of cars on the road had gone up since he left; people were rushing to get to work as well as take their kids to school. Since his family¡¯s home was situated at the top of a fairly busy T-junction he was used to seeing this much traffic in the morning.

    Leo was currently walking along the left side of the road, approaching said junction from the bottom. He took a left when he got to the junction, heading towards a zebra crossing; he himself had no intention of jaywalking through this much traffic.

    As he approached the zebra crossing he came to a stop to check that it was clear to cross; seeing that traffic from his left and right had stopped he began crossing the road.

    At the same time Leo started crossing, another pedestrian tried to rush across the road at the bottom of the junction, forgetting to check their right and so thinking it was clear, a piercing cry could be heard as a car screeched and swerved to their left to dodge the pedestrian. Narrowly dodging said pedestrian, the driver heaved a sigh of relief.

    This all happened in a split second, and the pedestrian, lucky for them, continued to rush across the road reaching the other side in one piece. The event had caught Leo¡¯s attention as well causing him to momentarily slow down as he crossed the road, after which he continued to cross at his normal pace.

    The sound of another vehicle screeching to Leo¡¯s right could be heard; however, this time the sound was much louder to Leo¡¯s ears, and he instinctively turned his head to the right to check what it was.

    A car was headed straight for him. He tried to run, but with one leg still in the air he fell over as his head went into overdrive. All Leo could do was look up at the car and driver inside of it before everything went black.

    <hr />

    ¡®What the fuck is this.¡¯

    Leo felt like his life was a train that had just derailed off a bridge, tumbled around a bit, split into pieces, been eaten by a flock of giant vultures, then caught by an eagle that fed them and his life to it¡¯s kids, then thrown back onto another train track in a carriage without any wheels and a ton of people onboard telling him to ¡°haul ass.¡±

    Understand any of that? Did it make any sense? No? Now you know how he felt.

    ¡®If I recall, I got hit by a car and died¡­ didn¡¯t I?¡¯

    Despite the fact Leo had died, he was still here. Just what ¡°here¡± meant however was beyond his comprehension.

    ¡®So I must be dead, but I¡¯m not. That¡¯s just fucking terrific, and why is it so dark?¡¯

    All Leo could see was pitch black darkness. He wasn¡¯t sure if he¡¯d lost his sight, there wasn¡¯t any light or there actually wasn¡¯t anything at all. It disturbed him, and it didn¡¯t end there, he couldn¡¯t hear, feel, taste or smell anything either. It all added up to create a seemingly empty feeling in him. Normally these senses were so common to him that they almost became intrusive, but now that he was without them, the lack thereof made him feel abnormal instead.

    ¡®Maybe this is what happens when people die?¡¯

    Given some time Leo noticed that it wasn¡¯t just his usual senses of touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing that were missing, but everything else as well. He didn¡¯t get hungry or tired, nor did he feel hot or cold. His ability to perceive time was gone as well, he had no idea how long he had been here anymore as time didn¡¯t seem to move at all.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡®So this is what it¡¯s like to be immortal, boring as fuck. I actually wish I really was dead now.¡¯

    A lot of time passed, and for all Leo knew the state he was in wasn¡¯t going to change any time soon. At first he¡¯d felt angry, but with nothing to direct his anger at it quickly changed to sadness as he thought about everything he¡¯d lost. Leo didn¡¯t know many people closely, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren''t many people he cared about, his mother, brother and few friends called Jason and Alyssa he had known fairly closely and missed hearing their voices.

    ¡®It¡¯s kinda pathetic huh¡­ I only realise how much I want to be with people after I lose them¡­¡¯ is what Leo had thought at the time.

    Much like Leo¡¯s anger however, eventually even his sadness passed, and he was left feeling nothing other than boredom and a desire for ¡°this¡± to be over. He¡¯d come to the conclusion that he was in Limbo, a place in between life and death, and that he was now just a consciousness stuck there without a chance of leaving any time soon.

    Thus, as time continued to pass by, Leo¡¯s mind went silent. With nothing to think about, and no hope for the foreseeable future, he had lost the will to think, content with just remaining in silence until the end of eternity.

    That is, until the sudden occurrence of an anomaly in Limbo.

    Thump Thump-

    After an unknown amount of time, a sound invaded Leo¡¯s mind; taunting him, willing him to have thoughts he didn¡¯t want. Thoughts which he¡¯d given up on long ago.

    Thump Thump-

    The sound didn¡¯t stop, and it never did.

    As time passed, Leo found himself becoming more accustomed to the sound, he also found himself becoming reliant on it. It gave him something to sync his thoughts to, a way for him to remember that maybe there was more than just desolation in his future. Perhaps there was a chance he could get out of Limbo¡­ he just had to be patient.

    Thump Thump-

    When the next anomaly came, it was much more subtle, and so Leo took much longer to notice.

    ¡®It¡¯s getting brighter.¡¯

    As if his acknowledgement set off an alarm, beams of light cut and pierced through the eternal darkness he had become so used to; the endless void which shaped Limbo fell apart before him, sending his mind into turmoil.

    He had no time to recover from what was happening before him, as the darkness got swept away by a blinding, warm light which filled his vision.

    <hr />

    In the outskirts of a kingdom, the flash of lightning illuminated the sky, as it zipped through the harsh whistling wind to whip the ground in delight. The crackling roar of thunder followed after it, tearing through the stormy night time sky into the ears of the unfortunate victims caught in the unforeseen force of nature.

    At the center of the storm sat a small village, forced to endure the battering winds and torrents of rain. Some of the villagers, knowing their poorly made homes had no chance of surviving, had chosen to hunker down in the only building with a chance of sheltering them, a small cottage with stone walls and a thatched roof.

    Among the 15 villagers squeezed into the cottage, there sat a woman, her white skin had a slight tan to it much like the rest of the villagers, and her brunette hair was lightly bleached from working in the sun. Her eyes were just as ordinary, a dark shade of brown, however, what brought attention to her was her round, protruding belly.

    The woman sat on a wooden chair, her head facing down and shoulders rising and falling as the sound of her ragged breathing could be faintly heard.

    ¡°I¡¯m here for you Honey,¡± said a masculine voice, likely the woman''s partner.

    In reply the woman turned her head upwards to look into the man''s eyes. She didn¡¯t need to say anything, the man could tell just from the look in her eyes. She felt scared. As a response the man held the woman''s hands, whispering words of comfort into her ears.

    The man knew there was nothing he could do to stop what he could see coming. His wife would give birth to their child tonight, and it frightened him as much as it frightened her.

    ¡°MARIA I NEED YOUR HELP!¡± cried the man, making sure that the people in the cottage could hear him over the sound of the storm.

    The other people in the cottage were not unaware of what had been going on, they knew that the woman''s child would be due any time soon, and the woman''s ragged breathing had easily convinced them that the time had come. Albeit, the threat of the storm was foremost in their thoughts, and so they had been too worried to offer the woman any comfort.

    The shouting of the woman¡¯s partner had got them moving, and a small path cleared to allow the woman called Maria to get to the man¡¯s partner.

    The older woman called Maria took a quick look at the other woman before saying something.

    ¡°Gerald, we need to move Ella to the bed,¡± said Maria.

    Acknowledging what Maria said, Gerald picked up Ella and carried her to the cottages bed, it didn¡¯t take long considering the cottage wasn¡¯t large, but the other people in the cottage had to move out of the way which required a bit of shuffling.

    ¡°Well?¡± said Gerald, only seeking to confirm what he knew was coming.

    ¡°She¡¯s going to have the baby Gerald,¡± replied Maria in a solemn tone.

    Gerald¡¯s grip on his wife¡¯s hand tightened, whether he was trying to reassure her or himself that everything would be ok, he didn¡¯t know. It would be a painful birth, and all he could do was be by Ella¡¯s side. How much this meant to Ella however¡­ he could only tell from the look in her eyes.

    As time passed, Ella gave birth to her child, and with it, the storm raging around them vanished.

    <hr />

    ¡®I feel¡­ I feel?!¡¯

    Leo liked to think that having spent so long in an endless void he would be at least somewhat immune to getting surprised, but what he was experiencing right now exceeded everything he had thought of.

    ¡®Warm¡­ moist¡­ small¡­ wait a second¡­ small?!¡¯

    It goes without saying that Leo was having another ¡°what the fuck is this¡± moment, however, this time he didn¡¯t feel angry. The sudden entrance of his senses made him feel something he never expected to feel ever again.

    ¡®Am I¡­ crying?¡¯

    Just as Leo thought, the sound of a baby''s cry was ringing in his ears, but his cry was not to be taken as him being sad, no, it was the exact opposite. He felt beyond happy - so happy that all he could do to express it is cry.

    His cry did not go unheard though, and as he cried in joy he felt someone¡¯s hands gently hold him. Despite the loss of the blinding light in his vision, his eyes were still blurry, and so he could only faintly see the image of a woman with brunette hair, and dark brown eyes. The woman held him against her chest, looking at him straight in the eye.

    ¡®So this would be my mum¡­ she looks¡­ normal.¡¯

    Leo¡¯s thoughts about his mum were not meant to sound rude or ungrateful, no, he really did feel ecstatic to know that he had been reborn, and as the child of a human who looked completely normal as well.

    ¡®It¡¯s good to know I¡¯m not a fly.¡¯

    ¡®Though, if I had the option of being a fly or staying in Limbo, I''d be the happiest fly to ever live.¡¯

    As the woman held Leo against her chest, he heard a sound, a sound which had carried his mind through the hopelessness of Limbo.

    Thump Thump-

    The heartbeat of the woman who held him soothed his rampaging emotions, silencing his cry until all he could focus on was the gentle rocking of the woman''s arms, and the affectionate look in her eyes.

    ¡°I love you,¡± whispered the woman in a quiet, but sweet voice.

    It only took Leo a moment to think of how he wanted to respond.

    ¡®I love you too.¡¯

    However, since his body was still that of a newborn, all that came out of his mouth was a cute attempt at making sound.

    ¡°What should we call him Honey?¡± spoke another voice, in a more masculine and louder volume than the woman¡¯s.

    ¡®I guess that¡¯s my dad, he sounds¡­ buff?¡¯

    Leo didn¡¯t know how to describe his father¡¯s voice, after a few seconds he just settled for the next thing that came to mind.

    ¡®Manly, that¡¯s definitely the right word.¡¯

    The discussion of Leo¡¯s new name didn¡¯t end though, and during the few seconds he¡¯d been thinking, his parents had been thinking as well.

    ¡°How about Semaj?¡± said Leo¡¯s mother.

    ¡°Oh c¡¯mon Ella, do you want the kid to get bullied?¡± said Leo¡¯s father. ¡°Give him something strong, like Xaj!¡±

    Leo was mentally cringing at the mention of the two potential names.

    ¡®Please just call me something normal¡­¡¯

    ¡°Gerald don¡¯t be silly.¡±

    ¡®Yes, Dad listen to my mum!¡¯

    ¡°Um¡­ how about Lewis then? Sounds pretty normal to me,¡± said Gerald, whilst scratching his head in thought.

    At the sound of the name ¡°Lewis,¡± Leo made as good a sound as he could form with his still new body. To the others in the room, they heard a high pitched giggle like sound from the child Ella held.

    ¡°I think he likes it Gerald,¡± said Ella, as she gazed into her child''s eyes.

    ¡°Hmph, of course he does! He¡¯s my son after all,¡± replied Gerald, with a smug look on his face.

    Ella rolled her eyes, she could only hope her son would grow to be more dignified than his father.

    ¡°We¡¯ll call him Lewis then, he does seem to like it after all,¡± concluded Ella.

    Unknown to the two new parents, Leo - who will now be called Lewis - was mentally sighing in relief.

    ¡°He¡¯ll make a fine Wulf, I¡¯m sure of it Honey,¡± said Gerald, in a more serious tone as he looked Ella in the eye.

    Ella''s Lips formed into a smile as she prepared to say something. She never stopped gazing into Lewis¡¯ eyes, refusing to break the bond between the two of them.

    ¡°Welcome to the family Lewis Wulf.¡±