《Crimson Space》


 Prologue: Is that all?

    What even is the meaning of life, is it the drive to make money, is it family? But all this would be gone once we die, the money we once had¡­ useless. The family we once had would move on with their own life after grieving for one or two weeks.


    Everything is useless after death right?


    Some people might say love is the meaning of life but I don''t see it that way, love is just the primal instincts of humankind to reproduce¡­ That doesn''t show why we live.


    In my days I have watched a bunch of anime and manga, where the main character gets thrown into a new world after death and in that world they are able to find the true meaning in what they live for.


    Bad luck but life isn''t a manga or anime, harsh reality strikes. I am just your average high school student, not good looking, not popular, but I Jin Kano is happy.


    Or not.


    Everyday I wake up the same, I go to school the same, I leave the same. It seems life is just infinitely cycling within the same space over and over again. But these days, it feels different.


    For quite a long time I never seemed to be able to grasp the concept of human emotions no matter what others tell me, it just seemed blank, maybe because I never had feelings and kept my distance with everyone, or maybe it was because nobody really stood out to me. But ever since this new girl Kuroi-san came to my class and started sitting next to me, it felt different. I still wake up the same, go to school the same. But ever since she came it felt different, it felt new.


    Being the group of students people call otakus I wasn¡¯t popular, I wasn¡¯t getting new friends every two weeks or so. But I wouldn¡¯t say I was lonely by all means. Like the protagonists of some rom-coms I had a group of very loyal friends. They were all like me, unpopular and obsessed with one thing or another.


    Today I woke up and had my usual breakfast. Went out of the house and started the loop that is my life once again. Everything seems to be going the same, saying good morning to the local store-owners, putting my materials into my locker. As I went into the classroom and looked around I sensed something was off. Looking over at the students all crouched down and looking afraid, I became worried. I couldn¡¯t figure out what I was worried about until I saw the masked man with a gun pointing it at the desk next to mine.


    Even though I know that I am a mere unarmed student, in other words a weakling, seeing the scenario I felt a responsibility to jump in front, like if in a video game my setting was automated to do that.


    ¡°Is that care? Is that love?¡± I wondered as I ran up front and knocked the handgun out of the masked man¡¯s hand.


    Before becoming the anime obsessed nerd I am now, I was once taught how to defend myself, learning 6 different forms of martial arts from my granddad, from fencing to swordfighting to karate and judo. In the 8 years he teached me I mastered all of them.


    I became the strongest, able to beat full grown men with ease. I have no doubt at that point in time I was one of the strongest in japan, maybe even in the world.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    But does martial arts even allow one to escape from death¡¯s outstretched arms.


    My gran was the strongest martial artist I knew, one that I can¡¯t confidently say I could beat.


    But even him, as he got older he too became weak and died.


    That was already 2 years ago. Back then I was devastated, isolating myself from all that reminds me of him including martial arts. I grew up with my Gran, I have never seen my old man ever and my ma died when I was little so I dont have much memory of her either. Grandpa was my only family I knew, he raised me since I was little.


    I was always fond of gran, he always supported me no matter how unrealistic the goal is. After he died I became isolated with no one to go to for support, I felt weak and useless. And I even begged the gods for the answer to my question.


    Now thinking back what even was my question.


    Not getting an answer I left all of that behind and started a new life, creating a new persona. Isolated and emotionless. Having this new style of an infinitely looping life as basically an NPC got me over the grief I faced after he died.


    To prevent myself from falling into the same rabbit hole ever again I distanced myself from everyone putting everyone at arm''s length. In the short time of 2 years I forgot what love is, what human emotion is and what I am even living for.


    But once I saw Kuroi-san at the start of the year¡­ I felt something I have never felt before, an urge to protect her like what I couldnt do for gran.


    After 2 years of not practicing, my body has become rusty and sloppy but my skills are still there. As the gun flew across the classroom and hit the wall with a clank. The students in my classroom ran out all at once, still locked in a motion of shock and fright. Kuroi-san stared blankly as the fist fight between me and the masked man began.


    From my 8 years of experience I easily gained the advantage in the fist fight against the masked man. launching punch after punch and not allowing any space for the man to counter my attacks.


    In our world there are only two factors that can influence true fighting prowess of a person, one is physical abilities and second is equipment. Without too many factors to consider, fighting is easy in this world.


    As I grabbed a chair from one of the desks in order to knock out the masked man, as I raised the chair high above my head to gain the maximum amount of momentum, I felt a sharp pain in my guts.


    My chair swings down.


    Bang¡­


    Bashing right onto the head of the man, knocking him unconscious.


    Looking down at the sharp pain, I felt a gooey substance on my hand as it reached for my stomach area, A liquid bright red and glistening reflecting the beautiful sunlight from outside. Looking at the blooded hand I realised I forgot the second factor of determining fighting prowess, me being so focused on finishing off the man I exposed a vital spot and was punished by a stab to the guts.


    ¡°Was it my emptied wasted time? Was it my rusty body?¡± I thought to myself as I began bleeding out.


    As I collapse onto the floor right in front of Kuroi-san. Before losing consciousness I saw her expression go from shock to worry as she ran up to me and held my hand.


    I felt warm, a sense of home I didn''t feel after gran died.


    All is blank and pure white.


    As I wondered to myself ¡°Did I die?¡±


    Putting my hand down to my guts to check if the blood was still there¡­


    No, it wasn¡¯t, my body was healed and I felt light as if my body weight was non-existent.


    I started Looking around the empty white space and I thought to myself ¡°Is this what happens after death?¡±


    ¡°What happened to the masked man¡­? What happened to Kuroi-san¡­ I understand it, finally I understand what is care, the true meaning of life¡­ To protect the ones who are dear, to give your all to defend them from harm. That is love.¡± The longing for the answer of the meaning of life, simply put there is none, the purpose of life was just to protect, care and give all to the ones you truly love, that is all life is. A short story in which you are without a true purpose or meaning.


    As the words flow through my mind. A brief flash of something, unable to be described by words, something so beautiful, the closest wording I can use is that it seemed like the true essence of the universe.


    For that brief moment I felt like I had space itself within the grasp of my palm. Only for that brief moment I was able to feel what true power was.


    It was blurry all the sudden, like a layer of thick mist was covering my eyes.


    I blinked trying to remove the blur.


    As I closed my eyes, all was dark.


    It seemed as if I moved spaces during the brief second of darkness. A feeling of moving so fast, like how your body feels when on a rollercoaster at the theme park.


    As I opened my eyes again, I see myself in an unfamiliar place, a dimly lit alleyway, this place wasn¡¯t Kyoto¡­


    ¡°Where am I?¡±

 Chapter 1: Isekai

    In the dimly lit alleyway I wake. As my eyes open wide I felt the hands on my back let go, I started plummeting to the ground in an instant.


    THUMP.


    I landed hard on my back.


    My body felt different. As I looked down at my limbs I was shocked to see myself, small hands and feet. An infant¡¯s body¡­ I blinked twice trying to reconfirm the situation, ¡°Ehhhhhhhh???? Don''t tell me¡­ DID I JUST GET ISEKAI¡¯D INTO ANOTHER WORLD!¡±


    That thought loudly shot across my head.


    Looking around the alleyway again, there was no one, didn¡¯t see my parents, no one.


    A figure in a cloak walks into the small ominous alleyway, the figure is a woman, petite and extremely attractive, as she bends down to look at me her silky smooth blond hair graze over my body. Her glistening blue eyes shine in the darkness of the alleyway as our eyes connect.


    ¡°What the fuck is happening?¡±


    She puts her hands on my back and lifts my small body up. She was warm.


    ¡°Damn, those tits are huge.¡±I thought to myself as she leans in.


    As my tiny cheeks leaned down onto the young woman¡¯s breast, I felt a sense of warmth, A feeling of at home I haven¡¯t felt since Grandpa died. It almost seemed like she was my mother. Feeling this sensation I let my guard down and rested.


    She carried me out into the main streets, the bright street lights blinded me as after that moment I couldn¡¯t see anything.


    It felt as if I fainted, but I don¡¯t think I did. I still remember the sounds and voices on the streets as she carried me, I still remember the soft light footsteps that came from directly under me.


    It''s quite funny in my case how even after being reborn in another world I still never get to know my real parents.


    But now my name is Jin Hashino, the third child of the Hashino house. Although I was adopted I still felt at home. My parents never told me I was adopted by them, but I know. For sure, maybe my memory has fogged up over the years but one thing I know for sure is that I am not blood related to any of my parents or siblings.


    Anyways I still felt at home, I have truly accepted being a part of this family. My parents loved me just like with all their other children, I was treated the same way and not like I was inferior.


    I think I should drop my old life and actually start enjoying life for once in this brand new world.


    The Hashino house as I know it, is a noble family with a rich history, from connections to the ancient heroes who built this kingdom from the ground up to the current king of the kingdom, it''s all connected to the Hashino house. My pa Julian Hashino is the noble who controls the whole Eastland city, the second most crowded under the royal capital. And my mother Ava is an elf, the sixth daughter of the duke of the elven kingdom, she was your typical she-elf, a beauty with silky blond hair and a pair of sky blue eyes.


    I have three siblings total, two sisters and a brother. Big bro Von Hashino was the oldest, 8 years older than me, a master swordsman and an incredible fighter, while also being incredibly intelligent. He''s your average perfect child, you can imagine for yourself. Big sis Claire Hashino came second. She is 1 year older than me, inheriting her mother¡¯s genes blonde hair and blue eyes. She was a beauty by standard, the type of girl you only see in anime and manga, but she''s also a type of airhead. Third came me. The outlier of the group, currently 8 years old, I Jin Hashino had dark brown hair and a pair of mystic eyes. Known mostly as a child genius because of my knowledge of the world at such a young age, which I felt to be honest like cheating because of my previous experience in the other world. Lastly came little sis Serena Hashino she''s 3 years younger and a pain in the ass to handle, still being a beauty by standard like her big sis and mother, this little piece of shit had a completely different personality. At times she might be cute but never let that fool you she''s a trickster in disguise.


    Today is a special day, Big bro Von¡¯s 16th birthday. In this world the 16th birthday is the start of a new phase of life and heavily impacts your future. 16th birthday is also known as the day of blessing in this world, this day is the day where the birthday boy gets to meet the gods and is granted a form of blessing, the most common form of blessing is the unique skills in magic.


    Walking into the church I got an eerie feeling, as if everyone was on edge. As ma and pa told big bro good luck, the feeling of unease grew larger and larger as big bro Von walked up to the pedestal.


    The church was grand and huge to say the least, with detailed sculptures and shining chandeliers. Even with such a large impressive area the focus of everyone''s eyes were all on the stage and the pedestal that lay on top.


    As big bro dives his head into the pedestal filled with what the people here call holy water.


    All was silent.


    The feeling of anxiety fills the room, as big brother Von¡¯s head slowly lifts up from the pool of water¡­ Drip¡­ Drip¡­ Drip¡­


    Big bro raises his hands high in the air, his fists clenched hard.


    An outburst of loud excited and proud chatter came from all around me. Once again I felt isolated. I haven''t felt like this from the day I was reborn in this world¡­ Maybe this is jealousy, all the attention put on big bro instead of me.


    As I put on a fake smile and fake my excitement during the event, I felt alone. My acting got me through the event but deep inside I felt horrible, I don''t even know where these feelings of jealousy are coming from. My relationship with my big brother wasn¡¯t bad at all¡­ The jealousy is boiling up¡­ Could this be the human emotion that I so longed to have. Is this all it is¡­ Stop thinking about this, this is a new life and I should enjoy it.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    As the days passed my feelings of jealousy died down, but still I felt as if I was living behind a mask after that day. Seemingly like my glasses I wear fogged up hiding my true colours behind them, hiding my true emotions once again.


    Few weeks have passed since the grand Day of Blessing, a letter was set in front of the mansion¡¯s doorstep.


    Once the messenger left my parents unsealed the red wax seal on the letter and the letter inside read¡­ ¡°Your son has been accepted into joining Eiei High School for high class nobles.¡±


    Their eyes reading this shined with joy and pride. Ma and Pa immediately ran to big bro Von¡¯s bedroom and told him the good news.


    Few more days passed, the excitement in the hallways of our mansion never died down, the message was so widespread that even when going into the villages and towns, I could commonly hear chatter about the topic.


    ¡°Was it really that big of a deal¡­¡± I thought to myself as the jealousy once again boiled up inside me.


    Another week has passed and the day has finally come.


    It was a full moon, as I put on my best outfit to say goodbye to big bro as he leaves for the royal capital to continue his studies. I felt unnerved as if something was going to happen, the feeling was frightening or in other words truly nerve racking.


    A cold gust of wind blows onto my face as the windows of my bedroom fling open.


    A shadowy figure blitzes right past me.


    Swoosh¡­


    Swiftly and speedily the figure entered my room through the window sill.


    An unsettling aura emits from the shadowy figure behind me, was it blood lust¡­ was it the cold atmosphere once she entered¡­ A cold voice speaks up, gentle and in a way soothing.


    ¡°So you must be the third child of the Hashino house¡­¡± A long pause as if the shadowy figure was looking for an answer, then she continued ¡°I have heard lots about you¡­ Genius child they say huh? You do look quite different from your family, Hmmmm you smell different also.¡±


    The figure steps up, the moonlight shining through the window sill lights up her body. Wearing a tight compressed onesie, her breasts revealing in the slit in the middle. With jet black hair and a blooded dagger in her hands, dripping¡­


    Splat¡­ Splat¡­ the droplets of blood go as the land onto my bedroom floor.


    Unknowingly my body trembled in fear, I coldly stared at the woman as I asked ¡°What have you done to my family?... WHO ARE YOU???¡± my voice shook from both fear and anger, my blood boiled as my voice raised.


    The woman speaks up softly after hearing the anger in my voice, as if she was taunting me ¡°Oh my¡­ No need to get all worked up. I didn¡¯t kill any of your family¡­ Yet, this blood was from the pests guarding this place,¡± The woman continues ¡°I¡¯m known by many names¡­ The killer beauty, the shadow assassin, but I go by Elisa, Elisa Ashford.¡±


    Elisa continues her spout ¡°I¡¯m quite unhappy I have to do this, you are quite the bright child¡­¡±


    The silence was loud, the gentleness in her voice filled the room with unease and anxiety¡­


    Elisa put her dagger in front of her mouth, the dagger still dripping with blood.


    Our eyes locked.


    Slurp¡­ As she licked the blade.


    She jumped at me, as if multiple copies of the same person was constantly attacking me. I felt pressured in that moment more than I have ever felt in my previous life. I dodged and dodged, unable to find a weakness in her attacks.


    Her speed, her dexterity, her ruthlessness¡­ It was nothing I have seen in the other world.


    With all her attacks infused with mana, one hit would shatter at least a bone and another would mean inevitable death.


    As her endless barrage of slashes continue. I became less and less pressured, like when in a video game after figuring out all of the opponent¡¯s moveset, I was able to avoid the attacks with ease and focus on finding a weak spot. Her fury of attacks became slower and the slashes became weaker. Elisa showed signs of tiredness, seeing this opportunity.


    I pounced.


    With all my might I knocked her unique looking weapon to the ground.


    Clank¡­ Clank¡­


    Elisa looked at me in awe, shocked at what I, an eight year old child, just did, I mean I understand where she''s coming from, I was still a child after all. Her voice became less gentle, less calm ¡°How are you managing to dodge all my attacks¡­ HOW???¡± rage fuelling up in her, her blood boiling.


    She stared blankly into my eyes.


    She once again swiftly like a cold gust of wind blitzes past me exiting through the opened window sill.


    My legs tired. Crumpled down onto the floor.


    ¡°Who could be trying to kill me¡± I softly mumbled, as I gazed up at the ceiling.


    A gentle but loud voice shouts across the long corridor of the mansion ¡°Jin, are you finished changing? Your brother is about to leave.¡±


    ¡°Coming ma.¡±


    As I exited my bedroom and I looked back.


    I thought to myself ¡°Power determines status huh?¡±


    A sort of determination went into my mind to become the strongest. I don''t know what is motivating me, maybe it''s fear of death, maybe it''s the care for family and loved ones, but the drive to become the strongest came into my mind once again. I have to become the strongest¡­


    I went down the hallway and met my family at the front gate, everyone said their goodbyes to Von.


    The horse pulled the carriage away, further and further¡­


    Weeks have passed since the assassination attempt and big brother¡¯s leave. Magic¡­ Magic¡­ The power of magic in this world, I look down at my hands, with a look of determination I walk into the library. I went to the section of the mansion that I never thought I would go to, sure I liked reading, but in my old life 99% of the books I read were light novels or manga. I ruffled through the books on the shelves, row by row, until I found it ¡°Magic and mana control 101¡±. It was on the top of the shelf, and I couldn¡¯t reach. I jumped and jumped trying to tip the book down from the shelf.


    ¡°Aghhh.¡± Thump.


    I land on my back, I open my eyes and see a horrifying scene. Hundreds of books tumbling towards me. I hold my hand out to try and stop some of the books, a glowing light blue coloured circle appears on my palm. The books stopped, as if they were unaffected by gravity itself. I slowly get back on my feet, my back still in pain. Is this magic?


    In the next four years I learned to control mana and magic. Magic is split into five different tiers, beginner, intermediate, advanced, emperor, divine. I think I am prolly in the emperor tier right now. Magic is actually pretty simple, it''s just controlling the flow of mana and using thoughts converting that mana into spells, It is kind of like controlling chi.


    During these years I have been going into town and became an adventurer, kinda like a hired mercenary, I created an identity known as Bloodborne. Quite the interesting choice of name I know. But through these missions I became aware of the corrupt systems in which the government operates. The disgusting underground world that I was never aware of. The underground world is made up of slave traders, and a network of what they call in our world mafia bosses, ones that possess lots of money and power.


    Learning about these made me sick but this wasn¡¯t even the worst, demonic cults would commonly control the throne, with the current king being easily manipulated and a weakling. Towns and innocent civilians would burn to the ground because of the corrupted government.


    From these news I knew I had to change the world, the humanity inside me would never allow me to just sit and watch as the world burns to ashes.


    As Bloodborne I was basically a bodyguard, nobody really saw my shadow as I cleared the way for my clients.


    I have become quite the efficient killing machine able to kill off even high level monsters in the matter of seconds.


    I knew myself, I alone wouldn¡¯t be able to change the world.


    Mana is the base form of magic in this world, this force ties into the martial arts breathing skill known as chi, which is split into two yin and yang. Mana also is separated into two categories positive and negative mana. Most people only have one form of mana, more commonly negative mana, negative mana can be used to cast and create spells. The rarer of the two positive mana has a different use, it generates a constant flow of energy replenishing the body, healing whenever it is injured. It can be mostly seen as a constant heal spell, but the logic behind it is completely different, heal spells use two waves of negative mana to create a positive mana healing effect.


    If one¡¯s body has both forms of mana the two would clash within the body trying to become the dominant one. If this clash was to happen it would cause the phenomenon people call corruption, where the body mutates and the body ends up destroyed, exploding into hundreds of pieces. The phenomenon is largely thought to be incurable.


    I have thought through the issue and came up with a theory on how to cure the corrupted, to place an abnormally large amount of negative mana to limit the impact of positive mana, while stopping the clash by making negative mana dominant over positive mana. In theory this would work fine and well, but in practice the theory has one large problem. The overwhelming amount of mana may cause the body to react and explode from the overflowing amount.


    Because of their trait of having both forms of mana, I firmly believe they have the most potential. Their strength I thought, was one that if I have for myself could have a major impact in my quest to re-invent the world.


    But still I have not met someone corrupted yet. Before this day I still thought to myself, would my form of ¡°healing the corrupted¡± really work¡­