《New World》 New World "This is a nice spectacle, I mean, nice to see it", I let out some light words while I observe my surroundings, the majestic trees barely let me see their trunks while the abundant vegetation forms a roof several meters above my head. There is a light mist that covers everything and brings freshness to my skin while the humidity on the ground releases a pleasant smell, a forest smell. I don''t remember when was the last time I was in such a beautiful place, or rather, I don''t remember if I was ever in such a beautiful place. Some sounds of the wind roaring and lightning striking in the distance take me away from my thoughts. I blink, my glasses are wet, I can''t see clearly, maybe I should clean it. With one hand I take off my glasses and with my other hand I proceed to take out a cloth to clean it, my eyes without the covering of the glasses are... garbage. Without my glasses all I see is blurry figures, a constant fog, and a completely distorted landscape. Myopia, maybe I should have surgery. I was about to put my glasses back on when I hear a childish, pleasant, cheerful voice. "Sir, you look very old, hehehe", the boy or girl who just spoke lets out a slight giggle at the end of his or her words. Old? It''s true, I don''t remember when was the last time I celebrated my birthday, time has passed. I turn in the direction of where I heard the voice to respond with a joke to the boy/girl who came to bother me in my rest time only to see nothing. Forest, only the trunks of the gigantic trees, only fog. Was it my imagination? I don''t think so, that voice sounded real... With some anxiety I look around just to confirm if I''m alone, and to my displeasure, I am alone. Maybe one of those kids playing a joke on me, there are a lot of natives around here. I let out a slight snort before walking to my favorite spot in this forest. ... It''s a small cave made of natural rocks, from far away it looks like a construction that resembles an indigenous portal like the sun gate, but in miniature. The appearance is simple, two rocks like pillars and above a large smooth and flat rock that forms a natural stone cave, it''s a nice place and since the first time I came here I appreciated it from the beginning. I go into the cave for a while before I start to take some small snacks and enjoy them while watching the scenery. This cave is located on top of a mountain which allows me to look down and see the former giant trees now like little ants, covered by white mist, and the light rain that falls gives this place a similar aspect to a terrarium. I smile, again as I have done for a long time. "Sir, you have aged a lot, Don''t you think this is cheeky of you?, hehehe, old, old, old...", I squint my eyes, my heart starts beating faster and a small electric current runs through my body hearing that voice again. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I try to stand up, however, I quickly discover that it is impossible for me to move even one limb, my whole body is paralyzed, I have no control of my limbs. A sudden fear invades my body while my eyes slowly lose their brightness. "You''re shameless, old, old, you''re a shameless old man," I can hear the sadness in her voice as I slowly close my eyes involuntarily. "Your body is heavy. What have you been eating?, your arms are hard, I want them to be soft!!!. Your body is so old. Why can''t you be younger?", I almost heard the owner of the voice sobbing. The tone, I''m sure she is a girl. "Stupid old man..." I can hear the sound of rain and some birds near the cave. That sound is getting fainter and fainter as my eyes are completely closed. What has happened? I can only ask myself one question before my mind starts to shut down. ... ... ... "He''ll be fine, it''s just a little problem with overexertion, normally I would recommend rest, however, he needs to go back to the training camp tomorrow". I can hear footsteps slowly walking away and then a door closing, some frugal thoughts run through my mind before my eyes slowly open. "Are you awake?", I hear a light chuckle a little mischievous, "Wow, you held up well", I can hear the grinding of a chair against the floor, then, some strange sounds. "Alberth said to give this to you, for the moment I must leave, don''t forget to come back to the world tomorrow", with those last words the person who seems to be next to me walks to what I think is the door and leaves the room. I can''t tell clearly who that person was because my eyes are still adapting to the light, and my mind is not working properly. Maybe I should close my eyes a little more to wait for everything in my mind to calm down. ... It''s true, the forest, I got lost, that girl... I''m not dead yet? She said something about getting old, I don''t remember exactly. I don''t think anyone is trying to kidnap me. I''m not a millionaire. Maybe it was some indigenous woman who lives near the forest who brought me here, a mentally deranged woman. But, Where am I? I open my eyes again only to be stunned. Grey gloomy walls, the bed is very hard, this room is just being lit by a few candles that are about to go out, Is this some improvised place or a camp near the forest? I wanted to think that, but getting up and looking at my own body makes my mind race for a moment. I look down at my two arms and then down at my legs. Too small, it''s a small body, it''s not the already muscular body from years of training that I''m used to, my current body is small and weak. I lean back on the bed, suddenly a slight smile of irony appears on my face. A dream? No, my thoughts, movements and feelings are too real, so, Did that girl kill me and I was reincarnated in another world as written in those fantasy books? Probably, but, Shouldn''t I be reincarnated into something like an animal or a person with a high income? I mean, this cold, medieval looking room doesn''t look like something someone with a lot of money would have. Well, the fact that I can see quite clearly even several meters away without glasses should be proof enough that this is not my body. Whatever the case may be, it is not impossible for me to accept reality and calm down a bit, maybe even relax to the point of sleeping. My body seems to be tired enough for me to sleep without effort. Almost instinctively I move my hands to my stomach to push away whatever is on top of me just to feel a familiar texture. My tongue and body move unconsciously, my hands quickly grabbing the slightly hard thing and bringing it to my mouth. "Hmph, food..." I murmur after devouring the half-rare and hard bread that the person who was here before left on my stomach. "Delicious by the way, although a bit tough," I mumble a bit unsatisfied, it wasn''t enough food, my stomach hurts a bit, i am hungry. But, I can''t seem to get food in this place, I mean, the room is almost empty, besides the bed I''m in, the candles and a small table not far away, there''s nothing else. Better to sleep for the moment... ... "Hey, do you think he''s going to get up soon?" "Hmph, that doesn''t seem to be the case, anyway, if he doesn''t get up we all get punished, so try to do something to get him up...", "What am I supposed to do?" "I don''t know, maybe if you tell him that Kaero agreed to be his girlfriend he''ll stand up." "Haha, no way, that''s impossible, I mean, Kaero..." "Kaero would never be the girlfriend of a guy like this here?" "No, no, Mrs. Huanca, I mean, Kaero would never be his girlfriend... because she will be mine, And I''ll have five sons and five daughters with her!!!" "Stupid!!!" I squint my eyes with some annoyance, one of those talking near me has the voice similar to the boy who gave me the bread last night, and the other is another unknown child''s voice. I slowly remove the thick, rough sheet that was giving me warmth and stand up to look at the two troublemakers. "Hmph...," I mutter something incomprehensible as I look at these two kids, they don''t look older than fifteen and should be considered teenagers, but to an old and mature man like me these are nothing more than babies bothering me. Some Acquaintances One of them has a hairstyle that makes his head look like a pineapple, I mean, the sides of his head are shaved in an attempt to copy a mohican style or I don''t know what, but, the top of his head has hairs like hedgehog spikes that are sticking upwards. But all that is so uneven that it makes his head look like a pineapple, he is thin and white skinned with pimples on his face... to his right is a npc-child. I say npc-child because his appearance is that of the average child in my olden days, a well groomed hair, an average face, and dressed in black pants and white shirt. "You have awakened sleeping-beauty, your prince is waiting for you...", the npc-child says with a smile as he pushes the pineapple-boy towards my bed. "Hey!!!", the pineapple-boy quickly moves away from my bed and turns around, ready to hit the npc-child. The pineapple-boy lunges towards the npc boy with surprising skill for his age, his body moves like a fish in water as he directs his fist towards the npc-child''s face, however, the npc-child is more skilled and quickly subdues the pineapple-boy with a couple of strange moves. "Trap!!, That was a trap!!", the pineapple-boy looks furious and cries out as the npc-child smirks and holds the pineapple-boy down on the ground. "Why don''t you let Wasi choose?", the npc-child smiles and looks up to watch me. "Wasi, this time I''ll give you a chance to choose, Do you want to hit Mrs. Huanca?", the npc-child smiles at me with his white teeth. Childish fights, I really have no intention of interrupting. However, if I don''t do anything, these two children could end up seriously injured. Hmph, now that I think about it, this was one of the main reasons I never had children. "Why don''t you let him free and tell me why you came all the way here?", at my words the npc-child shakes his head and releases the pineapple-boy. "That''s right, the superior needs everyone at the training camp by 7 o''clock, and it''s only twenty minutes away, you need to get dressed and hurry up..." The npc-child says as he tosses me a set of clothes similar to the ones he and the pineapple-boy are wearing. Black pants, white shirt and worker''s boots. Is it some kind of uniform? The texture is rough but flexible, the pants seem to be comfortable and the shirt a bit thick. It''s weird. Without saying anything, I took off the clothes I was wearing and quickly put on the uniform without hesitation or much thought. However, after that, those two guys, Why are they blushing while looking at me seriously? "Wasi... What the fuck did I just see?", the pineapple-boy with a serious face says while looking me in the eyes. For my part I simply smile and look back at him, "We''re all men here, Why are you blushing?", frankly I don''t understand him and my question carries a tone of confusion. However, the pineapple-boy and the npc-child shake their heads before turning away. "Forget that Wasi, time is running out, we need to go to the training camp as soon as possible", the one who spoke was the pineapple boy, by the way, the npc-child calls the pineapple boy ''Mrs. Huanca'', I don''t understand why. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Let Poki talk to the breakfast manager so you can eat something before training...", the pineapple-boy says before patting the npc-child on the shoulder. I squint my eyes before walking behind the pineapple-boy, "Mrs. Huanca...", I mumble with some confusion and the pineapple-boy looks back towards me, waiting for me to say something. "No, nothing, hehehe", the pineapple-boy sighs before continuing to walk. I do the same muttering "Poki", checking that the npc-child is the one they call Poki before I remain silent. Outside the small room where I was there is a corridor surrounded by several rooms, I can guess that those rooms are like mine, at the end of the corridor there are spiral stairs where we started to go down. The architecture of this place is... old, the walls are made of what I can guess are stones joined by something that I don''t know if it''s concrete, and the stairs too, on the walls attached to them there are things like lighters that are slightly lit, glowing. After going down the spiral staircase for a while we find ourselves on what I think is the first floor. The place is almost empty, only Mrs. Huanca, Poki and I are here, again we walk down one hallway after another until we finally find a large dining room, it is a large room with several tables and chairs arranged, the tables are clean and the floor shines shiny, at the end, there is an empty counter that I guess it works as an open bar or something like that. Further in the end, behind that counter, one can hear slight noises and people''s voices. "Ah, hehehe, it must be Huayta..." Poki mutters under his breath before hitting a bell near the counter. The sound of metal colliding against the floor is heard before quick footsteps approach towards the counter from inside. "Poki!!!" A young man''s animated voice comes from inside before I can see the owner of the voice. A young man, he is much bigger than Poki, slim and healthy looking. "Hey Huayta, it''s been a while since I''ve seen you...", Poki and Huayta embrace fraternally while smiling and letting out a few light laughs. "This here is an old friend, we call him Wasi because he is ugly and walks like he has a hump, but he is a good guy...", Poki grabs my arm and pulls me closer to the counter. Ugly? I should make a mental note to hit Poki later. Huayta, the guy who came out of a compartment behind the counter is... big, he doesn''t look very old, I''m sure he''s not more than eighteen years old, but, his height is almost twice as tall as mine. Huayta, however, unlike his manly and masculine voice has a slim body, very slim, his skin is completely glowing and he looks healthy. His face is a mixture of femininity and calm, while his body looks like a pile of dry branches. Huayta moves slightly and touches my hair just for a moment before smiling. "Wasi, hmph, I heard about you, you''re--- the guy who made a fool of himself in front of Kaero, Right?", Huayta smiles after speaking. I simply reply with a smile at his mockery before pulling his hand away from my head. "Well, it''s good to know that Poki has new friends...", Huayta smiles before taking something out of the compartment behind the counter. It''s a plate of food, shiny spaghetti with some chunks of vegetables the size of small grains, it glistens as it''s covered in a red sauce with indescribable ingredients and emits a lovely aroma. I didn''t have to be very polite, I just grabbed the plate of food and started eating as if I were a deranged starving man. Mrs. Huanca Poki and Huayta stayed talking while I concentrated on eating this delicacy of the gods. .... By the way, Why do they call you Mrs. Huanca?, I want to ask but I''ve always been cautious, I mean, it''s better to avoid trouble. "You''re done, it''s time to go to the training camp, the superior won''t wait for us for a long time", Huanca grabs my hand and starts walking in one direction. Huanca''s hand is too cold, his hand bones wrap around my wrist tightly making my bones feel a mixture of pain and cold being pressed by something hard. There is something I have to say after walking for a while behind Huanca and Poki, this place is... huge. I can''t remember how many passages we passed until we reached a relatively open field. I say relatively open because this seems to be the center of this whole place, I refer to this place as a large fortress-like construction surrounding a huge empty field. Several people are training in groups, holding wooden halberds in their hands along with small shields and facing each other. The center inside the fortress is huge, the floor is made of cobblestone on which some grass is growing and some rain is slowly falling while the sky is completely covered with black clouds. The stone floor has divisions painted with a dark tone, there should be at least twenty divisions, in each one there is a group of people facing each other. With Huanca leading the way we quickly reach a division near a large green tree that still has some ripe fruit. Inside the division are people formed in a squad that should be sixteen people with three members obviously missing. Not far from the squad is a middle-aged woman with black glasses and a calm look. The woman looks at us before smiling slightly. Poki squeezes my wrist tightly, I can feel his anxiety just by looking at him while he trembles slightly. A Request After taking my place in the squadron, the middle-aged woman walks towards me, she is a bit overweight, has heavy makeup, red lipstick, earrings, a pearl necklace and wears an elegant, clean but old uniform similar to a man''s suit. "The other guys are late for your fault, Right?", the middle-aged woman asks, and without waiting for my answer she continues speaking, "Hmph.. Why don''t you visit me in my room after training?" This woman has a peculiar scent of old tree, her gaze although with unexposed eyes due to her glasses is penetrating, her posture that firm while her calloused hands seem to be enough to bend metal with no problem. "Yes, lady." I reply somewhat loudly, I don''t understand how I should act in this situation, I have not been military. The woman smiles before walking over to the other squad members. ... "The first step to defeat your enemy is always the movements you make with your legs, a bad position of your legs can lead you to be knocked down and then killed..." The middle-aged woman began to teach in a loud voice, with a wooden halberd in her hands and using her body to set the example, she makes fluid and precise movements. She also told us her name, Clarity. Her left leg goes in front and her right leg behind, this according to her is to get a good support, because in case of a takedown you can lean on your right leg to retreat, or kneel on your right leg, block the enemy''s weapon and then return to a fighting position. Meanwhile her hands move with precision and expertise, she swings her wooden halberd with strength and precision, breaking the wind and expelling the small drops of water near her towards us. After a small demonstration we take some wooden halberds to start practicing against each other. The one I get to practice against is a fat guy, not so fat as to be obese, but he does have some extra meat. The pupils of the guy holding a halberd not far from me are brown, while his head is shaved and his uniform is the same as the others. However, his uniform is dirty and wrinkled, Doesn''t he clean his clothes?, maybe he doesn''t mind Clarity punishing him for this if she does. The fat boy gives a little jump as he swings his halberd towards my face. I squint, two steps back is enough to dodge the halberd tip as my own wooden halberd lunges forward like a rapier. The boy quickly moves his left hand to block my halberd with his wooden-shield. It is not strong enough, I feel my right hand tense, I forcefully push the halberd against the shield. I can feel a slight recoil that causes a tingling sensation to pass up my right arm as the fat kid backs up several steps. The fat boy recovers quickly and roars back swinging his halberd at my head. This time, I take several steps forward and use my shield to repel his halberd, my steps forward are quick and accurate, after repelling his halberd I charge forward with my shield and knock the fat boy down. A slight sound can be heard as the fat boy falls to the ground. I back up a little to take a fighting stance again, waiting for the fat kid to get up. ... Time passes at cruising speed. "You don''t seem to be very smart today," Poki to my right makes a joke as he eats his lunch, Huanca on my other side simply concentrates on watching the raindrops falling from the sky. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "It''s been raining for a week with this day, it should stop soon...", Huanca mutters with some regret, "I miss the daylight, I don''t like this weather, it''s so cold...", Poki finishes. "I heard that the superior is a bit special, I mean, I hope she doesn''t punish you too hard," Huanca mutters with a slight smile. I squint my eyes with some fear, I really hope not. After lunch we continued training. The fat guy who is facing me doesn''t have much fighting ability, so I had to hit him a couple of times, but he kept getting up despite everything... determination, I guess. ... It should be this way... I''ve passed through several corridors after dinner, the superior, Clarity, well, she didn''t tell me where her room was so I had to ask some people. I have investigated a little more about this place, but I have not obtained much information, Poki and Huanca only know that this is a barracks, we have a year to train combat skills and then go to war. About the situation of the war or what war it is, really almost nobody knows, Poki and Huanca are sons of humble peasants, so they have no information about the war, and I don''t remember anything of this life. "Is it," I murmur with some caution as I look at the door in front of me. It is a brown door with golden edges, it has a sign with a name written on it '' Clarity''. This should be it, I can''t say I''m not nervous, I''m actually a little afraid. However, I just take a breath of air, I have always said that it is better not to avoid bad things and face it, because the faster bad things happen, the faster it end. I raise my hand to knock on the door however, before I can do so the door opens revealing the superior Clarity with an elegant suit and a slightly pleased look on her face. "You arrived, come on... It''s cold outside, Don''t you think?", I give her a military salute before obeying her words. The room inside is... beautiful, not at all similar to my cold room with a hard bed and a table... This is a room painted with a blue tone, several shelves with thick books are in the background, while the floor has a kind of padding and the room is warm, at the back there is a big bed that looks comfortable at first sight. And of course, there are several bright decorations of statues with figures I can''t recognize, there is a large table near her bed with some books on it. "Don''t stare at the books for too long, I''ve called you here for a special reason," Clarity says as she walks over to one of the statues and begins to look through the books. "Lady, Sid you call me here to punish me for being late?", at my question Clarity doesn''t flinch, she simply continues to check the books while muttering something under her breath. "Actually, well...", Clarity chuckles a little under her breath, she makes a sound of victory with her tongue as she finally pulls a book from the crowded shelf. "Magic and Precision, it''s a book specialized in magic by erosion, I mean, it''s not an official term for this kind of magic...", Clarity squints her eyes, her red lips puckered up, she''s thinking. Then, Clarity watches me, her eyes widen slightly as a smile appears on her face. "Why don''t you try to get Kaero''s heart for me?, and this book will be yours...", Clarity smiles, the book in her hands makes a slight noise after falling on the wooden table, her red painted pointy fingers make a slight noise on the cover of the book. I squint my eyes with some confusion, I don''t know what Clarity is trying to communicate to me with her words, her words seem obvious but, Does she really want Kaero''s heart? Well, it''s not like I know Kaero, I don''t really have any memory of her, she seems to be a girl that the previous owner of this body declared his love to. "Sorry, I didn''t explain myself, I want Kaero, I want you to make her fall in love, I want her to fall in love with you, once you do that the book is yours", Clarity nods her head after speaking. "Why?", I can''t help but ask with confusion on my face. "Well, that doesn''t really matter, let''s say it''s to help me with something, just make her fall in love with you...", Clarity smiles again after speaking. This is... Strange, however, thanks to Poki I know that this world is magical and magic can exist, so, maybe Clarity wants to do some kind of magic and needs my help conquering Kaero. I squint my eyes with caution, my body is ready to turn around and leave this room, however, when I think about it I can only laugh to myself. If I escape, Where am i going?... this barracks, I don''t even know it well and I don''t know what''s outside. Clarity makes a movement with her face before opening her mouth, "I can provide you with something as an advance, I mean an advance on your payment", Clarity suddenly disappears from her position. My mind freezes, my pupils dilate and my eyes widen enormously as I see Clarity disappear as if she had been erased from existence, my body slackens and I am about to run away when I feel my whole body stop obeying the orders of my mind. I can''t move my limbs, a moment later Clarity appears in front of me, her eyes that before could not be seen through her dark glasses shine with an intense glow that can be seen through her black glasses. One of her cold and hard hands touches my throat, a dull pain suddenly runs through my body but I cannot scream, Clarity''s hand slowly sinks into my neck without tearing my skin, I can feel it, it is like a ghostly hand, a hand that carries an intense cold and pain wherever it passes. Again, the pain runs through my body, however, or by Clarity''s charity, the pain does not last very long and is quickly replaced by sleepiness. My eyes feel heavy, my mind very relaxed, the pain is gone, and I slowly begin to relax until I fall asleep. A Wonderful Experience? .... .... .... "The first day of school, Do you feel happy?" "I''m sorry, I guess your father can''t be here, but, don''t worry, I bought you something, just wait..." "Why is your shirt wrinkled?" "Why is your face dirty?" "I like the way you move, maybe you can do it a little more?" "What''s that?" "Look everyone!!!, This thing is shaking!!!" "Have you heard of this game?... I guess not... well, that''s a shame." Several voices pass through my mind, I feel spectral, in a state between asleep and awake, as if I am floating in a sea of thoughts. Slowly my mind clears, my heavy eyes slowly open, a cold breeze hits my nose making me feel a chill. I open my eyes, my mind is blank, I don''t remember anything, Where am I? A gray floor with some places painted with a bit of red, lying on the cold floor I can barely make my mind stop spinning. "Hmph..." I make a hard to understand sound as I stand up touching my head. My shirt is wet, my face feels sticky and my hair seems to be covered in some sort of viscous liquid. I wobble in my position, the place where I am is... dark, not so dark that it''s impossible to see, but dark enough that I can only see the silhouettes of the things around me. There is a kind of barrel not far from me, the barrel is under a tap that lets some drops of water escape from time to time. To the right is a long sink and on the wall behind the sink is a slightly dirty mirror, my reflection is barely visible in the mirror. Further to the right are several toilet cubicles arranged in a row, the floor is damp, my feet are wet, But why? My mind is unable to remember, only a few faint memories haunt my consciousness, my name, my house, my parents. Squinting, I walk towards the long bathroom sink, my reflection becoming more and more visible in the mirror as I approach. Black hair, boyish face, short stature, slim build and all my clothes completely disheveled, just like my hair looks like the hair of a lion that has never touched water. I look at my reflection for a moment, I don''t remember that this is what I look like, then, thinking a little, I take a few steps towards the barrel. The water in the barrel is a bit shiny, slight ripples spread across the surface thanks to the drops falling from the tap. It shines with a slight blue hue, or maybe it''s just my imagination... I lick my lips unconsciously, the water looks so... striking, beautiful, I... I''m thirsty. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I smile slightly, but, there is nothing I can use to get the water out of the barrel and drink it. The height of the barrel is up to my shoulders, it''s impossible for me to bend down to drink the water, but, What if I get into the barrel? I smile again, it''s a good plan. Ignoring my other questions or pain I quickly start struggling with my hands to push my body into the barrel. However... "Ferr!!", it is the voice of a worried almost hysterical woman that sounds, it sounds familiar, I can hear a quick footsteps approaching me and then strong, big, soft arms grab my chest. Is the woman who just screamed, she quickly makes me pull away from the barrel, then hugs me tightly. "I, I''m sorry...", the woman murmurs with a voice about to crack, light warm drops hit my head as the woman hugs me so tightly that my body could explode. "Who are you?" I barely manage to murmur due to the strong pressure of the woman''s hug. However, she simply stays holding me, crying, wetting my hair even more. My eyes clear slightly, my mind seems to remember something, the school bathroom... Is it my mother who''s come to get me? My body relaxes unconsciously, my mind, previously obsessed by the water inside the barrel, gradually loses lucidity. I feel sleepy. ... "It''s probably a case of mass hysteria, however, I''m not entirely sure, even so, the state can''t afford to spend any more money on this case." "Hmph... Are you suggesting that all this should end without punishing the culprits?" The sound of a cane clattering loudly on the floor can be heard. "They''re kids... sometimes they can make mistakes, anyway, it''s not my job to judge these kinds of cases, I''m just here to help..." "You!!!" "This is not the time to get angry, there is no more budget for this case, the country does not have a good economy, please, everything indicates that it was just a case of mass hysteria, the others involved do not remember anything of what happened." ... After those words there was silence, a long silence that was then filled by a light cry. Why do I feel a little guilty?, Maybe I should get up and talk to the sobbing woman, but, I am very sleepy. ... "Are you Ferr?, I mean, you are Ugly... hahaha...", a slight ringing comes to my ears, a slight headache together with an unpleasant voice fills my mind. "Even if you are Ugly, Tazy can make you look better, maybe a haircut, some makeup, or... well, maybe we''ll have to do a little manual labor..." I open my eyes slightly, I want to see who is talking in that annoying voice. "I can help you, I mean, in return you have to play with me when I''m alone..." However... there is no one... Why, I''m in a white room?, there''s a window to my right and near my bed, and a table not far away, not even a person nearby, I''m alone in this room. "It''s rude not to answer when someone are talking to you, Do you understand?, if you understand, then please excuse yourself and give me something to eat." I squint my eyes, that annoying voice is heard inside me, in my mind, Am I hallucinating or have I gone crazy? I try to think of something, or say something in my mind, but. "Who are you?", I think inside my mind, but, I get no answer. ... "Hey, Are you there?, I''m hungry, Can you give me something to eat?, if you give me something to eat, then, then I can overlook your rudeness..." The voice comes back after a couple of minutes. "Who are you!!!", I think intensely, waiting for an answer, my heart races slightly but, again I don''t get an answer. "I...", I mumble while observing my arms, my torso, my legs, my body in general. "How old am I?", I mumble again with some confusion. It seems that, I''m hungry, maybe that voice was myself. I don''t know, I''m not a psychiatrist or something. "Ferr... I... forget it, if you don''t want to talk it''s okay." It''s that voice again, maybe I''m going crazy.... ... ... ... I open my eyes suddenly, my breathing is hitched, my eyes are dilated, my body is in a complete state of alert. I... I remember, Clarity, that damned motherfucker... I quickly look both ways to see where Clarity is, however, I don''t succeed, Clarity is not around, I remember the decoration of this room, it''s my room in the barracks. I squint my eyes with some suspicion as I begin to check my body with my hands. I am not missing any limbs, my body, my face, everything seems to be fine. But, Was it a dream? "Hmph... something too real...", I murmur somewhat calmly as my eyes suddenly focus on a sheet of paper with something written on it on the table near my bed. With some caution I slowly make my way to the table, then pick up the sheet of paper and see what''s written on it. "Wonderful experience!!!, Don''t you think so?, in fact, my experience was wonderful, by the way, I took the trouble to give you a gift, now you don''t know it, but it''s in your body, it will help you in the future... I hope you do a good job conquering Kaero." After I finished reading the sheet of paper it suddenly disappeared. Although, that didn''t surprise me so much after everything that has happened, maybe I should take a moment to reflect on my next actions. Huancas Request Clarity, that mind rings in my mind for a few moments as I squint my eyes, at this moment I would like to rip her head off her body, but... it''s impossible. About that strange dream, well... I don''t know what to say or think, the fact that after coming to this world I lost most of my memories of my past before the forest I was in is... a bit overwhelming. Still, I don''t think that dream really meant anything, maybe it was a kind of hallucination that Clarity provoked in me. "Hmph...", I breathe a little more relaxed, about Kaero, well, I don''t really have any memories of her, I don''t even know what her face looks like, having her fall in love with me sounds... "Hahaha", I chuckle slightly at the thought of me making a fool of myself by trying to get a woman to like me, I mean, fuck... I''ve never been that kind of guy. However, it''s inevitable, I can''t refuse Clarity''s orders disguised as requests or deals, after all she could kill me. Coming to a conclusion in my mind I close my eyes slightly before lying down on my bed, ready to sleep. ... "Is this princess sleeping again?" "Don''t call him princess, with that face he could be considered an ogre, how about, Prince ogre?" "I love it!!!, I mean, it''s not like you''re very handsome anyway." ... I gently stand up just to look at the two kids I also saw yesterday, Huanca and Poki. "Well, I guess being called ugly by someone with a pineapple head is... unpleasant," I smile before standing up quietly, Huanca squints and Poki doesn''t seem to understand. Strangely silent after I spoke, we walk quietly with Poki and Huanca through the corridors of the barracks, today it is also raining lightly, and some cold comes through the walls. The dining room where breakfast is served is slightly crowded, there are several people here, many of them unknown to me. However, they all seem to be about the same age, I guess I would fall into that age range too, but... I don''t consider myself one of them, I mean, I''m an man who should be retired by now. Breakfast is a little bit of eggs with wheat bread and saut¨¦ed vegetables, all that accompanied with some beef jerky. The dining room is large, similar to college dining halls where there are several tables to sit at among friends as you carry a tray of food. ... "Wasi, I need your help...", in the middle of the meal Huanca suddenly speaks. Help, I finish chewing the vegetables in my mouth before slightly raising my head and looking at the pineapple-headed-boy, I mean, Huanca. Huanca smiles slightly, today the pimples on his face shine a little brighter than usual, he puts the cutlery aside and looks to one specific side with a blush on his cheeks. Following his gaze I can pick up a specific direction, a table, several girls are eating at that table. Huanca''s eyes seem to be on a girl with short black hair, amber eyes, upturned nose, fair skin, slanted eyes, and a healthy developing body, she is wearing the same outfit as the men which makes her look a bit cute and her lips have a natural pinkish tint. A slight smile forms on my face as I understand Huanca''s intentions. "Actually... I lied to you, I mean, about yesterday," Huanca sighs slightly with some regret, "About your question about the war, actually people at the front are dying en masse." Huanca''s eyes move from the naturally pretty girl to his food, his eyes are painted a slight bright red color as his breathing becomes a bit labored. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "I have some news from the front, my father sent a letter a year ago, about the war I mean," Huanca smiles with some irony as he moves one of his hands in a strange motion, "It''s carnage, the country doesn''t stand a chance against the enemy, they are superior to us in every aspect, military, weapons, magic... everything." Huanca ends his words with a slight murmur at the end. "There is no chance of victory, we are training to go to die, but..." Huanca pauses, suddenly looking up to watch me with his eyes completely red. "I want to live some experiences before I die... for example, love, not only the love I feel for Erika, but, I want... you understand, I don''t want to die a virgin..." Huanca finishes speaking with a slight blush on his face, my face during all his words did not change at any time, but Poki is smiling strangely while blushing for some reason. I can understand Huanca''s feelings, and I feel some empathy to a certain extent, although the term he uses isn''t correct. I can, to a certain extent, see my decades-old self superimposed over Huanca''s figure. That indecision, fear of death, and deep curiosity about the unknown, to a certain extent, causes a strange feeling to form inside me, making me smile. The look Huanca sends me is a look of hope, but I don''t know why he''s looking at me like that, as I understand, the previous owner of my body expressed his love for Kaero and he was rejected, so, Why is Huanca asking me for help in the love matter? "Listen, kid, I really don''t know... I mean, I''m not an expert in this subject, I guess you must intuit it, hahaha, I''m not the right person to guide you about this", I answer with a slight smile, after all, it''s the truth, in my previous life I never really flirted with a woman. "You don''t need to do much, just, just tell Erika that I would like to meet her and I like her...", Huanca mutters under his breath, blushing. This kid, he''s a real elementary school kid, well, it''s appropriate for his age, I''d really worry if Huanca is some kind of Fuckboy or something at that age. But, this feeling is a bit, I feel like a big big brother being asked for advice about love by a little brother, but I don''t have any experience in that subject. "Okay, I guess... listen, kid, I''ll do my best, but, help is not free, from now on you owe me a favor, and when I ask you for it you''ll pay me back," I smile at the end of my words, I really don''t care if Huanca owes me a ''favor'' or something like that. Huanca looks happy and that seems to be enough to make me smile slightly. With Huanca''s expectant gaze I slowly get up from my chair and then start walking to the girl Huanca is previously looking at. Is her name Erika? I guess I just have to say a few things to get her interested in Huanca, If I had money I could use it to convince her to talk to Huanca a couple of times, it sounds disgusting, but... useful. As I get closer my heart starts to beat slightly faster, but, Why? A slight aura of chills runs through my body, a feeling of suffocation reaches me as my cheeks blush a little. "Wait, I''m getting nervous, impossible... I never got nervous about talking to any woman in my previous life," thinking inside I squint my eyes slightly. Is it because of this fragile body? Probably... before I know it I''m already in front of the table where Erika is, she and some of her friends are watching me after stopping the movement with their cutlery. I look at them, I mean, they look like those sculptures that artists used to make where I lived, those dolls, their faces don''t have any pimples, the skin on their faces are completely free of wrinkles, and their hair looks perfectly straight. "Hey..." Erika says something while watching me, I''ve probably been silent for too long. But, it''s impossible not to, it''s as if a strange aura surrounds them, an aura that makes it hard for me to think and open my mouth to speak. I narrow my eyes with some distrust, Is it because of my fragile body?, no... I don''t think so, my body may be fragile but my will is strong, it always has been. Looking at Erika I can notice something different about her than the other girls around her. She is strangely pale, a completely white skin color that matches some pinkish tones near her eyes and nose, her pink lips also look a little bright... Makeup?, I don''t think so, this is a barracks. "Dude, Do you need anything?" A person grabs my shoulder, his sudden movement made me turn my head in his direction, looking at him, his face is familiar to me. It''s this fat guy I was training with yesterday, now he looks a bit more groomed, his clothes although still dirty and wrinkled don''t contrast with his well groomed hair and gentle face. "Actually, I came here to see if Erika wanted to talk to one of my classmates about...", Words come out of my mouth without any hesitation, completely different from a moment ago, when I couldn''t even open my mouth because of the various feelings that overwhelmed me, I pause for a moment, smiling slightly before continuing, "About life". The fat man squints his eyes with a bit of distaste at my words. "I''ll think about it, thanks for the message..." Erika smiles slightly, the fat man to my right sighs with some annoyance before retreating. "Sir, you can go now..." Erika smiles before waving me back to my position. I narrow my eyes slightly, it''s best not to get involved with these people, I''ve already gotten into enough trouble thanks to Clarity, I turn around about to return, but I can feel a person grab a corner of my clothes. "Wasi, it''s nice to see you again, Why haven''t you greeted me yet?", it''s a sharp voice, turning to see who it is I can see a girl, long golden colored hair, brown eyes, a pretty face and a bright smile. Who is she?, my eyes narrow as my body seems to react almost by instinct, an almost overwhelming urge to want to hug her comes over me as soon as my eyes caught her smile. Dreaming Again
"Hi, it''s been a while, I thought that... well, you''d be looking for me to talk or something", the girl slightly moves her eyes, the smile on her face is not erased and her voice contains her joy.
I watch her for a moment, trying to find perhaps in my mind some memory of her, my thoughts slowly drifting to the detail of the girl''s clothes.
Just like the fat man, this girl has wrinkled clothes that can be noticed standing close, some stains on her pants and shirt, however, she herself seems to be well kept.
"Hey... Are you still awake?", the girl smiles while snapping her fingers in front of me, "About a few days ago, hmph, can we talk about it later?", she blushes slightly.
I squint my eyes with some thoughts running through my mind, I don''t remember talking to this girl before.
"Kaero?", I mumble with some confusion, trying to see if the girl responds.
"Is something wrong?", she tilts her head slightly showing her confusion, at her answer I smile slightly, it seemed a little obvious, but, I wanted to confirm if she is Kaero.
"Actually, it''s nothing, just thinking about the war a year from now...", she smiles slightly after speaking.
A slight shiver seems to pass through Kaero''s body, she retracts her head slightly as she watches me with some anxiety.
Finally, she nods her head before smiling at me again.
After a couple of words with her I return to the table where Poki and Huanca are waiting for my arrival.
"That''s good news if you want to look at it from a slightly... risky point of view," I say after arriving at my table and sitting on the chair, Huanca staring at me smiling slightly.
"Does Erika have a good opinion about me?", Huanca asks with some hope in his voice.
I smile slightly at Huanca as I prepare to sit on my chair, "I would say yes, well, actually...", I squint my eyes, wondering if I should tell Huanca the weird things I saw about Erika.
"I think you can get something with her...", I smile at the end of my words, it really doesn''t matter much how weird Erika is, Huanca seems to have the mentality that he will die in a year, then nothing else matters.
...
After breakfast we went to get some tools to clean the barracks bathrooms, in the barracks we are divided into groups that are formed by the members of a squad.
16 people in total, besides the ones I already know, there are some unknown guys and girls that are cleaning the bathrooms, all members of the squadron.
The material that things like toilet bowls and sinks are made of is a slightly blackish white color, its hardness seems to be comparable to iron while the smoothness of its texture is similar to that of porcelain.
The water is cold, while the compound we use for cleaning slightly damages my hands making them itchy, there is no protective material either, everything is simply done with the same training uniforms.
My reflection in the mirror shows me a teenager with an ugly face, black hair, fair skin and a bit small.
Sighing slightly I continue with the work.
Late at night.
In the dining room at the same table where I was eating with Huanca and Poki more people have joined me.
To my right is Kaero, and near Huanca is Erika, when we finished the cleaning work and Huanca, Poki and I proposed to have some dinner before going to sleep, these two girls joined us to eat together. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
This would be fine if there wasn''t that fat guy next to Poki watching me and watching Huanca from time to time with his watchful gaze.
"Did your mother write you a letter?", Kaero asks with some curiosity, I for my part simply look in her direction without expressing much emotion.
Well, actually, I don''t know who my mother is in this world, I guess I must have one, I mean... it''s not like that matters much right now.
I smile slightly before shaking my head, for her part, Kaero stops her cutlery and moves a little closer towards me.
"I''m sorry..." she mumbles, the warmth of her body makes my heart warm slightly, I honestly don''t understand why she''s trying to get closer to me sentimentally.
It is too obvious, Kaero has been acting deliberately delicate and cute for an hour now, acting as if she has known me for a long time.
Although I was not an expert on the subject of "relationships", in my past life, I can clearly tell that she is acting, inquiring as to why she is acting to get sentimentally close to me is a subject I am not interested in knowing at the moment.
However, I can use this to fulfill the task of Clarity. With this in mind I smile slightly at Kaero''s closeness.
"It doesn''t really matter... How about you?", I try to smile slightly, I don''t really know what to do, or how one should talk to a girl, Maybe I should read a book on "how to conquer a woman in 5 steps?", I honestly have no experience in this.
I mean, I never had to do, women just approached me with romantic intentions in my previous life, I never had to initiate a conversation or anything like that.
Kaero smiles before humming lightly, "Actually, i''m fine, my parents are accumulating some money to get me out of the barracks before I send us off to war," she says, seeming happy, however, the slight tremor in her body as she speaks makes me doubt of her words.
Kaero''s eyes slightly focused on mine seem distracted, as her smile struggles to disappear from her face.
"Is there something you need to tell me?", I ask with genuine curiosity as I raise an eyebrow slightly.
For her part Kaero simply shakes her head before concentrating on her food again.
Maybe I should buy a book about how to romance a girl.
The day ends without much trouble, but Huanca seems to have achieved something with Erika, I saw them smiling together while talking animatedly, like good friends.
I must sleep for the moment, I''m tired.
...
...
...
"Life, Do you understand?", Alberth murmurs lightly while showing me some kind of plants inside a bottle.
"Not exactly, you... you look like a fucking mentally deranged, no offense bro...", I answer Alberth''s bullshit with a slight smile on my face.
After all, it''s a bit brave to bring plants inside a bottle at the beginning of the school year and show it off, I''m surprised the other guys haven''t beaten him up by now.
"I''ve been thinking, about what happened on the first day of school...", Alberth murmurs as he caresses the bottle, well, I must admit the stuff inside the bottle looks nice, it''s like a little encapsulated forest.
I bend down slightly to take a closer look at the small plants growing inside the little soil inside the bottle.
You can see small roots germinating, some very small leaves growing and a strange and mysterious mist above the slightly larger plants, while some bugs I don''t recognize seem to be dancing around the small plants.
"Beautiful...", I murmur unconsciously, I like it, it''s pretty, a small desire to live inside the bottle suddenly takes over me, living like a bug dancing around the small leaves.
"Terrarium, that''s the name of this thing, well, my father is a fan of it, but.... Where was I?", Alberth moves the bottle away from my face a little as if he was worried my gaze would break that bottle.
"You mean the ritual?", I ask with a slight fear in the bottom of my heart.
"Yes!!, exactly, the ritual... in the end the one who was affected by all that is you, we just... ''dreamed''", Alberth mumbles with some guilt and fear.
"But, it was a nice dream, actually, I saw a world, a world beyond ours... life, I mean, something different, I was suddenly in a new place, meeting strange, but amazing people...", Alberth pauses slightly and swallows saliva.
"I met someone there, Do you want me to describe her to you?", Alberth mumbles a little under his breath.
I look at Alberth, although I know him for a short time he really seems to be obsessed with what he tells me.
"Unfortunately my memories are not accurate, but I think she had orange hair that is degrading to pink, bright red eyes, a beautiful smile and perfect skin... I...", Alberth pauses.
"We spent several days together. She showed me a new world, some not-so-nice people, but, in the end, I," Alberth paused slightly, his eyes completely red.
"I messed up. I made... a mistake. In the end, they chased me like the plague. Before I woke up, I remember I was on top of a mountain, her holding my hands tightly," Alberth lightly licked his lips.
"Her eyes reflected worry, fear, pain, and a bit of hatred, but she still looked at me as if I were the most important thing in the world. Before I woke up, she hugged me so tightly that I thought my ribs would break," Alberth began to sob slightly.
"She told me that I had to leave, but that I could come back if I could find a way... then I woke up in my bed," Alberth lets out a slight snort of irony before forcing a smile on his face. Dreaming Again 2 "What does all that have to do with the terrarium?", I ask with genuine curiosity. "There you have it, when I woke up my eyes quickly focused on a large terrarium that I have in my room as an ornament, and its beauty captivated me," Alberth smiles deliberately. "I think there''s something magical about terrariums...", I squint my eyes at Alberth''s words, however, by this time the bell has already rung for class. Quickly Alberth and I stop talking and return to the classroom. However, my mind can''t stop thinking about Alberth''s last words, "Terrariums have something magical", it sounds stupid, but, Alberth''s terrarium looks like a small world. In the classroom, looking slightly out of the window I can see the immense forest far away from the walls surrounding the school, it is a nice forest... "Ferr, I mean, dear Sir, you have been ignoring my attempts to communicate with you and I can''t find the reason for it", the high pitched voice that has been bothering me for the last few weeks echoes in my mind. I still don''t know if it''s a hallucination of mine or something, I didn''t say anything to dad or mom about this. "But, at least with you I can talk without much fear, dear Sir, my mother has died, people say she has taken her own life, but... I don''t believe it, it''s impossible, right now I''m about to prove my toughts, please, if you listen to me, wish me luck." I squint my eyes, the voice disappears again, unconsciously inside me I can''t help wishing that if the person who is talking to me exists, she will be lucky in what she is about to do. The class ends without many interruptions or problems, but, before returning to my house, Alberth has given me a small terrarium in a sealed glass box. Alberth''s face when he gave me the terrarium was a little flushed for some reason, and he was a little nervous, however, I didn''t notice anything else about him. Imagine my surprise when the next day we were given the news that Alberth died that very night. My shock was instantaneous, seeing the professor slowly pronouncing the words that confirmed Alberth''s death made my body freeze for a moment. It was as if my body was running on autopilot, leaving the school to go to Alberth''s funeral. The ceremony was short, his parents crying, his brother completely devastated, and the lack of news about his exact death...it was overwhelming. I mean, I wanted and want to know how was the death of the one who was my friend for a couple of weeks, normally the feretro has a small place like a glass window to see the face of the deceased for the last time, however, the feretro was completely sealed. Days later, and after researching in the news, or just spying on Alberth''s family I found out why he died. It was a... gruesome death, according to the autopsy they slowly cut off Alberth''s limbs where the tendons connected his main bones, in his knees, wrists, elbows, and feet, all while he was drugged to keep him alive and not fall apart, I guess to make him feel the whole process. With the lips of his mouth sewn with metal threads and a kind of band so that his screams would not be heard, in the end with only his torso and his life about to be extinguished, they began to devour everything that was in his stomach. The... brutality of the murder was such that I... I even vomited when I heard what happened. It happened in the forest next to the school, apparently Alberth, the guy... somehow linked the terrarium to the forest next to the school and went out in the middle of the night, that''s when he was found by a group of people and then... well, enough said. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It bothers me a little that Alberth''s death was not investigated, it was just taken as if it was a normal death, nobody did anything, the parents remained silent, the school said nothing and the days went on as if nothing happened. What the fuck is wrong with these guys to ignore that a student was completely brutalized before being killed like that? Recently I heard of hyperinflation in the country, small towns like the one I live in are being abandoned and are no longer being funded by the government, I guess this has something to do with it, but.... The terrarium that Alberth gave me is getting nicer every day, even some small insects that I don''t know and had never seen before started to grow inside it. The trees are like some kind of miniature giant trees, while the little bit of stagnant water at the center of the terrarium looks like a small lake, a small worm-like creature slowly crawls through the little bit of soil to the small lake of stagnant water inside the terrarium. "Hello, dear Sir, it''s been a while, How have you been?", the high pitched voice comes back to my mind, "I haven''t been very well, I couldn''t prove that my mother didn''t take her own life, it''s... sad," the girl pauses, I can hear slight sobs and a strange sound in the background. "I mean, the other people in Tazy are a little furious about my last actions, but, what I believe is the truth, I believe in the truth, in my truth, my truth is that my mother didn''t commit suicide, she wouldn''t do it," light crying noises and sobbing accompany her words. "Do you think I''m crazy?", the voice ends with a question, then, I can only hear silence. I squint my eyes slightly, lower my head slightly to observe the beautiful terrarium for a moment before sighing with some resignation. "I think I''m the one going crazy...", I mutter under my breath. ... ... ... I open my eyes slightly in a dark room, it''s a little earlier than usual I guess. This time it''s a little more confusing for me, the more I try to recall some memory of my childhood or my past the more I get confused. By this time the last thing I remember from my previous life is the forest, a forest abundant with giant trees and covered by mist, and then the cave, I also forgot my name in my previous life. The forest that in my dream I saw on the side of the school looks like the forest I was in in my previous life, so these dreams should be pieces or memories of my childhood, Right? I sigh with some tiredness, I haven''t slept well. Observing the room I can notice a slight darkness, the silhouettes of the furniture and walls are slightly visible. The functioning inside the barracks is a little similar to the functioning of the world as far as illumination is concerned, the small candles are extinguished at a certain time of the night and are gradually lit until they are fully lit indicating that it is time for training. At this moment the candles have a slight flame almost imperceptible, according to Huanca, the candles should take at least an hour or more to be fully lit. I lightly rub my head before putting on my barracks training uniform and going for a light walk. My footsteps can be heard faintly echoing in the dark hallway, the same thing happens on the spiral staircase, then after passing several corridors I reach the completely empty barracks bathroom. It is slightly damp which makes some coldness pass through the walls and I can''t help shivering a little. The smell of the clean bathroom makes my nostrils flare a little and some cold air passes through them. After walking around a bit I catch my reflection in the mirror behind the large bathroom sink, I have almost no memory of my former appearance, but, I guess I don''t look anything like my pre-incarnate self or anything. After relieving myself I''m ready to go back to my room and get some sleep, however, some light sobbing catches my attention, sobbing coming specifically from the girls'' bathroom. The sound is slightly strange, as if laughter is being forced but only cries are coming out of the mouth of whoever is making the noise. From the sharpness of the sound, it should be a girl. It''s not my style to interrupt people, nor is it my style to get involved in other people''s problems, it''s best that I leave slowly. With this in mind I leave the place. After that the day at the barracks began as usual, a light breakfast with Poki and Huanca, and then the training. However, the superior Clarity was not present in the sector where she always used to be, anyway the whole squadron continued training. My opponent today is the same fat man from the previous days. This time the fat boy has an even more determined look on his face, which makes me smile slightly. The fat boy lunges at me with the halberd pointed forward, a move easily dodged with a few steps to the right, my wooden shield quickly moves at high speed taking advantage of the fat boy''s distance. The fat boy opens his eyes with some surprise before my shield hits his face. Shock. A strange sound of something breaking can be heard as the fat boy falls to his knees clutching his face and resisting the urge to scream. I take a few steps back, this fat boy is more frantic than the other day, he seems a little angry for some reason which made him attack impulsively. The fat boy quickly pulls himself together and returns to a battle stance. However, all of his next attacks were in vain, I really lost count of the number of times I hit his face with my shield. Kaeros questions In all the training the fat-boy did not say another word, he simply remained silent, standing up and accumulating wounds on his face. ... "Why don''t you stop for the moment?", I asked with some irony as I saw the fat-boy kneeling, his face bleeding and with several wounds. "I don''t understand...", the fat-boy mumbles lightly, light raindrops fall on his face and hair, the light wind seems able to move his wobbly fat body. "What does Kaero see in you?", he asks, but his question to be more to himself than to me. I smile slightly at the fat man''s hesitation, "I don''t know, maybe she doesn''t like bacon..." I let out a slight cackle after speaking, for his part, the fat-boy lets out a slight snort before standing up. "Bacon? Hahaha, I guess you''re right. I don''t think someone as beautiful as a bat has the right to criticize me... but oh well...", the fat-boy shrugs as if he''s resigned himself. A moment later the fat-boy turns around and goes off to find someone else to practice with. The days pass normally, Kaero comes to talk to me from time to time, and the fat-boy hasn''t bothered me since that day. However, after a couple of days, we are all in position, forming a squad of only fifteen people. The reason was simply that Erika disappeared yesterday, according to some comments from my comrades it was strange, a thunderclap was heard in the middle of the night and this morning Erika was nowhere to be found. Desertions from the barracks are not uncommon, even though it is punishable by death, In reality, these are attempts at desertion since it is almost impossible to escape from here, even so, the fact that Erika managed to escape from the barracks according to Major Clarity''s assumptions is hard to believe. This is a barracks that is surrounded by large buildings that also serve as rooms, the walls are almost half a meter thick while at the top of several towers there are people constantly watching at night. Clarity licks her lips lightly as she looks at us. "Now we are going to practice a move with the shield..." the class continues as usual. ... "Were you... conscious?" Kaero asks at lunchtime, sitting on a big rock not far from the training ground Kaero arrived a moment ago asking to talk to me alone, so Poki and Huanca left not before giving me a wink. I turn my head slightly to look at Kaero, she smiles slightly and her eyes focused on mine are a bit bright, Is she happy?, it doesn''t seem to be the case. "I prepared this for you... Would you like to taste it?" Kaero takes out a small container from the bag on her right, with one of her hands she opens the lid of the small square container revealing a feast for the eyes. I mean, I don''t know most of the ingredients inside the bowl, but I can tell it looks beautiful, like a little work of art. Kaero lifts a fork and pokes a piece of what I think is meat doused with a bright red sauce that has some small bits of vegetables in it. "Do you want to try it?" Kaero smiles showing her perfect white teeth, her eyes narrow as her smile shows a small trace of complicity, her hair slightly wet from the light rain falling as she stands near me, offering me her warmth makes a slight flame ignite inside me. As her lightly cut hand slowly approaches me, taking the fork with her hand and the piece of meat to my mouth, something inside me tells me to turn away from her, perhaps a small instinct within my body, a sense of danger that warns me of something imminent. However, I slightly enchanted by Kaero''s beauty open my mouth... Sweet, delicious, the piece of meat slowly melts in my mouth as the sauce gives it a slightly spicy and pleasant taste. My eyes widen slightly, my mind freezes for a moment, Can there be such a delicious taste in the world?, this almost seems impossible. Almost without control over my body I continue to eat everything that Kaero puts in my mouth with the silverware in her right hand. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Rice, potatoes, vegetables, ingredients I don''t know, every little morsel is a new discovery for my taste buds. However, with each chew my heart beats more intensely, carrying a chilling sensation throughout my body, warning me of impending danger. But, unable to stop myself, I devoured every single thing Kaero put in my mouth, her smile growing even wider as her bright eyes began to lose their luster. A moment later her lips begin to tremble slightly, her hand comes down and she puts the fork inside the small empty bowl. "Do you know the history of the radio?", Kaero asks, she stops looking at me and starts looking slightly at the sky, almost as if she is contemplating the raindrops. With my newly regained self-control I sigh slightly before looking at Kaero, simply seeing her in profile is enough to make me admire her beauty. "Radio?...." I ask unconsciously, squinting my eyes slightly, and breathing a little faster. "Two people, they walk through a forest about to get dark, the world is tinged with a beautiful orange color, the heat is pleasant...", Kaero swallows saliva slightly. "Two people, they find an ancient tree in the center of the forest, two people osbervan the tree, it is a big gigantic tree, it has a trunk of a color never seen before, and just in the position that points to where the sun enters the tree has a cavity with a rather unique shape." Kaero lets out a pleasant chuckle to hear, she moves her legs slightly and continues to observe the drops. "It''s a cavity where you can place a radio" Kaero pauses, I watch her, though I can only see her face in profile, her confusion is obvious, she squints her eyes as if trying to find meaning in something. "Connect a radio, and you can travel to another world, in that other world you will get what you lost in this world and you don''t remember what it was..." Kaero finishes, her voice becomes a light whisper and she turns to look at me. Her cheeks are wet due to the drops of tears falling from her eyes, she swallows saliva lightly and forces a smile on her face. "Could you take me with you?" Kaero mumbles lightly, I don''t understand her question itself, strange, I don''t understand what exactly she is referring to, if it''s travel between worlds or a radio. Kaero sighs and moves a little closer to me, I can feel his warmth as he is just a few centimeters away from me, his eyes reflect hope. "I want to go to another world and get back what I lost.... Can you take me with you when you leave?", Kaero asks, his words make a feeling of danger run through my body, an instinctive fear invades me and my mind starts to overwork. "I''d love to get back something I''ve lost," she murmurs, her deep breaths making her chest rise and fall. "I think he''s taking refuge in the world you came from." She forces a smile on her face. "I miss him. Mom says he''s dead, but I know he isn''t, so please, could you take me with you?" she asks again, her eyes reflecting the intense longing in her words. "I don''t know what you mean..." I murmur unconsciously, a shiver running through my body. "If you know," Kaero purses his lips. "You come from the forest where the tree that connects several worlds is... I can, I know it''s like that," Kaero finishes with words that make several questions run through my mind, but I simply push them aside and watch her without saying anything. "Please..." she murmurs before lowering her head slightly. I can hear light sobs as her body trembles. Kaero''s words suggest she knows I''m from another world. Her actions soften my heart. She seems simply fragile, like a cute little thing that needs protecting. But even if I wanted to help her, I can''t. I don''t even know why I transmigrated to this world. I know there are wizards and witches in this world or something, but, I''m not one of them, I don''t even know how I got here, there''s no way I can do what she says. "I don''t understand what you''re saying...", I mutter with a slight smile, hoping that Kaero simply has some mental delusion or is confused about her words. However, Kaero raises her head with a slightly disheartened look, she swallows, takes a deep breath before forcing a smile on her face. "If you take me with you to the other world, then, then, Kaero can promise you many things..." she murmurs in a pleading and slightly flirtatious tone, yet I can sense the disgust in her voice as she utters those words. Kaero moves a little closer, one of her hands resting on my right thigh as she purses her lips. The trembling in her body is evident; she''s afraid, her breathing is abnormal, and her eyes are completely red. "I... I can''t return to the world I came from..." I say with some shame and embarrassment, my eyes drifting away as she simply stops her actions. "Help me or I scream saying that you tried to rape me and you will simply be beaten to death," Kaero looks at me, she shows courage on her young face, her body has stopped trembling, and her gaze is determined, however, I can say from experience that even if I refuse, she would not shout such an obvious lie. "I don''t know how to travel to another world...", I finally say with a slight sigh, Kaero doesn''t seem to believe my words, however, the fact that I look her straight in the eyes seems to give me some credibility. After a few seconds, Kaero finally seems to have calmed down a bit and takes a deep breath, yet she continues to watch me with her watchful eyes. "You... Do you know what a radio is?", she asks with a slight tone of dissatisfaction. "Well, actually, yes, it should be a music listening apparatus...", at my answer Kaero''s eyes light up slightly. "You mean a magical device that can record sounds and play them back?", Kaero asks curiously, she seems to be calming down and her willingness to talk makes me smile inside. "Not really... I wouldn''t know how to explain it," I smile at the end of my words, a little embarrassed. "So, How did you come to this world?". "Hmph... actually, I died and then I came here... " at my words Kaero squints her eyes, she watches in detail for a moment before opening her mouth. "Reincarnation? It''s impossible, you didn''t die in your previous world, but you''re here... you... you''re not dead in your previous world, you''re lying to me," Kaero watches with narrowed eyes for some reason. The Rare Kaero Kaero''s soft but gentle words make me unconsciously begin to doubt about the mental stability of this girl. But, my doubts are quickly overshadowed by the obvious, Kaero, she knows that I have transmigrated to this world, it is also possible that she knows something more about me, Right? I narrow my eyes slightly at Kaero''s penetrating gaze, she bites her lower lip slightly as if struggling to make a decision. A moment later, Kaero sighs lightly, her right hand moves quickly to my chest, her palm lightly rubs the center of my chest and she seems to smile slightly. "You''re alive, I mean, you''re... strange..." Kaero lets out a slight melancholic laugh, "you have two souls inside your body, one of your souls is fine, but your other soul is in a chaotic state, hmph... no..." Kaero pauses, she closes her eyes as she rubs with a little more force the center of my chest. Kaero''s hair moving in the light wind catches my attention, she looks like a little doll, I don''t know what she is doing right now, I can''t feel anything besides her touch on my chest either. "Your old soul is suffering," Kaero finally says with a bit of sorrow, she pulls her hand away from me again as she sighs lightly. "I don''t know what exactly you have, I''ve never seen a case like yours before, Sir Wasi, maybe it''s related to a reincarnation gone wrong," Kaero murmurs lightly, she seems to have calmed down too much compared to a few moments ago. "But..." Kaero says before pausing slightly to look me in the eye. "If you really came here without knowing how, then, I''d like to know what... what happened to you to manage to transmigrate here," she forces a smile on her face. "Please..." she looks a little excited. However, before she can say or do anything, a faint sound is heard, it''s the bell signaling the end of the lunch break. Kaero sighs with some disappointment before slipping a small sheet of paper into my hands, she gestures for me to be quiet while smiling slightly at me. After that I had to put up with some teasing words from Huanca and Poki during the training, the superior Clarity didn''t say a single word to me since she gave me the mission to make Kaero fall in love with me, and today was no exception. Huanca has been a bit nervous since this afternoon, something seems to have bothered him. I tried to ask him if something was wrong but he didn''t say anything. Instead, he simply feigned a slight smile as he watched me with a look that was a little hard to decipher. ... "I heard you beat up Dogor...", during dinner, Kaero to my right mutters with some glee as he looks at me. I was about to ask who Dogor is but Kaero opens his mouth again before I can say anything. "I mean the fat guy who was always around me and Erika..." Kaero smiles genuinely after speaking, apparently the fat guy''s name is Dogor, from Kaero''s words, he must be a Simp or something. "Dogor is a tough guy, he''s been around me and Erika for a long time, but... well, he''s gone now, that''s all that matters," Kaero sighs with some relief, "Thanks for that..." she finally says. Kaero''s words suggest that Dogor is a guy who was trying to woo her, he must have been a persevering guy since Kaero''s expression is one of happiness. I don''t think Dogor has given up on "looking for Kaero''s love", maybe he''s just sharpening the knives. "Aren''t you sad about Erika?" I ask with some curiosity, Kaero seems to be more concerned in her strange ambition to make me take her to another world and ask things about transmigration than about Erika''s state. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Actually, it''s fate, I mean, wherever Erika is right now, it''s fate that brought her there..." Kaero licks his lips after speaking for some reason. Poki and Huanca went to another table a while ago, according to them to give me some privacy with Kaero, but, I don''t really know what to do. I mean, it''s not like I have a great line to fulfill the mission of the superior Clarity, it''s just, Kaero seems to know too much about the world and these things, and I feel like she''s not the kind of naive girl you can easily fall in love with. "Do you miss something?" I ask, making a slight hand gesture to make Kaero understand my real question. I mean, about transmigrating and this, I''d really like to know what Kaero lost for her to seek transmigration. "I..." Kaero points a finger at herself as she smiles with her white teeth, there are a few bits of food at the corners of her lips which makes her look a little cute. Kaero sighs lightly before looking down at her plate with some regret and pursing her lips, "Actually, I want my boyfriend back..." she mutters softly, her eyes twinkle slightly and a very true smile spread across her lips when she mentioned her boyfriend. ... I guess I never had the chance to make her fall in love with me, Right?, I mutter some curses inside my mind as I too sigh with some tiredness. "If I manage to get my boyfriend back, then, I can give you a reward..." Kaero looks at me with a slightly serious face. "How about a small village near the big city where you could rule as a Count, you could have pretty maidservants, and marry a beautiful daughter of a Baron or something," she mumbles seriously. Actually... now that I look at her in more detail, this girl is very naive indeed. Does she even think that an offer like that could move me? I mean, that''s a great offer, it seems like an incredible thing, but, I don''t think she could pull something like that off, and even if she could, it doesn''t matter that much anyway because I''ll be dead by the end of the year if I don''t complete the Clarity''s quest, I guess. Kaero slowly starts to smile. "Of course, my offer this morning was just to test you, no way I would sell you my body, my boyfriend would never forgive me...", Kaero smiles showing her white teeth. Maybe I should beat her until I get tired. I let out a light sigh with a slight chuckle before drinking all the water in my cup. After that I simply tuck my forehead in and begin to meditate, no, rather, curse my damn luck for being contacted by two such strange girls in this world. Well, a girl and a middle-aged woman rather. Although, thinking about it from another point of view, the superior Clarity doesn''t look so bad, she just looks like an ordinary woman, I think making her fall in love with me would be easier than even trying to make Kaero fall in love with me. If superior Clarity falls in love with me, I can trick her to show her weaknesses and kill her, then maybe travel the world with a backpack on my back. I smile slightly at that possibility and start eating. Kaero seems very animated, telling me some common stories about the kingdom I''m in while I nod my head from time to time and enjoy the food. By the way, What''s the paper she gave me this morning for? I tried to look for it in my pocket, but the paper seems to have simply disappeared since I couldn''t find it. I tried to ask Kaero something about it but she just tilted her head, she said she didn''t know anything and that she never gave me a paper. I looked at her suspiciously at that moment, but the clarity in her eyes made me slightly surprised, from experience, decades of experience I could tell she was telling the truth. So... I really don''t know what to think at this moment, so many things have happened that... ... I lie down on the hard mattress of my bed, looking up at the rustic material ceiling, my eyes feel very heavy, everything is so confusing, I... *Sigh* A few hours later I''m still awake, I can''t sleep, many things haunt my mind, the transmigration, the mission that the superior Clarity gave me, the dreams of an apparent past of mine that I don''t remember, and recently the strange attitude of Kaero. Some time later, I get out of bed half asleep, pursing my lips before walking slowly to the bathroom to relieve myself. During the walk several thoughts about what to do go through my mind, it suddenly comes to me the idea of just killing the superior Clarity, or killing Kaero to see how Clarity reacts, even the idea of committing suicide to check if I can reincarnate again goes through my mind. ... "Kaero said I didn''t die, so..." I whisper as I wash my hands after doing my business, my eyes watching my own reflection on the mirror. "You really are ugly... hehehe," I let out a light laugh as I observe the boy reflected in the mirror, my reflection. A slightly messy and straight black hair, an ugly face, the ugliest I''ve ever seen in my life, parched lips and a slightly muscular body. "Why don''t you try the old trick with Kaero, if you do, then surely she''ll fall at your feet in the blink of an eye," I squint my eyes at that words, What was that? It sounded like a voice, not inside my mind, but in front of me, a voice that sounds exactly like mine. My body goes slightly on alert, my eyes open, my mind works quickly and I observe my surroundings with some impatience. However... nothing, there is nothing near me. Observing the surroundings cautiously I blink lightly making my eyes feel like two red hot steel balls going into ice. Opening my eyes there is something else in the bathroom, a new thing has suddenly appeared. Strange Barrel My body trembles slightly, my breathing gets a little heavier and as I look at the barrel not too far away, I can''t help but take a few steps backwards. Where did that thing come from? I squint my eyes in confusion, my mind working on trying to explain the sudden appearance of the barrel, however, even after a few minutes in silence, I cannot find a logical explanation. It''s a magical thing, though, the more I watch the barrel just being there, the more my mind calms down. As I calm my breathing I begin to take a few steps forward, perhaps I should simply escape from this place to my room, ignore this barrel that suddenly appeared, however, the mere existence of such a thing causes my eyes to dilate. A sense of familiarity envelops my body, after all, this barrel seems to be the same barrel I saw in my first hallucination in my dreams. The color is almost the same, the darkness present makes the barrel have the same silhouette as in that dream, even the position from which I look at it seems to be the same as I was in that dream. Then, exhaling slightly I take a step forward, then another, my body overwhelmed by fear soon becomes full of curiosity. The closer I get the more I can see inside the barrel, The barrel itself doesn''t look magical at all, it just is full of water. After a couple of steps I finally get in front of the barrel, the water inside the barrel is moving slightly as if there are drops of water falling into the barrel every so often. My reflection in the surface of the water, distorted by the movement of the water, looks slightly dark, it is very difficult to distinguish my face in that reflection. My hand almost unconsciously moves to lightly touch the surface of the water. "It''s cold...", I mutter under my breath, the water seems to be on the verge of freezing, besides that, it doesn''t seem to be any different from ordinary water. "I remember that I was thirsty in my dreams..." I murmur with a slow mocking smile remembering my feelings when I saw this barrel in my dreams. "Weren''t you looking for an answer?, well, here is the answer," again a voice similar to mine echoes in the room, no longer in front of me, but it''s as if the voice is coming from every corner of this bathroom. Again I observe my surroundings without any success, my heart that was calming down slightly starts beating again with intensity, my breathing becomes faster, and my mind only seems to think of something. "Escape...", with that thought running through my head I prepare to run as fast as I can to my room, however, it is impossible. It feels like my body is under a ton of earth, the pressure I feel seems to slowly crush my body, compressing my limbs and making impossible for me to breathe. With no control over my limbs I can only watch the reflection of the water, as my body slowly moves as if something is controlling it. My body bends down, my head slowly lowers to the water inside the barrel, in the reflection I can see a sea of darkness behind me, a sea that moves with roiling waves and forces me to open my mouth to let the water from the barrel enter inside my mouth. "You got it... it''s been a long road... Why don''t you try to go back to the way you were before?, just for a moment," a light whisper reaches my ears as the water rushes into my mouth. Little by little my mind is collapsing and my mental clarity is fading. ... Some days later... Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "What''s the real problem?" "Actually, miss, the real problem perhaps is his mind, well..." there was a slight pause followed by an awkward silence. "I''m not good at using magic, but some parts of his brain are different from how a normal person''s brain should be, I''ve been trying to use some healing magic, but... well, it''s impossible for me." "Why?" "Using magic to analyze a person''s insides and using magic to heal is completely different, I can heal wounds easily, but, heal something that interferes with the human mind... is impossible" "You..." "Don''t look at me that way, miss, it''s disrespectful... the mind has simply been analyzed for just a couple of years in the realm, we don''t even know a small part of how it works... so, with your permission, I must leave, but, I''ll be back." I can hear a slight silence in the room after that talk, if my memories don''t fail me ,then one of the people involved in that conversation should be Kaero, but I don''t seem to remember the other person''s voice. "You''re a real problem..." Kaero mutters while placing her hand lightly on my chest, I, of course, am still going to pretend to be sleeping. "Hmph..." Kaero mutters after a moment. "Your other soul is still in a chaotic state, Dad could analyze you with much better accuracy, but... well, it''s a shame," Kaero sighs, I can hear a faint sound of a chair and Kaero sitting on it, then she seems to just sit there, watching me. Well, it''s not like I can see her, so it''s just my guess. A moment later I open my eyes slightly, my back started to hurt due to a bad position. Rising slightly to sit on the bed, my eyes meet Kaero''s eyes. A slight smile appears on Kaero''s face who is sitting on a chair with a handrest. Where did she get that chair? "Hi... You woke up," Kaero expresses his happiness by giving me a white-toothed smile. A slight expression of disappointment spreads across my face, I don''t really know what to say, my mental state is not good, Kaero should know that. "Actually..." I pause to observe my body and then let out a slight snort accompanied by a smile, "I don''t know if I''m awake or not anymore...", I finish speaking making a resigned grimace. "That... that''s a little sad, but you''re awake, I can assure you..." Kaero doesn''t stop smiling as she speaks, "I can assure you because I''m here, Do you understand?, as long as I''m here, talking to you, you''re awake, whatever that means for you..." she holds out her hands to let me get her point across. My eyes widen slightly, watching Kaero''s sincere smile, her face glowing brightly in the candlelight, and her kind disposition makes me unconsciously want to smile genuinely. After a little chat with Kaero I found out what happened. Apparently I was found in the barracks bathroom two days ago, according to the doctor, no apparent signs of visible damage were found on my body, however, I just wouldn''t wake up. The doctors said it could be due to a mental shock that caused my mind to go into a strange mode they called "false death mode", or something like that. Then, for two days the head-doctor of the barracks was visiting me frequently, mostly looking to explore a peculiar case like mine. According to Kaero, the head doctor said it was wonderful how my mind could enter a mode in which it preserved its main functions while shutting down consciousness. But, an anomaly was found in my brain that the head doctor could not diagnose correctly, so he said it could be a malfunction or a birth defect. Kaero said all that with a slight smile, however, it is easy to know that that smile is not real. Observing Kaero, I can notice a slight sadness emanating from her, her eyes although lively let out melancholy, and her smile hides disappointment. Suddenly, the sudden feeling that I have disappointed her overwhelms my mind, causing a slightly unpleasant pain to spread through my body. But, Why? I smile slightly at whatever reason for the emergence of this feeling of guilt. "Kaero...," I whisper as I watch her smile. "Tell me," Kaero seems predisposed to speak, she blinks as she rises from her chair and approaches my bed. Seeing Kaero sad about my mental state makes the guilt inside me suddenly rise. "I..." I squint for a moment, my body tells me to tell Kaero about what happened with Clarity, and about my dreams, however, my reason holds back those ideas borne out of sentimentality. "I... actually, I''d like to know what''s outside the barracks...", I make a random request that suddenly occurs to me. Kaero looks a little confused before sighing, "Well, actually, outside there''s just forest, we''re surrounded by a forest that stretches for several dozen miles." Kaero pauses, she seems to be a bit thoughtful, "I mean, this is a bit of a simple barracks, it''s built in remote areas surrounded by forest mainly to avoid confrontation with enemy soldiers entering the kingdom as spies," Kaero mutters, but, she doesn''t seem to be sure of her words. "Who are we fighting against, I mean, the war, Who is the enemy?", I ask, this doubt recently arises in my mind like a nagging thorn. "Demons of the void... they are, a little different from us humans, wherever they pass life is extinguished..." Kaero sits on the edge of my bed, she speaks with seriousness on her face. After that, Kaero seems to sigh slightly before beginning to narrate several stories of what she know about the war. Before I knew it several hours have passed, Kaero also seems to have lost track of time, only the rumbling of her hungry belly seems to have brought her back to reality. "Ah...", Kaero moans slightly while blushing and rubbing her belly gently, she... she really looks like a little doll. New Discoveries I simply watch her blush and lower her head, her presence somehow makes my body feel relieved, my mind calmer, and my soul at peace. Of course, I try not to leave any trace of my feelings in my gestures, I simply watch her while as I smile. "Wasi..." Kaero murmurs in a delicate voice. I don''t respond, just waiting for her next words. She raises her head and finally sighs with some sadness, "What is the other world like?" Her question takes me slightly by surprise, making my mind start working. What is my world like? I mean, the world I come from... actually, I don''t remember it. If I consider those dreams I had as my past in some way, the world I come from isn''t pleasant. Very little different from this world if I had to say, perhaps, but both worlds seem to be very similar.. I look at Kaero for a moment before answering, "I don''t really remember much about my previous worl, when I came here, I lost most of my memories," I pause briefly, waiting for Kaero''s reaction. She looks a little sad, which makes me force a smile on my face, "However, It shouldn''t be much different if we compare it to this world, I remember being in a forest, there was fog, giant trees, and a cave¡­" I pause briefly, recalling what happened. "I was resting in that cave, and then... I just appeared in this world," I say, omitting the part where I heard a girl''s voice, Kaero looks at me seriously, she is thoughtful, her pupils moving up and down, inspecting my body with slight excitement. "Actually¡­" Kaero smiles after speaking, "I knew it!!!" Kaero lets out a light laugh, "You are... I mean, you came from the tree that connects several worlds, I''m almost sure, hehehe," she lets out an amused laugh while waving her hands somewhat impatiently. "What was the story? Two people walking through a forest, two people at dusk, the world painted an orange hue, two people and a radio connecting several worlds¡­" I try to recall the story Kaero told me a few days ago. Kaero claps a few times as she closes her eyes and smiles, "It''s almost perfect, perhaps... well, it''s not very important¡­ just two people in the forest," she sighs with some relief for some reason. "Tomorrow the head-doctor will come to inspect your body, for now, just sleep, okay?" Kaero says before smiling at me and leaving the room. For some reason, I''m not hungry, but that seems to be the least of my worries right now. The sudden appearance of the Barrel seems to have left something inside me, I''ve been able to feel it since I woke up, something deep within me. It feels like a small lake filled with some kind of glowing liquid that I can move with my thoughts. The liquid seems to be something magical, I can feel it, it is a thick liquid with small bright white particles. After one attempt, I''ve succeeded, my mind is sufficient to move the liquid itself, I mean, I can concentrate, will myself to move the liquid, and it will move. Carefully, I move the liquid from the small lake inside me, slowly moving it toward my body, my precise control seems to ensure that the small liquid moves like a floating ball of water. A moment later, I let the liquid spread throughout my body, leaving me with a particular feeling of warmth. Opening my eyes slightly, I can see my body. I haven''t changed, I mean, my body is still the same as it always has been, yet the feeling I have is one of power. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I slightly raise my right hand to grab a small piece of wood near me with one hand, and as a result, I can crush that piece of wood as if my hand were a hydraulic press. The feeling of power in my body slowly diminishes as I begin to compress the piece of wood with my hand, a moment later, after compressing the piece of wood into something the shape of the inside of my hand, I can feel the feeling of strength still present within me. My eyes open in pleasant surprise, a slight smile spreads across my face as a small feeling of joy passes through my body. "This is..." my thoughts travel quickly through a sea of possibilities, but, in the end, it all comes down to one conclusion. The water inside the barrel is the cause of what''s happening to me, I narrow my eyes slightly, after all, the water inside the barrel didn''t harm me at all, on the contrary, it seems to have given me some kind of magic. Sighing lightly, I focus on returning that liquid back to the small now empty stream inside my "Soul?", I don''t know what to call the place where the liquid was, it''s something that is deep inside me, but not in my body, I think I''ll refer to that place as my soul. As soon as the liquid leaves my body and returns to my soul... my body feels weaker, my breathing becomes a little faster while a slight feeling of drowsiness appears in me. Time flies, and for several hours I''ve been trying out different ways to use the strange liquid in my soul, but no matter what I try, I can only seem to direct it into my physical body to be absorbed and transformed into a physical enhancement. With slight disappointment, I sigh after several hours of practice, it''s a bit of a shame, I wish I could do more, but I really don''t know what else to do with the liquid in my soul. Reclining on my bed, I stare at the ceiling made of a rustic material, a slight smile spreads across my face as I recall Kaero''s face, Perhaps she will actually smile when I tell her about my new power? Perhaps not, she seems to have a strange ability to inspect my soul or something, maybe this sort of thing is common to her. Anyway, I can''t stop a slight smile from forming on my face at the thought of telling her about this "ability." I lie down on my hard bed, my eyes slowly close, practicing with the strange liquid in my soul has exhausted me, and I need to rest. ... ... ... "Dear sir, I don''t love my village, the sense of belonging those hypocrites talk so much about is nothing more than simple appreciation for the place where one was born, I don''t think we should celebrate the birthday of a land that has no value beyond what we ''humans'' give it, I hate my village." My mind spins, several thoughts pass through my mind, but it are all silenced by the strange voice of a girl, it''s the same girl who has been speaking inside my head for the past few months. "Dear sir, I know you exist, I know i''m not alone, please, if you can, then answer my question, Do you think I was a bad daughter?" ... I open my eyes slowly, the voice in my mind continues to nag, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself. "I''m in my room," I mutter softly, it''s already nighttime, so I struggle to get up to turn on the light. *Click* The soft click of the switch makes me blink, "What was I doing?" I mutter. "I... was reading a book about terrariums and it care, so, How did I end up sleeping on the floor?" I sigh with some annoyance at the pain in my back. However, something quickly catches my attention, in the center of the room, the terrarium Alberth gave me is... floating. Above the small table where the terrarium used to be, it floats, spinning slightly as if it were a small rotating world. The small plants inside the terrarium glow with a light green hue, and the small stream in the center seems to be filled with water composed of bright blue particles that rise until they hit the glass that acts as a roof My eyes widen in surprise at such a sight, my heart skips a beat as an immense curiosity floods my mind. "How beautiful," I can''t help but think intensely, it''s slowly spinning on its axis like a small planet, with small glowing plants, a stream with bright blue particles instead of water, and... "What''s that?" I squint, inside the terrarium there''s something else that wasn''t there before, no... more precisely, there''s something new underground. A portion of the terrarium is soil, I mean, the soil at the bottom of the terrarium is necessary for the plants. But there''s something else in that soil. I take several steps forward with curiosity, what I see is something similar to an underground cave, I mean, I don''t know if calling it an underground cave would be appropriate. It''s more like a space deep within the soil that connects to a small "tunnel" to the surface, inside that small space, the size of my fist, I can see small buildings. The closer I get, the more I can see the details of those small buildings. It''s actually... a small "village?", with a fence of small wooden sticks surrounding several buildings resembling small wooden huts and an unfamiliar material the size of one of my fingernails. I can also see small people... well, I don''t know if I should call them that since I can''t make out their features, but they look like tiny humans the size of ants walking through the small village. My mind doesn''t seem to be analyzing how something like this is possible yet, however, my right hand moves forward, rising in the direction of the rotating terrarium almost by instinct. Inside the Terrarium *Touch* The palm of my hand lightly touches the surface of the terrarium, however, it doesn''t stop, it continues to spin pushing my hand with its corners, the little people in the terrarium don''t seem to notice my presence for some reason and my mind begins to regain clarity. "I....," I mutter under my breath as I stare at the beautiful terrarium. "Dear sir... I am going to die, my quest for my mother''s innocence has failed and I am going to fall into the clutches of my enemies, I... hmph, there is no trace of humanity left in this cruel place..." the girl''s voice sounds again in my mind, she speaks with a melancholic but brave tone, she is sad but somehow her voice conveys warmth. I begin to calm my breathing as I observe the rotating terrarium, the various questions in my mind about this rotating terrarium has been extinguished and I solely appreciate the beauty of the terrarium. "I... sorry about that...", I mumble inside my mind almost instinctively, not even a trace of hope that whoever the owner of the voice is listening to me at this moment. There was a moment of silence, and then I could hear several sobs, cries of a girl and slight sounds that I can interpret as her trying to wipe her tears. "I... I''m not crazy...", she mumbles between sobs, a light laugh mixed with crying is heard for a moment, ''''I... thank you for existing, thank you for not being... just a trace of my reasoning in this hell... then, dear sir, Could you write my last words?" Hearing the girl''s words anxiety runs through my body, suddenly I am engulfed in a cocktail of negative feelings. Fear, sadness, hopelessness, and pity mix in a set of emotions that hit my mind like a truck on the highway. Despair, anxiety and deep longing for this girl''s existence suddenly runs through my body. "I... you...", I squint my eyes not knowing what to answer. "Among the green leaves not far from the village, a woman is resting peacefully, she shouts ''Praise the Sir!! Because my daughter is born!!'', she was born on...", I suddenly stop hearing the girl''s voice, a strange green light envelops my body preventing me from moving. This green light starts to warm me up, it starts to make various forms about the use of a strange energy enter my mind. My mind is fogged by this information and I close my eyes suddenly, I feel my whole body gradually shrinking as more information enters my mind. ... "And so, dear Sir, humanity has been lost in this carnage, the day of decline has come, the end of civilization, and I hope my death will be a warning to those beasts with human skin, you...." As I close my eyes I can hear the same voice of the girl, no longer inside my mind, but behind me. She suddenly stopped, I can hear the sound of something solid falling against the ground and then, a slight sound of crying. There''s a brief moment of silence. I can hear the sound of sobs, movements, and feel the gaze of the girl who, I believe, has been speaking to me in my mind for so long. A moment when she looks at me, and I can feel her penetrating gaze, and yet, without even knowing each other in person, I can feel a connection with her. "It''s you... dear sir..." She says making me open my eyes, my surroundings are... magical, there is no other word to describe this place besides that. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. I am surrounded by giant vegetation, trees with trunks so thick that it seems to be the thickness of a soccer field, a light white mist with some bright specks covers everything, and the ground is soft and gives off a soothing smell. There are all kinds of giant vegetation around me, the air a mixture of a natural perfume unknown to me makes me feel like I''m floating in the clouds. Looking slightly back almost by instinct I can see a girl, long green hair down to her hips, a lovely face with light green patterns like tattoos on her forehead and cheek, bright clear eyes, upturned nose and pink lips, her clothes are a dirty brown one piece outfit, and she''s wearing a pair of shoes, she looks at me with a smile showing me her white teeth. "Dear sir...." She murmurs before falling to her knees, her eyes focused on mine, her gaze lost and totally jubilant, it''s as if she''s in front of god. I take a step forward, I can''t help it, she, a strange specie that resembles humans is charming, even though that one-piece baggy outfit covers her body, I can still see her curves. However, what strikes me the most is her face, perfectly shaped, a nose and lips that seem tailor-made for her, and captivating eyes that glow with a white hue. I move forward, she doesn''t move back, she just stares at me while breathing a little fast, some tears stain her cheeks making her look even more charming. As I take a closer look at her I notice something in particular, She?, She has no pores, the surface of her skin is perfectly smooth, no hair, no pores, no wrinkles, no imperfections, she is like a doll made to be perfect. I raise my hand to touch her head and thus her hair, the strands of her hair perfectly smooth, separated from each other and completely dry. "Dear Sir, you have arrived..." she murmurs bringing my mind back to reality. I squint, my head jerks to either side to find out where I am, and then I look down at my body. A slight smile appears on my face, the information that was written in my mind by that green light has given me enough knowledge to know what is going on. "Here... this is Tazy," I mutter almost sure of my words, the girl not too far from me gently pulls my hand away from her head before standing up. "You''re right, dear Sir, this is Tazy..." she steps towards me, her words seeming to be filled with emotion. "I..." I say as I look at the vegetation around me and then at the girl quite close to me. My heart skips a beat, my cheeks flush a little and I fake a smile to avoid embarrassment. "You, Can you keep the promise you made to my mother?", she asks with a serious face, however, her body is trembling, sign that she is afraid. Promise? I don''t really remember making a promise to anyone, I squint my eyes for a moment, confused, however, my confusion is quickly interrupted by the sound of several boses screaming. Thanks to the new information in my mind I can use what is known as "Primordial Energy", which is the energy that every living being has, it seems to be something like vital or life energy. This primordial energy is present in this place, and with a couple of thoughts I can easily feel all this "forest" as if it were my body. Actually, I am inside the terrarium, I can feel the earth, the vegetation, as well as many existences similar to this girl running towards my direction. The girl not far from me has also noticed this, I can see her eyes dilate slightly as a look of fear appears on her face. "Sir!!! We must escape quickly!!!" the girl near me shouts anxiously, she grabs my right hand with her two hands and tries to drag me in the opposite direction of the approaching mob. However, her movements do not make me move even a millimeter from my position, after all, with the ability to control the primordial energy in this terrarium I can be said to be like a God. "Sir..." she murmurs in confusion, her eyes bright and clear with tears overflowing from it causes me to lightly caress one of her cheeks. "Actually, no need to escape...", I murmur, with a thought the surrounding primordial energy moves slightly to warm the body and calm the girl''s mind. She feels the heat, her eyes slowly return to normal as her breathing stabilizes, she, watching me, begins to smile slightly. Then, she smiles showing me her white teeth, swallows saliva and stands erect near me. Maybe I should take the opportunity to flirt with her? Shit, really, really, What kind of thoughts do I have?, mom says it''s too early for me to do that kind of thing, but... fuck, this girl is really beautiful, and I... I bite my bottom lip as my mind seems to think of various possibilities of me talking and hanging out with this girl. "Heretic!!!" "Heretic!!!" Several shouts can be heard as a crowd approaches, not long after similar existences to the girl near me appear from the vegetation. They, frantic and with hammers, axes or spears in their hands watch the girl next to me, ignoring me. "Do you think you can escape so easily?, and the people said you would bring us peace, look how we are... Your time has come!!!" One of the people murmurs, she seems to be a rather well groomed woman, with a lovely face and an hourglass body, she carries a sword and smiles as she osberves the girl next to me. "Where have I seen this before?", I mutter under my breath, really, Isn''t this a scene I read about in a book?