— Helloooo! — I shout in the hope that someone hears me. — Is anyone there?!
Once again wrapped in darkness. Hah! It sucks—only a few days have passed since I was in that horrible place, and here I am again inside this lonely and frightening darkness. Well, what can I do? I'll have to walk until I find a way out.
Something is wrong here, my instincts tell me, but figuring out "what?" will be difficult in this situation. Where I step is a ground I cannot see, and around me there is a complete foggy darkness.
And why? Why would it be a foggy darkness? Simple. The answer is that even in the dark, I would normally be able to see at least a little. But… the only thing I see is a blurred darkness, or dark smudges—I can't distinguish.
Flaaaaaw
Her raar
Baaam
Suddenly I hear sounds of animals—I think they're animals—growling in fury, and others groaning in pain.
I'm surprised to finally find something here.
I threw myself forward before starting to run toward the sounds I heard.
But I didn't figure out *why* I can run, though for moments it seems I've lost the ability to speak. Of course, it's not a big deal.
In the middle of my marathon toward infinity and beyond, I pass by something that reflects my appearance. I run past it, not noticing at first, but I felt a nudge in my mind and went back.
I thought maybe I'd discover my appearance—a child, a pimply teenager, or a bearded adult?? My curiosity spiked instantly.
I looked at myself, and looked again. Repeated it two or three more times just to be sure. But the shell of this body apparently is that of a teenager in the prime of physical strength and elegance.
If the elegance comes from a handsome face? No. It comes from the clothes. Obviously, according to my recently updated taste.
Honestly… the face is completely blurred. I can't see anything of it. The only visible things on the head are the hair. And from the neck down.
The hair is dark black, with shaved sides, and the top—where there's still hair—is swept to the side. More specifically, to the right.
A thick shirt that made me warm instantly, but luckily I found something in the middle of it and pulled it down as if I knew it would open, letting a chill penetrate my chest. The shirt underneath was a school uniform, judging by what was written.
I touched my torso—it was puffed out, and I had abs on my stomach. My arms also seem muscular. My pants are loose, helping me move better in critical moments. Like in action scenes. And shoes… sneakers. Soft and comfortable sneakers.
Enough of looking at a body that isn't mine. I just want to get out of here quickly, I thought.
I started running again. But the sounds had stopped. I found it totally strange. Actually, everything is weird in a hostile place.
I looked everywhere possible, but… nothing.
I turned my head back in a quick instant. I was surprised by a zombified humanoid beast. A zombie skinwalker.
— It's time to be a hero! — I shouted, hitting the monster with a… fire extinguisher? What is this? And… I didn't have this a moment ago.
— Ah! Screw it!
I struck the monster, and in the middle of that one-sided beating from me, out of horror and fear of seeing the scene, I closed my eyes.
And when I opened them, I saw a scene that made me vomit. I felt gastric juice rise in my stomach. I tasted bile strongly.
— Shit!
I pulled myself together suddenly, without further damage, as if I hadn't almost stained the ground. But I could feel that it happened—not only that it happened, I could smell the acidic, bitter odor of what I had released onto the ground.
Leaving that aside, I decided to move forward. I had the goal of getting out of here, recovering my original body, and returning to my family.
Thinking about my family, I felt lonely for a moment. However, I pulled myself together and thought about the warmth of the hugs I'd receive when I returned.
My body stopped forcibly. It began to cry, as if nothing else mattered. My body fell to its knees. I screamed. It was a scream full of emotion. I didn't understand why my emotions had mixed with those of the body. It was as if the tightness in my chest I felt was mine.
— But it's not! — I shouted internally.
After several minutes of shedding tears, the body composed itself again instantly, as if nothing had happened. This brought many doubts to me. I was about to lose myself in that endless foggy space of torturous darkness. But…
* * *
— Hah. Hah. Hah. — I wake up gasping.
— By the gods. Ryo, what happened? — my father asked sleepily, half-awake. — Are you hungry?
— Of course not. Dear, he isn't even crying. That's what you should be paying attention to! — my mother said.
Once again, words without meaning. To me, they mean nothing, because I don't understand them at all.
And for no reason at all, the only thing I did was cry.
Both of them started looking at me, searching for something wrong, surprised by my sudden crying. Even half asleep, they tried to calm me.
I cried for minutes. They both picked me up to soothe me and make me sleep. With success, I closed my eyes and mouth, letting them rest—and I rested too.
They sighed and lay closer to me, spooning together, forming a heart. Resulting in more warmth under the blanket.
And that was pretty much all that happened that night.
I came to the conclusion that what happened to me was a nightmare. Probably related to before I was born in this world.
I don't have the concepts or vocabulary to describe my theory about all this. And I don't have any data or research to even call it a theory. It would be easier to label it in three ways:
— "If," "I think," and "probably."
There's nothing concrete and nothing that helps me. The only thing I can do now is pay attention and learn the language they speak, as well as writing, reading, and doing math.
Waiting to grow up is a pain.
Hah! I sigh. I still remember that damn feeling of power that the old woman gave me with that light shining inside my body.
I'd do anything to feel that again.
I was in the living room at the moment. My mother was making lunch in the kitchen. My father was out working.
And my brother was taking care of me. I recently discovered his name. Damian—that's my brother's name. I haven't discovered our parents' names. They call each other "dear," "darling," or sometimes "love." Damian calls them more traditionally "dad and mom."
So I'll have to wait until someone calls them by name. Like Damian.
After some time, I discovered my name through my brother.
They gave me a loving nickname: Ryo, from Ryoumi. Because my name was long and complicated for, according to them, shouting at me if they needed to say something important.
Right now, I'm still in the living room, but I'm in Damian's lap. He looks at me with a smiling face—not mocking, but joyful. His eyes shine like stars.
He clenched his fists in the air out of nowhere and said something.
— I'll be a great brother.
Well, as long as he doesn't abuse me just because I'm small and defenseless, I'd appreciate it if he didn't hurt me out of spite.
***
It didn't take long for time to pass. I turned one year old. It didn't feel fast.
Damian, now six years old—five years older than me. I found out on his sixth birthday.
Apparently, in this world, at six years old a child starts school.
Damian comes home in the afternoon, and when he does, he goes out to play with his friends.
And today, like every day, everything is normal. Damian had already arrived home some time ago. Some of his friends showed up to call him to go play outside. Shouting, he said:
— I'm going to play with my friends, mom!
— Damian, take Ryo with you. I won't have time to take care of him now.
— Okay!
Damian and mom exchanged words.
Damian hurried over to me, grabbed the handles of my stroller, and took me outside.
We passed through several areas full of grass. Dust rose with every step Damian and his friends took.
It seems we live in a more rural place, for the ground to be entirely sand.
Houses and cattle in pastures were the next things I saw.
After a short time, we arrived at a large open space with trimmed grass and two curved metal posts painted white planted at each end.
The grass was marked with white paint.
On the sides, benches for people to sit.
Damian's friends went to the center of the field where more boys were.
Damian walked to the benches and left my stroller on the left side of the field.
He positioned the stroller so I was facing the field.
— Ryo, stay here and watch your brother play.
After saying that, Damian ran to the field and joined the other boys.
They split into eleven on each side. Ten on the field for each side, and one person stayed between the metal posts.
With a ball in the center of the field, marked by white lines.
The game seemed to begin.
One of the boys kicked the ball backward. A boy in a blue shirt stopped it with his foot.
He then kicked it to another boy. Damian sprinted toward the boy with the ball and stole it.
Damian passed it to a shirtless boy.
'Ah, I get it. They're divided into two teams. And one is shirtless to differentiate,' I thought.
Damian is on the shirtless team.
The boy who received the ball ran with it. He carried it to the area where the boy between the posts of the shirted team was.
He kicked high. And Damian magically appeared and jumped, doing a flip.
The ball hit the net.
G-goooal!
Goal? What… what word is that? Ah, whatever.
The boys on my brother's team shouted and ran to him, hugging him.
Suddenly, a voice filled my delicate little ears.
A girl with long red hair. Her hair flowed over her shoulders, ending over her large chest.
— Heh. Damian is so handsome and hardworking. — She sighed and said.
She had both hands on her chin. Her face showed innocent affection. Her eyes were lowered and fixed on Damian, and from her mouth came only sighs.
She looked to the side, noticing me. She smiled and began playing with me.
— How cute. What is such a beautiful and adorable baby doing here?
Seeing her better, from the front, she is very beautiful. A true beauty.
— Hi!?
Damian shouted to the girl.
— Hm?
— Ah, it's you, Ellen.
— Y-yes. Is he your brother?
— He is. Isn't he really cute?
She laughed and said:
— He is. Must take after his brother.
Damian's face turned like a strawberry, and Ellen's face blushed the same way.
They seem to be the same age and know each other.
— You… came here to watch us play? Damian stuttered.
— Almost. I came to see you.
She said something firmly. I don't know what she said, but it made my brother even redder.
Are they dating or something? They should just admit it.
A soft wind blew, making Ellen's long hair flow backward.
A dry leaf fell onto my nose, and I sneezed, looking away.
Damian took his shirt from his shoulders and wiped my nose, all full of snot.
My brother turned to Ellen, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment.
— Ellen, sorry, but can I ask you a favor? Can you take care of Ryo?
— Of course.
— Thanks.
One of the boys hit the ball into Damian's head, making him fall forward. He bumped his head into Ellen's, making her fall with him.
Damian has an exemplary physique; his muscles are perfect on his lean body.
He spun using his legs and positioned himself under Ellen. As a result, Ellen fell on top of Damian.
Their lips touched briefly. When they realized, they jumped up.
Both embarrassed and red. Damian broke the silence:
— Are you okay?
— I am, thanks to you.
They said nothing more to each other. Only shy smiles, after that quick contact of lips. Their faces showing a desire for more.
— Get a room!
One of the boys shouted.
Another boy on Damian's team shouted:
— Damian, are you gonna stay there dating or come play more?!
The not-quite-a-couple kids jumped in surprise (they were lost in their own world) and said goodbye.
Ellen stayed watching Damian play with his friends.
She returned to her melancholic sighs of a girl in love.
The sky began to darken. A lot of time passed.
Damian said goodbye to his friends, grabbed my stroller, and we started heading home.
Ellen joined us and walked with us to our house.
Damian left me with mom; apparently, he went to walk Ellen home.