Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 1: Unknown World.

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I opened my eyes only to find myself in the middle of a forest. 

I looked at my surroundings to confirm where I was...

I was sitting on the ground, leaning my back against a large tree. The lush greenery of the forest covered the sky and the sun. 

I kept looking around with interest...

A few animals and strange insects were lurking around the area. I was able to see a rabbit with three eyes and a butterfly with two sets of wings.

But there was nothing that could give me a hint about my current location...

“So, I was really reincarnated…” I muttered to myself after seeing the strange animals. I was extremely surprised and a bit excited.

I quickly realized there was something amiss with my new body…

I looked at my arms and legs… My limbs were way smaller than they used to be and my body felt lighter…

“How curious… Huh?” I was a bit weirded out thanks to my own voice.

My voice was way more different and childish than it used to be… 

“I thought reincarnation meant starting from zero as a baby, but it looks like I was wrong...” I said to myself as I stood up.

I was even wearing clothes and everything. My outfit consisted of shorts, a black shirt, and a pair of leather boots.

I checked all of my pockets, but sadly, they were empty.

I looked around and started scanning my surroundings, looking for anything that could be useful.

“So, I was reincarnated in the middle of a forest without any food, water, or tools. That’s a bit unfortunate…” I frowned.

I really don’t blame Melius for this considering he said that he had to wait for thousands of years to summon me and then reincarnate me…

I looked around my surroundings again, but I couldn’t find anything useful nearby.

“Damn… I wish I watched more survival programs on TV or played more survival games with Claire…” I smiled bitterly.

To be fair, I never imagined that I would be sent into a forest when I agreed to be reincarnated... There’s no way I could have prepared myself for this.

“Well, it is what it is. First, I need to find a way out of the forest and then find a city to get supplies and a place to sleep. After that, I can start working on releasing Melius and finding his friend, Lia.” I started talking to myself.

I thought it was good to have a plan, but I then noticed a problem…

“In which direction should I go, though?” With a raised eyebrow, I started looking around to inspect my surroundings.

There were trees and vegetation in every direction… Probably for a few hundred meters or dozens of kilometers… It is pretty difficult to know how extensive this forest actually is...

“Maybe I should wait until nighttime and follow the stars… No… Since this is not Earth, the stars are probably not the same...” I said while rubbing my chin thanks to this particular problem.

I could also probably try to find a river and follow its course. There’s also the small and very concerning problem that it doesn’t seem like there’s a river around here…

“This is troublesome… Maybe I could choose a random direction and hope for the best? Sigh… I shouldn’t leave this to luck…” I sighed heavily.

I touched the tree that I had been previously leaning against.

“But what other choice do I have? I guess my only choice will be hoping for the best right now…” I smiled awkwardly.

I took a deep breath and started pondering about what direction to go...

"I guess I'll go in that direction." I nodded to myself.

The path I chose had what appeared to be a trail.

Without looking back at the place I just reached, I immediately started following the trail.

I didn't forget to look around for anything useful while I was hiking.

After a while of walking through the trail, I found several footprints on the ground.

"Hm? Are those human footprints? No… They look too small to belong to a human… Maybe a group of toddlers passed through here?" 

The footprints looked too small to belong to a human adult. The footprints seemed to follow the trail for a bit before going in another direction.

"I don't know who or what made these, but It might be better not to follow these footprints…" I nodded to myself.

My intuition was telling me that it might be dangerous to follow the footprints.

I stopped inspecting the footprints and went on my merry way while being cautious of my surroundings just in case the owners of those footprints decided to return.

This forest seemed very very peaceful. I could hear the birds chirping and singing all around me. 

Squirrels bigger than the ones from Earth were looking for food on the ground. They didn't seem too bothered by my presence.

"This world doesn't seem that different from Earth. I wish I could have asked Melius more about his world…" I smiled bitterly.

After a few minutes of walking, I ended up reaching a small clearing. There was a large pond with several flower beds around it.

In the distance, I noticed that there was a small cave. It was a few dozen meters away from the pond.

"Oh! Lucky me! I was starting to feel thirsty!" I was happy that I had found a source of water.

I inspected my surroundings again before running toward the pond.

I was surprised by how clear and crystalline the water of the pond looked while I was running towards it.

When I finally reached the pond, I was left dumbfounded thanks to my own reflection.

I looked like a kid… No, that’s not correct… I was a kid again…

“Wow…” I could only look at the pond with amazement and a little bit of confusion.

My skin was a bit darker compared to my former body. My eyes, instead of green, were now brown and my hair which used to be brown and long, was now completely pitch black and short. 

My facial features were a bit shocking to adapt to… Most people would describe them as exotic, but they were not unpleasant to see… In fact, I dare to say that my facial features are more likable than what they used to be in my former body.

These changes were all the confirmation I needed… The confirmation that my talk with Melius had actually happened and that I had really reincarnated… 

It was the confirmation that I was in a brand new world.

“Hahaha… I can’t believe this is actually happening…” I smiled bitterly while looking at my reflection and using my fingers to touch my own face.

Even after waking up, looking around, and traveling through the forest, a part of me thought that I was just having a dream. That I would just wake up and everything will be normal...

But now I really know that's not the case… I actually lost my life and was reborn into another world.

“Although can I actually be considered reborn while looking like a small kid already? So instead of reincarnation, this might be considered transmigration, right?” I asked myself a pointless question.

I just shrugged since I was not going to be able to find an answer to my pointless question.

After looking at my reflection in the mirror again, I then focused on the water itself.

“Even if it looks clean and crystalline, I should maybe boil it… This is very troublesome…” I started rubbing my chin.

Currently, I don't have the tools to boil water. I don't have any pots with me and I haven't started a fire, which is another problem on its own because I have never started one.

"And drinking it just like this might be dangerous… I can't risk getting sick right now..." I was very troubled.

Yeah, getting sick while I'm in the middle of an unknown forest may result in me dying again if we think of the worst possible scenario…

"Well, it looks like I have two choices here. Give up drinking water for now or look for something useful that could help me to boil it." I nodded to myself.

Since I don't know with certainty how extensive the forest is or if there are any other water sources nearby, I think it would be safer to choose the latter option.

Having made up my mind, I immediately stood up and started exploring the area around the pond.

It took me a while to explore everything, except for the cave near the pond.

I was able to find several bushes with berries and mushrooms. I was having the same problem with the berries and mushrooms… I couldn't be certain that I wouldn't get sick if I ate them.

Besides that, I didn't find anything to help me boil the water.

"This… This might be more difficult than I originally expected…" I started sweating profusely after realizing that I was in quite a pickle...

Still, it doesn't mean that I should lose hope right here. There's still a place I could check for useful things.

The cave.

During my exploration of the area, I didn't find any traces that hinted at the presence of predators like bears or wolves, so I felt safe to explore the cave.

"Ah… It is good that I watched so many nature documentaries. Hahaha…" I let out a nervous laugh.

I'm really glad that what I learned from those documentaries finally proved useful.

"Now then…" I looked at the entrance of the cave.

I started walking towards the cave.

But before I could actually get close to the mysterious cave, a tiny group of small green-skinned creatures came out of the cave.

I immediately stopped walking as soon as I noticed them… A bad feeling took over me…

"Gigigi!" 

"Gigi!"

"Gigigigigi! Gya!" 

The three small creatures were growling at each other…

The three creatures were short in stature and wore loincloths. The three of them had weapons on their hands. Two had wooden clubs while the last one had a rusty bloodstained knife.

(Are they goblins…?) I thought to myself while looking at the small creatures.

They looked slightly different from what games portrayed them…

They look less ugly and more human-like...

Although they looked a bit different from the goblins I'm used to seeing in video games, as an avid RPG player, it would be difficult for me to not associate these creatures with goblins.

"Gigigigigi!" One of the 'goblins' shouted.

My bad feeling about them suddenly got worse…

While I was trying to slowly and stealthily walk away, I suddenly tripped backward and fell to the ground…

"Ouch!" I unconsciously yelped in pain.

The three 'goblins' looked in my direction when they heard me fall to the ground.

The three creatures had murderous and overjoyed expressions on their faces…

The three of them prepared their weapons and started running toward me…

"Ah…" It was at that moment that I realized that I was in big trouble...

My body and mind screamed at me while they agreed on one simple thing: I needed to escape.

But…

"My body… It won't move…" I was dumbfounded...

Oh shit...

I was so scared that I couldn't even stop trembling.

The fierce and sadistic eyes of the creatures were making me feel a fear that I had never experienced before...

"Gyyya!" One of the goblins shouted with excitement.

It wouldn't take long before the three monsters would reach me and kill me.

"It… It can't end like this…" I looked at them in despair.

A feeling of hopelessness had completely taken over me…

I still tried to move my body desperately, but not even a finger would move. I was still trembling and completely terrified…

I was facing death again… I never expected it to be so soon…

(Sorry, Melius…) I apologized in my heart since I wouldn't be able to fulfill my promise…

In my last moments, I could only think of my parents, my sisters, my friend Chris and of course, Claire...

"Gyaa!" One of the goblins shouted again. 

All of them were about to be right in front of me… It wouldn't take long before I met my end again…

Just as two of the goblins were about to raise their wooden clubs to smash me to death, the unthinkable happened.

An enormous axe had flown through the air and hit two of the three goblins in front of me… Their heads and bodies were completely split open, their organs coming out of what remained of their bodies and their blood leaking through basically everywhere…

"Damn… I missed one… I'm really getting old… Sigh…" A male voice spoke with annoyance.

I couldn't even react to the voice… My body was still completely petrified...

"Gyaaa?" The remaining goblin was clearly dumbfounded thanks to the deaths of its companions.

The befuddlement of the goblin didn't last long… The goblin was immediately sent flying because a mysterious man had suddenly appeared and kicked the goblin in the face.

The head of the goblin had exploded as soon as the kick connected. The body of the goblin flew a few meters before crashing against a tree…

"Another job well done! Hahahaha!" The stranger laughed extremely loudly.

I could only stare at the back of this stranger with confusion and relief…

The stranger was way over 2 meters in height and extremely muscular, he almost seemed like he was a bodybuilder... His hair is brown and short. He's wearing a white tank top with plain brown pants and what appears to be a pair of leather boots.

The stranger suddenly turned around and faced me…

He had hazel-colored eyes and a fearless smile.

"Kid, are you okay? Where are your parents?” The giant tilted his head.

“Ah…” I looked at him with amazement and horror…

My eyes could only focus on the guts and spilled organs of the now-deceased group of goblins.

It was something that I never in my life imagined I would see…

"Well, it does look like you're alright! Hahahaha!" The gigantic stranger laughed very loudly again.

I didn't really pay attention to him… My mind was more focused on the sight and the horrible smell of the organs of the corpses…

"…" I started feeling sick...

Unfortunately, the first thing I was able to do in front of the stranger was vomit…

"First time seeing a corpse? Been there a long time ago." The man smiled awkwardly.

I nodded feebly once I stopped vomiting… I was breathing heavily…

"So what are you doing so deep in this forest, kiddo?" He asked with a genuinely curious expression. "Ah! Don't worry, I'm not a bad person! I can guarantee that!" He smiled warmly.

I have the feeling that's what a bad person would say…

"I… I don't know…" I replied honestly with a bit of nervousness despite the enormous shock of watching the deaths of three living beings.

"You don't know…" He looked a bit troubled.

I nodded feebly again.

"Well, this is a bit tricky…" He scratched the back of his head. "Kid, would you like to have a meal or anything? The place where my family and I live is not so far away from here. We can talk there more calmly." He suggested while smiling awkwardly.

I looked at the puddle of vomit in front of me while trying not to look at the remains of the goblins…

I don't think I want to eat anything right now…

"Kid, we should go before more of those annoying bastards show up." The man beckoned me to come with him.

I immediately decided to go with my savior. What other choice did I have? Staying here to be killed by those monsters or following this man and hoping for the best.

I walked toward him while avoiding looking at the corpses at all costs. I didn't want to vomit again…

"My home is close, so it won't take long to get there, okay?" The man had a gentle smile on his face.

He grabbed his axe and then immediately started walking in the direction I came from…

(Ah… Don't tell me that I could have found his home if I walked in the opposite direction…) I frowned as I realized that.

I noticed that the man was getting away, so I walked as fast as I could to catch up to him.

When he noticed me, he nodded to himself with satisfaction without saying a word.

The two of us then walked back through the trail I came from. I saw several familiar trees, plants, and other landmarks on the way back.

We were silent the whole way… It was a bit difficult to break the ice with this giant of a man even when I had calmed down a bit about what had happened…

It was when we passed in front of the tree where I woke up that I was able to kill the uncomfortable silence.

"Umm… What's your name…?" I asked the stranger.

"Dear Lord Melius, I was worried that you might have turned into a mute all of a sudden! Hahahaha!" He laughed very loudly again. "The name's Fred Armanz. What about you, kid?" He introduced himself after he stopped laughing.

His laughter was somehow a bit reassuring…

I was also very relieved thanks to Fred mentioning Melius...

If I needed any more confirmation about being reincarnated in another world, then this should serve as more proof.

"Julius…" I introduced myself only using my first name.

"And your last name?" He asked.

Hmm… I don't really feel comfortable using it… The memory of my death is still fresh, so…

"I don't know…" I shook my head and apologized to Fred in my mind for lying to him.

"So, you don't know what you were doing here or what is your last name? Jeez… Where are your parents?" Fred looked a bit troubled.

They are on Earth… Of course, I don't think I can tell him that...

I shook my head again in response…

"You don't know that either… Could it be that you have amnesia? Or were you abandoned here while you were unconscious?" He looked at me and started muttering to himself.

"I just woke up nearby... That's all I remember…" I said with a bitter smile.

Fred nodded in understanding before sighing heavily.

"Sigh… Well, I guess I can try something to find your parents later. For now, let's get you to safety. My wife will cook you a warm meal." He tried to reassure me while looking extremely awkward.

I just nodded, while trying not to think of the carnage from before...

We continued walking through the trail, leaving behind the place where I was reincarnated.

After a while, we managed to arrive at a hill where we could see a very large field that was surrounded by trees.

I could see some wooden houses in the distance.

The sight immediately left me breathless and gasping in awe.

"I don’t really like flattering myself too much, but this is a fine work if I do say so myself! Hahaha!" Fred laughed very loudly again.

The field was full of hundreds of cut trees and tree trunks… There were several mountains of logs around the fields…

I looked at him in amazement…

(He did this on his own…? Amazing…) I thought to myself.

"Fred… Did you really cut all of these trees by yourself?" I asked him while I was looking at the large field.

"Yep! It was pretty fun and relaxing!" He nodded and smiled.

I don't think I would describe that kind of labor as "relaxing"...

"It must have taken weeks to cut all those trees…" I was completely impressed.

"Weeks? I cut all of them yesterday." He corrected me. He was smiling as if what he had done was completely normal.

Huh…?

He… He cut all of them yesterday...? That's impossible…

I'm not too knowledgeable about cutting trees, but I know that taking down all the trees that Fred cut would usually require an entire team of people with electric saws… And I think it would still take more than a day...

"Well, let's continue. One final push before lunch! Hahaha!" Once again, Fred laughed extremely loudly.

Before I could even acknowledge what he had said, I found myself being grabbed by him.

I was now being carried by the gigantic Fred...

"Huh?" I was a bit dumbfounded.

"Sorry about this, kid... I'm really hungry now and I would like to get home quickly... Hold on tight!" He smiled bitterly at me.

(Hold on tight for what…?) I was confused.

Before I could ask him that, he had suddenly jumped high into the air. No one should be able to reach these heights by only jumping…

Fred had easily jumped several dozen meters into the air...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH…-!" I panicked and started screaming.

"So you're not good with heights huh… I'm sorry, I won't do it again. Please keep holding onto me though!" He said with an apologetic tone.

I was too busy screaming and panicking to even hear him…

It didn't take long for gravity to do its job… A few seconds after Fred had jumped, we were pushed back to the ground which made me scream louder.

As the ground approached, my mind could only think of one specific thing…

(Ah… I'm gonna die again…) That was the only clear thought that I had.

Contrary to my expectations, we landed safely… We were still in one piece…

I looked at Fred with confusion… I wanted to ask why we were not dead, but words didn't come out of my mouth...

"Don't worry! As long as you're with me, nothing will happen to you!" Fred said with confidence. "Keep holding on since we're not done yet."

I started feeling shivers down my spine as soon as I heard those words…

"Ready? Set… Go!" Fred yelled with excitement.

He immediately started running at an unbelievable speed for a human…

I, of course, started screaming again thanks to Fred's inhuman speed…

It honestly felt like I was on a rollercoaster...

I had the feeling that the contents of my stomach were not going to be there for long...

---

"Haaa… Haaa… Haaa…" I was panting heavily… My entire body was covered in sweat.

I didn't need to see myself in a mirror to know that I was completely pale… I definitely must look extremely pale after what I just experienced with Fred…

"So you're not used to moving that fast? My bad…" Fred looked genuinely apologetic.

I couldn't even reply, I was still panting on the ground…

In less than a minute, Fred crossed the large field of cut trees and tree trunks thanks to his inhuman speed.

Ugh… It is a miracle that I didn't vomit again…

I'm not confident that I would be able to hold it if I move too much, so I will just rest right here…

"I guess I will have to call her… She's not going to be happy about this… Hehehe..." Fred laughed awkwardly. "Kid, please wait here." He said before walking away.

It is not like I was planning on moving to begin with…

A bit after I heard Fred talking to me, I heard the sound of a wooden door. It seemed like he went into one of the buildings.

I feebly raised my head to look at my surroundings. I was a bit dizzy thanks to the wild ride from before…

There were three wooden buildings in front of me. One was a simple two-storied house, another one seemed to be a barn with a fence covering the surrounding area around it, and finally, a small building that appeared to be a shed. There were some farming tools, axes, and a pair of swords… More specifically, swords from the medieval period...

I was a little bit dumbfounded about seeing some swords here…

That was confusing enough for me to forget about my dizziness for a moment.

I don't know for how long I kept staring at those swords, but I was feeling a bit strange… Somehow, I felt a bit nostalgic even though this is the first time I saw a real sword in person…

It was then that I heard the door of the house open suddenly. 

I instantly looked towards the door thinking that Fred was back… It wasn't him.

Instead of Fred, a woman was walking towards me...

She was 1,54 meters tall and very slender. She had long brown hair that flowed past her shoulders and a pair of blue eyes. Her facial features looked very delicate... She was wearing a white blouse, a long skirt that went below her knees, and a pair of sandals.

She was showing me a kind and gentle smile.

It didn't take long for her to reach me…

"I apologize for what my husband did. It must have been scary, right? I know the feeling." She kept smiling at me while patting my head.

Her smile was very soothing and reassuring… It reminded me of my mother's…

"Ah…" I gasped while looking at her…

She giggled as soon as she noticed that.

"Please stay still. I will make you feel better in no time!" She spoke with a little bit of excitement.

She placed her hand on my shoulder, a warm feeling started traveling from there towards my whole body. It was something that I had never felt before...

My nausea disappeared completely in mere seconds. I was no longer sweating and panting… I felt extremely reinvigorated, my body felt better than ever.

"Done~." Fred's wife smiled warmly at me. 

(What was that…?) I thought to myself in amazement while examining my body.

Before I could even take a guess about that strange event, Fred’s wife spoke to me...

"Can you stand up now?" She asked me with a gentle smile.

I nodded shyly before standing up. I immediately dusted my clothes.

I was still confused about what she did to me...

She kept smiling gently at me… She even started patting my head again…

"Are you feeling better?" She asked me.

"Yes... Thank you." I smiled awkwardly.

"That's good! I'm glad that you're feeling better now!" She nodded to herself.

She looked genuinely happy to help me.

"Are you hungry? I was about to finish cooking lunch, so do you want to join us?" She asked with excitement.

Before I could even reply, she grabbed my hand and started dragging me inside her home.

"A warm homemade meal will make you forget that terrifying experience. I can guarantee that!" She nodded to herself while dragging me by the arm.

Well, I won't say no to a warm meal… I guess I was really lucky that Fred found me.

"Thank you very much, but… Umm… What's your name?" I asked with a bitter smile.

"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself… Silly me! My name is Lilia! Nice to meet you, Julius!" She turned her head around and smiled at me.

I guess Fred must have told her my name. Yeah, that makes sense.

"Nice to meet you too. Thank you very much for helping me and letting me inside your home." I tried to be as polite as I could.

"You're so polite for a young kid! Don't worry about such silly things! Let's go inside before the food gets cold." There was a strange sparkle in her eyes…

Lilia looked even more excited than before for some reason…

She didn't waste any time and dragged me into her house with a happy expression on her face.

We came into what appeared to be a living room/dining room.

The room was extremely well decorated, giving the place a nice cozy feeling. Almost all of the furniture seemed to be made with wood. A pair of sofas in a corner of the room was the exception.

There was a large table in the middle of the room. Two young girls were sitting there playing chess. The girls were identical in almost every way. In other words, they were twins.

"It's my win!" One of the girls said proudly while puffing her chest.

"Tsk… seventy-five to seventy-four… I will not allow it to remain like this! I will win the next two games!" The other girl looked fired up and a bit annoyed because she lost.

"In your dreams!" The first girl said mockingly.

"You'll see!" The other girl didn't back down.

They were pretty intense about their chess game…

Both girls have long brown loose hair that reaches their waists and blue eyes. The two of them appear to be 1.30 meters tall. The two of them are wearing the same outfit, the only difference about it is the colors of their shirts.

For reference, I seem to be a bit shorter than them. Just a bit.

They are wearing shorts, shirts, and leather boots. One is wearing a white shirt, while the other has a black one.

I don't think the two are any older than 8 years old.

The two of them look just like Lilia. You could even say that they are almost carbon copies of her.

One of the girls was facing us. She looked very confused because her mother was holding the hand of an unknown child. That unknown child being me, of course.

Her twin noticed the confusion of her sister and turned around to see us. Her curious expression instantly changed into one of surprise.

Her curious gazes were making me feel a bit awkward…

"Liliana, Luna, come here for a minute. I have to introduce you to someone!" Lilia was still incredibly excited. She was looking at me while talking to her daughters.

(So those are their names huh...) I thought to myself.

The twins got up from the table and quickly walked toward us. They stopped when they were right in front of me.

Lilia looked pleased. She took a moment before introducing me to take a deep breath.

"Girls, this boy over here is Julius…" Lilia looked at me and then grinned… "He's going to be your husband in the future!" Lilia shouted with excitement.

"Huh…?" Liliana, Luna, and I were completely dumbfounded.

(H-Husband…? I don't recall agreeing to that… What have I gotten myself into…?)

"Pffft!" Lilia chuckled. "Hahahaha! You should have seen your faces!" She laughed loudly. She looked extremely amused...

Ah… It was a joke… Thank goodness...

"Mom… That's not funny!" One of the twins looked extremely annoyed.

The other twin was looking a bit embarrassed even though it was a joke.

I wonder what kind of expression I had...

"Oh! Looks like the two of you are embarrassed~. How cute. Hehehe!" Lilia giggled. 

She then started poking her daughter's cheek while still holding one of my hands 

"O-Of course not!" Lilia's daughter pouted and averted her gaze.

The other twin was still looking very embarrassed. She was trying to look at me but she always ended up averting her gaze.

"So you're not embarrassed? Then prove it." Lilia smiled warmly. 

Lilia then looked at me and suddenly pushed me forward. I ended up right in front of the twins.

The two of them were at first surprised about it, but then they looked really embarrassed.

"Whoops! My hand just slipped! How silly of me!" Lilia said with a playful tone.

She then crouched right beside me.

"Julius, since it seems my daughters don't have the courage to introduce themselves, I will help them out, okay?" Lilia had a gentle smile on her face.

I just nodded in response. I was also feeling embarrassed…

"Look, the one on the right who didn't want to admit that she was and still is embarrassed is Liliana. She's the oldest." Lilia explained.

Liliana looked at me for a few moments… She ended up blushing a bit and averting her gaze.

"N-Nice to meet you…" She mumbled.

"Nice to meet you too…" I smiled awkwardly.

She looked at me again and started smiling awkwardly just like me.

"See? It wasn't so hard!" Lilia looked pleased. "Now, the other sweet girl who's blushing in front of you is the youngest, Luna." Lilia said with excitement.

Luna and I then made eye contact when Lilia introduced her to me. She was blushing even more than before. Luna averted her gaze once again.

"H-H-Hi…" Luna stuttered a bit.

"Hello. It is so nice to meet you." I smiled at her.

I was still feeling really awkward for some reason. I usually don't have any problems with meeting other people but… I really just feel awkward right now...

I guess it has a bit to do with the fact that I'm a child again and Lilia's joke…

Lilia was the only one who seemed to be having the time of her life. While her daughters and I were simply staring at each other awkwardly.

"Good! Now that we are done with this, let's go and have lunch! You can go outside to play after that! We have a lot of things to talk about. Isn't that right, Julius?" Lilia winked at me.

Is she treating me like a kid…? 

Oh… 

Right… I am a kid right now…

I think it will take some time for me to get used to it...

"C'mon you three, go take a seat and get to know each other while I finish making lunch!" Lilia winked at us before standing up and walking towards another room.

I was a bit stunned because of how quickly she left the room.

The three of us just stayed there in awkward silence. The one to break the ice was Liliana.

"Umm… Julius… Do you like chess?" Liliana asked me while twiddling with her thumbs.

“Yeah, but I’m not particularly good at the game…” I nodded awkwardly at Liliana.

I used to play with my adoptive father from time to time. My adoptive mother was the one who taught my sisters and me how to play. Like I just said to Liliana, I’m not particularly good at the game, but I do remember a few tricks that my mother taught me.

Liliana nodded in understanding and walked toward the table. Luna followed her older sister while still blushing a bit.

The two of them took a seat, except Luna was sitting on a different chair than the one she was previously using.

I walked towards the table as well and sat on the chair directly in front of Liliana. Luna was sitting on my right.

"Do you want to go first?" Liliana seemed less awkward now.

"I don't mind going second." I scratched the back of my head. I was still feeling pretty awkward, unfortunately.

Liliana nodded before she started setting the pieces.

"J-Julius… Umm…" Luna seemed to have gathered some courage to speak to me.

"Yes?" I looked at Luna.

"I-I-I was wondering what you were doing alone in the forest…" Luna said shyly. She didn't seem to be able to look me in the eyes.

"Ah…" Liliana stopped setting up the chess pieces. "I was also wondering about that… Mom and Dad told us that we are not allowed to go into the forest since only monsters live there and there aren't many people in this place besides us. What were you doing there on your own?" Liliana looked genuinely curious.

So there were only monsters like those 'goblins' there… I guess I was extremely lucky to be saved by Fred...

But what should I do? 

Liliana and Luna look really young. Just like with Fred, I don't really know if I should tell them about my reincarnation and my deal with Melius.

"I-I-I thought it was strange too…" Luna nodded in agreement.

"I don't really know what I was doing there alone…" I scratched the back of my head.

I decided not to tell them the truth. Perhaps I should wait until there's a little bit of trust between Fred's family and me.

I apologized in my mind for lying again.

Liliana and Luna look extremely confused.

"But… What about your parents? Did they leave you there?" Liliana leaned closer to me. She was looking at me very intently. Her previous embarrassed self was nowhere to be found.

"I don't know where they are…" I smiled bitterly.

Now that I think about it since I had this body, do I have any family in this world, or was this body created for me?

Melius said I was going to be "Reincarnated" but "Reincarnation" implies starting all over again, which means I should be a baby right now.

So there's the possibility that I was actually "Transmigrated" instead of "Reincarnated.

It is considered "Transmigration" when a soul takes over an already existing body. It makes more sense to me that I was "Transmigrated" since I woke up with this body.

I can be wrong about this theory since Melius didn't really explain in much detail how the process worked…

So that means that there's the possibility that the original owner of this body had a family.

That leaves me with two very important questions that don't have an answer.

1. What happened to the original owner of this body?
2. Where's the family of the original owner of this body?

I don't have a way to answer those questions currently.

How do I know so much about this topic? I used to play a lot of video games and read a lot of novels on the internet. Both games and novels were recommended by my girlfriend Claire. Of course, I think she was more knowledgeable about these terms than I am.

I really miss her…

"You don't know…" Luna looked sad.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up…" Liliana apologized. She looked really embarrassed again.

"Don't worry, I'm not particularly affected by that." I smiled bitterly.

Well, even if I have family in this world, I don't know them. So I don't really feel bad about not knowing where they are. I'm just curious.

"But still…" Luna looked really apologetic.

"Don't worry! I'm definitely sure that our dad will find your parents! He can ask Auntie for help!" Liliana suddenly got very intense. She was leaning closer to me and looking straight into my eyes.

"Thank you." I smiled very awkwardly.

I think it might be difficult for them to find some people I don't really know.

"I was already thinking of trying that. We'll have to see what 'She' thinks about it though." A manly voice came from another room.

Fred then came out from a door in the corner of the room.

He walked towards the table and stood up by my side.

"I'm glad to see that you three are getting along. Treat my daughters with care! Hahaha!" Fred laughed very loudly.

I was already getting used to his loud yet reassuring laughter.

Fred then grabbed a chair and sat beside me.

For some reason, he started ruffling my hair and smiling at me.

"You're in good hands kid, don't worry. We'll find your parents, okay?" He seemed very confident about it.

"Thank you very much. I was wondering why you didn't come back when I met Lilia." I said to Fred. 

I was feeling less awkward thanks to his presence.

"I was preparing our spare room for you to stay in for a while. It will take some time to find your family." Fred smiled bitterly.

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Although, I don’t know if we will really find this supposed family of mine...

"Julius will be staying with us?" Liliana asked with a very curious expression.

Luna looked like she wanted to ask the same thing. She just nodded in agreement when her sister asked that question.

"That's right. So please keep him company while I'm out working!" Fred smiled at his daughters.

His twin daughters didn't reply. They just smiled back and nodded.

"Very good! Hahaha!" As usual, Fred laughed confidently.

"Umm… Fred, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?" I was also really curious about my savior.

"Me? I used to be a knight not so long ago. I'm currently working on setting up a village here, so my current job is to make this place safe to live in. So, you could say that I'm currently a Monster Hunter." Fred was rubbing his chin while looking at the ceiling.

A Monster Hunter… That sounds really cool!

"My first guess was that you were a lumberjack, but I guess being a Monster Hunter sounds way cooler." I nodded to myself.

Considering how skillfully Fred dealt with those 'goblins', he must be an expert Monster Hunter.

"Hahaha! Do you think I'm cool? I'm really happy to hear that!" Fred smiled from ear to ear. "They were only Goblins though, so it is not like it was something difficult to handle." He admitted.

(Oh! So those creatures are actually called goblins here!) I thought to myself.

"You know, I was waiting to ask this after lunch, but just how old are you?" Fred asked me with a serious expression.

The twins were looking at me very intently... They seemed very interested in knowing my age.

Unfortunately, I don't really know how old I am in this body…

"I don't know…" I smiled awkwardly yet again.

"Ah… Amnesia, right…" Fred looked a bit annoyed thanks to this situation.

I just apologized in my mind again for lying…

Well, it is not really lying since I don’t know my actual age in this body.

"But... Wouldn't you know your age just by checking your Status?" Luna asked with a very serious expression.

Status? Like an RPG Status? Something like that exists in this world.

"Oh! I had forgotten about that for a moment! That's right!" Fred smiled warmly.

"Well done, Luna! I also forgot about it!" Liliana hugged her little sister.

"Hehehe… It was nothing..." Luna laughed awkwardly.

Unfortunately for us, I don't know how to use this "Status" that they are talking about.

"Ummm… How do I see my Status?" I asked them with a bit of embarrassment.

The three of them looked a bit puzzled that I had asked that.

But before they could answer my question, Lilia came out of the kitchen with a cart filled to the brim with food.

Boiled potatoes, roasted chicken, bread, and even some strange meat with an incredible smell that I haven't experienced before. All of that was filling her cart.

"Lunch is ready! Girls, please help me to set up the table! Honey, you too." Lilia looked incredibly excited.

The twins nodded and got up from their seats. The two of them went to the kitchen.

"I guess we can continue this conversation later, kid. It might be better that way..." Fred smiled bitterly before taking the chessboard and the pieces from the table. He also left the room to go to the kitchen.

Lilia and I were the only ones left in the room.

"I'll help as…-" I was about to stand up to help but Lilia stopped me...

"No need! You're our guest, so please stay seated." Lilia smiled at me.

"But…" I tried to protest but…

"I insist. So please be a good kid and stay seated~!" Lilia kept smiling at me.

There was some strange pressure coming from her.

"Ok…" I just nodded and did what I was told.

"Good! I'll be right back!" Lilia went back to the kitchen after patting my head for a bit.

I was left alone in the dining room.

…

…

…

Fred and his family are an interesting bunch, that's for sure.

I'm really glad that I met them after coming to this world. They really seem like good people.

There are a lot of things I want to ask about like what was the thing that Lilia used with me, was it magic? Or the existence of this "Status" that Fred, Liliana, and Luna were talking about.

(I should probably ask them everything about that since they are natives.) I nodded to myself.

Despite almost dying again, so far I have enjoyed being in another world. I'm really excited to see what this world has to offer.

Just as I was thinking of that, Fred, Lilia, and the twins returned to the dining room with plates, glasses, and silverware.

I'm also looking forward to getting to know this kind of family!

---

Chapter 1: Unknown World.

END